I recently spent some time in Copenhagen. The restaurant scene there is quite dynamic and diverse. Incredibly, the city has 28 Michelin starred restaurants. Those are beyond my ability to go to, but there are plenty of other places to dine. I was able to sample both Danish food and some of the finest international cuisine. My go to guide when traveling in Europe is the Two Food Trippers and I relied on their advice heavily. I also consulted Timeout.com. Copenhagen is divided into 10 districts and I’ve used that to organize this article. Additional commentary about the food scene in Copenhagen is below that.
Østerbro District
The Østerbro District (“Eastern Bridge”) is located directly north of City Center and is primarily a residential area. However, I wanted to try Smørrebrød (a Danish open faced sandwich) and had planned on going to the restaurant the Two Food Trippers recommended, Aamanns. I headed towards the one in Østerbro, only to discover it was closed. Instead, I went to the restaurant next to it: Ø12 Coffee and Eatery.
Ø12
The lunch menu consists of Avocado Smash, Croquet Monsieur, yogurt with granola, grød (described in a later section), and two combination plates: the Ø12 Plate and the Morning Plate. They are similar, but the Ø12 plate adds the Avocado Smash, pudding, sausage, and salmon. I had the Morning Plate.
The morning plate consists of Comte cheese, ham, Rugbrød (a dark Rye bread that is ubiquitous in Denmark), and two soft boiled eggs. It is a simple meal, but made special by high quality ingredients. Soft boiled eggs are rare in the States but common in Europe.
I’m not sure of the proper way to eat them, but the way I did it was to crack open the top and scoop out the insides as if it was a pudding. It worked fairly well. This meal was my first time eating the Rugbrød and I was amazed by it. Dense, nutty and full of flavor. It was my favorite part of the dish.
The cafe itself was cozy and pleasant and the wait staff are warm and friendly. It is a great place to have a relaxing lunch.
Meat Packing District
While there is no shortage of high end restaurants to dine at in Copenhagen, many require reservations. One place in the city where you can get high quality food without one is the popular Meat Packing district (Kødbyen). Geographically, it is in Vesterbro but it has its own unique culture. Historically, it was a commercial hub for the meat industry. That is still there, but nowadays the area is known for its restaurants, galleries, and nightlife. We ate there several times.
Warpigs
I was skeptical when multiple sources recommended a Texas style barbecue restaurant in Copenhagen, but I had to try it out. It was packed when we arrived and there was a medium sized line to order. But it moved quickly. There is a separate line to a bar with local beer.
Warpigs‘ menu is traditional Texas style, having a selection of meats that is ordered by the pound. The meat choices include Brisket, Pulled Pork, Spareribs, Chicken, and a couple of sausage varieties. Sides include Mac’n Cheese, Baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. The “Snacks” portion of the menu contains Hush Puppies, Loaded Nachos, Fried Shrimp, and Chicken Wings. I was considering ordering the wings, but they were sold out by the time I got to the counter. Also of note, the desserts include a Pecan Pie.
I wanted to try several of their offerings, and was consider which to get when I saw a combination platter. It comes with sausage, brisket, pork, mac’n’cheese, and coleslaw. The brisket was fabulous: quite moist and tender. The pulled pork is good as well – it’s hard to go wrong with pulled pork. But the star of the dish was the sausage. This was a hot sausage containing bits of cheese and jalapenos inside. The sausage was tender, not dry, and the cheese was soft and oozing – the flavor comes through strong. It tasted great. Neither the coleslaw nor the mac’n cheese are similar to what I am used to. The mac’n cheese was very soupy and the coleslaw was not mayo based (or at least, mayo was not the dominant taste). Both have a smokey seasoning that is quite unique. A companion comments that the baked beans had a similar seasoning.
Among my friends and I we had a good portion of the menu. All gave high praise. One of my friends is from Texas. He said this place is legit and I believe them.
Ismageriet
Just down the block from Warpigs is an ice cream parlor called Ismageriet. We went there after we finished dinner at Warpigs. They have several other locations besides the one in the Meat Packing district.
With 22 flavors of ice cream, 8 sherbet flavors and 8 vegan flavors, there is a lot to choose from. Standard flavors such are vanilla, chocolate, and cookies & cream are available. Additional flavors include Coffee, Pistachio, Turtle, Mint Chocolate, White Chocolate, Nutella biscuits, and Licorice.
The server told us that one of their most popular flavors is gode nødder (“Good nuts”), which has a nut ice cream base with chopped nuts and chocolate syrup mixed in.
I did not get that but had something similar: Peanut Carmel Chocolate. The ice cream is smooth and creamy and the flavor is the perfect mix of sweet and salty, with just the right amount of crunch.
Kødbyens Fiskebar
I dearly wanted to go to a fish restaurant while in Copenhagen. There are such restaurants all over the city, but high on my list was Kødbyens Fiskebar. It is located just around the corner from Warpigs. Even though it is very busy, we were able to get a table without a reservation.
