Bistro Boheme

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Little Piece of France in Copenhagen

On Esplanaden 8, a short walk from the waterfront, Bistro Boheme has built one of Copenhagen's most enduring reputations in French gastronomy. Owner and driving force Per Thøstesen describes the restaurant as his life's work — a place where the line between himself and the restaurant barely exists. That personal investment shows in every detail, from the classically grounded menu to a front-of-house team that guests return to see as much as to eat.

The White Guide awarded Bistro Boheme its Masters level recognition in 2026, noting that the pleasure of a great meal can lie precisely in the joy of consistent top quality and outstanding service. The review singled out sommelier Christian Gustafsson Cazón — a Star Wine List Gold Star winner in 2024 — and restaurant manager Morten Hesselholt as a "top-professional dream team," and observed that loyal staff of this calibre are rarer than the oysters the kitchen always keeps ready.

The Man Behind the Kitchen

Per Thøstesen's path to French gastronomy was deliberate. After deciding early that he wanted to cook, he set his sights on working with Paul Bocuse in France — and did exactly that. The story is told in full in the 2013 book Bistro Boheme, which won both a national Gourmand Cookbook Award and a World Cookbook Award top-three finish. A second book, Boheme – Højt til Loftet, published in 2025, was named Best in the World at the Gourmand awards. Den danske Spiseguide named Thøstesen an Icon in 2022 and gave him their Special Prize of the Year in 2024.

The kitchen today is led by head chefs Jakob Lyngsø and Kristian Holmstrøm, with Christian Gustafsson continuing to oversee a wine list that has earned multiple nominations and wins over the years.

French Gastronomy, Done Properly

Bistro Boheme has been named Bistro/Brasserie of the Year by Den danske Spiseguide four times — in 2009, 2012, 2016, and 2020 — a record that reflects a deliberate resistance to trend-chasing. The kitchen's stated ambition is "good old-fashioned French gastronomy": cooking treated as an art, where every dish balances flavour and presentation without shortcuts.

The menu spans lunch and dinner, with group menus available for private events. Seasonal offerings give a clear sense of the kitchen's style — crab with dill and lime mayonnaise, foie gras terrine with Armagnac prunes, confit of duck, beef tenderloin with truffle purée and Burgundy sauce, and Comté with fresh peeled truffles. Classic French gastronomy, with what the White Guide called "a small twist."

The Atmosphere

Regulars describe the feeling as warm and immediately welcoming — a room where the staff remember faces and the atmosphere is festive without being formal. The restaurant seats guests for both lunch and dinner, offers outdoor seating, private rooms for events, and a bar that stays open late. It is, as more than one guest has put it, a place where you feel at home.