4. Best for delicious North Sea flavours: Restaurant Barr
Located in noma’s original building on the quay at Christianshavn, and opened in partnership with acclaimed Danish chef René Redzepi, Thorsten Schmidt’s Restaurant Barr celebrates the food of his childhood. Dubbed “North Sea Cuisine”, flavours cover the ground from Germany to Denmark, not forgetting the sea that links them. That explains why the menu includes smørrebrød but also herring and meatballs.
Schmidt’s background is in molecular gastronomy, so don’t expect homely food; it’s satisfying and classic, but elevated at the same time. With harbour views and a refined atmosphere, the setting provides a great backdrop to his classy take on Denmark’s hearty traditional cuisine.
The name “Barr” has a resonance across the the North Sea region: meaning “crop” in Old Irish, it’s also the name for “barley” in Old Norse, a staple food for all these countries going back centuries. Barr is a classic Copenhagen restaurant: relaxed, welcoming and low-key, and yet chic at the same time. As well as the dining room, there is a 30-seat beer bar and a wide range of beers to choose from, plus outdoor seating along the waterfront.
Lunch includes a smørrebrød dish of herring with red berries, pork fat and thyme over a ryebread base, along with shrimp with dill, lemon and a soft boiled egg served on white bread, and eel tartare and salted smoked beef with horseradish on heavily seeded rye. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants compared dining here to “a gastronomic bear hug” and we can see why.
Website: https://restaurantbarr.com/en/home/
Address: Strandgade 93, Christianshavn
Phone number: +45 32 96 32 93
Instagram: @barrcph