Who doesn’t like food? Everyone does and I think many of us enjoy culinary experiences by dining out in restaurants. Especially when you can afford it and when the foods are good too. The COVID-19 restrictions are not the same in different parts of the world. Some countries are less strict than the others, allowing people to dine-in at the restaurant. In my home country, Indonesia, for example, people have been able to eat at restaurants almost wherever they go, so it was not only for takeaways. For some time before mid of December 2020, the Danish government allowed that too, given that the COVID-19 situation was more controllable. Since the COVID-19 mutation came to Denmark, restrictions have been made tougher. Suddenly, dining in at a restaurant was not an option and all restaurants and cafes only allow people to buy takeaways and enjoy the food somewhere else. That’s actually quite sad, although I fully respect and understand the reason.
From the business perspective, many restaurants and cafes have lost so much money. For sure there are also some types of restaurants where people would mainly go there to get the ‘dining experience’. Take, for example, Michelin-star restaurants, restaurants with a sea view, and even street food. You wouldn’t buy takeaway food from a Michelin-star restaurant that costs you a fortune and just enjoy the food from your boring apartment, would you?
From the customers’ perspective, those foodies who enjoy dining out once or twice a month, I included, also suffer. Suffering from boredom. Personally, I enjoy cooking my own food. I do enjoy both the processes and the final products. However, I enjoy trying out new restaurants and cafes in town, in a neighboring town, or just simply visiting our favorite ones. It is not the same attractive to just enjoy the takeaway food than dining in, even from the same restaurant, I must say. I also wonder, when those new love birds plan for a date, what would they do? Hanging out from home watching Netflix eating takeaway food? Going out to a restaurant or cinema is not an option anymore. Not for now.
One thing about me, I am a bargain hunter, so many things that I have bought provide good value for money, and often they also cost less than the value. That is also reflected in the choice of dining places below, a.k.a. they are affordable. If not, I will find a way to make them more affordable.
I do believe and positively hope that the situation will get better in the summer. While we are waiting for that moment to come, here I am sharing some of my favorite culinary experiences in Denmark before mid-December 2020 through photos and small descriptions. They are from all over Denmark. Hope these can give you some inspiration to prepare for your next culinary adventure when the situation allows it. 😊
- Brunch – utilizing the gift certificate
I did not grow up in a Western country, so I would say from where I came from, in Indonesia, also in most other Asian countries, people are not that much into brunch. I mean, I used to be not into brunch. I believe that brunch is probably an American thing. However, in the past 5 years, they have become so hyped in Scandinavia.
In the above photo, I had a nice brunch at a cafe in Helsingør, Cafe Kaiser. The foods were great and the brunch also included juice, smoothie, all-you-can-drink coffee and tea, fruits, and even Cava or sparkling wine! If you buy the brunch package directly at the cafe, it costs DKK 159 per person, but… you can get them slightly cheaper by buying the gift certificate from some gift certificate places like Smartbox. Choose the ‘Luksusbrunch‘ that costs DKK 299 for 2 persons and you can actually choose other brunch places from all around Denmark that are listed there. To make it cheaper, it is not just buying and using that gift certificate alone. The trick is to buy the gift certificates when they are on offer. I bought them when it was at -20% or -15% discount. Either during Black Friday or at specific offer periods in some places, like Føtex and Bog og Ide. Trust me, it will be a good deal, as long as you remember to redeem your gift certificates during their validity period.
2. All-you-can-eat Indian Food
If you’re into Indian food and I mean really into Indian food, you should try Dhaba restaurant in Næstved, because they serve all-you-can-eat Indian food, where you can basically choose everything available on their menu, and they will bring them to you. And it is not a buffet, so the hygiene standard and the food condition, in general, must be better. However, as I am into spicy food, I got a bit disappointed, as I think they have applied ‘tolerance’ into their foods that have become less spicy. But if you can’t stand spicy food and you like to eat a lot of Indian food, then this restaurant might be a good option for you. Check their menu here: dhabakitchen.dk
3. A beautiful dining place in Falster РRestaurant Mejerig̴rden
Restaurant Mejerigården Gedser, Falster
The interior of Restaurant Mejerigården Gedser, Falster
Gedser might not be a popular destination in Denmark, but who would have known that in this countryside there lies a beautiful restaurant serving delicious food? We went to this restaurant last summer in 2020 because of the DiningWeek event where we could buy a cheaper pre-defined 3-course menu from many selected restaurants all around Denmark, and MejerigÃ¥rden was one of them. I could already see what the menu was, and I could of course also check Restaurant MejerigÃ¥rden online to see the ratings and how the restaurant looked like (which I did). However, I did not expect that it was this charming, both inside and outside the restaurant. We chose to sit outside as it was quite warm. Surprisingly, there were also many other guests who ate here and all of them chose to sit outside. I mean, who doesn’t like having dinner in the garden when the sun is still up? Yes, it was the dinner time and the weather was just lovely.
