Purhus Kro

One of the city’s most elegant restaurants, Gastromé sits within a smartly refurbished villa dating from 1911. The focus here is on the glass-walled kitchen, where luxurious ingredients – including those from their mini farm – are prepared using complex, modern techniques. The result is refined, elegant cooking that has a wonderful balance of both textures and flavours – some leaning towards local traditions and others of a more international bent. You might find grilled scallop with dashi, tomato and radish or wood pigeon with blackberry, pickled beetroot and parsnip.

There’s something of a futuristic charm to this newer area of the city set between skyscrapers and residential buildings overlooking the port. Locate one of the latter, Pakhusene, step inside the lift and hit ‘F’ to reach the 11th floor; here you’ll find a small room where tables line the floor-to-ceiling windows to one side and the open kitchen occupies the other. The Chef’s Tasting Menu is made up of familiar Danish flavours, with dishes ranging from bread with brown shrimps and horseradish to red deer, plum and truffle, and finishing with the likes of Jerusalem artichokes, kefir and apple.

This restaurant sets itself the challenge of using only Danish ingredients – hence the name – so expect lots of different techniques and imagination in their dishes; naturally, fermentation plays a part, with jars neatly arranged around the dining room containing pickled produce ranging from green strawberries to chive flowers. There’s a relaxed atmosphere, with burnt oak tables, wool blankets and candles, while the period Latin quarter property has been everything from a school to a dairy.

The foliage-covered walls are the first clue as to Alimentum’s nature-focused ethos. Both plants and animals come from their farm, Lille Østergaard, and are used with a seasonal approach – with the winter menus featuring a host of ingredients that have been preserved throughout the summer. Most courses come with a side dish – a variation of the main ingredient that often includes lesser-used cuts – and the superbly executed combinations feature the likes of lobster tail and carrots or parsnip, chocolate and hazelnuts.

This modern brick building in the city centre is named after the duo that run it: Nadia Bach performs the role of manager, sommelier and head of service, while Christian Nurup works away in the kitchen. There’s a small area used for breakfast, pastries and coffee, as well as a lovely terrace, and a delightful main room where a central display case bursts with wine glasses and cookery books. The wide-ranging menus are judiciously created, showing great balance and understanding of flavour. Influences come from Denmark, France and even Asia – if the Imperial pigeon is available, be sure to choos

The little sister to Michelin-Starred Substans is a simple place set beside the canal in a historic part of the city. Glasses and wine bottles grace the shelves, and exposed brickwork and unfinished floors set a relaxed, unpretentious mood. The food is a perfect match for the surroundings, with the colourful dishes showcasing organic Danish produce and representing great value – you might find cured hake with capers and relish, followed by spice cake with figs, ice cream and caramel sauce. In summer, you can dine alfresco on the pavement terrace.

The setting ticks all the boxes: an elegant 19th-century house with a peaceful terrace located in a charming cobbled courtyard, and a location close to Aarhus Harbour yet also within easy rich of the city’s main streets. Regional ingredients are to the fore in generously proportioned, good value dishes that lead with a Gallic edge. Alongside the likes of grilled entrecôte and crème bûlée you’ll find their own reinterpreted version of Danish stjerneskud – a hot and cold open breaded fish, salmon and shrimp sandwich. Wines from their exclusively French cellar include around 70 options by the gla