Sælhunden

"The Seal," a low half-timbered building right on the Skibbroen quay, is the oldest inn in Ribe still in continuous use and one of the most atmospheric restaurants in Denmark. The bar is wood-panelled and dim, the floors uneven, the ceiling beams so low that tall guests learn to duck. The food is classic Jutland: pickled herring, smoked Wadden Sea shrimp, lammekølle, smørrebrød at lunch, and the inevitable schnapps.

The summer terrace by the river is the prized seat; book ahead. Cash and cards both fine.

eating out restaurant
A story
Sælhunden has been a working inn since 1634 — the year of the great flood that nearly destroyed the town — and is one of only three buildings on the lower quay that survived the high water. The dining room downstairs is essentially unchanged since the early nineteenth century.