Yet the new wave in Aarhus has been led not by architects or artists, but by chefs. In the past 10 years the city has filled with great places to eat, and today it boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2017 Aarhus and its surrounding area form a European Region of Gastronomy.
“For a small city, we have a lot of good restaurants,” says chef Rene Mammen at Michelin-starred Substans. “I used to cook in Copenhagen,” he says, smiling, “but I moved back here because Aarhus just welcomes everybody. It’s laid back, down to earth. Our friends run the farms that supply us. I can drive out to pick berries in 10 minutes.”
Local sourcing goes further at Haervaerk, a Bib Gourmand restaurant in a street full of cyclists. “We have no menu,” says owner Michael Christensen. “We just use what we get locally each morning. So the dishes change from day to day and even table to table. You can taste that freedom in our food.” He illustrates the point with a series of surprising snacks, including woodland mushrooms creamed with sweet corn, herring roe in puffy profiteroles, and earthy beetroot sprinkled with pink flowers. It’s cutting edge but still comfort food.
