When Denmark's borders reopen to tourists, do yourself a favor and go here for a proper AND delicious Danish lunch! Or if you're lucky enough to be "allowed" in Copenhagen right now, this hyggelig family-owned restaurant on the "wrong" side of Nyhavn is taking extra extra good care of its customers during these social distancing days. Fwiw, before eating here, I would flat out answer "No" if you asked me if I liked traditional Danish food. What can I say? Pickled herring never "caught" on for me However, my husband and I had been meaning to try Restaurant Gilleleje ever since we moved right by it. Finally last Sunday we did, and it for real gave me a complete paradigm shift (yes, I did just say that) on how I feel about Danish food. We tried four different smørrebrøds, two beef dishes, finished with a cheeseboard and somewhere in there made room for four snaps and a pint of Svaneke brew house organic slow-brewed carbon-neutral (I promise it's not as pretentious as it sounds) beer. I'm pretty sure I ate my bodyweight in smørrebrød that day, let alone the other consumptions, and I do not regret it one bit(e). On top of that, our brains were educated by the incredibly knowledgeable and delightful server regarding which toppings belong on rye vs white bread, which snaps to pair with what, and that you don't butter the bread for herring--you bacon grease it Theirs had bits mixed into it too
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***Here's what we tried; we loved it all***
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Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs (Røget laks med røræg)
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Hand-peeled shrimp with mayonnaise and lemon (Håndpillede rejer med mayonnaise og citron)
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Butter-fried plaice fillet with remoulade and lemon (Smørstegt rødspættefilet med remoulade og citron)
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Curry herring with eggs and onions (Karrysild med æg og løg)
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Calf liver with caramelized onions, beets and bacon (Kalvelever med bløde løg, rødbeder og bacon)
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Beef steak with caramelized onions and cucumber salad (Mørbradbøf med bløde løg og agurkesalat)
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Cheese board with french bread (Ostemad, ost serveret på franskbrød)
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My personal favorites were the plaice and curry herring (go figure, the one you smother with bacon grease) read more