BEST BURGER BAR

Popl, Copenhagen

- TF CHAN

In May last year, as Denmark was emerging from its first lockdown, chef René Redzepi announced the arrival of the Noma burger on his Instagram with an image of a beef patty and bun. ‘Before we reopen Noma as we know it, we will transform into a no-reservation, drop-in only, wine and burger bar,’ he wrote. ‘We want to be open for all. We need to heal, so let’s have a glass and a burger, you’re all invited.’ The pop-up was a roaring success, making Noma more of a household name than ever, and the experience inspired him to give the Noma burger a permanent home. Named Popl, after the Latin word ‘populus’, meaning community of people, the waterside burger bar opened in Christianshavn in December, replacing restaurant 108 (which won critical acclaim but couldn’t weather the global pandemic).