The menu is divided into starters, smaller plates suitable for sharing, and bigger courses that are large enough for a meal or two. Outside of those sections are oysters and snacks. There are 5 different kinds of oysters, which can be ordered in quantities of 1/4, 1/2, or 1 dozen. The snacks are a sour dough bread and a lobster roll. Starters can be either raw or hot. Raw starters are mostly different varieties of fish.Some I recognized — tuna, Troute, and Mackerel — and some I did not — Brill, Hiramasa, and Sikrom. A baby gem spinach salad is also in this section. Hot starters include Blue mussels, Halibut, and Tuna belly. Entrees consist of Blue mussels, Hake, Whole turbot, Monk fish, and one non-fish item: Rib eye steak. Vegetarian options are Cauliflower and Lion’s mane mushroom (a vegetarian version of the beef dish “Pariserbøf”). All menu items list the region where they come from.
We started our meal with the Sourdough bread. After that, we ordered a selection of the hot starters, getting a good sample of the menu. I ordered the Lobster tail and the Scallops, while my friend ordered the Halibut and the Fish ‘n’ chips. I wanted some vegetables with the meal and ordered the cauliflower.
Everything was excellent. Both the scallops and the lobster were quite tender. The lobster was served in a rich butter sauce with a great deal of flavor. The halibut was flaky and moist, but my friend like the sauce most of all. It is a light cream sauce and had a hint of dill.
The cauliflower was roasted and served with a green sauce. I have no idea what is in it, but it gave the dish a very unique flavor. The cauliflower also came with a bowl of new potatoes which were soft but still substantial. Overall, a great dish.
We both got desserts. The menu includes Chocolate cake, BBQ marshmallow ice cream, and a fermented honey cake called Rose hip. My companion had the Summer berries while I got a dish called Flødeboller. The Summer berries are served on top of a flavored white mousse. Flavorings include kefir (lime) and cardamom. I had a small taste and it was divine.
The Flødeboller is a marshmallow covered with a hard chocolate shell. Fiskebaren’s is flavored with black garlic (smoked garlic; this is the first time I have had it outside of Japan!). It was tasty, but a little on the small side. The hard shell also made it difficult to eat. Still, I’m glad I tried it.
H15
There was one other place in the Meat Packing District that was on my list to try, but could not fit it in. But I did stop by and took a look at the menu. Timeout.com describe it as an “informal cafeteria” and that piqued my interest. It struck me as more of a bar with snacks and small plates (Tapas). It looked like a good place to hang out after work, but not a place to get a meal.
Nørrebro district
One evening we explored the Norrebro district. It is located northwest of the central part of the city. We walked up and down Nørrebrogade street looking for a place to eat. It is the part of the city where many immigrants live. The street is lined with all sorts of ethnic restaurants. A large number of them are selling kabobs. But one place stood out. A Turkish restaurant called Kösem.
Kösem’s menu has all the varieties of kebab that you would expect: chicken, lamb, veal, and a grilled minced meat kebab called Adana (the city in Turkey where the dish originates). They also have Turkish pizza, several burgers (Ottoman burger, Vegtarburger, and Dirty Chick burger), and one of my favorite Turkish dishes – Iskender kebab (shaved lamb served in a tomato sauce and with yogurt). It was the Iskender that drew my attention to Kösem’s in the first place. But we ended up going with a combination platter, a three person mixed grill.
The 3 person platter comes with 12 skewers – a mix of veal, chicken, Adana, lamb cutlets. They are accompanied by fresh roasted vegetables, pita bread, rice, bulgur, hummus, tzatziki, and Kösem’s homemade sauce.
I loved everything about this platter. The meat was tender and well seasoned with Turkish spices. The hummus was the smoothest I have ever had. And there was plenty of vegetables to round out the meal. The pita bread and bulgur were tasty accompaniments. I did not have any rice, but my friends said it has a flavorful seasoning. I liked the house sauce well enough, but thought it overpowered the meats. They certainly did not need it.
In an attempt to get a sauce similar to the Iskender, I ordered a side of the Ezra sauce. This turned out to be a hot sauce, very similar (if not the same) to one the platter was served with. It went well with the meats, even though it was not the sauce I was hoping for.
One of my friends wanted to try Kösem’s falafel and ordered a side of it. We misread the menu and thought he was ordering three. But it only came with one. I did not get to taste it, but my friend gave it high remarks.
Kösem has terrific atmosphere. There is plenty of table space, all well separated. The ambient noise is low and the walls are tastefully decorated with Turkish paintings. It is a very pleasant place to dine in. And the price is great. It was the least expensive meal we had in Copenhagen.
Norrebro Library
While we were exploring the Norrebro district we came across the library. Thinking it might be a restaurant, we wandered in. While it wasn’t what we thought, it is still a beautiful building and it does have a cafe which serves sandwiches, drinks, and light snacks. The food is too light for dinner, but the place would make a good lunch spot. People do hang out there, as we spotted a book club having a discussion when we walked in.
