Restaurant Barr in Christianshavn

New Nordic restaurants

photo_by: Daniel Rasmussen

The New Nordic kitchen has gained international ground around the world. The New Nordic kitchen is characterized by its uniquely Nordic identity among the world’s greatest cuisines and by its commitment to organic, sustainable and local produce. 

If you had visited Copenhagen in the early 2000s, there would be no New Nordic food. Though it’s still possible to get a good old fashioned roast pork with parsley sauce in a restaurant in Copenhagen today, the New Nordic movement has completely taken over the restaurant scene. However, it’s not just in Copenhagen, or the Nordic countries for that matter. New Nordic has made its marks on restaurants as far away as New York and Sydney. The New Nordic movement is what put Copenhagen on the culinary map.

But what is this New Nordic? Well, it all started back in 2004 when the Danish culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer gathered 12 visionary chefs from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Island, and Finland. Representing Denmark was the man behind the historic restaurant Lumskebugten, Erwin Lauterbach, and René Redzepi from the world-famous Noma. Together they co-created and signed the Nordic Kitchen manifesto. A ten-point manifesto of purity, season, ethics, health, sustainability and quality that would guide them in their cooking. In short, the New Nordic cuisine is pure, fresh and simple, yet still very innovative. 

In the following years, the manifesto was picked up by many more than just the founding 12 chefs, enabling the New Nordic food culture to grow and become one of the most influential food cultures on the planet. 

Today there are an abundance of New Nordic restaurants in Copenhagen. Some of the best are listed here for you to explore. We also recommend our guides to Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen.

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Kadeau
photo: Marie Louise Munkegaard

Kadeau

The two Michelin-starred Kadeau is a small piece of Bornholm in the middle of Copenhagen.

In 2013 the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star and in 2018 its second, which it still has. Kadea...

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noma
photo: Ditte Isager

noma

noma – the story of the restaurant, that turned Denmark into a gastro-nation.

Back in 2003 Rene Redzepi opened the doors to what became a milestone for Danish gastronomy. The New Nordic wave hit the...

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Höst
photo: Pr Photo

Höst

Restaurant Höst serves affordable fine Nordic food in central Copenhagen.

Höst is one among a series of Cofoco restaurants in Copenhagen, and is located in rooms distributed on ground floor and basem...

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sustainable_experienceRadio
photo: Anders Schønnemann

Radio

Entreprenante Claus Meyer har sammen med to andre kokke åbnet restaurant Radio på Vesterbro, som ligger tæt på Søerne og over for det smukke gamle radiohus. Her kan du få økologisk og nordisk mad. 

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Uformel
photo: Marie Louise Munkegaard

Uformel

Uformel is located in the center of Copenhagen and offers a pick'n'choose menu with affordable prices. 

It's all in the name. The intention with Uformel, which means 'informal', is exactly that; to cre...

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Restaurant AOC
photo: Søren Gammelmark

Restaurant AOC

A-O-C holds two stars in Guide Michelin Nordic Cities, and is located in central Copenhagen.

Their aim is to give you the ultimate sensory experience, through stimulating as many senses as possible –...

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Geranium
photo: Claes Bech-Poulsen

Geranium

Geranium in Copenhagen holds three stars in Guide Michelin Nordic Cities 2022, was ranked the best restaurant in the world in 2022 and is run by the world's best chef in 2011 Rasmus Kofoed.

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Selma
photo: Pr Photo

Selma

Restaurant Selma is a strong competitor in the race for Copenhagen’s best ‘smørrebrød’.

Swedish Magnus Peterson has joined forces with specialty brewery, Mikkeller, and opened Selma in the heart of C...

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Barr
photo: Jesper Rais Photography

Barr

Going back in time to discover the future of Nordic gastronomy and beer. 

Barr is an old Irish word for crops, and Old Norse for barley, which is one of the foundations of beer (maybe you can already...

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Vækst
photo: Chris Tonnesen

Vækst

The restaurant with the lush greenhouse right in the heart of Copenhagen.

Väkst is the latest addition to the range of moderately priced quality restaurants by Cofoco. The garden-like restaurant focu...

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No. 2
photo: Signe Roderik

No. 2

No. 2 is the little brother of gourmet restaurant AOC and offers primarily Nordic food served in a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. 

At no. 2 you get the same uncompromising approach to raw materi...
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Lumskebugten
photo: Mellanie Gandø

Lumskebugten

Lumskebugten - the Treacherous Bay - offers traditional Danish cuisine, including an extensive selection of fresh seafood.

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The ten points of the Nordic Kitchen manifesto are:

  1. To express the purity, freshness, simplicity, and ethics we wish to associate with our region.  

  2. To reflect the changes of the seasons in the meal we make.  

  3. To base our cooking on ingredients and produce whose characteristics are particularly in our climates, landscapes, and waters.  

  4. To combine the demand for good taste with modern knowledge of health and well-being.  

  5. To promote Nordic products and the variety of Nordic producers - and to spread the word about their underlying cultures.  

  6. To promote animal welfare and a sound production process in our seas, on our farmland and in the wild.  

  7. To develop potentially new applications of traditional Nordic food products.  

  8. To combine the best in Nordic cookery and culinary traditions with impulses from abroad.  

  9. To combine local self-sufficiency with regional sharing of high-quality products.  

  10. To join forces with consumer representatives, other cooking craftsmen, agriculture, fishing, food, retail and wholesales industries, researchers, teachers, politicians and authorities on this project for the benefit and advantage of everyone in the Nordic countries.