Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen's best wine list, bistro format.
Grimal is Copenhagen's strongest argument for a wine-led French bistro evening. With Star Wine List's #1 ranking three years running (2023–2025), the wine program is the main event — and the easy-going bar counter and traditional French food make it a low-friction alternative to the city's tasting menu circuit. Book a few days out; no long lead times required.
If you've already done one of Copenhagen's big tasting menus at Geranium or Koan, Grimal is the kind of place you find yourself wanting next: a traditional French bistro on Istedgade that trades foraged herbs and fermentation for classic technique, a cosy bar counter, and a wine list that has ranked at the leading of Copenhagen's dining scene for three consecutive years. Star Wine List has ranked Grimal #1 in 2023, #1 in 2024, and #1 again in 2025 — a run that makes the wine program here one of the most consistently recognised in Denmark.
The draw is direct: honest French bistro food, snacks at the bar, and a room that operates at an easy-going pace. For anyone who has spent a week eating through Copenhagen's Noma-influenced tasting menu circuit, Grimal reads as a deliberate correction. There is no narrative arc, no amuse-bouche progression, no course-by-course storytelling. What you get instead is the kind of French cooking that lets the wine do the talking , which, given the wine list's pedigree, is exactly the right call.
If you've visited once and came primarily for the wine, the next visit should be structured around the bar counter. Sitting at the bar at Grimal gives you proximity to the action , kitchen passes, snacks arriving in quick succession, and the chance to ask about the list without ceremony. For a regular, this is the format that makes the most of what the venue does well. The bistro seating works for a longer dinner with more deliberate pacing, but the bar is where the experience tightens up.
Grimal is a strong choice for solo diners and pairs. The bar counter is purpose-built for solo eating and drinking, and a duo can settle in without needing a large reservation window. Groups looking for a shared, convivial dinner will find the bistro tables accommodate them, though the room's easy-going atmosphere means this is not the venue for a high-ceremony occasion. For that, Alchemist or Geranium will serve better.
Three consecutive #1 rankings from Star Wine List (2023, 2024, 2025) and two #2 rankings in the same period put Grimal's wine program in genuinely rare company for a bistro format. This is not a fine-dining list bolted onto a casual room , it is the central reason to book. Expect depth in French regions, though the specific composition of the list is not published in detail here. The awards record is enough to say: if wine is your priority in Copenhagen, Grimal warrants serious attention. For comparison, Copenhagen's leading tasting menu restaurants , Geranium, Koan, Alchemist , each have strong wine programs, but none carry this specific record for the list itself as a standalone credential.
For wine-focused diners travelling beyond Copenhagen, Jordnær in Gentofte and Frederikshøj in Aarhus are worth noting, but neither operates in the bistro-with-exceptional-list format that Grimal occupies.
Grimal sits on Istedgade in Vesterbro, one of Copenhagen's more relaxed neighbourhoods for an evening out. Weekday evenings are the better choice if you want the bar counter without competition , weekends draw more volume and the room fills. Booking is rated easy, which puts Grimal in a different category to the city's tasting menu venues where lead times of weeks or months are standard. Book a few days out for a weekday visit; give yourself more runway for a Friday or Saturday.
If you're planning a broader Copenhagen trip, our guides to Copenhagen hotels, Copenhagen bars, and Copenhagen experiences are useful starting points alongside the full restaurant guide. For wine-focused visitors interested in the broader Danish scene, the Copenhagen wineries guide rounds out the picture.
| Venue | Format | Price Range | Booking Difficulty | Wine Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grimal | French bistro, bar counter | Not published | Easy | Star Wine List #1 (2023, 2024, 2025) |
| Geranium | New Nordic tasting menu | €€€€ | Hard (weeks ahead) | Strong, no standalone award record |
| Alchemist | Progressive tasting menu | €€€€ | Very hard | Extensive, paired to experience |
| Koan | New Nordic / Kaiseki tasting | €€€€ | Hard | Strong |
| a|o|c | New Nordic small plates | €€€€ | Moderate | Strong |
Grimal is a traditional French bistro on Istedgade in Vesterbro — relaxed in format, serious about wine. The wine program has earned Star Wine List's #1 ranking three years running (2023, 2024, 2025), so treat it as a wine destination first, bistro second. Bar seating is available for eating or drinking, which makes it accessible for drop-ins, but don't arrive expecting a tasting-menu format — this is snacks, French classics, and a well-curated glass at your own pace.
Grimal describes itself as cosy and easy-going, so leave the formal attire at the hotel. Vesterbro is one of Copenhagen's more casual neighbourhoods, and the bistro atmosphere reinforces that. Neat everyday clothes fit the room; there's no signal in the venue's positioning that anything dressier is expected.
Yes — bar seating makes Grimal one of the more practical solo options in Copenhagen. The counter is explicitly set up for eating and drinking alone or while waiting, and the easy-going bistro atmosphere removes any pressure to occupy a full table. If you're solo and wine-focused, this is a better fit than most of Copenhagen's tasting-menu rooms.
For wine with a similar low-key setting, a|o|c on Dronningens Tværgade is the closest comparison — natural wine focus, neighbourhood feel. If you want to step up in formality, Geranium and Koan both offer serious wine programs alongside their tasting menus, but at a significantly higher price point and booking difficulty. Grimal makes most sense when you want the wine depth without the tasting-menu commitment.
Grimal works for a low-key celebratory dinner — the wine program is credentialed enough (three consecutive Star Wine List #1 rankings) to make an occasion feel considered. It is not the choice if you want theatre, long tasting courses, or a formal dining room. For that, Geranium or Alchemist are the obvious alternatives. Grimal suits occasions where the bottle matters more than the ceremony.
The venue is described as a cosy bistro with bar seating, which suggests a compact room rather than a large-group operation. Groups of two to four are likely well-served; larger parties should check the venue's official channels before assuming availability. The bar format in particular is better suited to smaller numbers.
Specific booking lead times are not documented for Grimal, but its Star Wine List profile and Vesterbro location mean weekends fill faster than weekdays. Book at least a week out for a weekend table; weekday evenings are the more flexible option. The bar counter offers some walk-in potential, but don't rely on it if the visit matters.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
