Even just looking back through my pictures, I want to relive the fun, magical experience that is dining at 1* Alouette in Copenhagen.
This was one of my most anticipated restaurants for my trip to Scandinavia. I really like fine dining, but also like a bit of whimsy and a bit of fun, and Alouette fits the bill for folks who are looking for a relaxed, fancy meal out with a memorable hospitality / overall experience. From even my early emails with the team, adjusting my reservation and ensuring they could meet my dietary restrictions, I felt like they were as just excited as I was to be dining here. I went to Alouette's new digs (v. 2.0), right across from King's Garden and more centrally located. I had heard so much about the charm of the old location but also just really enjoyed the new one! You enter through a garden/patio area and can see guests who decided to end their meal with patio drinks. I had someone promptly greet me at the door when I arrived.
I opted for the standard wine pairing (6 pours) because I was doing a bit of an early birthday celebration. And it was such a delight! Great, perfect pairings, generous pours (including some complimentary top-off's). The food is very, very good, with no meh bites whatsoever. I personally think they are already at 2* status; Michelin might just be waiting for the ceremony to be in Copenhagen in 2026. Chef Nick's specialty are his sauces, which were so perfectly flavorful but light, they were drinkable; no sauce I had on my trip compared to these. The focus on sustainability - using every piece of every ingredient throughout the menu, as well as sourcing locally as much as possible, was a highlight to me. My favorite two bites were probably the reimagined apple pie - very thin sliced layers of apple, cooked down with amazing nostalgic flavors and also the cabbage beignet starter bite - salty, crunchy, light yumminess!
I had the privilege of sitting at the chef's table, which was an unrivaled experience to me, because you get a more intimate interaction with staff and get to see all of the food being prepared. The staff here is very international, and it was a delight to even meet someone who used to live in my hometown of Nashville! The staff truly made my night & experience. It felt more like hanging out with a group of friends than going to a restaurant. They knew where I had eaten for lunch that day (tipped off by a spouse who worked in the other restaurant) and greeted me genuinely asking about it, chatted with me about my trip, gave me great recommendations for the rest of my trip, and were overall just really invested in ensuring I had a wonderful night. I happened to go the evening of the Eurovision finals, which I try to watch every year. It turned out the sommelier was also a huge Eurovision fan and he turned the kitchen iPad to YouTube so we could stream it together. A hilarious and fun evening that ended up being just a top fun restaurant experience for me. I think sometimes it can feel like a restaurant treated you specifically especially well, but when I talk to friends who have also dined here, they echo my experience: really personalized, but ultimately unreal and extremely memorable hospitality. For a one Michelin star in Scandinavia, this is also one of the more reasonably priced options. To me, Alouette is a must-try when looking for a fancy meal in Copenhagen. read more