The story
The building at Store Strandstræde 3 has been feeding Copenhageners since 1853, when it opened as one of the city's first konditorier — and notably, one of the first establishments where women were welcome guests. H.C. Andersen passed through. So did Anton Svendsen, concertmaster of the Royal Danish Orchestra, whose portrait — painted by P.S. Krøyer — still hangs on the wall. It is after Svendsen that the restaurant takes its name, a quiet nod to the cultural life that once gathered in these rooms.
The same owners behind Marv & Ben and The Pescatarian have brought the space back to life without erasing its weight. The original paintings commissioned at the building's construction remain on the walls, yet the atmosphere reads as refreshing rather than museological. Acoustics are good, the proportions generous, and the overall effect is at once inviting and quietly distinguished.
The cooking here is anything but historical. White Guide, which recognised Anton at a very fine level in 2026, describes the food as delicate and tending toward the green — produce-led, modern, and anchored by exceptionally flavourful sauces. It is the kind of cooking that takes its cues from the season rather than the archive, sitting comfortably in the broader tradition of thoughtful Copenhagen dining without mimicking anyone else.
Lunch runs from late morning through the afternoon, and the kitchen stays open into the evening seven days a week — a generous schedule for a restaurant of this calibre.
Anton is a rare thing: a room that carries genuine history and a kitchen that has no interest in coasting on it. The recognition from White Guide reflects what regulars already know — that the combination of singular surroundings and carefully considered, vegetable-forward cooking makes for an experience that is hard to replicate anywhere else in the city.
Recognition
Location