Does Copenaghen have more bicycles than restaurants? Hard to say, but what’s for sure is that something in this city is stimulating taste buds and minds. Copenaghen is a place of research, featuring a sensibility that pushes Italian restaurants in Denmark to keep high standards and never rest on their laurels. According to us the year’s best Italian restaurant abroad is right here, in fact. The bread alone betrays how serious the Italian dining scene is… Here are the best food spots according to our Top Italian Restaurants guide.
Tèrra Urban Trattoria, Wine & Cocktail Bar 2 bottiglie
Organic, seasonal and local. The philosophy of Tèrra is very much in line with the vibes of Copenhagen. Lucia De Luca e Valerio Serino left Rome to open a brilliant format which combines the character of a bistrot and a wine bar, plus a nice selection of well blended cocktail. Expect a warm and modern setting, wood tables that overlook an open kitchen, a young and smiling service. Our highlight? Do not miss the mouth watering spaghetti butter, anchovies and roe. The overall quality of the cuisine is simply impressive, in our opinion this is the most emerging Italian restaurant in town and among the best value for money experiences in Copenhagen. The wine list displays a natural soul with intriguing and less known producers, orange wines and low sulfites wines, especially from Lazio. The wine pairings are excellent. Plus, vegetarian and vegan friendly. Lucia and Valerio run also Il Mattarello, an organic pasta lab at Torvehallerne.
Era Ora 3 forchette
Overgaden Neden Vandet 33b - Copenhagen +45 32540693
eraora.dk
Average price kr 800
This fine restaurant on the shores of Christianshavn celebrates 35 years of activity. Elvio Milleri and Edelvita Do Santos’s place is one of the best tables in the world to get in touch with Italian flavors in their essences, perfumes, re-proposed in a fanciful and polite way by two great young chefs like Antonio di Criscio and Andrea Miacola. This year we tasted a couple of dishes (always beautiful and sought after in appearance) memorable was the artichoke, with a freshly macerated white of the island of Giglio, in Tuscany, or the vacca nera (dry aged beef, chanterelles and friggitello greens). The wine list is one of the most beautiful in the world because it mainly sheds light on the most territorial wines, the second wines of the wineries offered almost always in magnum format. But what makes this place really great is the combination of food and wine, a sensitivity that pays tribute to the great Italian school on the subject. A quality marriage. And quality is costly. Restaurant of the Year 2017.
San Giorgio 3 gamberi
Average price kr 350
Achille Melis works magic with the cucina of Marmilla, a marvelous zone of Sardinia where biodiversity reigns supreme. In the house once inhabited by the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, Achille has created his San Giorgio, and he goes beyond simply reproducing Sardinian food on Danish soil. The authenticity of San Giorgio can be read in the wine list, tasted in the extra-virgin olive oil produced in Sardinia, appreciated in the masterfully reworked dishes of the greatest Italian kitchens, such as the remarkable fillet of Jersey beef on a spit with myrtle sauce and Arnad lard in which the sweet and sour myrtle berry contrasts with the pronounced flavors of the lard, or lorighitas (a Sardinian pasta) with duck ragout and Grana Padano.
La Vecchia Signora 2 spicchi
Grønnegade, 12/14 - Copenhagen
www.lavecchiasignora.dk
Average price kr 300
Pioneers Achille Melis and Olimpia Grussu were among the first to offer wood-fired oven pizzas in CPH. We are in the central Indre By neighbourhood, Vecchia Signora – a tribute to the ultra popular queen of the A Series football league – is located within an elegant Tudor-style building dated 1753, where once lived the writer Hans Christian AndersenQuality flours contribute to the solid dough, which is elastic and creamy on the palate; topped with quality ingredients: from fresh seasonal vegetables to imported mozzarella and prosciutto. The classic pizzas never adapt to local palates are served with courteous charm. The carefully selected wine list features references from Sardinia, Piemonte, Veneto and Tuscany. Vecchia Signora is not only a pizzeria, but also a fine trattoria.
