Where to Eat and Drink in Copenhagen

Copenhagen has evolved into Europe’s greenest place to eat and drink. Sustainability is baked into daily life: Locals bike with reusable coffee cups, food is grown on organic rooftop farms, and Michelin Green Star fine dining abounds. The best part about the city’s culinary scene? Creative chefs and restaurateurs are committed to flavor, style, community, and the environment all while hosting a good time.

Here are some essential spots to eat and drink to experience Denmark’s capital of eco-chic. 

Try the Noma Burger at POPL

From the team behind Noma, POPL tackles the American classic with the kind of focus on sourcing and experimentation that you’d expect from a fine-dining lab. The signature order: either a juicy organic Danish beef burger or the quinoa-based veggie patty developed in Noma’s fermentation kitchen. Served on a soft potato bun with seasonal sides, it’s a fast-casual concept done with flair in a pared-down contemporary dining room in a picturesque spot along the harbor. Snack on crunchy fries while watching visitors float by in Green Kayaks, an initiative that provides an hour of free paddling in exchange for collecting trash.

Tuck into summer-forward fare at Grobund

Set within the verdant grounds of Copenhagen’s BaneGaarden, Grobund makes the most of summer with a four-course, vegetable-heavy menu served in a restored century-old greenhouse. Once slated for demolition, the space was repurposed into a communal dining room, now surrounded by gardens that supply much of the produce. At one nightly seating, up to 80 guests gather at long wooden tables, sharing conversation over organic wines poured from self-serve taps to foster a social ambiance while cutting down on waste.

Eat at rooftop farm restaurant Gro Spiseri

You would never know from the street in Østerbro that an organic garden oasis sits hidden atop the roof of a former auto auction house. Climb a circular iron staircase to discover Gro Spiseri, set inside a greenhouse where a team with ties to Copenhagen’s zero waste kitchens serves intimate communal meals. ØsterGRO, considered Denmark’s first rooftop farm, features rows of vegetables, herbs, and flowers swaying in the summer wind just steps from your table. The fixed hyper-local menu often features fish from local waters and produce picked the same day. 

Join an affordable community dinner at Absalon

Community dining is a growing trend in Europe, and Copenhagen’s denizens have fully embraced the concept. Absalon, a former church in Vesterbro, has been converted into a neighborhood dining room that serves set meals daily at 6 p.m. Past dishes have included mushroom bolognese and barbecue chicken with bell pepper salsa. Book tickets online – if any remain, they’re sold at the door. However, the experience often sells out in high season. No wonder, given you get bread, salad, and a main for your $15 ticket ($10 on weekdays). Locals and visitors converge at long tables each night, communing over food, drink, and conversation, then pivot to rec-center games like bingo or ping pong or stay for the occasional DJ set.

Fuel up at Coffee Collective

Coffee Collective helped put Copenhagen on the map for serious coffee drinkers. Since 2007, the brand has championed direct trade and price transparency by publishing what it pays farmers — rates often well above market. The original roastery and café at Jægersborggade remains a hub for single-origin bean hunters, but you’ll also find sleek outposts around the city including at the popular Torvehallerne market. Each spot offers expertly pulled espresso, silky cortados, and filter brews in clean, minimalist spaces that subtly reflect the neighborhood. Pick up beans to take home if you find a coffee you love. Every bag has a description of the flavor and body, processing style, and notes on the person or collective behind the farm. 

Indulge in zero-waste fine dining at Tèrra

If you dine at Tèrra, don’t make plans for at least four hours after. With only a handful of tables served nightly, the 15-course meal in a dark, austere space will command your full attention. Chef Valerio Serino takes zero-waste seriously, recycling and upcycling every shell, stalk, and scrap into beautifully composed dishes while earning him a Green Michelin Star. He cooks through the lens of his Sicilian upbringing, using organic vegetables, seafood, and meat sourced from Danish producers. Lucia De Luca, the sommelier and Serino’s life partner, personally pairs every dish with natural, organic, and biodynamic Italian wines. 

Sip natural wine by the water at La Banchina

La Banchina, a dockside hangout, has a serious natural wine list, and, of course, a sauna. What started as a 14-seat café has become a city favorite for small plates, organic ingredients, and waterfront lounging. Diners perch on the edge of the harbor, glasses in hand, while the kitchen turns out unfussy, Italian-inspired dishes. Wine comes from some of the best low-intervention producers in Europe, and on sunny days, locals arrive early, stay late, and often take a dip in the canal.

Go vegan at Green Michelin-starred restaurant ARK

A few bites into dinner at ARK, you might not know the menu swung vegan unless your server told you. Set in a stylish space, nothing seems amiss, not even the lack of meat, at the city’s first Green Michelin Star restaurant (of seven). The menu has a clear Nordic identity, thanks to founder and forager-in-chief Jason Renwick and sustainability-minded executive chef Brett Lavender. Complex and wildly flavorful dishes feature a variety of techniques like koji fermentation to coax flavor from roots, herbs, and vegetables. You’ll find natural wines, low-ABV cocktails, and delicate, rare teas to pair with the tasting menu. 

Drink a pint at People Like Us brewery

While People Like Us serves delicious beer, it’s not the only concept underpinning the business. Founded by brothers Lars and Jesper Carlsen in 2016, the brewery operates as a social enterprise, employing neurodivergent individuals and people from underrepresented backgrounds. Rather than brewing in-house, they collaborate with partners like ÅBEN, Mikkeller, and Flying Couch to craft hazy IPAs, American pale ales, and imperial stouts. The taproom in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district offers a cozy, minimalist setting with a welcoming community vibe and regular events that reflect the brand’s inclusive spirit.