The story
La Banchina — Italian for "the little jetty" — occupies a small wooden shed on Refshalevej that once served as a waiting room for workers at the old B&W shipyard. Today, with just 16 seats, it has quietly become one of the more singular addresses on the Copenhagen dining scene, earning Masters level recognition from the White Guide.
The pace of the place shifts with the seasons. Through the warmer months, the bathing pier draws a crowd from early morning: good coffee, excellent croissants, and a blackboard of smaller and larger dishes served alongside natural wines and drinks as the sun drops over Krudtløbet. When the cold sets in, the sauna keeps the jetty alive, and the kitchen shifts gear entirely. Thursday through Saturday evenings from October to March, the à la carte board disappears in favour of a twelve-course tasting menu — the fullest expression of what chef Brendon Walker's kitchen can do.
That kitchen is no larger than a typical Copenhagen apartment's, which makes Walker's ambition all the more striking. There is no meat on the plates — instead, the menu moves through vegetables and produce from the sea, every ingredient organic, biodynamic, or sustainably caught. The wines are exclusively natural.
A warm soup of Molbo oysters opens the meal, rich and creamy. Dehydrated potato cubes, rehydrated in mussel bouillon and served in a potato foam with grated truffle, arrive with a texture that is genuinely surprising. A precisely cooked piece of pikeperch comes with its own roe formed into a small patty, baked parsley root, ramson capers, and a chlorophyll cream sauce. Sea urchin is served on a spoon with pickled rosehip, mint, chilli, and carrot sauce; tempura-fried oysters come with squid ink. A deconstructed English afternoon tea — two ice creams, a biscuit, and an Earl Grey sauce — closes the sweet courses.
The wine pairings are chosen with the same care: a Matassa Cuvée Romanissa from Côtes Catalanes alongside the potato course, a Pfalz Riesling Auslese with the desserts.
Candlelight, an intimate room, and a view of the water at dusk give La Banchina a quietly romantic quality that feels entirely unforced. The service is warm without ceremony. It is the kind of place that earns its reputation not through scale or spectacle, but through consistency, genuine sustainability principles, and a kitchen that — within very real physical constraints — keeps finding ways to surprise.
Recognition
Details
History
La Banchina (the little jetty) is something of a unique gem on Copenhagen’s restaurant scene. Housed in a small wooden shed that once served as a waiting room for B&W workers, with just 16 seats, it has operated as a restaurant and wine bar over the past few years. During the summer months, the bathing pier is bustling from morning, when breakfast, good coffee, and excellent croissants are served, until evening, when you raise a glass to cocktails and natural wines, choosing from a selection of small and large dishes from the board. However, if you want to experience the kitchen’s full potential, visit Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evenings from October through March, when the à la carte board is suspended in favor of a twelve-course tasting menu. The atmosphere is intimate and romantic, lit by candlelight, and the view as the sun sets over Krudtløbet is simply magnificent. Despite the chilly outdoor temperatures, the bathing pier remains busy, largely thanks to the venue’s own sauna. The kitchen is no larger than a typical Copenhagen apartment, yet chef Brendon Walker’s menu is undeniably ambitious. There is no meat on the plates, but rather an abundance of delicious vegetables and the finest offerings from the sea. La Banchina places a strong emphasis on sustainability and the farm-to-table ethos, meaning every ingredient is organic, biodynamic, or sustainably sourced, and all wines are, naturally, natural wines. We begin with a small bowl of warming Molbo oyster soup, rich and creamy. Dehydrated potato cubes, rehydrated in mussel broth, offer a uniquely chewy texture as they nestle in a potato foam topped with shaved truffle. It’s a delightful dish, elevated further by a wonderful glass of Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2018 from the Côtes Catalanes, crafted from Grenache and Carignan, featuring bold berry notes and a touch of funky barnyard character. A perfectly pan-seared piece of turbot, accompanied by its own roe fried into a tiny fritter, baked parsnip with shallots and wild garlic capers, and a creamy chlorophyll sauce, stands out as one of the evening’s more classically inclined dishes. This contrasts playfully with other courses like sea urchin served on a spoon with pickled rosehip, mint, chili, and carrot sauce, alongside tempura-fried oysters with squid ink. For dessert—one option being a deconstructed English afternoon tea featuring two kinds of ice cream, a biscuit, and an Earl Grey sauce—we pair it with a sweet Riesling Auslese 2015 from Weingut Brand in Bockenheim an der Weinstraße, Palatinate, offering bright acidity. All in all, a superb evening marked by attentive service and an innovative menu that mostly succeeds, quietly slipping into the masterclass tier.
