l’Alsace — Restaurant in Copenhagen Municipality

This is a real shame. We dined the Thursday before Christmas (22 Dec). I’ve often recommended l’Alsace to friends or coworkers for great food and service, but the recent trip was a real “miss.” We arrived on time for our 1930 reservation, but the usual entrance was closed due to winter weather. Not their fault, but an initial annoyance, made all the more confusing when we entered through the designated door and no one was there to meet us. We stood there while taking our coats off, awkwardly, near a basket of menus and small receiving station… a couple staffers just walked by… no one came for about 3 or 4 minutes. I gave up and walked into the restaurant (where I know servers and a busy station are located, on the stairs). The waiter seated us at a table in the back, “greenhouse” section. No one came to check on us after he presented us with menus for over twenty minutes. Not even water was brought to the table. Frustrated, I had to get up and ask the woman bussing tables if we could please get service. About this time a long-time waitress at l’Alsace came in and approached our table (she is usually wonderful, but seemed flustered/frustrated). She made an excuse for not knowing we were there, but guests arriving and first being met by a server a full thirty minutes later is inexcusable. Eventually we got water, she apologized for the delay, etc.

The food was great, but slow to come. I think we were added to her section which appears to be in the front, so she only checked back as courses or drinks came. Flammkuche, green salad for appetizers. The steak and choucroute for mains. All great. By the time we finished it had already been well over two hours so we declined coffee or dessert.

I understand it is a busy season and there are staffing issues, vacations, illness to deal with. But be up front and let the guests know early. Or take less reservations if you’re slim on staff.

I will probably be back, but it...

L'Alsace is a true classic in Copenhagen, one of the first to bring French cuisine to the city, and it’s been thriving for over 45 years. Some dishes have always been on the menu, and for good reason! My personal favorites are the Terrine de Foie Gras, the Bouillabaisse, and the decadent Rossini (see pic) – they never disappoint.

The restaurant has a classy yet unpretentious vibe, tucked away in Pistolstræde, a charming courtyard in the heart of the city. The service is consistently excellent, and the cozy atmosphere makes you feel like you've found a little slice of France. The food is superb, showcasing traditional French flavors that have stood the test of time.

I've dined at L'Alsace several times, whether for a quick starter and a glass of bubbles or a slow, leisurely meal. One thing I appreciate is that they never rush you – unlike many other places in the city, you're not forced to leave...

Nice service, beautiful place, obscenely overpriced disappointing food. The goats cheese and leek starter had nice goats cheese but the leeks were hard and there was nothing special about it. The famous fish soup looked very exciting but was totally dull in flavour. The beef tartar appeared to be a bit of unstirred minced meat and an egg yolk, like it was straight out the packet and slapped on the plate. And the bread!! It was dry white toast bread you’d use for a toastie. 8 kr for a pack in netto. Somehow the oysters were disappointing too, no relish to go with them and the dry toast. We so wanted to love the food, and would have been happy to pay the ‘fine’ restaurant prices, but we couldn’t believe this was what we got for 300-400 kr mains. The service was very nice, and had we just left after our drinks this would have been a...