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Copenhagen dining hotspot Geranium has topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
It comes after the eatery secured second place last year.
After head chef and co-owner Rasmus Kofoed decided to follow a more plant-based diet, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant stopped serving most meat products in January.
Geranium was known for its lavish, meat-heavy, 22-course tasting menu. Now, the menu centers around fresh, seasonal produce and largely plant-based options. However, the restaurant still serves dishes that include fish.
Restaurant delights judges
“Rasmus Kofoed, Søren Ledet, and their team have created an unforgettable dining experience, taking seasonal cooking to superlative heights and delivering precise, beautiful, and elegant food that combines art and flavor alongside a ground-breaking drinks program,” William Drew, director of content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants said in a statement.
He added: “Geranium has cemented its status as a global culinary destination and a much-deserved winner of the coveted title, The World’s Best Restaurant 2022.”
Geranium won the top award after a panel of 1,000 international restaurant experts voted in its favor. The presentation ceremony was recently held in London and hosted by actor Stanley Tucci.
Now it has the title of World’s Best Restaurant, Geranium is ineligible to win again. It is eligible for the “Best of the Best” category.
Out of the top 10 restaurants on the list, Geranium is the only one that eschews all meat besides fish.
Creating work-life-sustainability balance
Kofoed’s kitchen operates four days a week. Co-owner Søren Ledet agreed with the move to enhance work-life balance for all employees. Additionally, it ties in with Kofoed’s personal mandate to be more creative, while using fewer resources.
In a social media post discussing the restaurant’s move away from meat, he stated: “I see it as a challenge to create new dishes which celebrate seafood from the pristine waters & vegetables from local, organic/biodynamic farms which thrive here in Denmark & Scandinavia.”
Kofoed credits his vegetarian mother with inspiring his new menu direction. It was after hosting a meat-free pop-up within Geranium in 2020 that he began planning the evolution of his kitchen.
Now, the plant-powered menu includes infusions of grilled white asparagus, pickled elderberries, truffle, and crispy grains, as well as dark chocolate and Jerusalem artichoke reductions for dessert.
Michelin-starred restaurants taking meat off the menu
Geranium is not alone in its recent move. In 2021, upmarket New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park (EMP) made the switch to a mostly plant-based menu.
The move came after the Covid-19 pandemic forced head chef Daniel Humm to reevaluate the sustainability of his ingredients. Now, EMP uses experimental preparation techniques, including fermentation, to unlock exciting new flavors.
In the same year, Alexis Gauthier defied long standing customers and took Gauthier Soho entirely vegan.
