Operating at the absolute cutting edge of the global culinary avant-garde, Copenhagen completely revolutionized how the world views Nordic cuisine. When Parts Unknown arrived in 2013, the city was the undisputed epicenter of this movement, and the goal was to dissect the mad genius driving it forward. The food culture here is a staggering study in contrasts, deeply rooted in the harsh, agrarian past yet aggressively pushing the boundaries of foraging, fermentation, and extreme localism. The journey famously centered around René Redzepi’s Noma, exploring an astonishing, multi-course symphony of ingredients like reindeer moss, pine shoots, and wood ants that challenged every preconception of fine dining. Yet, the narrative brilliantly balanced this high-wire gastronomic theater with the necessary, grounding comforts of traditional Danish life—seeking refuge in classic plates of smoked eel and the pure, late-night joy of a perfectly constructed street hotdog. It is a masterful exploration of a city that honors its past while aggressively defining the future of food. Here are the essential, mind-bending locales that anchored this extraordinary adventure.
When Anthony Bourdain visited Copenhagen on his show Parts Unknown, he and his crew picked many restaurants. Here are all the addresses and the dishes showcased in a convenient list.
This is Parts Unknown, season 2, episode 4. It first aired on October 6, 2013.
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DISH – Noma, The “Best Restaurant In The World” – Anthony Bourdain Copenhagen
WHAT IS IT?
First: Nordic coconuts with bouquet of flowers.
Second: Reindeer moss with mushrooms.
Third: Marinated soro-soro leaf dipped in “green snow”.
Fourth: Round pancake with pickled cucumber.
Fifth: Asparagus roasted with pine, tender spruce shoots, and green asparagus sauce made with local ingredients.
Sixth: Grilled pike head with beach herbs.
Seventh: Sourdough bread with “virgin butter”.
Eighth: Grilled leeks.
Ninth: Broth of wild lobster claws and nasturtium petals.
Tenth: Quail egg cooked in hay.
Eleventh: Mushroom ice cream with fermented barley sauce.
Twelfth: Grilled onions, fermented pears, and salt made out of wood ants.
Thirteenth: Lobster tail underneath tiny leaves
Fourteenth: Flatbread with shoots of spruce and oak tree.
Fifteenth: Potatoes cooked in fermented barley.
Sixteenth: Pork skin covered in chocolate with freeze-dried blackberries.
Seventeenth: Ice cream with Gammel Dansk.
Eighteenth: Two-years old cherries and five-years old wild roses.
Nineteenth: Dried and juices from last year’s harvest blackcurrant wrapped in wild roses.
Twentieth: Freeze-dried blackberries.
“That is incredible. There’s no way that this is gonna look convincingly delicious on TV but it is–it is really delicious.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Noma
Refshalevej 96, 1432 København K, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
STATUS (2026): Noma closed regular dinner service in December 2024 and now operates as a food innovation lab. Seasonal pop-up dining in Copenhagen is back — check noma.dk for current reservations.
DISH – Smoked Eel – Anthony Bourdain Copenhagen
WHAT IS IT?
They had smoked eel, shrimp and pickled herring.
WHERE IS IT?
Restaurant Grøften /Tivoli
Vesterbrogade 3, 1620 København, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
STATUS (2026): ✅ Still open. Seasonal — follows the Tivoli Gardens calendar (summer season April–September, plus Halloween and Christmas runs).
READ MORE: ANTHONY BOURDAIN PHILIPPINES : ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS PICKED ON NO RESERVATIONS
DISH – A Hotdog – Parts Unknown Copenhagen
WHAT IS IT?
Anthony Bourdain visited Johns hotdog deli located at Copenhagen.
Anthony Bourdain had a hotdog called “The Deluxe” made of organic sausage, wild garlic, bacon and mustard.
“All my happiest moments seem to revolve around meat in tube form.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
johns hotdog deli
Bernstorffsgade 18, 1570 København, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
STATUS (2026): ✅ Still open.
READ MORE: ANDREW ZIMMERN COPENHAGEN: ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS PICKED ON DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS
This deep dive into Copenhagen is widely considered a masterpiece of modern culinary television, capturing the exact moment the New Nordic movement commanded the world’s attention. In the broader scope of his work, it perfectly highlights his profound respect for visionary chefs who completely reinvent the parameters of cooking, while never losing his genuine love for working-class comfort food. The beautiful juxtaposition of a twenty-course meal featuring foraged ants against the simple perfection of a tube of meat from a street cart encapsulates his entire culinary philosophy. It is a historically significant, visually stunning hour that forever changed how the world views the Scandinavian landscape. Embrace the weird, trust the chefs, and let the wild, foraged flavors of Denmark completely blow your mind.
