The best restaurants Denmark

Timetable

The Nordic people are used to eating early. Lunch, frokost, is usually served between 12 and 3:30 pm but we dine aften from 5:30 pm! After 9pm, it can be difficult to be received in a restaurant even if this custom is changing and adapting to the development of tourism. The good news is that, in their great majority, restaurants are open on Sunday.

In the Faroe Islands, restaurants are often closed on weekends and public holidays, except in July and August. Fortunately, the gas stations are open and have a mini-market that can help you out. Also, some supermarkets (Bonus, FK, Á Handil, Á Landavegur) open from 7am/9am to 10pm/11pm.

Budget & Tips

The restaurant budget is generally high and it is recommended to book a table, essential in the starred restaurants, up to one or two months in advance, or in very touristy places like Nyhavn in Copenhagen. Credit cards are accepted everywhere.

The Danes are used to eating lunch on the go, so this is an opportunity to do as they do and try smørrebrød and pølser or to be tempted by the sweet treats and other prepared dishes - to eat in or take away - from bakeries such as Meyers bageri. These are less expensive, but still hearty enough. You'll find cheap food at large indoor markets. Museum restaurants are an excellent alternative: good food, quick hot and cold, moderate prices.

In the Faroes, supermarkets offer a lot of quality products: fresh breads, cheese, marinated herrings of all kinds or salmon, fish rillettes, sweet specialties... enough to make an excellent cheap picnic!

What costs extra

The carafe of water placed on the table is not a Danish or Faroese habit.

Important to know: order and payment are made at the counter.

The local way

There are at least twenty ways to prepare herring! In brine, marinated, in a sweet and sour sauce, with chopped hard-boiled egg... Frikadeller or meatballs, made of equal amounts of veal and pork, flour, milk, eggs, onions and spices. Stegt flæsk med persillesovs, the national dish prepared with crispy pork in parsley sauce and accompanied by potatoes.

In the Faroes, fish is still the most popular dish, especially salmon and cod. Good to know: dried or grilled cod skin is a specialty! As for lamb, it can be eaten in a thousand ways: áarstovubógvur (shoulder of mutton), mjóryggur (loin), skerpikjøt (dried/fermented mouse or leg, sliced to make sandwiches), garnatálg (Faroese version of haggis, the Scottish stuffed sheep's belly), slátur (mutton pudding).. But the most unusual, the ræst or "fermented" ... In fact, it is a process of drying in the fresh air, between 5 and 9 months and therefore conservation! Eating seabirds: puffins or guillemots are usually marinated or poached in water or milk, their flesh, dark in color, has a slight taste of fish! Local recipe: roast puffin stuffed with grapes.

To be avoided

The disgusted smileys! The windows of restaurants display the report of the control carried out each year: the Smiley Certificate. For the vast majority of them, you will see proudly displayed a happy smiley named Elite! Since 2008, four additional emoticons, from happy to disgusted, indicate if the restaurant has received a notification or a fine. The strong point of Danish restaurants is the strict hygiene conditions and food standards.

Kids

Children are welcome. The restaurants provide baby seats, high chairs and changing tables. Adapted menus are available.

Smokers

Smoking is not allowed inside restaurants or bars, but Danes enjoy sitting on a terrace in any season where smoking is allowed. The exception is made for cafés that have a license to sell alcohol and are less than 40^m2 in size! In this case, smoking inside is still allowed! Of course, the cigarette butt goes back with its owner or ends its life in an ashtray, but never, never, never on the ground or in a sewer!