Sushi Anaba

Should You Book Sushi Anaba?

If you are deciding between Sushi Anaba and Copenhagen's wave of New Nordic tasting menus — Geranium, Alchemist, or Koan — the answer depends on what you are actually after. Those rooms are about transformation and spectacle. Sushi Anaba is about precision and restraint. For a first-time visitor to Copenhagen who wants serious Japanese technique without the theatrical production of the city's bigger-ticket destinations, this is the sharper choice at the €€€ price point.

What Sushi Anaba Is

Sushi Anaba is an edomae sushi restaurant run by Danish chef-owner Mads Battefeld, who trained in Tokyo before returning to Copenhagen to apply that discipline to Nordic produce. The format is traditional: edomae technique, focused sourcing, a sake list that goes beyond the expected. What makes the proposition distinct is the ingredient base, Norwegian scallop, lobster from Jutland, seafood drawn from Nordic waters sit alongside the classical Japanese approach to rice, seasoning, aging. The result is a flavor profile grounded in cold-water richness: firmer textures, cleaner fat, the kind of mineral intensity that Nordic seafood carries at its finest.

For a first-time visitor, it is worth understanding what edomae sushi means in practice. There is no à la carte menu where you point at a laminated sheet. The format is structured and chef-led, which means you are in Battefeld's hands from the start. That is a feature, not a drawback, but go in knowing that the experience requires engagement. The sake list is worth treating seriously: the venue is a White Star on Star Wine List (published December 2022), and the selection deliberately surfaces lesser-known producers. If you are not a sake drinker, ask for guidance rather than defaulting to wine.

The address, Mariehamngade 23 in the Nordhavn district, puts the restaurant in a quieter, harbour-adjacent part of the city rather than the central dining cluster. Plan your transport accordingly, especially for late dinner given the 12 am closing time Thursday through Saturday. Friday and Saturday are the only days with lunch service (12–3 pm); Monday, Tuesday, Sunday are dark. The restaurant is closed three days a week, which keeps demand high and tables scarce.

Service and Whether It Earns the Price

At the €€€ tier in Copenhagen, Sushi Anaba is priced below the city's flagship €€€€ destinations like Noma or Geranium, but it is not cheap dining. The question for a first-timer is whether the service philosophy justifies that spend. Edomae sushi at this level depends on the counter interaction: the chef is also the primary host, the quality of that exchange shapes the meal as much as the fish does. Sushi Anaba's format concentrates that relationship rather than diffusing it through a large front-of-house team, which can read as sparse service or as focused attention depending on your expectations. Given the ratings and the OAD ranking trajectory (moving from #110 in 2024 to #137 in 2025 reflects a larger field of entrants, not a drop in quality), the room is performing at a level that makes the price defensible.

For a useful comparison outside Copenhagen: Masa in New York City and Sushi Masaki Saito in Toronto occupy the top end of North American edomae sushi, both at price points well above Sushi Anaba. Sushi Anaba gives you comparable technical seriousness at a lower entry cost, with the added specificity of Nordic ingredients that neither of those rooms can replicate.

Booking and Logistics

Book at least four to six weeks ahead. A Michelin-starred edomae counter open only four days a week with limited covers fills quickly, Copenhagen's dining calendar tightens further in summer. There is no listed phone number or website in the public record, so your booking route will be through the reservation platform the restaurant uses, check the current booking channel before you travel. Lunch on Friday or Saturday is your leading chance at a slightly shorter lead time, but do not count on last-minute availability at either service. If Sushi Anaba is full when you check, Koan offers a kaiseki-influenced tasting format at the €€€€ tier that shares Sushi Anaba's Japan-meets-Nordic premise, though at higher cost and even more restricted availability.

How Sushi Anaba Fits Copenhagen's Dining Map

Copenhagen's fine dining scene is dominated by New Nordic creativity, Geranium, Noma, Alchemist, and Kadeau all operate in the higher price band with multi-course formats built around concept as much as ingredient. Sushi Anaba occupies a different register: the concept is minimal, the technique is borrowed from Tokyo rather than invented in Copenhagen, the Nordic element lives in the sourcing rather than in the presentation style. That makes it a complementary booking rather than a competing one. If you are spending a week in the city and want to understand Copenhagen's food culture from multiple angles, Sushi Anaba fills the Japanese-precision slot that none of the New Nordic rooms can. For dining beyond Copenhagen, Denmark's Michelin map extends to venues like Jordnær in Gentofte, Frederikshøj in Aarhus, Henne Kirkeby Kro in Henne, Alimentum in Aalborg, ARO in Odense, and Domæne in Herning. Our full Copenhagen restaurants guide covers the broader picture, alongside our guides to Copenhagen hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences.