La Banchina

Harbour Hideaway on Refshaleøen

La Banchina sits right on the water at Refshalevej 141, a former industrial area transformed into one of Copenhagen’s most creative enclaves. The restaurant occupies a modest wooden house painted sea‑blue, with big windows and a narrow jetty stretching directly into the harbor. On calm days, the reflections of boats and warehouses ripple just a few centimetres from your table, and the sounds are a mix of clinking cutlery, lapping water and the occasional splash from hardy bathers. The name means “the pier” in Italian, and that is exactly what it feels like: part boathouse, part waterside canteen. Indoors, space is intimate, with only a handful of tables, a small open counter and shelves stacked with natural wine bottles. Outside, benches, mismatched chairs and blankets turn the dock into a relaxed, all‑day living room for the neighborhood.

Seasonal Nordic Plates from Morning to Night

Food at La Banchina follows the rhythm of the day and of the seasons. Breakfast might be a still‑warm sourdough bun with butter and cheese, thick yogurt with granola, or a soft‑boiled egg with rye bread, paired with carefully brewed coffee. Later, the blackboard menu switches to simple but precise vegetable and seafood dishes, often grilled or charred, with bright Nordic herbs and pickles. There is no meat on the menu: instead, expect Danish cod, mussels or lobster when available, alongside inventive vegetable plates that change with local harvests. Menus are short and written on the windows or chalkboards, reflecting what nearby farms, fisheries and bakeries have supplied that day. Portions are refined rather than huge, encouraging you to linger over several small courses and a glass or two of wine.

Sauna Steam and Harbor Dips

What sets La Banchina apart is that it is as much a micro‑spa as a place to eat. A compact wood‑fired sauna sits on the pier, its windows framing the harbor outside. In colder months, you can alternate between dry heat and bracing plunges into the water from the jetty, then sit wrapped in a towel with a hot drink or a glass of orange wine, watching the steam rise from your skin. In summer, the atmosphere shifts. Swimmers sun themselves on the decking, guests pad around barefoot in swimsuits and T‑shirts, and the pier becomes a casual beach club without sand. The combination of saltwater, wood smoke, wool blankets and the aroma of grilled fish is part of the sensory charm, especially on late evenings when the light lingers over the city skyline.

Sustainability at the Core

La Banchina openly defines itself through sustainability. Ingredients are organic, biodynamic or otherwise responsibly sourced wherever possible, with an emphasis on Danish produce and minimal waste. The kitchen leans heavily on vegetables and seafood that respect seasonal availability and local ecosystems, while wines are low‑intervention and often from small European producers. Sustainability here is also social and local: a compact team, a small footprint, and a focus on working with producers in and around Denmark. Even the setting on Refshaleøen underlines Copenhagen’s broader shift from heavy industry to greener, more creative uses of the waterfront.

When to Visit and How Long to Stay

La Banchina is open every day from early morning until about 22:00, functioning as a café by day and a wine‑focused restaurant in the evening. In the colder half of the year, selected evenings feature a fixed multi‑course dinner built around seasonal vegetables and seafood, creating a more structured, intimate dining experience. In warmer months, the vibe is looser, with walk‑ins, harbor swims and lingering sunset glasses of wine. You can drop in for a quick coffee and pastry, but the setting invites longer stays. Many visitors plan at least a couple of hours to combine a meal, a swim and possibly a sauna session, using La Banchina as a base for exploring the wider Refshaleøen area before or afterwards.