The Room
Selma opened on Rømersgade in 2019 — a chef-driven modern-smørrebrød dining room dedicated to the proposition that the Danish open-faced-sandwich tradition deserved a serious working-restaurant expression. The dining room is intentionally bright.
Eater Copenhagen has held Selma on its top-Indre-By rankings every year of operation.
The Food
The smørrebrød programme runs the seasonal-rotating Danish open-faced-sandwich tradition with chef-driven discipline. The pickled-herring, the smoked-fish, the seasonal-rotating preparations handle the menu's spine.
Aquavit programme is one of Indre By's deepest. Beer programme runs Danish-craft.
What to Order
Order herring first. It is the spine of Magnus Pettersson's kitchen, and the rosehip herring with pearl onion and crème fraiche and the fennel-and-black-pepper herring with bleak roe both run 130 DKK. From there the smart move is the seven-serving set menu at 740 DKK, which walks you from rosehip herring through salted mackerel, grilled white asparagus with bay-shrimp blanquette and matured pork neck with oyster and horseradish. À la carte, the herbsalted Icelandic salmon at 210 DKK and the beef tatar with pickled radish and capers at 200 DKK are the two pieces to build a lunch around, while the grilled matured pork neck at 230 DKK is the best single smørrebrød on the board. If you are watching the bill, the small menu at 460 DKK covers three pieces and a dessert and is plenty for one. Skip the five-cheese plate at 220 DKK; it costs more than the salmon and adds little after a full smørrebrød run. Finish with Danish strawberries, raspberry and woodruff at 140 DKK.
Best Occasion Fit
Solo Dining: The counter at Selma is one of Copenhagen's most-reliable lunch solo-dining seats.
First Date: The counter at Selma is a casual first-date alternative.
Team Dinner: Selma handles team lunches better than most Indre By counters.
