Restaurants, cafés and bars
There are many eateries and watering holes in Århus. These are just a few suggestions:
Teater Bodega, Skolegade 7 (tel. 8612 1917) serves (very) Danish food. Inexpensive specialties include Flæskeæggekage (omelette with bacon), Skipperlabskovs (potato stew with meat) and Biksemad (fried potatoes, fried meat, fried egg), but other dishes are considerably less rustic. First-rate sild (pickled herrings), with all sorts of trimmings, and wide range of akvavit to wash it down with. Next to the town's main theatre. Booking advisable.
Le Coq, Graven 14-16 (tel. 8619 5074) is a French restaurant with reasonable prices, good food, a sensible wine list and a good atmosphere. There's also a bar.
Svineriet, Mejlgade 35 (tel. 8612 3000): Haute Cuisine in the modern Franco-Danish style. High reputation and prices. Booking advisable.
There's a fair number of eating places out at Marselis Marina (lystbådehavn) on Marselisborg Havnevej (a twenty-minute walk from the centre, or take bus # 6), ranging from cheap to expensive, from cafés and a crêperie(tel. 8612 1300) to Italian (Martino, tel. 8618 1969) and seafood (Navigator tel. 8620 2058). A very nice location if it's sunny (and you like boats).
Bryggeriet Sct. Clemens, Kannikegade 10-12 (tel. 8613 8000): As the name ('the brewery') suggests, this is a bar/restaurant where the (good) beer is brewed on the premises. They also serve food and are known for their large Antipodean steaks and barbecued spare ribs. A big place with plenty of room.
Italia, Åboulevarden 9 (tel. 8619 8022): An Italian restaurant, serving pizzas, pasta and various à la carte. Famous for its large buffet of starters (a good choice for vegetarians). Reasonable value for money. It's a big rambling place, but booking is advisable at weekends.
Mackie's Pizza, Skt. Clements Torv 9 (tel. 8612 3661): Pizzeria and steakhouse, serving chunky American-style pizzas with creative toppings. The interior is full of showbiz and sports memorabilia of dubious authenticity.
Margueritten, Guldsmedgade 20 (8619 6033): A pleasant restaurant in an open yard between Badstuestræde and Guldsmedgade, serving a range of international dishes at reasonable prices.
Det Grønne Hjørne, Frederiksgade 60 (tel. 8613 5247) is a well-established purveyor of Middle Eastern cuisine, and one of the cheapest options in Århus. They do an extensive fixed-price buffet, with quite a lot for vegetarians.
Orientalsk Køkken, Vesterbrogade 1 (tel. 8612 1588): Århus is not really the place to eat Asian food, but this establishment is better than most. It is small, so booking is advisable.
Fairly good sushi is to be had from The Sushi Company, Vestergade 48 (tel. 8613 7383, take-way and a few seats) and Sushi+, Nørre Allé 22 (tel. 8613 2212, take-away only).
Brunch is a big deal in Århus, especially at weekends. Good examples of the type are to be found at Ministeriet, Klostertorvet 5, and Emmerys, Guldsmedgade 24-26 (or at almost any of the cafés along the river). Emmerys is also a bakery and shop, selling excellent bread and cakes, as well as wine, coffee and other delicacies.
Café Casablanca, Rosensgade 12 (tel. 8613 8222), claims to be the oldest modern café in town, and is a smart place for a gin and tonic. Good food.
Café Englen, Studsgade 3, also does good food and has a nice open-air space at the back.
Cockney Pub, Maren Smeds Gyde 8. There's widespread agreement that this is one of the pleasantest bars in central Århus. It offers a wide range of foreign beers, draught as well as bottled (if you've had enough Carlsberg). So this is where you may find your colleagues off duty.
Under Masken, Bispegade 3, is a very curious subterranean bar, next to the Casino. It is famous for its ethnographic collection and tropical fish.
Along the river, running West to East through the centre of Århus, you'll find numerous bars and cafés. They're more or less of the same (good) standard - it's more a question of being lucky enough to find a seat, when the sun is out. The Bridgewater (downriver, close to the Cathedral) offers a particularly wide range of foreign beers, draught as well as bottled. Suppestegogis, a bit separated from most of the others, further up the river past Magasin du Nord, has excellent ice cream as well as drinks and light meals.
For those who want to assemble their own food, good supermarkets include Føtex (Guldsmedgade 3-9), Irma (on the ground floor of the big department store by the river, Magasin du Nord) and Løvbjerg (Otte Ruds Gade 98, near the University). Gårdbutikken (Kystvejen 5) is wholly organic, as is the small but more central Ganefryd (Klostergade 2). The city's most opulent food hall is in the basement of Salling (Søndergade 27, the other main department store). Excellent bread is to be had from Emmerys (see above) and Baguette (Klostergade 17). Vinoble (Guldsmedgade 20) is a good wine merchant and Grand-Frommage (Guldsmedgade 27) caters for the discerning cheese-eater.
Italian delegates (and others) can get a proper espresso at Italianissimo (Gammel Munkegade 17) and serious take-away pizzas and panini at Il Mercatino (Mejlgade 18).