Aalborg - City of Taste

Bellissimo, bellissimo!

At SanGiovanni - the city's famous slow food restaurant - two generations devote their lives to teaching guests exactly what great Italian food should taste like. The restaurant is located in the city's very first five-story building. You can sit back and relax, watching the traffic of Vesterbro go by noiselessly as you sip delicious Italian red wine in the cozy atmosphere.

In addition to its exciting menu, SanGiovanni has one of the country's most extensive selections of Italian wine. Just ask and they will show you the cellar - but hands off the vintage bottles! Also feel free to ask Giovanni or his son Mikele to tell you about the wines and the history of the restaurant - and the food too, of course!

Ristorante San Giovanni, Vesterbro 46, 9000 Aalborg. Tel.: +45 98113755

Inn with a touch of the international

Say "Danish inn", and you usually think of half-timbered- and thatch houses and a menu offering minced steak with fried onions and boiled potatoes. So a visit to Restaurant Mortens Kro (Morten's Inn) in the heart of Aalborg will come as something of a surprise.

The interior is tastefully decorated in cream and white and there is a view through to the kitchen, where the chefs work their magic with the ingredients. The rooms are bright and open, and the rather unusual lighting lends an exciting cosmopolitan feel that you will never find in an inn. When the chef Morten Nielsen was a little boy, he dreamed of opening his own Morten's Inn - many years later his dream came true. And what a dream! Exciting, international fusion cuisine with a special personal touch, in a modern restaurant with a champagne bar, vintage wines, great music and an open fireplace.

Restaurant Mortens Kro, Mølleå 4-6, Mølleå Arkaden, 9000 Aalborg. Tel.: +45 98124860, Mortens Kro

Dine with the princess

It is not exactly polite to call a lady a harbourmaster - and certainly not a princess - but that actually is what the good ship Princess Juliana is. This handsome Dutch training ship, dating from 1931, while seaworthy, has no engine, so is always moored in the harbour.

Today, Princess Juliana is an exciting gourmet restaurant with tasteful décor that respects the old lady's history. Try the restaurant's surprise menu and, if the weather allows it, start with an aperitif on the deck.

Prinses Juliana, Vestre Havnepromenade 2, 9000 Aalborg. Tel.: +45 9811 5566

Dining in the park

The manor, Scheelsminde was built in 1808 and was used for farming. Among other things, the manor was used as an test farm by the danish liquor factories. In 1960 the manor was altered into a hotel, restaurant and conference center and has sine then been owned by the family Bühlmann Jensen. The cosy restaurant has large panoramic windows, which gives you the feeling of sitting in the middle of Scheelsmindes beautiful park. The kitchen of Scheelsminde has its roots in classic cuisine with respect for honest and simple food. The dishes are always based on the season's selection of good produce plus a daring glance at the culinary world of new and seducing opportunities.

Scheelsminde Hotel & Restaurant, Scheelsmindevej 35, 9000 Aalborg. Tel.: +45 9818 3233

Gastronomic icebreaker

The old national icebreaker Elbjørn, dating from 1953, is a proud monument to Danish maritime history. A solid iron ship, which gives nothing away in terms of its surprising interior. So climb aboard and discover what is in store. There is an exciting glassblowing studio and a restaurant serving food to die for! Engine parts, pipes and relics of the ship's past blend tastefully with ultra modern décor - chairs upholstered in cream-coloured leather, white tablecloths, colourful glass flowers from the studio and exciting hidden lighting that always amazes the restaurant's guests.

Elbjørn offers a varied à la carte menu as well as a tempting lunch menu with among other courses, light café dishes. The ships cosy and maritime atmosphere makes it an ideal location for alle types of functions.

Restaurant Elbjørn, Strandvejen 6B, 9000 Aalborg. Tel.: +45 4342 3434