Rasmus Kofoed is the only competitor to have won bronze, silver, and gold medals at the Bocuse d’Or cooking contest in Lyon, France. Thanks to his work at Geranium, he is also the only chef in Denmark with three Michelin stars. His is a very serious restaurant, where the cooks wear toques and diners are invited to pose for photos in front of the Bocuse trophies. That Geranium is located in the competitive atmosphere of the city’s soccer stadium is almost too on the nose. [$$$$]

During the pandemic, chef Christian Puglisi decided it was time to close Relæ and Manfreds og Vin, the two restaurants that put him on the map. The bakery Mirabelle and pizzeria Bæst remain. At the latter venue, Puglisi leans into his Italian heritage with characteristic meticulousness. The pies are blasted in an oven from Naples, the charcuterie and burrata are prepared in-house, and most of the dishes highlight produce grown on the chef’s Farm of Ideas outside the city. [$$]

Nørrebro restaurant Tigermom sees former Relæ sous chef Lisa Lov serving family-style meals inspired by her Chinese-Cambodian heritage. It’s very easy to have a good time here, as dish after dish — from raw scallops to grilled skewers — descends on the table. Pricing starts at a reasonable 425 kroner ($65) per person, and the colorful dining room is a refreshing contrast to some of the more subdued spots around town. [$$]

Unlike other jam-packed bakeries around town, Lille lets you linger. Just ask the creatives who work nearby and treat it as their canteen. In addition to pastries, there’s a menu of salads and light dishes for those seeking an easy lunch. [$ - $$]

Take a break from touring the design stores of Bredgade for a meal at this neighborhood restaurant from chef Per Thostesen, favored by locals for its oysters and famous fried egg with pomme puree and truffles. Even if you’re not in the mood for a full meal, a draft beer and some fries at the bar make for a perfect pitstop. [$$]

Every day of the week, Barabba offers a murderers’ row of Italian dishes more concerned with pleasure than tradition. Consider three recent appearances on the menu: an appetizer of grilled octopus with spicy radicchio and Pantelleria capers; a primo of spaghetti with butter, colatura, and caviar; and an entree of hamachi that’s salt-crusted, grilled, and fried. [$$ - $$$]

This bright, beautiful cafe from Frederik Bille Brahe serves as a home away from home for stylish Copenhageners. They go to Atelier September to catch up with friends over mugs of matcha and plates of sliced rye bread and comté. The caramelized grapefruit is fantastic, but best of all may be the avocado toast with chile, chives, and citrus. Only a few blocks from Kongens Nytorv, Atelier September is striking distance from nearly every major attraction (including the Charlottenburg Palace, the city’s contemporary art museum, where Bille Brahe operates Apollo Bar). [$ - $$]

The historic Sankt Annæ ably ticks off all the boxes a CPH lunch spot should — herring, smørrebrød, schnapps, and more schnapps — but don’t sleep on the biksemad, a satisfying dish of potato hash, diced meat, and fried eggs that’s the best kind of Danish home cooking. [$$ - $$$]

Located in the underground cellar of the oldest building in Copenhagen, Kong Hans Kælder is the place to visit for grand European fine dining: turbot cooked in a salt crust, whole-roasted duck, and an impressive cheese cart. Bonjwing Lee has covered the restaurant and chef Mark Lundgaard Nielsen extensively on the Ulterior Epicure blog if you want to get a play-by-play of the magic. [$$$$]

Located around the corner from the perennially thronged row houses of Nyhavn, the understated wine bar Den Vandrette is something of an oasis. Owner Sune Rosforth is one of Copenhagen’s leading importers of biodynamic wines, and here his team serves a thoughtful selection of charcuterie and cheese that play well with the formidable list. [$$ - $$$]

Copenhagen is slowly becoming a great hotel city. The current star is the Sanders, around the corner from the ballet. The rooftop lounge is most tempting, but head to the acclaimed cocktail bar on the ground floor if you can’t do both. The servers couldn’t be kinder and the pressed ham and cheese sandwich approaches perfection. [$$ - $$$]

Australian native Beau Clugston’s careful sourcing and assured cooking have elevated his seafood establishment Iluka to the top of Copenhagen’s restaurant scene. Celebrated as it may be, the intimate venue offers all the flexibility of a neighborhood restaurant: Book well in advance or swing by for seats at the bar; order a few dishes a la carte or spring for the reasonably priced tasting menu ($80-$100). [$$ - $$$]

The dining room at restaurateur Christian Nedergaard’s Admiralgade 26 feels like the Copenhagen apartment of your dreams, while the menu seamlessly incorporates influences from Japan, Italy, and Spain. Make your leisurely visit even longer with a stop at Nedergaard’s neighboring wine bar, Ved Stranden 10, where servers will set you up with an excellent glass before sending you out to sit along the canal, if the weather agrees. [$$$]

