Copenhagen

This fascinating restaurant offers a dynamic interplay of the traditional and the contemporary. Housed in an old Danish Navy barracks dating to the 1600s, the interior is minimal but handsome, and the food embodies a mix of Danish and European traditions and ingredients. The dishes bring together pristine elements in beautiful presentations, and they have included cod with beets and capers, Jerusalem artichokes with cep mushrooms and watercress; scallops with pears and verbena; and pork with celery and parsley. Closed Sunday.

With a striking modern dining room overlooking the leafy Fælledparken, Geranium offers intriguing New Scandinavian cuisine. The creative, ever-changing menu by chef Rasmus Kofoed has included dishes such as salted, gently smoked haddock with crispy fish scales and clarified buttermilk with parsley stems and Finnish caviar; slow-cooked Danish pork neck with young cabbage leaves, pickled young garlic, pine oil and black currant leaves with pork jus; and elderberry jelly for dessert. Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Not all restaurants and cooking styles in Copenhagen stand on the edge of the culinary horizon. This lovely, romantic restaurant occupies a building that goes back 700 years and was once the home of Hans Christian Andersen. Set in the cellar, it is a series of intimate spaces defined by vaulted arches, softly lit to cast a warm glow over the white-linened tables. French tradition pairs with Nordic ingredients on a menu that features such dishes as the black lobster, which is served with truffles, ravioli and an elevated lobster roll, or stuffed poussin with potato purée and a cucumber salad. Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 

Chef Søren Selin has an intriguing gastronomic imagination and a peerless command of culinary technique. His menus change often, but the dishes are invariably made with Danish seasonal produce and run to specialties such as baked onion with caviar and elderflower; a ragu of chanterelles, fava beans and peas; and pigeon breast with grilled cherries and smoked marrow. The vaulted white dining rooms are quietly dramatic, and service is excellent. Closed Sunday and Monday.

This appealing contemporary restaurant is the rare Copenhagen place where you can also order à la carte, perhaps selecting dishes such as oysters with a passion fruit vinaigrette; steak au poivre flambéed in Cognac and served with a fricassee of foie gras, peas, carrots and celeriac, or a delicious dessert of passion fruit and vanilla cake with sabayon and vanilla ice cream. You can elect to enjoy a different wine with each course of the tasting menus.

Smørrebrød, or open-faced sandwiches, are a Danish passion. Chef Ida Davidsen is locally famous for serving the best of these quick eats at her eponymous restaurant. Try the smoked salmon with lungfish caviar, or maybe the “Hans Christian Andersen,” named for the famous children’s writer and piled high with liver pâté, bacon and tomatoes. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

This seafood restaurant, which is owned by former noma manager and sommelier Anders Selmer, pulls a fashionable crowd with an outstanding menu by chef Jamie Lee. Relaxed and casual, it’s an ideal place to sample dishes such as blue mussels in herbed apple cider, or fish and chips in the form of lightly smoked cod with fried potatoes and remoulade. An excellent selection of oysters and other fresh shellfish is also available. Lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.

Located in a pretty 18th-century pavilion in the Royal Danish Horticultural Society’s Garden, this restaurant has a whimsical modern décor and serves excellent contemporary Danish cooking. The ever-changing, offbeat prix fixe menus have run to dishes such as monkfish foie gras, smoked scallops with onion and coconut, and venison prepared two ways. The food is fascinating, but it is best suited to the gastronomically adventurous. Closed Sunday and Monday.

What began as a well-received exploration of new concepts by bright young chefs almost came to ruin at formel B. But two of those talented chefs whipped things into shape, and now the restaurant enjoys an exalted reputation as a place to find fine cooking rooted in French technique and using Nordic produce. Look for such dishes as steamed lemon sole with Danish peas, fermented asparagus and mussel sauce; pork belly with beets, black olives and a slightly smoked sauce; and langoustine à la nage with carrot purée and local vegetables. Closed Sunday