This place just ticked all the boxes. End of. I can´t wait to go again.
I was recommended this place by a lovely new friend who lives in Copenhagen. Long story short, she booked a table for 5 of us and we turned up not really knowing what to expect but that it was nice. Well, firstly the booking hadn´t actually registered properly on the website, but the staff (thank you Clara and Mattias) were very accommodating and after a few minutes and a bit of juggling managed to squeeze us in, which were really happy about as once we set foot in the door we didn´t want to leave!
The place was busy with, when we were there, mainly men in suits so I guess it was used for business dinners and price-wise you can eat out in Copenhagen for less, but the atmosphere was buzzing, the decor, ambience and service so welcoming and 4 of the 5 of us were sold on the set menu with wine pairings – 395 DKK for the food and 300 DKK for the wines.
In a nutshell, the food we had was delicious from the bread and whipped butter on the table to start with, including glutenfree for one of the party that came just as quickly, fresh and warm as the others. It was all an excellent mix of good ingredients cooked in a creative way, without being pretentious and in generous enough portions. The set menu was a brandade of cod with jerusalem artichokes and artichoke crisps, followed by melt in the mouth Danish braised lamb with brussels and burnt pickled onion (such a scrummy mix) and dessert, a solidly mouthwatering chocolate mound with ice cream and berries.
I know I was already feeling positive because of the quality of the company and table talk, but really, the staff were so attentive and lovely and the setting, in part of what was formerly Nikolaj church on Nikolaj Plads, was perfect, it was like being in an old English library. In summer they will make more use of the outside space but on a cold April morning it was cosier inside looking out.
The owner owns Krogs Fiskerestaurant and Cholon too so if anyone who reads this has been there, before I am next in the city and get to try those out myself, please do let me know what you thought of those places too!
As for the name, it´s easy to remember. Maven is Danish (and Norwegian) for stomach and I understand is taken for an old colloquial reference to the location in the days when there were slaughterhouses there.
I can´t wait to go back next time I am in the city – if you go there, I hope you enjoy your meal as much as I did mine. Yes you can eat for less but you can also pay a lot more for that quality of food – local, seasonal, delicious and satisfying.
Location: https://bit.ly/3Kww6OX
Website and opening times: https://www.restaurantmaven.dk/kontakt
Wanderlust never fades 