The story
Perched just thirty metres from the granite cliffs between Gudhjem and Tejn on Bornholm's north coast, Stammershalle Badehotel has drawn guests to its dining room for well over a century. Originally built in 1911 by a German wholesaler who later flew guests directly from Berlin for seaside cures, the hotel has long since evolved into something far more compelling: a destination restaurant that the White Guide has recognised at Masters level, and whose wine programme has earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence. These are not incidental honours — they reflect a kitchen and a cellar operating at a genuinely high level.
Chef Steffen Michelsen brings a background in classical French bistro cooking to a menu that is firmly rooted in the Scandinavian seasons without being constrained by Nordic doctrine. Wild herbs thread through every course, adding lift and complexity to preparations that respect the ingredient first. The menus change regularly and run from a compact four-course format (DKK 675) to a seven-course grand gourmet menu (DKK 995), with a pescetarian version available throughout. On the à la carte side, dishes such as lobster with butternut and Thai basil, garfish with sea buckthorn and fish glaze, and guinea fowl with onion, almond and green asparagus illustrate the kitchen's range. The White Guide's reviewers singled out an opening snack — a waffle with silken cep cream dusted with tarragon — as setting a high bar for the evening, and praised a cardamom ice cream on burnt white chocolate crumble with chervil as a dessert of top quality.
Owners Henriette Lassen and Henrik Petersen have built a wine culture that is central to the Stammershalle experience. Henrik's personal passion for wine and spirits is evident in a cellar that balances classical depth with natural wines introduced by sommelier Mathias Voller, formerly of Dragsholm Slot. Three wine pairing tiers — Stammershalle, Cellar and Grand Cru — allow guests to calibrate the evening to their own ambition, with the Cellar menu reaching back to bottles from 2006 and 2008. The wine tasting events, pairing eight selected wines with a four-course dinner, draw on this same depth.
The signature "whole evening experience" — sparkling wine and snacks on arrival, seven courses, a matched wine menu, coffee and petitfours — captures what Stammershalle does best: unhurried hospitality in a light, atmospheric dining room looking out over the Baltic toward Christiansø. Sunday Bubble Brunch, a breakfast buffet built on local Bornholm produce, and occasional pianist evenings on the hotel's Steinway grand piano complete the picture of a place where regulars return from across the island and far beyond.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Stammershalle Badehotel has long been a culinary icon on Bornholm. The multifaceted building sits beautifully down by the water, framed by wild cliffs and rugged nature. Inside the bright and atmospheric dining room, guests are warmly welcomed by the hotel’s owners and hosts, Henriette Lassen and Henrik Petersen. It is clearly a place where regulars return from both the island and further afield, and you quickly feel at home. Henrik has a passion for wine and spirits, evident in the classic wine list offering plenty of choices for every palate. The venue’s new sommelier, Mathias Voller, who previously worked at Dragsholm Castle, has left his mark on the wine cellar with several natural wines. With a glass of bubbles in hand, we dive into the menu. There is a five-course menu and an appealing à la carte list. If you prefer to lean back without complications, you can opt for the “Halløj på Badehotellet” package, which includes bubbles and oysters, the menu, a wine pairing, coffee, and petit fours for the attractive price of 1,350 DKK. This combination kicks off the evening with three snacks that set a high bar for the dinner, including a waffle with velvety chanterelle cream sprinkled with tarragon, perfectly balanced between umami, sweetness, and salt. It is clear that chef Steffen Michelsen comes from Per Thøstesen’s classic French bistro kitchen, but Steffen’s own signature lies in serving preparations that respect seasonal ingredients without Nordic dogmas and with plenty of flavor. Wild herbs weave their way through the entire menu, adding a twist and an extra dimension of taste to the otherwise classic preparations. This is also the case with the first course, which is infused with wild garlic. A wild garlic variation that embraces a creamy, rich, confit egg yolk. Accompanied by crunch and slight bitterness from fresh green asparagus and onion tops. Flavor-packed full throttle, which also characterizes the rest of the evening’s courses. Small cabbage shoots break up the umami density in the next course featuring mussels and aioli cream. Unfortunately, the cream has split, but fortunately, the dish tastes so good that the separated sauce is quickly forgotten. Not least because we get a perfectly skin-fried ray served on an escabeche of the first tangy tomatoes and soft onions, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes. The main course is a piece of flavorful pork belly with crispy skin, apple purée, and mussel sauce, complemented well by the light acidity of the recommended Pfälzer Spätburgunder. The menu concludes with a creamy cardamom ice cream on a crumble of burnt white chocolate and Spanish chervil, whose licorice-like flavor ties the ice cream together with a cool lemon fromage and lemon cream. It is a top-class dessert. If you’re driving, there is a selection of Bornholm cider available, but it is also tempting to follow Henrik’s lead to the cabinet, which is brimming with carefully selected spirits and after-dinner liqueurs. As the sun sets behind the cliffs, we rise happily and full from the table.
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