When you check their website on mejerigaarden.dk , you can see that they also rent some rooms for an overnight stay. So, it is both a Bed & Breakfast and a restaurant. And please note, that now the restaurant is only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
4. Authentic Japanese Food in Aarhus – Tokyo Kitchen
Authentic, I mean the real Japanese food made by the real Japanese used to be non-existent in Aarhus, but in 2019 Tokyo Kitchen finally changed that status. This small Japanese food stall located close to Godsbanen offers authentic Japanese food with a hipster feeling and the foods were just so yummy and quite affordable. We came when they had their 1st anniversary, so the menu was a bit different. We could get Ramen, which was not always available during normal operation days and we also ordered Chicken Karage (Karaage Don). I highly recommend the Karaage Don, I feel like it has been a very long time since I ate yummy authentic Japanese food like this. Tokyo Kitchen now only open on Thursdays and Fridays. Check their menu (which can change from time to time) and their opening hours here Tokyo.Kitchen
5. Street Food with a sea view – Aalborg Streetfood Køkkenfabrikken
Aalborg StreetFood Køkkenfabrikken 
Harbor view 
Arcade corner in the street food area
Compared to many street food places I have been in all over Denmark, Aalborg Streetfood Køkkenfabrikken is one of my favorites. Here are my reasons: A. You can find many different varieties of cuisine from many countries, from authentic Italian pizza to HK/Chinese dumplings. B. The location is next to the harbor, so you get a sea view. C. There is a game/arcade corner. Of course, you would need some coins to play, but for parents who like to hang out with their friends in the street food area, I guess there is an option to leave your kids in the arcade room, or it can just be a fun family day where everyone can eat and play under one roof. d. Under normal circumstances outside of COVID-19, there are some exciting activities for the public like weekend Banko, musical performances, etc. Let’s hope that the street foods in Denmark will be open soon!
6. A cozy dining experience next to the beach in Aarhus – Früd
Früd next to Tangkrongen, Aarhus
This one is not that affordable compared to the other places in this post. We also went here on a special occasion, our wedding anniversary. I would say that it is a semi-fine dining restaurant and the coffee is a bit overpriced too. From my impression, Früd is also a more classy and fancy restaurant compared to the other restaurants down in Tangkrongen. However, it was a pleasant dining experience as it is conveniently located next to Tangkrongen in Aarhus, so there is a possibility to get a bit of sea view from the table or a wider sea view from their terrace without getting exposed to the strong wind of Tangkrongen. We went here in summer of 2020 on one afternoon when the weather was nice. I would also recommend going here in the afternoon as I can imagine the ambiance and feeling would be nicer. The foods were a bit pricey, but they tasted great and the service was also nice.
7. All-you-can-eat seafood in Thisted – Niels & Sinnes Fiskerestaurant
Do you like seafood? Have you ever eaten in a seafood buffet restaurant? What if you have the option to eat as much seafood as you can including desserts (that are not seafood) for DKK 169? Exactly. That is what Niels & Sinnes Fiskerestaurant offers. The restaurant is located in Thisted and outside of COVID-19 lockdown, they are usually open during the evening for dinner. There are plenty of varieties to choose from, and I like it because they also have shrimps, mussels, and soup. Usually, in some Danish fish restaurants, the typical options are stjerneskud, stegte rødspætter, and marinerede sild, which are not my favorites, although I am a 100% seafood lover. For this price, I highly recommend the restaurant. Remember to book a table before and check the seafood buffet menu here.