The common refrain about chef Rosio Sanchez’s Vesterbro cantina is that it serves some of the best Mexican food anywhere, not just in Copenhagen. Good luck calling that hyperbole once you start working your way through the fleet of mezcals and Sanchez’s food. The breakfast taco is the sort of thing Angelenos would gladly wait hours to sample. Dinner is just as memorable, with tostadas of octopus al pastor and carnitas topped with grilled brigante cheese. Sanchez recently opened a second Cantina near Østerbro, and the two locations of her taco stand, Hija de Sanchez, should also be on your radar. [$$ - $$$]

This energetic and indispensable restaurant in the Meatpacking District serves seafood dishes from chef Jamie Lee and wines chosen by Anders Selmer every day of the week. The vibe, killer snacks, and  a la carte format make Fiskebar equally suited for a full meal or a quick glass of wine with some fish and chips. In the warmer months, the team arranges beach chairs in the lot out front where you can post up with a bottle of wine as the day winds down. [$$ - $$$]

Drinking at night in Copenhagen, you’ll often feel the need for one last meal before bedtime. Find the nearest Kebabistan. The mini-chain serves chicken, lamb, or mixed shawarma with fries, which all benefit from the addition of the stand’s homemade chile oil. [$]

Is there a place to eat and drink in Copenhagen more idyllic than La Banchina? The question may enter your mind when you take in the vibrant tableau that tends to form there on a nice day, as Copenhageners dive into the water between sips of natural wine and bites of smoked sardines. [$ - $$]

The latest project from Kristian Baumann, who earned a Michelin star at the now-shuttered 108, this temporary restaurant operates from the Nørrebro address that housed Christian Puglisi’s seminal Relæ until this year. At Koan, Baumann explores the flavors of Korea, his birth country, for the first time in his career. Standouts on the tasting menu include a mandu filled with fjord shrimp, and a coil of grilled white asparagus and mussels inspired by a hit recipe from the previous tenant. [$$$$]

The signature cheeseburger at René Redzepi’s highly popular POPL features beef sourced from some of Denmark’s most respected organic cattle farms. It is cooked in butter and glazed with beef garum from Noma’s fermentation department. The vegan and vegetarian options — and a spicy fried chicken sandwich that appears on the menu from time to time — also merit attention. [$ - $$]

Thanks to Mads Battefeld, Copenhagen finally boasts a world-class sushi omakase. The eight-seat restaurant, one of the toughest reservations in the city, distinguishes itself by serving sustainable seafood from the Nordic region. Nigiri preparations include aged wild trout from South Sjaelland, cross-hatch-cut herring with sesame and umeboshi, and a honey-infused tamago cooked over charcoal. [$$$$]

Jessica Natali is one to watch. Her Japanese tasting counter has only been open for a couple of months, but already the young chef is displaying her range across two menus, one devoted to izakaya fare, the other a tasting consisting of more buttoned-up preparations, like tender strands of raw squid with kanzuri butter. In many ways, at Kona, Natali continues to build on the lessons she picked up as part of the opening crew at Inua, the now-shuttered Tokyo restaurant co-founded by her mentor, René Redzepi. [$$ - $$$]

Møntergade is arguably the place to go these days for a Danish lunch of smørrebrød (though sister restaurant Palægade is nothing to scoff at). The offerings are grounded in tradition but tend to be more precise than the renditions you’ll encounter at the classic restaurants. Don’t sleep on dinner service, when the open-faced sandwiches are replaced by dishes like fried turbot with vadouvan-glazed carrots, and a beef tenderloin doused in sauce choron (a variation of Bearnaise that incorporates tomato). [$$ - $$$]

Pompette stands apart from other Copenhagen wine bars in that it is eminently affordable; glasses start at 50 kroner ($7.50), and they’ll let you drink whatever you buy in their retail section for a 100 kroner ($15) corkage fee. Owner Martin Ho also operates Poulette next door, which sells spicy fried chicken sandwiches. [$]

Local chefs and food writers keep coming back to this two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Gentofte, a 20-minute drive from the town center, and buckling down for its 18-course tasting. It’s only a matter of time before visitors catch onto chef Eric Kragh Vildgaard’s work too. While similarly luxe restaurants like Marchal and Kong Hans keep it old school, Jordnær has a more freewheeling spirit. See, for example, the Nordic-Japanese hybrid that is a dish of black currant “branches” paired with miso and caviar. [$$$$]

Maison’s classic French sensibilities place it in the company of other restaurants on this list like Silberbauers and Bistro Boheme, but it might be the only spot in town with a mountain of shoestring fries to match L’Ami Louis in Paris, as well as not one, but two takes on foie gras. [$$$]