Solo Dining Copenhagen

Best Restaurants for Solo Dining in Copenhagen 2026

Solo Dining · Copenhagen · 8 tables ranked · Updated May 2026

Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published May 24, 2026 · Updated May 24, 2026

The best seat in Copenhagen for one is a counter stool with a view of the pass, a glass of something Danish and skin-contact, and no one across the table to perform for. This is a counter city. Its strongest rooms for a solo diner are chef counters, oyster bars and walk-in courtyards where a single cover is welcomed rather than tolerated, and where you pay for what you eat instead of a two-top minimum. The eight below run from an eight-seat omakase to a smorrebrod hall that has fed solo lunchers since 1877. They are ranked on the quality of the counter, how easily one person can get in, single-cover value, and whether the floor treats a diner alone as a guest rather than a gap in the book.

The ranking

1. Sushi Anaba — Edomae sushi · Nordhavn

Nordhavn · 8-seat omakase counter · Chef trained in Tokyo; one of the hardest seats in the city

Eight counter seats and Tokyo-trained nigiri, the hardest solo seat in the city. Book the counter weeks ahead.

Mads Battefeld trained in Tokyo before opening Sushi Anaba in Nordhavn, and its eight counter seats make it one of the hardest reservations in Copenhagen. For a solo diner that scarcity is the appeal: every seat faces the chef, the omakase of Edomae nigiri is served piece by piece at the diner's pace, and eating alone at a sushi counter is the format at its purest. There is no table service to feel apart from, only the exchange across the counter. Seats release a few weeks out and go quickly, so a single cover often slips into a gap a pair cannot fill. Book the moment the window opens and take whichever night you are offered.

2. Apollo Bar — Seasonal bistro · Indre By

Charlottenborg courtyard, Nyhavn 2, Indre By · around DKK 300-400 a head · Frederik Bille Brahe; walk-ins always taken

A courtyard bistro by Frederik Bille Brahe that never stops taking walk-ins. Walk in alone for lunch.

Frederik Bille Brahe's Apollo Bar sits in the courtyard of the Charlottenborg art academy beside Nyhavn, and it never stops taking walk-ins in the courtyard. The menu changes daily and runs to a short list of vegetable-forward plates and one or two larger dishes, with a typical spend around DKK 300 to 400 a head for a couple of courses and a glass. For a solo diner it is the easiest good lunch in the centre: arrive, take a courtyard seat, eat what the kitchen made that morning. The setting, an open square ringed by the academy, is one of the most pleasant places in the city to eat alone with a book.

3. Kodbyens Fiskebar — Seafood · Vesterbro

Flaesketorvet 100, Meatpacking District, Vesterbro · oysters from around DKK 30; about DKK 450 a head · Founded by Anders Selmer

Oysters and the day's catch at a Meatpacking raw bar. Grab a counter stool solo.

Anders Selmer's Fiskebar occupies a former butcher's hall in the Meatpacking District of Vesterbro, and its marble raw bar is built for a solo diner. Order oysters from around DKK 30 each and whatever came in that day; a full dinner runs about DKK 450 a head. The bar seats let you watch the shucking and the kitchen without the exposure of a table for one in a dining room, and the room's industrial buzz means no one notices a single cover. Walk-ins are taken at the bar even on busy nights, so it works for an unplanned solo dinner. Go early, before the after-work crowd fills the stools.

4. Restaurant Barr — Northern European · Christianshavn

Strandgade 93, Christianshavn waterfront · schnitzel around DKK 245; mains DKK 165-265 · In the original Noma building

Schnitzel and Danish beer in the original Noma building. Take the long oak bench by yourself.

Barr occupies the Strandgade waterfront building that housed the original Noma, and it trades the New Nordic austerity for the food of the North Sea and Baltic coasts. The Wiener schnitzel at around DKK 245 is the signature, the beer list is one of the best in the city, and a custom high communal table is built for diners who arrive alone. A solo diner takes a seat at the long oak bench, orders schnitzel and a Danish beer, and reads the harbour through the windows. It takes walk-ins at the bar and the bench most nights. The location across the harbour from the centre is a short taxi or a pleasant walk.

5. Manfreds — Natural wine, small plates · Norrebro

Jaegersborggade 40, Norrebro · plates DKK 75-145; around DKK 350 a head · A Jaegersborggade fixture since 2010

Natural wine and raw beef on Jaegersborggade. Sit at the counter with a single glass.

Manfreds has anchored the food street of Jaegersborggade in Norrebro since 2010, and it was built for exactly this kind of solo dinner. The raw beef, sliced thin and dressed simply, is the dish regulars order on autopilot, the small plates run DKK 75 to 145, and the natural-wine list is deep enough to reward a single adventurous glass. A solo diner takes a counter seat, orders three or four plates and a glass the staff recommend, and spends around DKK 350. The room is small and the service knows its wines cold, so eating alone here feels like a conversation rather than a transaction. Walk-ins fit at the counter on weeknights.

6. Schonnemann — Smorrebrod · Indre By

Hauser Plads 16, Indre By · smorrebrod DKK 95-185 each · A smorrebrod institution since 1877

Smorrebrod and aquavit since 1877, the city's great solo lunch. Reserve a weekday table for one.

Schonnemann has served open-faced rye sandwiches from a cellar on Hauser Plads since 1877, and it is the definitive Copenhagen solo lunch. Each smorrebrod runs DKK 95 to 185, and the list of aquavits is the deepest in the country, poured to match the herring, the beef tartare or the smoked eel. Lunch is the only service, the tables are close and convivial, and a diner alone with two pieces and a snaps is the most traditional sight in the room. It books up with Danish regulars, so reserve a weekday table for one rather than chancing a walk-in, and let the waiter pair the aquavit to your order.

