I turned 44 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam in 2023. In June 2025, I headed to Copenhagen in Denmark with Steve.

Long before going to Copenhagen, I asked Derek from Derek & Mike from Robe Trotting, for a recommendation. This American couple lives in Denmark. Derek recommended Marv og Ben, or Marv & Ben. 

Introduction

“We stay in a cozy apartment on two floors in the cobbled Snaregade – one of Copenhagen’s oldest streets close to Gammel Strand. Here we invite you to try Nordic gastronomy, where everything is prepared from scratch with a sincere curiosity for new taste experiences and textures. Everything is made from local ingredients from small producers, and the wine list offers a versatile selection of exciting wines that we love – both biodynamic, organic and conventional wines as well as natural wines by the glass and in the bottle”, Marv & Ben say on their website. 

Fine dining Copenhagen – experience the nordic cuisine

At Marv & Ben you’ll find fine dining in Copenhagen out of the ordinary. We do our best to create an experience where food and atmosphere come together. With our feet firmly planted in Nordic cuisine, we cook with the best ingredients, with awareness of seasonality and sustainability.

What to expect

We combine fine dining in Copenhagen with coziness and good company. While the food is key, we don’t compromise on our surroundings. That’s why you’ll find us in an intimate space in the heart of the city in one of Copenhagen’s oldest streets.

With us, you are guaranteed an evening with attention to detail, and our skilled staff are ready to guide you through the food and wine. We want fine dining in Copenhagen to be a safe and comfortable place where you can enjoy an extraordinary dinner without feeling out of place.

We welcome those of you celebrating a special occasion or those of you who just want to experience a high gastronomic level.

More than just a meal 

At Marv & Ben, we want to be more than just a restaurant. We take our values very seriously, which is evident in the training and selection of our chefs and waiters. 

We want our guests to feel our passion for sustainable food that doesn’t compromise on taste or appearance. The extraordinary fine dining in Copenhagen is a promise we do our best to live up to every day.

Discover new standards with fine dining Copenhagen

Fine dining Copenhagen is for those who want to experience the quality of local and sustainable food. We select all ingredients with the utmost care for the environment, and our focus is on bringing out the best in each product and to support each individual flavour.

We believe that proper ingredients are the key to a great meal. Fine dining Copenhagen at Marv & Ben takes you on a journey where Nordic gastronomy comes under the spotlight in all its simplicity.

Beautiful, simple ingredients are the focus at Marv & Ben, and we look forward to sharing our menu with you.

If you’re curious to discover more, you can contact us or read more about our food and wines. Or you can follow us on Instagram, where we regularly share our atmosphere and passion.

If you’re curious to discover more, you can contact us or read more about our food and wines. Or you can follow us on Instagram , where we regularly share our atmosphere and passion.

Michelin 

Michelin awards the restaurant a Bib Gourmand. 

“Start your evening with a walk along the Slotsholmen Canal, before heading for this lively little restaurant on one of Copenhagen’s oldest streets. Bright paintings and street art style murals of pinecones, seaweed and coral adorn the walls of three dimly lit rooms, and the young team bring plenty of enthusiasm to match the vibe. Unfussy modern dishes display purity, depth of flavour and finesse. Six options are offered each evening – try them all via the ‘Six Favourites’ menu or build your own meal from the à la carte – with dishes like ‘pork-celeriac-parsley’ accompanied by a delicious poultry jus.”

Visit Copenhagen

Visit Copenhagen says: “The Bib Gourmand restaurant Marv & Ben (Marrow & Bone) is located in the beautiful medieval cobblestone street of Snaregade.”

So, Marv and Ben are not given names. It’s not ‘Marv(in) and Ben(jamin)‘. 

“In August 2017, two young gastro enthusiasts, David Andersen and Johan Burich-Holck took over Marv & Ben from its former owner, Frederik Hvidt, who through 10 years had been serving great food experiences, and secured the restaurant the Bib Gourmand award from the Michelin guide six years in a row.”

“At David and Johan’s ‘Marv & Ben version 2.0’, you can dive into Nordic gastronomy, and a menu that’s based on the best local ingredients and as much organic produce as possible. Everything is made from scratch and prepared with a curiosity for new, interesting tastes and textures. They pick, pickle and save when the produce is at its best, and your taste buds can for instance try fermented garlic, pickled green strawberries, salted sand onions, or dried woodruff. The wine menu offers you a mix of biodynamic, organic, natural and conventional wines, and all the beers, juices and most of the alcohol used for drinks is organic as well.”

