In a city with so much incredible fine dining to choose from, Kadeau was a bit of a whim of a…read morechoice on my recent trip, but was hands down the best food and service experience of my life and is a meal I'll think about for a long time to come.
Located near old town Christiana, two Michelin star restaurant Kadeau Copenhagen is an offshoot of an original location in Bornholm. Much of the food and produce for this menu still comes from Bornholm, grounding the New Nordic, seafood-focused menu in a sense of place. I typically prefer an evening reservation, but lunch is what fit into my schedule on this day and I can't imagine a more perfect timing to see the ethereal, artistic dining room in the natural sunlight. The dining room reminded me a bit of being inside Musée de l'Orangerie's Waterlilies exhibit: it's a truly meditative setup.
The service from start to finish is truly unreal, and rivals three star restaurants I have been to. Every small touch is made for you to enjoy your experience. Shout out to one of the chefs who tipped off the other restaurant I was dining at on the same day, who greeted me and asked me about my experience at Kadeau when I arrived there.
I came for the start of Growing Season in May 2025. For this meal, I chose the non-alcoholic pairing, which I could not possibly recommend enough. It was hands down, the most perfect flavor pairing for the food I have ever had and each new drink was more inventive and fun than the last. The sourcing from Bornholm really played well here, as a lot of similar ingredients from a dish became part of the drink (lot of plum notes when I went). I think my favorites were the Japanese Quince, Hemp, and Honey (which had just a light effervescence) or the Apple and Unfiltered Bee Pollen drink. But honestly, I would go and do this meal all over again for the unreal drink pairing alone.
I do a lot of fine dining and always enjoy my meals, but Kadeau was one of the first meals where I felt like I did not have a single bad or even middling bite out of the 15 courses. I have dietary restrictions (no red meat), but few dishes really required substitution. Each new dish was light, flavorful, nuanced, and so so delicious. The shrimps tart with quince and ants was a bit more adventurous than what I normally go for, but ended up being one of my favorite bites. The hot and cold smoked salmon was a dish I'll remember forever and I loved hearing that the chef moved from Las Vegas to Copenhagen just to learn how to make that dish. The plum "soft serve" with plum oil, vinegar, schnapps/ caramel, was such a great example of how inventive they could be with truly all of the elements that build flavor. It was a once in a lifetime meal.
This is certainly an expensive meal, but in a city with a lot of tasty meals to choose from, Kadeau is one to truly remember.