The 20 best restaurants in Aarhus
From smørrebrød cellars to bistros and shared plates — the places you come back to.
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From the guide: Hærværk, Pondus, Det Glade Vanvid.
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Worth the detour
Hærværk
9.1Raw cooking with no menu — you eat what came in.
Worth the detour
Pondus
9.0Natural wine and small plates by the river — informal all the way through.
20 places in this category — scroll on to see them all.
Restaurants in Aarhus
20 places · From smørrebrød cellars to bistros and shared plates — the places you come back to.
Manda Eatery
8.4Breakfast, lunch and cake — a green kitchen and no bookings.
Pondus
9.0Natural wine and small plates by the river — informal all the way through.
Hærværk
9.1Raw cooking with no menu — you eat what came in.
Mleko Bar
8.3Polish cooking and wine on Vester Allé — pierogi and fermentation.
Det Glade Vanvid
8.8The Kocheriet on the harbour — a set menu, few tables, Tuesday to Saturday.
Europa Mad & Vinbar
8.4Open sandwiches and wine on Havnegade — Tuesday to Saturday.
Havrum
8.3Fish and breakfast at Egå Marina — weekend brunch with a view of the water.
Nordisk Spisehus
8.7Menus inspired by the world's best restaurants, in Frederiksbjerg.
Restaurant ET
8.4A French brasserie with a wine list that keeps going.
Gaijin Ramen
8.2Ramen on Nørregade — Tuesday to Sunday, no booking.
Klassisk Bistro 65
8.4French country cooking on Jægergårdsgade — tartare cut by hand and beef flambéed at the table.
Norr
8.7Nordic cooking from half past eleven until eleven — lunch and dinner in the same key.
Grappa
8.2Italian by the river — from morning coffee to late dinner.
L'Estragon
8.5Organic and green on Klostergade — Tuesday to Sunday, evenings only.
Restaurant Komfur
8.6A French kitchen that stays open until midnight.
Forlæns og Baglæns
8.4Spanish tapas and wine from midday until late — Tuesday to Saturday.
Pinden
8.4Classic Danish lunch on Skolegade — the place has not changed, and that is the point.
Teater Bodega
8.2The theatre's own bodega since the 1950s — lunch, dinner and the evening's last beer.
Juliette
8.3A French brasserie from ten in the morning until half past nine at night.
Thors Mølle
8.3Lunch in the woods south of the city — Thursday to Sunday only.
All 20 restaurants in Aarhus in one list
| Place | Where | Opening hours | Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manda Eatery | Jægergårdsgade 57, Aarhus | Tue-Fri 09:00-17:00 · Sat-Sun 09:00-16:00 | Moderate | 8.4 |
| Pondus | Åboulevarden 51, Aarhus | Mon-Sat 17:00-23:00 | Expensive | 9.0 |
| Hærværk | Frederiks Allé 105, Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus | Tue-Sat 17:00-00:00 | Expensive | 9.1 |
| Mleko Bar | Vester Allé 18, Aarhus | Wed-Thu 17:00-22:00 · Fri 17:00-23:00 · Sat 12:00-23:00 | Moderate | 8.3 |
| Det Glade Vanvid | Auktionskajen 18, Aarhus Ø, Aarhus | Tue-Wed 18:30-21:30 · Thu-Sat 18:30-22:30 | Expensive | 8.8 |
| Europa Mad & Vinbar | Havnegade 28, Aarhus | Tue 12:00-18:00 · Wed-Fri 12:00-21:00 · Sat 12:30-21:00 | Moderate | 8.4 |
| Havrum | Egå Havvej 31, Egå Marina, Aarhus | Mon-Fri 11:00-21:00 · Sat-Sun 09:00-21:00 | Expensive | 8.3 |
| Nordisk Spisehus | M.P. Bruuns Gade 31, Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus | Estimate — check with the place | Expensive | 8.7 |
