The World's Top Restaurant Geranium Has A Unique Location

Copenhagen's Geranium was named the best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best Restaurants, in 2022. Chef Rasmus Kofoed, the first Danish chef to receive three Michelin stars, serves up beautifully plated dishes, while co-owner Søren Ledet spearheads an impressive wine cellar of over 2,500 bottles (via 50 Best). "Our mission is to create meals that involve all our senses — restores, challenges, and enriches," Geranium has announced. Combined with exceptional service, diners lucky enough to score reservations for the seasonal tasting menus are in for a real treat. 

As told to Four Magazine, Kofoed is always looking for ways to cultivate an unforgettable atmosphere. "We now have an extremely open kitchen which is in the middle of the restaurant because we feel it's important to focus on what is happening in front of us. We pondered a lot on how we could create more atmosphere. Even logistically it was a better idea to open up the kitchen because we were all much closer and could face the guests." Yet Geranium's thoughtful food pairings, impressive wine list, and award-winning hospitality are only part of the surprises waiting for guests. It's the restaurant's unexpected location that adds to the overall appeal.

In 2007, Geranium moved from King's Garden in central Copenhagen to a new home in 2010 — on the eighth floor of the national soccer stadium (per Insider). From the kitchen windows, Geranium's team can gaze down at the field, while northern views from the restaurant look out over the gardens of Fælledparken, Copenhagen's largest park. According to Visit Copenhagen, the park is filled with children's playgrounds, outdoor chess tables, sports fields, a dance pavilion, and expansive lawns perfect for picnics on warm afternoons. 

While a restaurant in a stadium sounds less than ideal, Conde Nast Traveler describes a contrasting scene: "creamy walls," light wooden details, and ample windows offering views of the city's architecture, skyline, and greenery. "The location emphasizes Geranium's vision of gastronomic clarity and diversity. We explore the area of tension between the urbane and the natural," Geranium claims. For $440 per person, you, too, can experience this dichotomy, in the form of pretty dishes presented over the course of three hours (via Forbes).