Danish cuisine has never had a good reputation - if any at all! The country's greatest gastronomical invention is the smørrebrød,
which is an open sandwich on dark rye bread, with toppings such as
marinated heering or roast beef with pickles and horseradish. There are
plenty of traditional restaurants in the center of town serving smørrebrød, which always is accompanied by beer and aquavit (snaps).
Today, however, Copenhagen also offers a top notch culinary
extravaganza as a new generation of young Danish chefs, along with
their Scandinavian colleagues, have introduced the ‘New Nordic Cuisine’
and begun to reinterpret traditional Danish/Nordic cuisine while still
using only local ingredients. The 2009 Michelin Guide has responded
with praise, awarding stars to 13 of Copenhagen’s restaurants. Most
renowned is the two-starred
NOMA, which in 2009 was voted World's Third Best Restaurant by
Restaurant Magazine.
Copenhagen also offers numerous alternatives for those whose tastes
extend beyond classic and/or new Danish cuisine. Vesterbro, especially
has many Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants.