Danish food has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past 25 years. The New Nordic movement — pioneered at Noma in Copenhagen in the early 2000s — changed how the world thinks about Scandinavian cooking and pushed Danish chefs to take their own ingredients and traditions seriously. The country now has over 30 Michelin-starred restaurants, more than any other Nordic country.
Day-to-day Danish food is more prosaic but has its own pleasures. Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) are the national lunch staple: dense rye bread topped with pickled herring, roast beef and remoulade, liver pâté, or shrimp with mayonnaise. In traditional lunch restaurants, you order in a prescribed sequence — herring first, then other fish, then meat. It sounds fussy but works. Good smørrebrødsfabriken (specialist lunch spots) are found in every city.
Baked goods are excellent. A proper Danish wienerbrød (what the rest of the world calls a Danish pastry) bears little resemblance to the export version — flaky, buttery, and not excessively sweet. Bakeries are good everywhere; grab something in the morning. Rugbrød (dark rye bread) is dense and nutritious and appears at almost every meal.
Street food has improved dramatically since Copenhagen's Reffen market opened. Reffen, on the waterfront northeast of the centre, has around 50 food stalls and is a good evening destination. The Aarhus and Odense equivalents are smaller but worth a visit.
Budget eating is possible if you lean on supermarket chains (Netto, Rema 1000, Lidl), bakeries, and the cheaper ethnic restaurants — Thai, Turkish, and Middle Eastern places are common in any city and usually good value. Lunch specials at traditional restaurants (two courses for 100–150 DKK) are often the best deal.
Beer is serious business. Carlsberg and Tuborg are from here, but the craft beer scene is strong. Mikkeller, founded in Copenhagen, is now internationally distributed. The Mikkeller bar network in Copenhagen is a good starting point.