About Tholstrup
Our story
Family-owned since 1972
Tholstrup was founded by Peter Tholstrup in 1972 – and is still owned and run by the family.
What our restaurants share is a passion for quality, a love of seasonal produce and a deep respect for the value of sharing a meal with others.
It began on Gråbrødretorv. Here Peter Tholstrup opened Bøf & Ost on the ground floor and in the cellar of number 13 – a restaurant where the food was simple, the produce good, and where people stayed at the table for a long time. The same year he wrote a small green book setting out the beliefs that would hold the place together: honest craftsmanship, pure ingredients and respect for the guest. That book is still our backbone.
Later came Peder Oxe in the neighbouring building at number 11, and with the two restaurants side by side, Gråbrødretorv was for decades one of the places Copenhageners went when there was something to celebrate. In 1983 the family moved to the harbour: Nyhavns Færgekro opened at Nyhavn 5, in one of the oldest buildings on Nyhavn, with the herring table as its crown jewel from the very first day. In 1996 Cap Horn followed at Nyhavn 21 – the cellar where the Danish resistance movement had met, and where Papa Bue’s Viking Jazz Band was formed in 1956.
Shortly afterwards the family took over the café at Store Strandstræde 6 and turned it into Zeleste, named after the street’s old kitchen maid. Kompasset at Nyhavn 65 followed, with smørrebrød and beer from local breweries at the quiet end of the harbour, and in 2007 the family returned to Gråbrødretorv with Huks Fluks – wine and tapas at number 8, a few steps from where it all began.
In 2023 we said goodbye to Bøf & Ost, Peder Oxe and Kompasset after half a century. It was not a goodbye to what they stood for. Good hospitality, seasonal produce and the joy of bringing people together around a table live on at Cap Horn, Huks Fluks, Zeleste and Nyhavns Færgekro – four restaurants still owned and run by the family, and still working by the green book from 1972.
The restaurants
The story behind each restaurant
The four restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk from each other in the city centre. They share values and a philosophy of cooking, but not a story – each address has its own.
Cap Horn
Nyhavn 21. The resistance movement met in the cellar, and in 1956 Papa Bue’s Viking Jazz Band was formed in the same room where Miles Davis would later play.
Huks Fluks
Gråbrødretorv 8. A wine and tapas bar where southern European conviviality has moved into the heart of the city. Food made for sharing, and a pace of its own.
Zeleste
Store Strandstræde 6, the oldest townhouse in Nyhavn, from 1664. Zeleste was the kitchen maid of the street, and the restaurant bears her name to this day.
Nyhavns Færgekro
Nyhavn 5, at the old landing stage of the steam ferries. The herring table is the crown jewel, and the dishes change with the seasons, as they always have.
Values
“Eating together is a fundamental part of our cultural heritage”
Taking our responsibility seriously is an important part of our DNA. That goes for quality, for the environment, for positive development and for our responsibility towards other people.
Our world – the ground we walk on and the surroundings we work in are our responsibility. Our products are therefore healthy, pure and free of additives.
Our kitchens work from a detailed seasonal calendar that ensures high-quality produce, supports local producers and reduces transport time and food waste. With between 60 and 70 menu changes a year, our menus are always in step with the season.
Our people are our most important resource. Through training and a good working environment, we strive to help everyone who works with us reach their full potential.
Social responsibility
The season decides what is on the menu
Our kitchens work from a seasonal calendar, which adds up to between 60 and 70 menu changes a year. It keeps quality high, supports local producers and cuts both transport time and food waste.
Tholstrup is a member of REGA, the Danish restaurateurs’ guarantee scheme. Through our membership we have joined the UN Global Compact and committed to the UN and OECD minimum standards for responsible business conduct – both in our own restaurants and with the partners we work with.