Italian Spots in Copenhagen
June 1, 2026
Italian food is the most loved cuisine in the world — and Copenhagen is no exception. Over the past few years, the city has developed an Italian food scene that stretches far beyond pizza and pasta. You will find classic osterias with homemade pasta and wines imported directly from small producers in Italy, modern restaurants that interpret regional Italian cooking through a Nordic lens, and lively wine bars with a Southern European soul that stay open late into the night. This is no coincidence. Many of these places are built by people with deep roots in Italian food culture — some who grew up with it, others who trained in it. What they share is a respect for ingredients, a love of simplicity and an understanding that good food does not need to be complicated. Here is our guide to the best Italian spots in Copenhagen.
Rufino Osteria
A grounded osteria in Christianshavn that has been serving homemade pasta and traditional Italian dishes with a strong Roman influence since 2016. Ingredients are imported from small artisan producers in Italy and supplemented with local, seasonal produce. The wine list is carefully composed with a focus on Italian wines — many imported directly by the team. Open Monday to Saturday from 17:00.
Barabba
Barabba is the place you go when you want to have a good time. Three friends opened it with one purpose: modern Italian food in a vibrant, relaxed atmosphere, open late into the night. You can order à la carte, go for a four-course menu or commit fully to eight courses with natural wine pairings. The signature dish is a spaghetti with butter, colatura di alici and caviar — simple, intense and hard to forget. Thursday to Sunday from 17:30, kitchen open until 02:00.
Graziano
Graziano is named after the chef's Italian grandfather and is a love letter to the Tuscan mountain kitchen. Jonathan Basløw Sørensen serves the food he grew up with: spaghetti pomodoro, ribollita, bomboloni and dishes that change with the season. Food is served family-style, the interior is filled with old family photographs and the grandfather's legacy, and the atmosphere is warm and intimate. Two locations in Copenhagen — Møllegade 13 (Mon–Sat from 17:00) and Værnedamsvej 10 (Tue–Sun from 10:00).
Ambra
Ambra is a large and lively Italian restaurant in the heart of Copenhagen's inner city with room for over 200 guests. The menu is classic and approachable — pasta, antipasti and grilled dishes made with the season's best ingredients. The cocktail bar is a central part of the experience, and the atmosphere is hospitable and celebratory. Open daily.
SURT
Giuseppe Oliva has been called a 'pizza wizard' and has revolutionised Copenhagen's restaurant scene with his sourdough pizzas. After years behind the ovens at Tribeca and Bæst, he opened SURT in Carlsberg Byen in 2019 — and the restaurant has since appeared on the Top 50 list of best pizza places in Europe. The dough ferments for a long time, baked in a large stone oven built on site, resulting in a thin, crispy and airy base with a lightly charred crust. At lunch, Sur Pie is also on the menu — with an even longer fermentation. Open every day from 12:00.
Locale 21
Locale 21 is a pasta-focused bistro from the team behind Osteria 16, Resto Bar and Pastis — and has been fully booked almost since opening day. The menu stays close to Italian classics with a small personal twist, and the atmosphere is informal and lively. Come early or book well in advance.
Resto Bar
Resto Bar sits on Vesterbro Torv and serves Italian comfort food for lunch and dinner — indoors or on the square outside. The menu spans homemade pasta and risotto to fresh seafood and charcuterie. The open kitchen, white tablecloths and lively atmosphere create a setting that feels reminiscent of Rome's Trastevere. Open Monday to Sunday from 11:00.
Osteria 16
Behind Osteria 16 is a simple philosophy: fresh pasta, good ingredients and an atmosphere that never feels forced. It has worked well enough that there are now three locations across the city — Haderslevgade 16 (Vesterbro), Ravnsborggade 14B (Nørrebro) and Sønderboulevard 54 (Vesterbro). Relaxed, welcoming and always nearby.
Mangia
Mangia is a modern Italian restaurant on Frederiksberg with an open kitchen and a considered menu of pasta, risotto and Mediterranean flavours. The wine list draws on Italian and European producers, and the atmosphere is warm and informal. A neighbourhood staple.
Bar Amore
Bar Amore is the Neapolitan-inspired sister to Mangia, run by the same team on Frederiksberg. The space is bright and open with a large dining bar where guests can watch the chefs at work. The menu skips traditional main courses — instead you choose freely from sharing dishes of pasta, risotto and Mediterranean flavours. The wine list draws on Italian and European natural wine producers, and the atmosphere is the kind that makes it hard to leave.
Bar Moro
Bar Moro is Nørrebro's lively Mediterranean restaurant with marble tables, dangling lights and a rotating menu that blends classic flavour combinations with a fresh, contemporary edge. It is the place for those who don't want another evening of foams and jus — the food here is good, unfussy and full of character. The space is always packed with a local crowd, and the atmosphere is celebratory without being formal. Monday to Saturday from 17:15.