Danish Food in Nyhavn, Copenhagen
Some meals tell you exactly where you are. Dark rye. A piece of herring. An ice-cold snaps on the side – and the canal just outside.
Oranje is moored in the quiet end of Nyhavn, in the heart of Copenhagen, aboard a cargo ship built in 1898. At lunch, the table is Danish: smørrebrød on rye, herring and a cold snaps. Honest, unhurried and made for sharing. Come as you are.
Denmark on a slice of rye
Smørrebrød is where Danish food begins. Rye bread, a good layer of butter, and whatever the sea and the season bring. Eaten with a knife and fork, never in a hurry.
Ours starts with herring, as it should. Dill herring with juniper cream and apple. Fried herring with pork cracklings, white onion and capers. Then egg with hand-peeled shrimp and dill mayo, salmon salad with smoked cheese cream – or the humble potato smørrebrød with pickled red onion. A Danish favourite that's easy to underestimate.
Every slice is served on gluten-free rye, so nobody has to miss out.
How Danes eat it
There's an old order to the Danish lunch table. Fish first – herring, then shrimp and salmon. Then the rest. Cheese to finish.
And somewhere in between, a snaps. Ice cold, small, and always with a "skål". Not sure which one? Ask our crew for the best pairing. We pour Skippersnaps in different flavours, and Lysholm Linie – a Norwegian aquavit matured at sea. Fitting, on a ship.
Danish flavours to share
In the evening, our kitchen travels a little further – think shellfish risotto and the Captain's Catch. But the Danish flavours stay on the table. Share three local cheeses with apricot compote, or a board of organic Danish charcuterie with cornichons and pickled onions. Try the Nordisk Have, our cocktail with Danish snaps, honey and lemon.
On tap, you'll find craft beer from Danish breweries like To Øl, Åben and Brøl. Juices and sodas come from Bornholms Mosteri, on the island of Bornholm. And for dessert? Gâteau Marcel with sea buckthorn and lingonberries – Nordic berries on a rich chocolate cake.
A Danish ship, too
Oranje was built in Holland, but she has been Danish since 1931. For decades she carried cargo through Danish waters, until 1967. She opened as a restaurant in Svendborg in 1989 and found her way to Nyhavn in 2016.
Today she is recognised as worth preserving by the National Museum of Denmark. A small piece of Danish maritime history – with lunch on board.
Questions we often hear
What is traditional Danish food? At its heart: smørrebrød on rye, herring, fish and shellfish from cold northern waters, and simple dishes cooked well. Usually with a snaps or a local beer.
Is the whole menu Danish? No – and we like it that way. Lunch is built around Danish smørrebrød. In the evening, the kitchen travels a little further, from shellfish risotto to fish and chips.
Is your smørrebrød gluten-free? Yes. All our smørrebrød is served on gluten-free rye bread.
Do I need to book? Not always. On sunny days and weekend evenings, it's a good idea.
Good to know
Smørrebrød is served every day from 11:30 to 16:30. From 17:00, the evening menu takes over, and the kitchen stays open until 21:00 (Friday–Saturday 21:30).
You'll find us at Nyhavn 65A, 1051 Copenhagen K – in the quiet end of the canal, a few minutes' walk from Kongens Nytorv.
Here for lunch? See Lunch in Nyhavn. Love the sea? Have a look at Seafood in Nyhavn.
