Jordnær (***) – Copenhagen, Denmark

Visited: February 25, 2025

When I sat down to plan my trip to Copenhagen, I had the same dilemma that most people who make their culinary pilgrimage to the city ponder – too many places, too few days. Of the five nights I was to spend there, I decided to allocate three nights for the Michelin stalwarts. This seemed to be the sweet spot, balancing potential tasting menu fatigue and my bank account.

But where to begin? Given that my palate would be relatively fresh, I wanted to reserve my first dinner for one of the prime candidates on my Copenhagen checklist. I had read about Jordnær quite a bit in the last couple of years. I saw the name popping up several times when folks on this sub spoke of their tastiest experiences in the city and as a seafood lover myself, its all-seafood menu was highly appealing. I reached out to the restaurant to enquire about a solo dining option because the website did not allow it when reserving. They got back to me immediately asking for my preferred dates and timeslots. When I had to push my trip by a month due to work conflicts, the restaurant was accommodative and rescheduled my reservation. I considered myself extremely lucky because this restaurant seems to be booked out months in advance so Tina’s (who runs the service crew at Jordnær) response confirming my reservation was a relief. And, boy, was I glad to keep my reservation because this place delivered.

The Space

The restaurant is situated on the first floor of Gentofte Hotel, which is about a 20-minute train ride from Copenhagen Central station. The space upon entering is elegant, decked out in white tablecloth and soft music playing on vinyl in the background and yet, still feels relaxed and laid back due to the welcoming hospitality of the service staff. A week before my reservation I received an email from Tina asking if I would be interested in sitting at the kitchen table since I’m a solo diner and I jumped at the opportunity. Upon arriving, Tina led me through the dining room and through the back curtains to, as she described it, the court-side seats. Behind me were four massive refrigerators with bottles of the best Champagne money can buy. As a Champagne lover and solo diner, it served as the perfect reading material in between courses. After a little chat with the chefs there, all of whom were welcoming and for lack of a better word, just chill, I was ready for the show.

The FOod

Jordnær is a masterclass in technique, intensity of flavor, balance and presentation while highlighting the best produce that the region has to offer. Every dish was a sight to behold that pictures will not do justice to that stacked up in taste. The menu comes out in four acts of sorts – the initial bites, the smaller entrees, the mains and finally, desserts. Within each act, there was constant progression, each dish building on the last in complexity and flavor.

Romanesco

Refreshing first bite of crisp veg and aged cheese to get the taste buds racing.

Snow Crab/Sudachi & White Wine

A beautiful bite with the juicy crab combining well with citrus.

Lobster/Yuzu & Sansho Pepper

Continuing on with the time-tested combination of succulent seafood and citrus, another beautiful bite. The combination of textures on this one was particularly memorable, with the tart shell and crispy leek on top sandwiching the combination of lobster and ikura. Also, the first of what I recall being three dishes that use all parts of the lobster on the menu. Gorgeous bite.

Bluefin Otoro/Myoga & Caviar

Jordnær’s version of a tune tartare. Perfection in sight and taste. Just the best, freshest, fattiest tuna with a massive dollop of caviar and tiniest amount of Japanese ginger that made all the difference. What’s not to love?

Rosette Waffle

The restaurant’s signature – crisp waffle with a lobster salad piped underneath and a generous cap of caviar on top. Once again, a beautiful play on textures that continues the generous servings of caviar. As said previously, each of the bites so far has been better than the last and this one perfectly sets up the crescendo that follows.

Takoyaki

The grand-daddy of the small bites. Seeing me wriggle around in my chair post bite, the chef at the pass came over to have a chat. He described this dish best when he said – “this one’s a bit naughty”. Creamy, soft, crisp, fresh out the fryer deliciousness in the fritter heaped with caviar and topped with a generous shaving of black truffle. This one felt wrong to eat in the best possible way – like the chef who conceptualized the dish might have said, “let’s turn it up to 11”. One of the highlights on an incredible menu.

Scallops/White Currant & Rose

The first dish of the second act, a way to slow it down and freshen the palate after the highs of the small bites. Fresh raw scallops blanketed with rose petals to make a satisfying bite, especially so with freshness of the petals. The bowl contains a syrup from white currants, a sweet and floral refresher to follow a bite of the scallop.

Essence of Langoustine/Tomato & Vanilla

One of the ways the langoustine is used on the menu, consisting of a gel-like dish made using the body of the langoustine accompanied by a tomato water. A deeply savory, refreshing and light dish before getting into the more substantial bites in this section.

Raw Shrimps/Horseradish & Dill

One of my favorite dishes of the evening. The sweetest raw shrimps in a buttermilk-based sauce that is heavy on horseradish, wasabi and dill. Coming into the evening I honestly did not expect to see very intense flavors but this was an assault on the palate that I absolutely loved. Spicy, sour, sweet, herbaceous – perfect, no notes.

White Asparagus/Lobster & Grapefruit

This seemingly unassuming dish was the highlight of the evening for me. A custard made from white asparagus and lobster, with grapefruit jelly and a beautiful sauce on top that had me flummoxed after the first bite. After a similar reaction to a seaweed custard I had had at L’enclume the prior week, this dish cemented the fact that few things beat a seafood based custard executed perfectly. So much going on in this one, my server could make out that I had a strong reaction. After a second, he turned and asked, “another one?”. How could I say no? The encore was just as good.