7. Sanchez — Mexican · Vesterbro

Istedgade 60, Vesterbro · tacos from around DKK 55; about DKK 300 a head · Rosio Sanchez, formerly of Noma

Rosio Sanchez's masa and mezcal in Vesterbro. Pull up a stool and order three tacos.

Rosio Sanchez spent years developing dishes at Noma before opening her own Mexican kitchen on Istedgade in Vesterbro, and the masa here is the best in the city. Tacos start around DKK 55, a full meal lands near DKK 300, and the bar pours a serious mezcal list. For a solo diner the counter and the casual room are the draw: pull up a stool, order three tacos and a mezcal, and no one treats a single cover as a problem. It takes walk-ins for bar seats most nights and the pace is quick, which suits a solo dinner you did not plan in advance.

8. Pluto — Brasserie · Indre By

Borgergade 16, Indre By · mains DKK 145-235; about DKK 350 a head · A long-running Indre By favourite

A buzzy Indre By brasserie that seats walk-ins late. Try the bar seat after nine.

Pluto on Borgergade is the kind of loud, generous brasserie every city needs and Copenhagen does well, and its bar is one of the easier good solo seats in the centre. The wood-fired roast chicken and the daily specials are the orders, mains run DKK 145 to 235, and a solo dinner with a glass lands around DKK 350. The room's energy means a diner alone at the bar reads as part of the scene rather than apart from it. It keeps the kitchen open later than most and seats walk-ins at the bar after nine, which makes it the fallback when an earlier plan falls through.

Avoid for solo dining

Geranium — Osterbro. The eighth-floor three-star room is a tasting-only format priced for the full experience, with no counter and tables set for two and four. A solo diner pays for the room and eats facing a dining room built for company. It is a brilliant restaurant and the wrong shape for eating alone.

Alchemist — Refshaleoen. Fifty impressions over six hours, with theatrical group choreography and shared rooms, is built for a table of friends. A solo diner is conspicuous and the format keeps wanting company to react with. Save it for a night with people, not a night to yourself.

Kadeau — Christianshavn. Two stars and a long Bornholm-rooted tasting menu, set at tables for couples and groups, with no counter to sit at. The room is intimate in a way that magnifies a single cover rather than welcoming it. Go with someone; eat the palthest together.

Reservation strategy for solo dining in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is unusually friendly to the solo diner, partly because so many of its best rooms are counters and partly because a single cover slips into gaps a pair cannot fill. Sushi Anaba is the one to plan: eight seats release a few weeks out and clear fast, and a solo booking often lands a seat a couple could not. Set a reminder for the release.

The walk-in rooms carry the unplanned nights. Apollo Bar always takes walk-ins in its Charlottenborg courtyard, Fiskebar seats the marble raw bar even when the dining room is full, and Pluto keeps bar seats open late. Arrive early at Fiskebar before the after-work crowd, and after nine at Pluto when the first sitting clears.

Schonnemann is the exception that rewards a booking: it fills with Danish regulars at lunch, so reserve a weekday table for one rather than chance the door. Manfreds and Sanchez fit walk-in solo diners at the counter on weeknights, and both have staff who will steer a single glass of wine or mezcal to match what you order.

Frequently asked

What is the best restaurant for eating alone in Copenhagen?

Sushi Anaba, if you can get one of its eight counter seats. A chef counter is the ideal solo format, every seat faces the action, and the omakase is paced for one. If you want something easier to get into, Apollo Bar in the Charlottenborg courtyard always takes walk-ins and is one of the most pleasant places in the centre to eat alone with a book over a daily-changing menu.

Can you walk in to good restaurants alone in Copenhagen?

Yes, more easily than in most capitals. Apollo Bar takes walk-ins in its courtyard, Kodbyens Fiskebar seats its marble raw bar even on busy nights, Pluto keeps bar seats open late, and Sanchez fits solo diners at the counter. The starred tasting rooms need booking, but the counter and bar culture means a single diner can almost always find a good seat the same night in Copenhagen.

How do I book Sushi Anaba?

Through the restaurant's online system, which releases its eight counter seats a few weeks ahead. The seats clear quickly, so set a reminder for the moment the window opens and take whichever night you are offered. A solo booking has an edge here: one seat often slips into a slot that a pair cannot fill, so flexibility on the date works in your favour.

Is solo dining normal in Copenhagen?

Very. Copenhagen has a strong counter and smorrebrod culture, and eating alone at a bar, an oyster counter or a sushi counter is completely unremarkable. Schonnemann has fed solo lunchers since 1877, and the city's chef counters are built around the idea of a diner facing the kitchen. You will not feel out of place at any of the eight rooms on this list.

What should I order when dining alone in Copenhagen?

Sit at a counter and let the staff steer you. At Sushi Anaba take the omakase; at Manfreds order three or four small plates with a glass the staff recommend; at Schonnemann start with herring and aquavit, then a beef tartare. At Fiskebar, oysters and the day's catch are the move. Counter dining alone is best when you let the people in front of you choose, rather than over-ordering for one.

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Affiliate disclosure: RFK earns a commission on bookings made through partner platforms (Tock, Resy, SevenRooms, OpenTable) marked with a "Reserve" link. Sponsored listings carry a Sponsored badge and are not eligible for editorial ranking. The eight rooms on this list were ranked editorially and no booking partner influenced the order.