There’s never more that 100 feet between you and a great meal. Copenhagen: a smørrebrød here, a sticky bun there; the best street veggie dogs I’ve had (vegan as well—don’t come for me, please); precision-cut Nordic cuisine, and locavore tasting menus.
Despite my belief that many of the best dining experiences Here you will find a fine dining restaurant inside a theme park. Not just any amusement park—Tivoli GardensThe second-oldest city in the world is also the most charming. Copenhagen’s number one tourist attraction has many attractions: romantic gardens and the Rutschebanen. It also boasts a century-old wooden rollercoaster. And, at night, it becomes an illuminated wonderland. It’s also one of Copenhagen’s most popular dining destinations.
Even as regular amusement-park fare goes, Tivoli churns it out with flair—licorice soft-serve, anyone?—but rubbing shoulders with its rides and food stalls are some of the most quietly respected restaurants in the city. There’s Fru Nimb with its vast smørrebrød menu (50 different kinds!); Cakenhagen, a café that doles out beautiful pastries; and the historic Grøften restaurant, which has retained its good vibes since 1874. Mikkel Ustrup is the senior director of Tivoli High-End. He says that great food has been in Tivoli Gardens’ DNA since 1843, when it opened. Tivoli began hosting culinary festivals as early as 1920.
The Japanese Pagoda is the highlight of this dining experience. It’s a beautiful illuminated tower dating back to 1900, nestled near the park’s water feature. Each spring—and extending beyond summer—some of the most talked-about restaurants take up temporary residence as part of an annual pop-up program. In the past, big names like Copenhagen’s AOC and Koks, from the Faroe Islands, ReykjavíkDill is a Dill that’s a Dill PortugalThe doors of’s Vistas Rui Silvestre were all open.
Five years ago, a small seasonal experiment grew into an international dining destination. “Each visiting restaurant curates special menus using high-quality, seasonal Danish ingredients—it’s a culinary experience that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world,” says Maria Oldenbjerg, hotel director of The NimbThis palace-style moorish hotel is set in Tivoli Gardens.