Hamachi/Ponzu & Wasabi

Dry aged Hamachi in an acidic, refreshing sauce. Great way to follow the richness of the prior two dishes.

Chawanmushi

The second act so far has been a journey through sweet, sour, spicy bites. This one was an extremely savory, comforting custard and broth, paired once more with heaping spoon of caviar. The poor picture quality here reflects my inebriated state (I did the Champagne pairing).

Bread & Butter

The chef at the pass described this bread in two ways: 1) a love child of Japanese milk bread and brioche that has as much butter shoved into it as possible. 2) the healthier version of this bread would be a chocolate croissant. I believed him. Eating this bread alone itself would have been an incredibly satisfying experience. It was the perfect accompaniment to soak up the sauces of the dishes that followed.

Monkfish/Ramson & Blue Mussels

A succulent piece of monkfish served with two kinds of sauces, one made from ramson and the other a foam made using blue mussels. A beautiful entrée with 2 seemingly different sauces, both of which worked well with the perfectly cooked piece of fish and also tasted amazing when sopped up with the brioche.

Langoustine/Sakura

I love langoustine. When I have funds in the bank that will allow me to try some, nothing is better than it. In this case, the langoustine tail cooked over coals brushed with a syrup made from Japanese cherry blossom and served with a perfect beurre blanc. Simplicity and perfection in one dish.

Milk/Japanese Musk Melon & Elderflower

I love it when desserts highlight fruit. This one focused on Japanese musk melon with a milk ice cream, a meringue like topping, and an elderflower syrup. A beautiful fruit-forward and fresh dish that was a perfect start to a trio of stellar desserts.

Fraisier des Bois/Litchi & Rhubarb

Another fresh fruit forward dessert. Wild strawberries are the focus here but so much more going on underneath with an ice cream, a rhubarb sauce and other fun elements. An incredibly satisfying dessert.

Truffle/Hazelnut & Chocolate

I usually am not a fan of chocolate being the basis of a dessert on a tasting menu and personally am more partial to fruit-based desserts that show more interesting technique. My first bite of this one, however, I audibly let out an expletive that was met with a smile and a nod from one of the chefs. I couldn’t help myself in the moment. Sticking with their theme of turning things up to 11, the best way I can describe this is if one of the best pastry chefs in the world were given carte blanche to create their best version of a Ferrero Rocher. Pure decadence that did not stop with each bite. One of the most over the top but delicious desserts I’ve ever had.

Petit Four

At this point I was beyond full (and drunk), but the look of the madeleines and canelé was irresistible. Warm, crunchy and soft madeleines with perfect canelé. They also served some truffles, chocolates and pate de fruit that all were collectively a great end to a phenomenal meal.

Beverage

I opted to go with their “Because Everything is Better with Champagne” pairing. A total of six glasses, each of them generously poured and topped up featuring smaller producers from Champagne that paired beautifully with all the dishes. Going into the dinner, I already knew I was going to do the Champagne pairing, so I was prepared for the price but at 3500 DKK (over $500), I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give me some heart burn. At this price point, I would have expected slightly more exclusive bottles as well but wine pairing pricing (and the food in general) is astronomically high in Copenhagen and especially so for the 3*s, so this seems par for the course. People coming in groups might be better served ordering bottles from the incredibly impressive Champagne list.

This was my second time trying a Champagne pairing and it really cemented it as my favorite wine of choice to go with a tasting. Jordnær’s somms did a really nice job explaining each pairing and were kind enough to entertain all my questions. They were also skilled at picking out Champagne based on my likes/dislikes. I asked them for a glass that is rich and intense to begin my meal with the small bites. They produced a couple of glasses that absolutely hit the spot, one of them a 2014 Bereche that was stunning.

Service

Hospitality at Jordnær is second to none. Sitting at the kitchen table only added to the whole experience. Every single staff member was so consistent in their demeanor – warm, kind, funny and doing everything they can to put me at ease. Multiple members egged me on to request another serving of courses I really enjoyed. Seeing the entire kitchen staff move in a synchronized choreography across the kitchen as the dishes progressed was also so fascinating. At the end of the meal, I just hung around with one of the service staff members and chatted about Copenhagen recommendations, their playlists, home and football. It all made the evening feel so relaxed and personal. I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to reserve the kitchen table it to go for it and enjoy an evening for the books!

Summary

I could not have asked for a better start to Copenhagen. This was a near perfect exhibition of food, wine and service. While L’enclume might rank slightly higher based on the overall dining experience, pound for pound, Jordnær might be the single most delicious meal I’ve had. Incredibly sourced seafood, technique and intense but balanced flavors coupled with hospitality of the highest order. And while this place is known as a stalwart for seafood, the desserts matched up to the savory and are truly some of the best I’ve had anywhere. As I write and edit this review for this website a year on from the actual meal, I can clearly recall nearly every dish and my reaction that went with it – an informal barometer for me of sustained tasting menu satisfaction. Copenhagen has a plethora of world beaters to try but make this one of your first choices if you haven’t already, you will not regret it.