Dronning Louise — Queen Louise — has been the city's main restaurant on Torvet since 1891, occupying a tall yellow nineteenth-century building on the eastern side of the central square. The ground floor is a bustling brasserie serving smørrebrød, salads, and Danish standards; the more formal upstairs dining room does dishes built around local fish, beef tenderloin, and Wadden Sea oysters in season.
A separate basement pub, the Caféen, has the most varied beer list in the city — Danish craft brewers, Belgian Trappists, and a working draft selection — and is the place locals end up on Friday and Saturday nights. The building also runs a guesthouse upstairs, so it is one of the few places in Esbjerg where you can eat, drink, and sleep without leaving the front door.