Istedgade

The décor at our Istedgade restaurant is inspired by the words that define the Vesterbro neighbourhood: community and solidarity—with a modern and international twist. Our wide, black tables provide enough space for many guests to sit comfortably together. The benches are covered with leather, and one of the walls is adorned with an embroidered Japanese landscape, done in dark, burnt colours.

Rough street, raw fish

Istedgade is a unique place, and we were beyond thrilled to establish a venue amongst locals and pickpockets back in 2004. This historic street in the Vesterbro neighbourhood used to have a reputation for being hedonistic, being the home of plenty of lively pubs and ladies of the night. When we moved in, the neighbourhood was in the middle of a period of significant change.

Creative people began to move into the flats on the street and the architect, Terese Erngaard, designed the restaurant with the colourful appearance of the neighbourhood in mind. The tables are wide enough to showcase all our best dishes, from aromatic yakitori sticks and rice paper rolls, straight to sushi and colourful salads—and there is always enough space for a sweet dessert and a cup of coffee.

During the Second World War, Istedgade became known for its role in resisting the Germans. During the general strikes of the summer of 1944, the street witnessed the violent clash between the citizens of Vesterbro and the German military—and the resistance, whose headquarters have since become our restaurant, said: you can take Rome and Paris—but Istedgade will never surrender!

And thank goodness for that.

Larger group of guests

If you are twelve or more guests in your party, we kindly ask you to order your food in advance, as this will give our chef time to make sure that your food is absolutely perfect. Should there be guests in your party who would rather not eat raw fish, or who prefer plant-based diets. We welcome all requests for vegetarian meals.