Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark
Casual share plates, no Nordic pretension.
Cleo is a casual, share-plate restaurant in Copenhagen's Nørrebro neighbourhood, blending Latin American and Asian flavours under the guidance of Anders Vendelbo and Anders Strier. It holds Star Wine List recognition (2026) and covers omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans across the same menu. Easy to book and accessible in price, it is the right choice for a flavour-forward evening without tasting-menu formality.
Cleo is not a fine-dining destination, and if you walk in expecting the restrained New Nordic minimalism that defines Copenhagen's trophy restaurants, you will be surprised. This is a casual, share-plate spot on Rantzausgade in the Nørrebro neighbourhood, built around Latin American and Asian flavour combinations — a pairing that is far less common in Copenhagen than the city's reputation for Scandinavian austerity might suggest. The Star Wine List recognition (2026) signals a drinks programme worth taking seriously, which already puts Cleo ahead of most comparable casual venues in the city. Book it for an accessible, flavour-forward evening rather than a special-occasion splurge, and it will deliver.
The room at Rantzausgade 58B reads as a hip, neighbourhood-scale dining room — the kind of space where tables are close enough to feel lively but the format is designed around sharing plates, which means the energy is social rather than ceremonial. For a first-timer, the key spatial cue is: this is not a long-tasting-menu room. There are no rigid covers or orchestrated pacing. You are expected to share, order across dietary preferences, and move at your own speed. The layout suits groups of two to four comfortably; solo diners will find the counter or bar-adjacent seating the natural fit, and the share-plate format means you can order broadly without waste.
The kitchen, guided by Anders Vendelbo and Anders Strier, keeps dishes deliberately stripped back , the stated philosophy is preserving the pure flavour of each ingredient rather than layering on technique for its own sake. In practice, that means the Latin American and Asian influences show up as clearly defined flavour combinations rather than as fusion muddiness. The menu covers omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans across the same selection, which is genuinely useful rather than performative , you are not choosing from a separate, reduced vegetarian menu.
Share-plate, casual format at Cleo is worth thinking about if you are considering whether the food travels outside the dining room. Share-plate cooking built around clean, ingredient-led flavours and cross-cultural combinations tends to hold better than elaborate plated dishes , sauces stay intact, textures are more forgiving. However, Cleo's specific booking method and off-premise options are not confirmed in available data, so call ahead or check directly before assuming delivery or takeaway is available. What is clear is that the format itself , bold flavours, strong ingredients, informal structure , is better suited to off-premise eating than a tasting-menu kitchen would be.
Booking difficulty at Cleo is rated Easy, which means you do not need to plan weeks ahead the way you would for Geranium, Noma, or Alchemist. A few days' notice should be sufficient for most evenings; walk-in availability is plausible for early sittings. Reservations: Easy to secure , a few days ahead is sufficient in most cases. Dress: No dress code is specified; the casual, neighbourhood tone of the venue suggests smart-casual is more than enough. Budget: Price range is not confirmed in available data, but the share-plate casual format typically lands in the mid-range for Copenhagen , expect less than the city's tasting-menu tier, which starts around DKK 1,500+ per head at venues like Koan. The Star Wine List award (2026) suggests a drinks spend worth factoring in on leading of food.
Copenhagen's dining reputation is built on New Nordic fine dining, but Cleo operates in a different register entirely , one that is more accessible, more informal, and more globally-minded. For visitors working through a Copenhagen restaurant list, Cleo fills the gap between the city's top-tier tasting-menu restaurants and its basic neighbourhood cafes. If your trip includes one meal at Kadeau or a booking at Koan, Cleo works well as a contrast evening , something looser, more flavour-driven, and easier to book. For a broader picture of where Cleo sits relative to the city's full range, see our full Copenhagen restaurants guide.
Outside Copenhagen, Denmark's dining scene extends to venues like Jordnær in Gentofte and Frederikshøj in Aarhus for those travelling further, as well as Henne Kirkeby Kro in Henne and Alimentum in Aalborg for regional options. For the Copenhagen visit itself, our Copenhagen hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are worth checking alongside your restaurant bookings.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleo | Star Wine List (2026); Restaurant Cleo, under guidance of Anders Vendelbo and Anders Strier, offers an original menu with out-of-the-box flavor combinations. Latin American and Asian cuisines are skillfully fused in Cleo’s kitchen, presenting you with new flavor combinations that work well with the accompanying ingredients used on the plate. The dishes are kept “simple”, keeping the flavors of each ingredient intact and pure. This hip eatery offers a selection of plates to share for both omnivores, vegetarians and vegans, which can be accompanied with a selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. | Easy | — | |
| Geranium | New Nordic, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Noma | Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Alchemist | Progressive, Creative | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Koan | New Nordic, Kaiseki, Creative | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| a|o|c | New Nordic, Mediterranean Small Plates, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Cleo measures up.
Cleo is a hip, neighbourhood-scale dining room on Rantzausgade — casual clothes are entirely appropriate. There is no indication of a dress code, and the share-plate format and relaxed atmosphere point firmly away from formal attire. Think dinner-with-friends rather than business dinner.
It works for a low-key celebration with the right group — the share-plate format encourages a communal, lively table, and the Latin-Asian flavour combinations give the meal a sense of occasion without the formality or cost of Copenhagen's fine-dining circuit. If you want a landmark birthday or anniversary dinner with ceremony and tasting menus, Geranium or Alchemist are better fits. Cleo is the right call when the goal is a memorable meal without the pressure.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days' notice is typically sufficient rather than the weeks-ahead planning required for Geranium, Noma, or Alchemist. That said, popular weekend slots fill faster, so booking a few days in advance is still worth doing rather than relying on walk-in availability.
The menu is built around share plates that fuse Latin American and Asian influences, with options for omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. The kitchen's stated approach is to keep dishes simple and let individual ingredient flavours come through, so ordering a range across the table gives you the best read on what they do. Specific dish recommendations are not available here — check the current menu directly at the restaurant.
For a step up in ambition and price, Koan merges Asian and Nordic cooking in a tasting-menu format. a|o|c offers natural wine-focused, ingredient-driven plates that share Cleo's casual register but lean more Nordic. If budget is the priority and you want something similar in energy, Cleo is hard to beat at its price point; if the goal is a serious tasting menu, Geranium or Alchemist are the credentialed options.
Yes — the share-plate menu is explicitly designed to accommodate omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans, which is more flexible than most comparable venues in Copenhagen. Non-alcoholic drink options are also listed alongside the alcoholic selection, so sober diners are not an afterthought.
The share-plate format is designed for groups, which makes solo dining slightly awkward in terms of portion logic — you will likely order fewer dishes and get less range across the menu. That said, the neighbourhood dining room atmosphere and easy booking difficulty make it a low-friction choice if you are in the area. Solo diners who want a more counter-friendly solo experience might find a|o|c a better fit.
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