Nabo is the restaurant owned by Kadeau which is one of the Michelin star restaurants in Copenhagen and also one the new restaurants in Copenhagen we recommned you to try in 2017. Nabo serves mainly Nordic food and is very much inspired by Bornholm, which is a Danish Island that is slowly becoming a foodie destination (check it out and thank us later) and also the home island of the Nabo/Kadeau crew.
”Nabo” means Neighbour in Danish and the meaning is two-fold – firstly Nabo is the neighbour of Kadeau and secondly the thought is that Nabo is like a neighbour. A place where you can come at any time, where you can relax, where you are warmly greeted and where you can always get a cup of coffee.
I have had the pleasure of eating at Nabo a couple of times and this is now one of the recommendations that I give my running guests when we run our Christiania Tour at Christianshavn or when advising on especially breakfast and lunch locations (which we do a lot :-)).
And now let me tell you more about Nabo and why I like it… Lean back and enjoy the long read:
Nabo – The food:
Nabo serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, so regardless of the time of day, there is no excuse for not eating or drinking at Nabo. The menu changes with the season and you can expect good quality products from local suppliers and a bit of fermentation and pickling.
The breakfast is buffet style breakfast, which is something I am normally not a big fan of (a result of travelling 200 days a year in my previous ”serious job” and therefore eaten at breakfast buffets in hotels worldwide to last me a lifetime). The breakfast buffet at Nabo is however an exception to my general dislike, and that is because it is simple, poses high-quality products and is small (small is good). It is very Danish in the way that there are cheese, sausage (truffle sausage when I was there – über delicious!) yoghurt, boiled eggs, rugbrød, tea and coffee. So if you are looking for pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon etc. then this is not for you.
From breakfast to Lunch. Lunch at Nabo is exceptionally nice and as mentioned earlier, this is now a place I recommend frequently to our running guests. Especially the smaller dishes I find particularly nice for lunch, where both the tatar and the karrysild are good choices. The tatar because….well it is tatar and who doesn’t like raw meat (tiger roar!) and the karrysild because it is a Danish specialty and the recipe of this particular karrisild is from the chef’s granma and you can never go wrong with old school right ?
For dinner you can order both smaller and larger dishes and there are both fish and meat on the menu. The menu in general is rather simple (the selection, not the food) with four choices of small dishes and four choices of larger dishes and then about the same amount of dessert/cheese (Arla Unika on the cheese platter when I visited, and needless to say these were exceptionally tasty).
Like many of the other restaurants in Copenhagen, Nabo has some incredible bread and really life is too short not to ask for second helpings of bread if you – like me – run out fairly quickly. A friendly piece of advice though – don’t stuff yourself on the bread before the food arrives, because you will not forgive yourself if you do not have an appetite for the dishes that you have ordered.
Nabo – The Wine
The wine at Nabo is like many of our other restaurants recommendations focused on wines that are from smaller vineyards and has been manipulated as little as possible. Wines that represent the terroir where they are grown and very often natural wines.
They have a well assorted ”wine by the glass” menu and the staff is naturally enthusiastic about their wines, so if in doubt or if you would like recommendations, then by all means ask away. These guys will be more than happy to share their knowledge and assist.
I am particularly fond of light, red wines and I was in a bit of ecstasy when sipping red wine while eating my tatar. A combination that is not to be missed, if you like tatar and light red wines that is. 🙂
Nabo – The Location
Nabo is located on Christianshavn in the city centre of Copenhagen and right next to Kadeau. It is in the city centre and a short walk from the Parliament and Nyhavn as well as Christiania. It is a short bike ride from anywhere in Copenhagen ;-). It also just about 5 mins from Restaurant 108, so if either of the two do not have any space, you can easily walk to the other and try your luck there.
At the time of writing, it is now November and temperature is around freezing. Nabo is the place you walk by and look inside and immediately get an ”aaaah” feeling as the live candles, the wooden furniture, the lighting and the layout is particularly ”hyggelig” (cosy). And then when you get inside it is nice and warm (not too hot) and you can take off your jacket and let your shoulders relax.
Last but not least one thing I particularly like about Nabo is the acoustics (our regular readers probably think: here she goes again). It has great acoustics which means that you can have a conversation without shouting or involuntary eavesdropping on the conversation at the table next to you. It also means that this is a place I would bring my 92 year old granma as she uses a hearing aid and is a sucker for a karrysild!
Get Social and Get Local:
Like a good neighbour, Nabo is not boring and the doors are open for different dining experiences. On Monday’s for example, they do dinners where everyone eats at long tables and a dish of the day as well as salad and bread are served. This is truly an opportunity to have an informal meal as well as meeting the Danes.
Other special events that Nabo hosts are evenings with a guest chef where a set menu including wine is served. This is perfect for having a different dining experience than you can otherwise find in Copenhagen and also a good excuse to visit Nabo yet again.
To check out what is going on at Nabo, I can recommend visiting (and following) their facebook page.
That was a few thoughts from a simple running guide in Copenhagen. Nabo is a nice addition to the restaurant scene in Copenhagen, where you can have good quality food and wine without breaking the bank. It’s informal, does great lunch, has some amazing bread, serves quality wines and the staff is incredibly nice. Nuff said – time for a run.
Happy eating and happy running,
Lena
Picture Credit: Nabo’s Facebook page
