The story
Opposite Kastellet and Churchill Park, in one of the most quietly distinguished corners of inner Copenhagen, The Pescatarian occupies a handsome basement space on Amaliegade. Dark tile floors, broad chairs, and white-clothed tables set a tone that reads gourmet while the pricing stays firmly in bistro territory — a gap that the White Guide, which awarded the restaurant its coveted Masters level in 2026, found worth celebrating at length.
The name is the concept: a pescatarian eats fish and vegetables, not meat. That philosophy shapes every decision in the kitchen. All fish is freshly caught, ingredients are seasonal and largely organic, and sourcing stays as local as the Danish coastline allows. Alongside the seafood menu, a fully vegetarian menu runs in parallel — neither an afterthought nor a compromise.
The cooking earns its recognition when it trusts the ingredients to carry the weight. A dish of poached Danish lobster in intense lobster oil, paired with sliced salsify, the bitterness of sea sandwort, and tiny sweet cherry tomatoes — finished tableside with a bisque spiked with dill aquavit — is the kind of plate that stops conversation. Deep flavour, fine textures, and a clarity that only comes from restraint.
A main course of cod, roasted in plenty of browned butter, arrives with lightly pickled chanterelles, steamed chard, and a beurre blanc balanced with oyster water: a masterclass in letting a single great piece of fish speak. The wine program matches this sensibility — lean, acid-driven, classically European bottles that complement rather than compete, guided by a sommelier with a clear point of view.
The Pescatarian describes itself as a seafood restaurant in Copenhagen with a purpose: to hold to the highest standards while remaining accessible. The kitchen draws occasional inspiration from Asia and South America — yuzu acidity, spiced salsa verde — without losing its grounding in Danish produce. Creativity and taste are treated as inseparable.
The service moves between warmly informal and more considered, with staff who bring genuine knowledge and enthusiasm to both the food and the wine. The result is a room where guests feel, as the White Guide put it, like a fish in water from start to finish.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Growing concern for the climate and the related meat shame have increasingly begun to influence restaurant menus. The times are dominated by vegetables and fish, and those behind The Pescatarian have caught on. A pescatarian is someone who abstains from meat but lives on greens and fish, so here it’s all about the finest offerings from the sea, yet alongside the fish menu you can also opt for a strictly vegetarian one. We descend a few steps into the high-ceilinged basement space right across from Kastellet and Churchill Park in the elegant part of the city center. You can enjoy a drink in the well-equipped bar before stepping onto the dark tiled floors into the neat restaurant, where you sit comfortably in wide chairs with white tablecloths on the tables. The prices signal a bistro, but both the interior design, the ingredients, and their delicate treatment place it firmly in the gourmet class. The kitchen is at its best when you curb the urge to overload dishes with flavors and instead let simplicity reign. As when the sweetness of small pieces of poached Danish lobster in intense lobster oil forms a beautiful pairing with sliced scorzonera roots, the bitterness of sea rocket, and the acidity of tiny, sweet Danish cherry tomatoes, which at serving are poured over with a deep bisque flavored with dill aquavit. An insanely beautiful dish with fine textures and profound flavor, perfectly accompanied by an acid-rich and deep Chardonnay from Rolet in Jura. Conversely, a hand-dived scallop gets choked by the kitchen’s playful and sweet rosehip jelly, garden sorrel, and horseradish emulsion, and it’s a pity for such excellent ingredients that they insist on this approach here. You get a tremendous amount for your money, which becomes clear in the main course, where the ingredients are once again allowed to speak clearly and distinctly. A large piece of cod pan-fried in plenty of brown butter is served with lightly pickled chanterelles, steamed chard, and a divinely balanced beurre blanc seasoned with brown butter and oyster liquor. The wine menu features an entry-level Chardonnay from Roux in Burgundy, and it’s a lovely glass with just the right amount of body and character to complement the dish’s buttery notes, and the choice underscores the sommelier’s knack for matching dishes with crisp, acid-driven, and classic European wines that deliver on price. The attentive service oscillates between exuberantly jovial and more formal, complete with rehearsed talks about the wines, but both knowledge and engaged consideration for what’s served are evident, so as a guest you feel completely at ease from start to finish down in the cellar. The Pescatarian swims skillfully into the Masterclass!
Location