| Restaurant ET | Mindegade 8, Indre By, Aarhus | Mon-Tue 17:30-00:00 · Wed 12:00-16:00, 17:30-00:00 · Thu-Sat 12:00-16:00, 17:30-01:00 | Expensive | 8.4 |
| Gaijin Ramen | Nørregade 16, Aarhus | Tue-Sun 12:00-21:00 | Moderate | 8.2 |
| Klassisk Bistro 65 | Jægergårdsgade 65, Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus | Estimate — check with the place | Expensive | 8.4 |
| Norr | Marselisborg Havnevej 46D, Aarhus | Mon-Sun 11:30-23:00 | Expensive | 8.7 |
| Grappa | Åboulevarden 60, Aarhus | Mon-Thu 10:00-00:00 · Fri 10:00-01:00 · Sat-Sun 10:00-00:00 | Moderate | 8.2 |
| L'Estragon | Klostergade 6B, Aarhus | Tue-Sun 18:00-23:59 | Expensive | 8.5 |
| Restaurant Komfur | Guldsmedgade 40, Midtbyen, Aarhus | Mon-Sun 17:00-00:00 | Expensive | 8.6 |
| Forlæns og Baglæns | Jægergårdsgade 23, Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus | Tue-Thu 12:00-23:00 · Fri-Sat 12:00-01:00 | Moderate | 8.4 |
| Pinden | Skolegade 29, Aarhus | Tue-Sat 12:00-23:00 | Moderate | 8.4 |
| Teater Bodega | Skolegade 7, Aarhus | Mon-Wed 11:30-23:00 · Thu-Sat 11:30-00:00 · Sun 12:00-21:00 | Moderate | 8.2 |
| Juliette | Jægergårdsgade 54, Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus | Mon-Sat 10:00-21:30 · Sun 10:00-21:00 | Moderate | 8.3 |
| Thors Mølle | Thorsmøllevej 15, Marselisborg, Aarhus | Thu-Sun 12:00-16:00 | Expensive | 8.3 |
Read also
- Best restaurants in Aarhus — 20 places rankedHærværk comes first. The city's 20 restaurants ranked with addresses and opening hours — and with the thing that decides most in Aarhus, which is Monday.
- Jægergårdsgade and Frederiksbjerg — 17 placesJægergårdsgade and Frederiksbjerg in Aarhus — 17 places, from the bakery that opens at 6.30 to the bars that close at two. Addresses and hours.
- Åboulevarden Aarhus — 26 places by the riverGuide to Åboulevarden in Aarhus. Four places sit on the street itself, 22 more within a five-minute walk — with addresses and opening hours.
About restaurants in Aarhus
Twenty restaurants, and they sort themselves by how much they ask of your evening. At one end are the places where you sit down and let the kitchen decide: Hærværk on Frederiks Allé has no menu and serves what came in, and Det Glade Vanvid on Auktionskajen at Aarhus Ø cooks one set menu for a handful of tables, Tuesday to Saturday.
In the middle are the city's workhorses. Nordisk Spisehus on M.P. Bruuns Gade and Restaurant ET on Mindegade are the two you book when the evening is an occasion. Norr, out on Marselisborg Havn, runs the same kitchen from half past eleven until eleven, so lunch and dinner happen in one room, and Juliette on Jægergårdsgade opens at ten every day.
The Danish lunch tradition is still alive here. Pinden on Skolegade has never been refurbished, and that is the point; Teater Bodega a few doors down has sat beside Aarhus Theatre since the 1950s and closes the bar after the kitchen. Further out, Thors Mølle, an old water mill in the Marselisborg woods, serves lunch Thursday to Sunday only.
The rest is everyday eating: Gaijin Ramen on Nørregade takes no bookings, Mleko Bar on Vester Allé cooks Polish food built on fermentation, Grappa sits out by the river, and Restaurant Komfur on Guldsmedgade keeps the kitchen open until midnight, which is rarer than it should be. Book at weekends — the city is small and the good tables go early.