Relae

Cobblestoned streets, wide pavements, tables and benches outside small, simple cafes, delis, and all sorts of boutiques … Jaegersborggade, a small street on the outskirts of the Nørrebro neighbourhood, oozes creativity. You find things you never knew you needed. It's nice in the early evening when you can still catch a bit of sun. I often stick around for dinner at the exquisite Restaurant Relæ, named the city's Best New Restaurant 2011. The food is excellent, yet the set-up is informal and relaxed. If I want to have a nice time with a girl that I like, I'll take her here.
• Relae, Jaegersborggade 41, +45 36 966609, restaurant-relae.dk. Four-course tasting menu 355 kroner (around £40)
Leonardo De Sousa Pereira, chef

Fiskebar

Dining at Fiskebar (literally Fish Bar) is a pleasure. It's relaxed, not at all snobbish, with excellent seafood picked up from the local fishing boats or outstanding markets, and good wines. In many places, if you want a sublime restaurant experience, you need to get all fancied up. Here, all you need is to be yourself and enjoy the tasty food. The style is simple, a modern industrial environment. You can book a table, but I recommend sitting by the round bar in the middle. Instead of ordering one main course, I usually order three to four starters, such as lumpfish roe, oyster, crab, etc.
• Flaesketorvet 100, +45 32 155656, fiskebaren.dk. Starters from about £10
Lau Richter, director of operations

Restaurant Fischer

Who doesn't like good Italian food? Restaurant Fischer is a wonderful trattoria with a well-prepared, rustic Italian kitchen, the best of its kind in Copenhagen. The food is excellent and the menu is simple and tasty – fettuccine, poached cod, tiramisu. The place is cosy and informal, it's like being in someone's home. For me, it's the perfect place to spend a Sunday night with my girlfriend and our friends. When the weather is nice they set up tables on the outside square. It's good value, too.
• Victor Borges Plads 12, +45 35 423964, hofischer.dk. Pasta from around £12, main courses about £20
James Robert Spreadbury, restaurant manager

Ved Stranden 10

Ved Stranden 10 is an outstanding wine bar. Quality wines, proper temperatures, correct serving, and the right glasses. Yet, it's very informal and a place to meet people with a common passion for good wine. It serves as both a bar and a wine shop and this makes the selection extraordinary. I like to try something new and different every time, perhaps with a bit of cheese on the side. Another winning feature is the canal-side seating. I come here with my friends and co-workers – it's hard to think of a finer way to spend a late, sunny afternoon.
• Ved Stranden 10, +45 35 424040, vedstranden10.dk.
Mads Kleppe, sommelier

1105

Very small place, very good drinks. That's how I'd sum up 1105, my favourite cocktail bar. In here cocktailing is an art. I particularly like the one called Señor Hansi, with tequila, agave syrup, lime juice, passionfruit and weissbier foam. The decor is elegant and minimalist – and at the same time really cosy, like a living room with couches, chairs, and standard lamps. Not that many seats, but perfect for mingling. And a nice place to wind up the week with friends and co-workers. 1105 is a gem – super friendly staff, and they're very passionate about what they do.
• Kristen Bernikows Gade 4, +45 33 931105, 1105.dk
Emil Glaser, chef

Kitjn Cocktail Bar

Kitjn is a classic cocktail bar: laid-back atmosphere, cosy couches, and bar stools – and of course they make excellent cocktails. I especially like their pisco sour. In the back there's an old kitchen, the namesake of the restaurant. And you can smoke here! It's the perfect place to wrap up a busy week in the restaurant with my colleagues and friends.
• Åhusgade 14, no telephone, kitjn.dk
Sune Østergaard, assistant restaurant manager

Cafe Granola

My husband and I usually start the day here on our Mondays off. It has quality food, a cosy interior and a great location. I usually order a sandwich with chicken and basil, and you can also get a morning plate with the basics – soft-boiled egg, bread, butter, jam, etc. The coffee is all right, nothing out of the ordinary but passable. The freshly squeezed juice is excellent. And I like the decor – French inspired, stone floors, an old grocery counter in two small rooms facing Vaernedamsvej, one of the city's most diverse streets . It's always packed, even when you arrive on a regular Monday morning between 10am and 11am.
• Vaernedamsvej 5, +45 33 250080, no website
Julie Bergstrøm Orlando, waitress

Bodega

A mash-up between a cafe and a bar, this is my all-time favourite weekend reload. It's located straight across the street from Assistens Kirkegård, Copenhagen's famous cemetery, and serves the best brunch: scrambled eggs, bacon, yoghurt with granola, pancakes, cured ham, baby sausages, cheese, smoked salmon, crayfish salad, freshly squeezed juice and coffee. It would temper any hangover but I mainly go for the good atmosphere. At night the place turns into a restaurant serving regular full menus, and later on it becomes a nightclub with a DJ every Friday and Saturday.
• Kapelvej 1, +45 35 390707, bodega.dk. Set breakfast about £12
Torsten Bachmann Vildgaard, head chef, R&D

Sam's Bar

Sam's is outrageous! Completely mental, embarrassing, excitingly silly – and very inviting. It's a karaoke bar at its best. Lots of people from Noma go here – it's open really late, perfect for people in the restaurant business. I found it along with a friend of mine before I started working at Noma, and we fell in love with it instantly. I recommend you go on a Sunday, that's when the waiters and chefs from Noma usually go and you have the chance to enjoy our sweet voices! By midnight at least 10 of us will be up singing. Otherwise it's a casual bar serving beer and stuff. It's a bit on the expensive side, but no more than most Copenhagen bars.
• Østergade 17-19, +45 33 149518, samsbarcopenhagen.dk
Trevor Moran, sous chef

La Galette

I like places that make me happy when I walk in. This small French crepe restaurant is just what I need on my day off. It is owned by two French guys who make excellent crepes from organic Bretagne buckwheat, with stuffings of salmon, ratatouille, cheese and the like. Brilliant and tasty. The restaurant is down a small alley – look for the sign by the street – and there is a courtyard for when the weather is nice. You don't always need a Michelin restaurant. On a day off this is just as good.
• Larsbjørnsstraede 9, +45 33 323790, lagalette.dk. Crepes from £4
Victor Wågman, sous chef

Taken from Copenhagen from Noma + Momondo, the travel search engine and guidebook publisher (momondo.co.uk). The book is available from saxo.dk for about £18