An endless celebration of common sense and an aesthetic explosion. Scandinavia, as they say, doesn’t disappoint — while Stockholm meets high expectations, Copenhagen surpasses them.

At the heart of Copenhagen lies something quintessentially Danish. Consider the Inderhavnsbroen, the Inner Harbour Bridge, or the “Kissing Bridge,” named for its two drawbridge-like sections. Though planned for completion in 2013, “design issues” delayed it, and the contractor later filed for bankruptcy.

Nicknamed “the missing bridge” by locals, it finally opened in the summer of 2016, connecting Nyhavn and Christianshavn. This bridge now links the picturesque, bustling city center with the more unconventional, bohemian district, home to the Christiania hippie commune. If you're visiting Copenhagen for its food scene — and statistically, that’s likely — it’s this bridge that connects The Standard by Claus Meyer with Noma by René Redzepi.

Claus Meyer and René Redzepi are two towering figures in the Nordic food revolution. Meyer’s vision was to create menus inspired by local, northern ingredients — not viewing them as constraints but as opportunities. This vision led him to approach Paul Cunningham, an English chef based in Copenhagen, though Cunningham declined, offering instead a shortlist of chefs, including Redzepi. In 2003, Noma was born, with Meyer and Redzepi as partners. Within two years, Redzepi earned a Michelin star and hasn’t stopped since.

Noma (a combination of "nordisk," meaning Nordic, and "mad," meaning food) is renowned for its modern interpretation of Scandinavian cuisine. It has been awarded two Michelin stars and was named the world’s best restaurant by Restaurant Magazine in 2010 and 2011. The restaurant operates in a historic warehouse that once housed Greenlandic trade goods, blending history and culinary innovation.

Wiki Help. Noma Restaurant is located in an old warehouse on the banks of the canal in the Kristianshavn district in central Copenhagen. The warehouse building is located on the Greenland Trade Square (Grønlandet Handelsplats), which for 200 years served as the center of trade with the Faroe Islands, Finnmark, Iceland and Greenland. Fish, whale oil, leather and other goods were stored here before being sold to European markets. In 2004, the warehouse was transformed into the North Atlantic House (Nordatlantens Brygge), the center of art and culture of the countries of the North Atlantic region. At the same time, the Noma restaurant was opened. The Noma restaurant serves Scandinavian cuisine. Its founders, René Redzepi and Klaus Meyer, tried to reimagine the Scandinavian art of cooking. Noma's cuisine can be considered a more modern interpretation of Nordic cuisine than classic cuisine, which also serves moss, lichen and bone marrow.

n Denmark, Meyer is a household name. A 54-year-old entrepreneur, he commands a culinary empire that includes books, gourmet shops, bakeries (famed for the world’s best scones), country hotels, and high-end restaurants. His Copenhagen-based enterprise, The Standard, is housed in an art deco former customs building and features a café, a pan-Indian restaurant, a jazz club, and the Michelin-starred Studio restaurant. Across the Atlantic, he operates the Great Northern Food Hall and Agern in New York.

Today, we bring you two of his iconic recipes: Danish rye bread and gravlax salmon.

Rye bread

Ingredients (for 2 loaves):

• 600 ml cold water
• 200 ml buttermilk (or substitute by mixing 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to make 225 ml; let stand for 5 minutes to curdle)
• 150 ml beer
• 10 g yeast
• 25 g sea salt
• 250 g cracked rye grains
• 200 g flax seeds
• 200 g sunflower seeds
• 550 g wholegrain rye flour (stone-ground is ideal)

Day 1. In a bowl, mix cold water, buttermilk, and beer, dissolving the yeast completely. Add salt, cracked rye grains, seeds, and rye flour. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, either by hand or with a mixer. Divide the dough between two greased loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. For a more intense flavor, let it rest longer—but no more than 6 days, as the bread will become too sour.

Day 2. Bake at 180°C for 90 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Copenhagen for Coffee Lovers. Copenhagen for Food Enthusiasts. From street food stalls and waterfront dining spots to restaurants and old-meets-new hipster neighborhoods, this city has it all. But my advice? Don’t forget to venture beyond the city limits.

And now — let’s prepare the salmon. It’s simpler than the more well-known Swedish gravlax. No need to fuss with beetroot that stains or press the fish under weights. All you need is a good selection of spices and fresh dill. Once you have everything ready at home, this recipe will take you just 5 minutes to prepare.

Gravlax salmon

• a bunch of fresh dill
• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 2 tbsp. coriander seeds (optional; Meyer’s recipe calls for 2 tbsp, but 1 tbsp works if you prefer less)
• 2 tbsp. juniper berries
• ¾ cup sugar (or ½ cup for a milder taste)
• ½ cup coarse salt
• 2–2.5 kg salmon fillet

Grind the dry spices in a mortar. Place the salmon, skin-side down, in a dish. Rub the spice mixture, sugar, and salt over the fish. Sprinkle chopped dill generously on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24–48 hours, turning once or twice during curing.

After curing, freeze the salmon briefly for safety, then defrost and rinse off the spices. Slice thinly and serve as a classic cold appetizer or for breakfast with eggs and rye bread.