Geranium sits high above Copenhagen, on the eighth floor of Denmark’s national football stadium. From the dining room, you look out across the treetops of Fælledparken. A view you would normally stare at through out the entire meal but here the dining room will take your breath away. An elegant and subtle dining room in bright colors where nature is invited inside in the form of delicate paintings of flowers on the wall just in case you still had doubts as to the inspiration for the menu
Geranium was the first Danish restaurant ever to receive three Michelin stars, but for years it lived in the shadow of Noma. In 2022, Rasmus Kofoed made the bold decision to remove meat from the menu entirely — not to chase trends, but because it felt right. That same year, the restaurant was named The World’s Best.
Geranium was celebrating its 15 year anniversary in the current location. For that reason they created a menu mixing some of their most iconic dishes with the newest creations. We started with a glass of 2020 Le Gourméres Champagne, bright and elegant, before the first small bites began to arrive. The opening snacks set the tone for the meal: precise, delicate, and beautifully balanced.
An oyster came in a crisp algae tart with dill and cucumber — fresh, light, and harmonious. The usual salty punch of oyster was replaced by something softer, allowing the greens to shine. Next, bleak roe with kale and milk curd offered a combination of smoke and cream that was both comforting and refined. It’s impressive when the very first bites already tell you exactly what kind of restaurant you’re in.
Then came Green Harvest — not something I expected to see in Copenhagen in late October. A vibrant mix of the season’s best vegetables, simply dressed with vinaigrette, each piece perfectly crisp. It looked like a minimalist garden on a plate, and it tasted of pure freshness. On the side, a warm potato bread dusted with yeast flakes and served with horseradish cream brought richness and depth. Together, they showed how Geranium can take the simplest ingredients and make them unforgettable. Quiete frankly they changed the way I will look at any salad going forward and this will be the benchmark I will compare them to.
Then came one of Geranium’s signature dishes — the razor clam. It first appeared on the menu over a decade ago and has become something of a legend. The presentation is striking: a shell-shaped casing that looks almost too perfect to touch, hiding a razor clam inside. Before beting into the razor clam our waiter replaced our plates — the chef had noticed we’d been chatting, and the dish might have lost some of its intended crispness. That small act said everything about Geranium’s standards. Every single detail matters.
It was now time for the larger savory dishes to start. The first dish once again looked simple but looks were deceiving. Yellow beats, a bit of goat cheese but to put a twist on a classic dish were pickled elderflower, fig leaf oil and a bit of thyme. Again it was a rather classic dish if you just heard the first half of the presentation but the other half was a welcome elegant twist
Next was one of the most iconic dishes in Geranium’s history: Marbled Hake from 2013. The fish was served in a buttery cauliflower sauce with generous caviar. After more than ten years of refinement, it was pure pleasure to eat . It was very luxurious without being heavy, and a perfect example of how repetition can polish a dish to brilliance.
The buttermilk pancake followed, and it completely surprised me. A dish most people know from breakfast was reimagined into something indulgent and deeply satisfying. The pancake was filled with caramelized onions and topped with caviar — rich, sweet, and umami-packed. Like the best of Geranium’s food, it was rooted in familiarity but executed with precision and care.
We returned briefly to the forest with a small dish of monkfish served with mushrooms and pine. With meat no longer on the menu, this was one of the richest, most savory dishes of the night — deep, satisfying, and perfectly seasoned.
Before desserts we would take a little tour of the restaurant. While the final kitchen is an integral part of the restaurant once they open the back door you see just how much energy goes into the immense preparations of the meal. The kitchen is also separated by a glass window from the football stadion something which should provide a great energy in the kitchen where there are matches or concerts. On our way back to our table we would have our fist sweet bite. The first bite was a small green chocolate egg, a nod to a dish from 2011. It was followed by The Forest — a dessert built around sorrel, chocolate, and prune, light and refreshing, yet earthy. The textures, as always, were perfect. The final course was a celebration of chocolate in four forms: a mousse, a chocolate ice cream, and small pieces combining Jerusalem artichoke, prune, and nuts. Each one struck that Geranium balance — indulgent but never too much.
We finished in the lounge with a warm apple tarte topped with sunflower seeds and elderberries. After such precision, it felt comforting, almost nostalgic — the kind of dessert that reminds you why you love restaurants like this in the first place.
Our evening at Geranium was defined by precision, elegance, and an unwavering attention to detail. Every dish, every pairing, and every moment of service was executed with purpose. The team’s professionalism stood out — from the sommeliers in suits to the non-alcoholic pairing that showed the same creativity and care as the wines.
Geranium is hard to categorize. It isn’t strictly Nordic and its definently not French or Japanese. It’s something personal — shaped entirely by Rasmus Kofoed’s taste and obsession with refinement. The experience feels both familiar and extraordinary, the result of years of perfecting rather than reinventing.
As I sat in the lounge after the final bite, I realized that Geranium doesn’t try to shock or surprise. It simply shows what’s possible when every detail has been considered, refined, and made beautiful. It’s a restaurant that earns its reputation not through noise, but through pure, consistent excellence.
Practical information
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Head chef: Rasmus Kofoed
Menu: 15 course tasting menu 4200kr ($650)
Website: www.geranium.
No Comments