“The two guys are carrying on the legacy of the restaurant in one of Copenhagen’s charming, old apartments, where you can enjoy your organic dinner in a cosy environment.”

Booking

We made our reservation in January 2025, almost six months in advance. A day before the day, we received a reminder. 

The menu

In June 2025, this was the menu:

SIX FAVOURITES: 

1. Hamachi – apple – radish.
2. Halibut – trout roe – mustard herbs.
3. New potatoes – bakskuld – crown dill.
4. Raw beef – carrot – cheese.
5. Lamb – brown butter – white asparagus.
6. Strawberry – blackcurrant branch – ymer

Per person: 700 DKK, including wine pairing: 1,400 DKK

FAST FOUR: 

1. Hamachi – apple – radish.
2. New potatoes – bakskuld – crown dill.
3. Lamb – brown butter – white asparagus.
4. Strawberry – blackcurrant branch – ymer

Per person: 500 DKK. Including wine pairing: 1,000 DKK

A LA CARTE

• Hamachi – apple – radish — 140 DKK.
• Halibut – trout roe – mustard herbs — 150 DKK.
• New potatoes – bakskuld – crown dill — 140 DKK.
• Raw beef – carrot – cheese — 150 DKK.
• Lamb – brown butter – white asparagus — 150 DKK.
• Strawberry – blackcurrant branch – ymer — 125 DKK.

We obviously chose the ‘Six Favourites’. We started with some amuses-bouche and a glass of champagne (150 DKK each). 

As 1 + 6 glasses of wine is too much for Steve and, the waiter offered to take the wine pairing for the ‘Fast Four’. She asked which colour of wine we would prefer. I chose red, Steve white. So, the ‘missing glasses’ for me would be white, for Steve red. 

No cheese for Steve

Steve can’t eat cheese he absolutely dislikes it. So no cheese for him. Of course we notified the restaurant in advance. 

Marv & Ben had a wonderful solution: instead of a different, non-cheese, dish, the cheese element was replaced. so with the bakskuld (dish 3), instead of a blue cheese sauce (if I remember correctly), Steve had a butter sauce. Very nice. 

Tasting

The ‘Six Favourites’ are well-balanced and the portions aren’t enormous. I can’t choose a favourite dish out of the six.

We ended with coffee and tea. That was a bit of let-down. My tea came already brewed, in the cup. No spoon, no chocolate, praline or biscuit. I missed that. 

Fun flag fact

Danes love their flag, the Dannebrog. Every half-occasion is an excuse to fly the flag. The Dannebrog is said to be in use since 1219! For birthdays, it’s customary to place a Danish flag at the table. 

I so regret not mentioning it was my birthday. 

So?

We enjoyed Marv & Ben a lot. It’s not as high-end as Fred in Rotterdam or Steirereck in Vienna. Far from it. But it absolutely deserves its Bib Gourmand. 

Thank you Derek for the recommendation. 

Food, gastronomy and restaurants

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• REVIEW | Restaurant Fred in Rotterdam.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Kuzina in Athens.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Neon in Lier.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Le Train Blue at Paris-Gare-de-Lyon in 2022.
• PARIS | Restaurant Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyo in 2023.
• MANCHESTER | Afternoon Tea at Richmond Tea Rooms near Canal Street.
• RIDE & DINE | Brussels Tram Experience.
• STUTTGART | Restaurant Plenum, in Baden-Württemberg’s State Parliament.
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• VIENNA | Restaurant Steirereck.
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Copenhagen 2025

1. HOTEL REVIEW | Scandic Front in Copenhagen.
2. COPENHAGEN | Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
3. COPENHAGEN | Rosenborg Castle ft Danish Crown Regalia, Coronation Chair of Denmark and Kongens Have park.
4. COPENHAGEN | Gefion Fountain – Little Mermaid – Langelinie.
5. COPENHAGEN | Amalienborg Museum.
6. COPENHAGEN | Rundetårn or Round Tower.
7. DENMARK | The Museum of Copenhagen.