Ché Fè 2 gamberi
www.chefe.dk Average price kr 350
All coming from small producers, all organic, all very Italian. This is a format that works from the central ché fè. Our visit confirms a solid proposal, with sharp, incisive flavors, from puntarelle to anchovies, to well-dressed pastas. The wine cellar draws from Italian producers that are hard to find even in Italy, with great attention to sustainability and yields of less than 20,000 bottles. Great product-driven cuisine and professional service even on peak days.
Nebbiolo Wine Bar 2 bottiglie
Store Strandstræde, 18 - Copenhagen
+45 60101109 nebbiolo-winebar.com
Average price kr 200
Central, cozy, easy going. There are so many reasons to visit this lovely wine bar dedicated to Italian grapes. So expect more besides Nebbiolo (or chiavennasca), the wine filter is pretty much brillian. Many Italian labels betray wise choices and passionate approach, including bottles from small Doc and Docg, others from lesser-known areas of Piedmont, and wines hailing from the Italian islands. Wines sold by the glass are a hit, including price-wise. These are paired with tasty nibbles, such as fine cheese, savoury-brined olives and other well-assorted snacks. Bottles of wine, cured meats and canned goods can be purchased and taken home. Sunday dinners are served family-style at the large communal table, along with fine wine and conversation. The same property has also recently opened Trattoria l’Alba based on seasonal Italian products and food friendly wines.
Famo 2 gamberi
Average price kr 380
If what you’re seeking is solid, authentic and no-nonsense Italian cuisine, then none of the three places owned by Fabbio will disappoint. It all started in the Saxogade district where Famo opened. The prix fixe menu changes daily with a classic four-course Antipasto, Primo, Secondo and Dolce offer. The wine list is condensed but includes the most significant denominations and includes sensible amounts of enjoyable wines. The strong points are the pasta, which is often homemade; the tasty and genuine traditional appetizers and entrees like trippa alla romana and vitello tonnato. The uber-Italian ingredients are delivered twice-daily. Since the formula works, Famo Carne opened in the Kongevej district, and whose name betrays focus on the Italian meat cooking tradition. In the Østerbro neighbourhood is also Famo Metro, opened in 2010 with tables overlooking the lake.
Pizzeria MaMeMi & Wine Bar 1 spicchio
Average price kr 100
It’s a pleasure to come to this place and enjoy the pizzas made by a team of young Romans who have come together to bring a slice of Italian culture to Copenhagen. Inspired by their origins, they turn out pizza that is crisp outside and soft inside, light and well-leavened, left to rise for more than 48 hours. They top it with quality ingredients such as ‘nduya, sausage, goat cheese, pecorino and guanciale (cured pork cheek). Choices focus on many variations which change according to the season and the availability of ingredients. A plus is the wine list, especially appealing to wine lovers, offers labels from small and hard-to-find producers with a proper offer by the glass. The atmosphere is friendly and lively.
Bæst 1 spicchio
Guldbergsgade, 29 - Copenhagen
baest.dk
Average price kr 200
An all-round sustainable project. After the celebrated Relais and Manfreds, Christian Puglisi and Kim Rossen launched themselves in a unique restaurant, halfway between pizzeria and restaurant, in the lively Nørebro district. Everything is organic and most is produced locally. Meals may begin with homemade mozzarella with the milk of cows kept a few kilometers from the restaurant, to meats cured upstairs. We started with a mix of charcuterie: excellent pickles, homemade chiaramante. Bakery and staff, young and very friendly, are all exquisitely Italian. The pizzas are topped with high quality ingredients. On our last two visits the baking was not always punctual and homogeneous, with many dark bubbles on the rim. The margherita was simply disappointing, with overcooked mozzarella. We prefer the version with anchovies, onion, mozzarella and pesto. The wine list simply sumptuous, current, rich in natural wines and historical labels: a dozen vintages of Beppe Rinaldi, for example. And then the bread basket (Mirabelle bakery is next door) is addictive, fragrant but above all rich in flavour.
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