We don’t think we’re going out on a limb here to say that Copenhagen is one of the world’s great food cities.
Regarded for being the home of the New Nordic food movement and, of course, Noma, as well as a whole host of other highly inventive, critically-acclaimed restaurants, as well as an ever–evolving pop-up scene and superb traditional cuisine, there are fewer better places to be fed.
What the city is perhaps not as well known for is its pizza scene. But boy is that changing, with that trademark Copenhagen combination of meticulous craft and inquisitiveness now translating into pizzas operating at the lofty echelons usually only associated with Naples.
True to that mentality, today we’re considering only the very best of the best in the city. Here is our guide to the best pizza in Copenhagen.
Bæst
Found in the neighborhood of Nørrebro, the award-winning pizzeria BÆST is well known for using the highest quality ingredients and operating with sustainability at the core of everything it does.
Even though the pizzeria is, quite rightly, clearly inspired by Italian traditions and craft, BÆST harnesses the power of these techniques and ideals using local, organic ingredients. In fact, the restaurant very proudly states that they aren’t an ‘Italian’ restaurant per se, but, rather, a mix of Italian and Danish sensibilities as told by chef Christian Puglisi, who was born in Messina, Italy and moved to Denmark in 1990 with his parents.
All this build-up would be irrelevant if the product wasn’t good, and here, to be fair, it isn’t good; it’s exceptional. The restaurant’s signature ‘fior di latte’, made using biodynamic Danish cows’ milk, is as good as we’ve tasted anywhere in the world, and the salami, coppa and nduja from organic, free-range pigs from the famous Hindsholm-farm provide the perfect counterpoint when placed atop these superb pizzas.
Address: Guldbergsgade 29, 2200 København N, Denmark
Website: baest.dk
Pico Pizza
We’ve all been there, gripped by the pizza paradox of choice so badly when perusing the menu that we end up ordering tiramisu as a main course.
Right, guys? Right?
Well, Pico Pizza has got your back. Here, instead of offering single pizzas that are hard to take down in a single sitting, the guys at Pico sling their pies in a much more manageable ‘mini’ size, arriving in batches of three and allowing guests to try a few in one sitting from the expansive 15-pizza menu.
But frozen Mini Chicago Town Pizza this ain’t. Pico’s pizzas are proper, nominally in the Neapolitan ‘style’ rather than adhering to strict AVPN legislation, with an airy sourdough base and properly blistered crust.
With outposts in Nørrebro, Vesterbro, and most recently a huge new opening in Valby, the USP here is the ‘Pico Trio’ order, which allows you to choose three different sourdough pizzas from the menu. We’re particularly in thrall to the restaurant’s Sloppy Joe, which boasts Bolognese sauce alongside red Irish cheddar. The ‘Hawaii’, pineapple and all, is also excellent.
Yes, it’s that kind of place – there are tasty little pots of crust dippers, too – and it’s all the better for it, but if you do prefer the classics, both the Margherita and Capricciosa are superb.
And the best news? Pico’s pizzas are available in vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, too. What’s not to love?
Address: Skyttegade 3, 2200 København N, Denmark
Website: picopizza.dk
De Gallo Pizzeria
Next up, we’re heading to De Gallo Pizzeria, where chef Salvatore Gallo of real, actual Campania slings out pizza solo from his tiny kitchen to the hungry natives of residential Copenhagen suburb Husum.
Don’t let the humble appearance of De Gallo fool you into thinking this isn’t a serious pizza operation, though; the dough here is cold-risen over 72 hours, giving the pizzas a remarkably light, pillowy crust and pleasingly sour tang, and the tomatoes are imported from Naples, as it should be.
We’ll continue. The pizzas are cooked in under two minutes, with the pizzeria’s triumph no doubt being the Magherita, which, as chef Gallo points out, ‘’all Neapolitan pizzerias should be judged on’’. He’s obviously paid heed to his own wise words, as this is a very fine pizza indeed.
If you’d prefer a more laden pizza, the version with salami, gorgonzola, and olives hits all the right piquant and savoury notes.
Make no mistake, this is one of the best pizzas we’ve had. We can’t wait to go back.
Address: Glumsøvej 44, 2700 København, Denmark
Website: pizzeriadagallo.dk
Gorm’s
Have you even been to Copenhagen if you haven’t had a Gorm’s? There are eight in total across the capital, with more expected to open as the popularity of these simple, crisp pizzas which fuse Italian traditions with Nordic ingredients shows no signs of slowing.
The mothership is on Magstræde, one of the oldest streets in Copenhagen, where celebrity chef Gorm Wisweh (or, more likely, one of his many devoted pizzaiolo) prepares his pizzas with the sensibility of a Roman ‘tonda’; that’s an ultra-thin crust and base crisp enough to support a generous – though not showy – set of toppings.
Our go-to order here is the Miss Wishbone, which boasts thinly sliced potato, rosemary, basil pesto and 16-month matured parma ham. It’s a banger, and we dare you not to order a second!
Address: Magstræde 16, 1204 København, Denmark
Website: wearegorms.dk
Read: 5 of the best restaurants close to Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen
Mother
Last but not least is Mother, located in Copenhagen’s hip Meatpacking District. Known for its trademark sourdough (the restaurant’s name refers to the dough’s starter culture), the humble restaurant opened its doors in 2010 and has grown in popularity with the foodies of Copenhagen ever since.
These days Mother is well known far beyond the Danish border for its approachable way of doing business, focusing on organic quality food imported directly from Italy or made in Copenhagen itself.
In September 2016, the innovative restaurant took its ‘good food for the people’ and ‘back to nature’ philosophy a step further by introducing a new way of making pizza dough, using purified seawater instead of traditional salt and water.
The results are tremendous, with refined, carefully sourced toppings taking precedence over the more indulgent offerings found on some of the other pizzas on our list, allowing the true star of the show, the dough, to shine through. True to that ethos, perhaps the most delicious pizza on the list is also the most simple; the mozzarella-less (ooft, that’s a clumsy word) Marinara is as good as a pizza gets, in our humble appetite.
Address: Høkerboderne 9-15, 1712 København, Denmark
Website: mother.dk
All full of dough and nowhere to go? If you’re looking for something a little lighter, check out these affordable seafood restaurants in Copenhagen for a taste of a more traditional side to Danish cuisine.