Mexican restaurant in Vesterbro, Copenhagen

Sanchez

Heirloom Corn on Istedgade

3.5 of 5

Rosio Sánchez was the pastry chef at Noma, which is a job that requires the patience of a monk and the nerves of a bomb technician. She left to make tacos. First came Hija de Sanchez, a taco stand in the Torvehallerne market in 2015, then this proper restaurant on Istedgade in Vesterbro at the end of 2017. Mexican cooking in Copenhagen, with Danish produce that never dilutes the food. That should not work. It does.

Start with the masa, because Sanchez does. The kitchen makes it only from heirloom corn and nixtamalizes it on site, which is the slow, ancient process of cooking corn in alkaline water that most restaurants anywhere skip. You can taste the difference in every tortilla. The main event is the Sanchez Menu, five dishes chosen by the kitchen, bold and loud and often funny. The bar backs it up with margaritas, mezcal, tequila and sotol, plus aguas frescas for anyone keeping a clear head.

Michelin gives it a Bib Gourmand, which here means a fair bill for serious cooking. The kitchen closes at nine, so do not stroll in late expecting dinner. Weekend lunch runs from noon on Saturday and Sunday, and kids are welcome, though the room is too tight for strollers. There is a private room for twelve if you bring a crowd. Come hungry, order the menu, and save room for whatever sweet thing a former Noma pastry chef decides to send out.

Order this

The five course Sanchez Menu, Tacos on the house tortillas, A mezcal or sotol from the agave list, Aguas frescas if you are not drinking

The damage

$$

Go

A weekend lunch, or an early dinner since the kitchen closes at nine

Find it

Istedgade 60, 1650 København V

Website

lovesanchez.com