ARK

In Copenhagen, Fine Dining Goes Vegan at Ark - AFAR

"A plant-based fine-dining restaurant in Copenhagen celebrated for sustainability and culinary innovation, it debuted in August 2020 under chef Brett Lavender and quickly earned critical acclaim and Michelin Green Star recognition in the Nordics (2021 and 2022). The kitchen emphasizes foraged ingredients and mushrooms (usually central to the tasting menu), smoked soy ricotta made with foraged pine or juniper, and artful composed courses such as a layered Pommes Anna finished with foraged beach herbs, a sourdough crumpet topped with smoked ricotta and Danish green beans, and a rhubarb-and-strawberry dessert built around lentil-cream crème anglaise and soy-whey sorbet. The beverage program follows a zero-waste ideology—eschewing citrus in favor of fermented acids and repurposing coffee, tea, and wine grounds into house liqueurs—and the dining room reflects the ethos with seaweed lighting, locally sourced wood floors, and vegan glue on chairs, all underscoring a menu and operation that live and breathe sustainability." - Kristin Vuković