The 8 Restaurants to Try in Copenhagen While Noma Is Closed
Noma—the world-famous two-Michelin-star restaurant and champion of New Nordic cuisine—is currently enjoying the warmer climes in Australia. And while chef René Redzepi will move the team back to Copenhagen within a few months, the eatery—which has regularly topped the world’s most eminent best restaurant rankings since opening in 2003—will close for good at the end of the year. But if you haven’t made good on your foodie pilgrimage plans to experience this seminal restaurant, don’t panic: Over the last decade, Noma alumni have opened up a banner of excellent eateries in the capital. Here’s where you’ll find Redzepi’s former kitchen stars cooking up a storm this Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Photo: Courtesy of Relæ1/8Relæ
Former Noma sous chef Christian Puglisi has garnered a loyal following for his vegetable-focused, almost exclusively organic fare at this minimalist restaurant located just beyond Assistens Cemetery in Nørrebro, Copenhagen’s northern quarter. Daily four- and seven-course menus are a closely guarded secret until service, but you can expect dishes such as uni with almonds; roasted potato, apple, and whey nests; and thinly sliced leek and oyster bouquets to appear on your table. You can choose to tack on a wine pairing, or make your own selections from the 27-page wine list. If you’d prefer a change of scenery, Puglisi’s natural wine bar, Manfreds, set across the street, is a great spot to enjoy a glass or few.
Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and for lunch Friday and Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Studio2/8Studio
One year after Noma opened, co-owner Claus Meyer drew up the famous New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto, calling on chefs “to express the purity, freshness, simplicity, and ethics” of the North through their menus. Meyer has accumulated a litany of eateries to his name, including Italian outlet Verandah, unpretentious Almanak, and Michelin-starred Studio, all housed within the spearmint green, Art Deco former ferry building The Standard, set on Copenhagen’s gorgeous waterfront. Head chef Torsten Vildgaard—who was former head of R&D in Noma’s test kitchen—has developed Studio’s avant-garde five- and seven-course menus, which include dishes such as miso-marinated squid with creamy mussel sauce and wild cress, and filet and tail of veal with smoked bone marrow and salsify.
Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 7:00 p.m. to midnight, and for lunch Thursday through Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Geranium3/8Geranium
Perched almost in the treetops at Parken, the home stadium of Copenhagen’s soccer team—box patrons can even order catering—two-Michelin-starred nature-meets-the urbane eatery Geranium is one of the city’s hottest dining experiences. Run by Søren Ledet, former sous chef at Noma, and Rasmus Kofoed, winner of the 2011 Bocuse d’Or, Geranium’s white-and-gray-toned interiors ensure all eyes are on the open kitchens and the set of 20 or so dishes on offer each night. Some standouts include frothy wild mushroom soup in delicate silver Fabergé-like eggs, crunchy ear grain crackers that resemble real twigs set atop tangy edible “soils,” and charred scallops cocooned in edible foraged flowers.
Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, from 6.30 p.m. to midnight (last seating at 9:00 p.m.), and for lunch Thursday through Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. (last seating at 1:00 p.m.)
Photo: Courtesy of Radio4/8Radio
Named for the neighboring radio house, menus at this timber-clad informal restaurant—like many of its contemporaries—are underpinned by quality Nordic ingredients and strong ties to Danish producers. Flours used in Radio’s artisanal breads are sourced from Mørdrupgård, which grows more than 300 types of grain selected mostly from the Nordic Gene Bank. A few times a week, fruit growers Henrik Saunte, Hans Lund Hansen, and Peter Jørgen Larsen drop off a selection of fruits including plums, pears, quinces, and apples from their Lillø orchards. Co-owner Jesper Kirketerp—whose past titles have included sous chef at Noma and assisting head chef at Geranium—works with Claus Meyer on Radio’s three- and five-course sets: Don’t miss the scallops with Jerusalem artichokes and olives, and salmon with crispy endive and lush watercress.
Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, and lunch Friday and Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Amass5/8Amass
Californian chef Matt Orlando left his head chef position at Noma to establish Amass, an accessible, modern restaurant. Inside the graffiti-decorated, high-ceilinged, warehouse-like space, an eclectic crowd of Danish hipsters, well-heeled professionals, and visiting foodies dines to the sound of a hip-hop soundtrack. Outside, you’ll find the more-than-500-square-meter garden, which provides most of the herbs, flowers, and vegetables—harvested at the peak of freshness—that drive the restaurant’s six- and nine-course set menus. Dishes change regularly according to what’s good: Beetroot with black pepper and bergamot, and Icelandic neck of lamb with savoy cabbage, parsley, and smoked mussels are both menu standouts to look forward to when the restaurant opens after its February break in March.
Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 6:00 p.m. to midnight, and lunch Friday and Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.