Restaurant Kanalen

This place is both cozy and charming with its location right next to the side canals. I came here by myself for lunch and they were happy to serve me. As my first Danish meal experience, I was very surprised at the level of sophistication they emphasize with everything whether it be the meal, the table layout or the customer service. My server, Daniel, was very friendly and did not treat me any different than most of the other customers who were there on business. He recommended a good red wine to start and then presented each dish while explaining how it was prepared. I even stopped him to ask a few questions which he did not mind answering for me. I had to try the dessert and I’m glad that I did as it was an unbelievable chocolate mousse. I did not expect much for a place that I just called ahead to ask if I could be seated for lunch. Hidden gem of a restaurant!

This is a charming canal-​side restaurant, with traditional Danish cuisine and a lovely terrace for outdoor dining. The herring appetizers were delicious, especially when accompanied with a good aquavit. But if you stray from their classic offerings, you will likely be disappointed. The steak, for example, arrived in a black sauce, partly derived from squid ink. This dish did not quite work, to say the least. Still, overall, this was a very nice experience.

Located on one of the side canals (busy with pleasure boats) is the small restaurant Kanalen.
If you go –make a reservation as they were turning away people on the night we were there. Also know that while they have a great terrace to sit outside and watch the boats– if there is any chance of rain or if the temps are below 20c they close the terrace. And it is quite warm in the restaurant so just know to wear layers you can peel off.
After our hopes of eating outside were dashed– we were seated at a small table by the windows where we could watch all the activity on the canal.
Know that this place serves mainly wines. Mixed drinks other than a couple of the basics are out of their scope. My dining companion went through an entire litany of drinks before settling for a crisp, bubbly wine.
There are only two choices on the menu: a tasting menu where you can choose from 3 – 8 courses, and a seasonal menu where you can choose 3 – 4 courses.
We chose one of each — a 5 course menu from the tasting. And and the four course menu from the seasonal menu. Know if you order in matched numbers of courses there will be a «rest period» for one of the people.
The food was quite good but it’s Important to note that this is as much about how the food looks as how it tastes. The food is beautifully plated but some may think kits too fancy or that the portion sizes are too small. But I will tell you that by the time you have all the courses you will be quite full.
I also liked that one of my courses was a cheese course and they let me choose the types of cheese that I wanted. And whatever the berry thing was that I had for dessert– just know it was so good with white chocolate and cream that I wanted to lick the plate!
Know that this is a leisurely dining experience. There is plenty of time between the courses to relax and enjoy some of the great wines that they have. It took almost three hours for dinner which some of my American friends thought was way too long given the temperature in the restaurant. I thought it was fine for this type of experience.
And if you are wondering what to wear — just know that anything goes in this place. Given the proximity to the canal and boats– people come in everything from work clothes to shorts.
A lovely, classy choice for fine dining when in Copenhagen!

Pretty charming place. I had the 6-​course menu and everything was excellent tasting, especially the fish meals and the ol-​brod dessert again. I would call their style as French-​Danish and their menu changes also often depending what is available seasonally. Definitely recommended and I hope to take some guests there next time.