Fasangården

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Royal Pheasant Farm Turned Restaurant

Built in 1682 by Christian V to breed pheasants for the royal hunt, Fasangården sits at the heart of Frederiksberg Garden in Copenhagen. Reached via a long illuminated path through the park — whose gates close at dark — the building retains its original stucco ceilings, wall panelling, and the vivid wallpaper patterns uncovered during renovation. Each of its distinctive rooms carries its own character, and the baroque symmetry of the setting has hosted figures as storied as Oehlenschläger and H.C. Ørsted. Today the property is run as a restaurant by Meyers, with head chef Anika Madsen leading the kitchen.

Anika Madsen and the Kitchen's Direction

Formerly of Roxy, Madsen has quickly established herself as one of the most compelling voices on the Copenhagen restaurant scene, working with Claus Meyer as mentor. Her cooking is defined by a green, fresh, and sour sensibility — bergamot and yuzu appear as recurring signatures — and by a confident willingness to reframe Danish classics without discarding them. The White Guide awarded Fasangården Masters level recognition in 2026, describing her cuisine as "a completely refreshing interpretation of modern Nordic gastronomy." The review singles out a consommé with lemon verbena and onion foam — a reimagining of the traditional clear soup with meatballs — and a canette roasted dark and pink, served with grilled endive, knobby Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and a quince purée finished with koshu, yuzu zest, bergamot, and green chili. The dessert, built around peas from Meyer's Lilleø farm, counters their sweetness with bergamot, sour yuzu, hazelnuts, sweet cicely, thyme, and jasmine-infused ice cream.

The Menus

Lunch runs Tuesday through Sunday and centres on smørrebrød made with care: crispy flatfish with remoulade, salmon with smoked cheese and gooseberries, white asparagus with egg cream and hazelnut, and the kitchen's own stjerneskud topped with trout roe and sauce choron. A kitchen garden behind the restaurant supplies herbs, and the team keeps bees and is developing new crops including asparagus and rhubarb.

Thursday through Saturday, the evening menu shifts the register. Snacks and smaller plates — chicken liver parfait, shellfish toast, pickled beetroot with cream cheese — give way to larger dishes such as Rokkedahl chicken with asparagus and a wheat-kernel corn sauce, or the daily fish. A five-course tasting menu chosen by the kitchen is also available, with a paired wine menu to accompany it. The wine list is assembled around producers who work with respect for nature and varietal expression, from classic regions to smaller growers.

The Setting in Practice

Fasangården functions as a modern traktørsted — a Danish inn tradition — but one operating at an unusually high level. Outdoor seating in the courtyard, private dining in the historic rooms, and events including midsummer long-table dinners and petanque evenings make it a place for many occasions. The combination of the landmark building, the garden location, and Madsen's precise, ingredient-led modern Nordic cooking makes it something genuinely distinct in Copenhagen.