City Center (Indre By District)
The Indre By District (“Inner City”) is the historical heart of Copenhagen and it still is the cultural and political center. The city hall, Rosenberg Castle, Copenhagen University, national museums, and many beautiful parks are all in the district. And there are many places to shop or dine at. Here are the places we went to.
Tivoli
Located right across from the train station is Tivoli, the third oldest amusement park in the world. Still active, it boasts the oldest roller coaster in the world. It’s the smoothest wooden coaster I’ve ever been on. Tivoli is a special and unique place. Among the gardens, rides and attractions, there is a first class restaurant: Grøften.
At Grøften, we were served a three course meal. The first course was an iconic Danish dish called Stjerneskud (Shooting Stars).
Stjerneskud consists of french bread, shrimp, and caviar, all covered with dressing. Normally, the French bread is at the bottom with the other ingredients placed over it. Grøften’s version had the bread served on the side.
This dish is world class. The shrimp, chilled, were incredibly fresh and delicious. The sauce was mayonnaise based but was not thick or heavy. It was thin and light. It was just enough to complement the fish without overpowering it. Fantastic!
The main course was sliced roast pork. The pork was served medium rare over a bed of mixed vegetables and covered with a brown sauce. On the side was a slice of potato cake. (The Danes do love their potatoes.) The pork was tender and juicy. And the sauce had distinctive flavor without being overly strong or salty. Another good compliment. The potato cake was quite dense. I liked it, even though it was a little dry.
The dessert was Panna Cotta with mixed berries and a chocolate bark. It was excellent. The Panna Cotta was smooth and creamy but what really stood out were the berries. Extremely fresh and full of flavor, they were the high point of the dish.
Grøften is a fine dining restaurant and feels like it. The lighting and decor provide an elegant atmosphere and the wait staff is polite and professional. The food is excellent. Every dish is expertly made and tastes like it. My favorite was the shooting star. It was exceptional.
Pincho Nation
One evening, we ended up in the city center and needed a place to eat. Deciding on tapas, the closest place was Pincho Nation. Pincho has an unusual ordering system. Instead of menus, a phone app is used to order items from the menu. Orders come out on long thing trays that slot nicely into racks on the tables. Our table had space for four trays.
It turned out, that while Pincho does serve small plates, their cuisine is wide ranging and not limited to Spanish dishes. In fact, the only dish that I would call a Spanish tapa is Bacon wrapped dates. Their meatballs might count, but they are served with a Scandinavian style sauce, not a Spanish one. Italian cuisine includes burrata, risotto, and gnocchi. They have a Salmon Tartar that reminded me of Peruvian ceviche. Mexican and Tex-Mex style dishes include Beef tacos, Shrimp tostadas, and BBQ beans. American style dishes include Loaded fries. The Waffle and Skagen Shrimp is a very Danish dish; perhaps their take on a shooting star.
Among all of us, we ordered a good portion of the menu. My favorite dish was the skirt steak, although the bacon wrapped dates were not far behind. Also near the top of my favorites was the beef tenderloin. It is served with pasta and truffle oil drizzled on top. The flavors bend into a unique taste.
For dessert, we had two: Mango sorbet and Churros. Their churros are well made, but not outstanding. They are served with a chocolate dipping sauce that is quite good. The sorbet has a strong, but not overpowering, mango taste. It is cool and refreshing.
I ordered a cocktail. One of the options is a “bartender’s choice”. I.e. the bartender makes a mixed drink of his own choosing. I ordered that. I don’t recall too much about it, but I do remember that it was not sweet, perhaps with a bit of citrus flavor, and that I liked the taste of it.
Pincho Nation has a circus theme. The walls have have white and red stripes and much of the furniture is colored red, all evocative of a circus. The signs throughout the restaurant are done in a circus style. The foyer has popcorn found in a booth styled like a carnival vendor. And there are animal statues hanging from the ceilings. Despite all this, the restaurant does not feel campy. Instead, this creates a casual atmosphere and provides a bit of fun.
Taffelbay Bakery
One of things I absolutely had to do in Denmark was to have a danish. I did not put any thought into where to get one. On my first day, right after lunch, I was walking down Nørre Voldgade, the main street in Indre By, and came across a bakery. I immediately went in and ordered one.
Taffelbay Bakery has a wide array of baked goods. They include: loaves of breads, cakes, pies, tarts, and many kinds of pastries. Several of the items on my list were there, including Spandauers (pastries topped with cream or jam) and Kanelsnegle (Cinnamon Snails). I had an apple filled pastry topped with poppy seeds called tebirkes. The pastry itself was flaky and buttery. But the filling was lacking. I can’t claim this is the best bakery in Copenhagen but at the moment, Taffelbay hit the spot.
Vesterbro District
The Vesterbro district is a residential district, directly south of City Center. It is where the Meatpacking district is located, but I explored other parts of the district. One of the Danish foods that was on my list was a breakfast porridge called Grød. Turns out, there is even a restaurant that specializes in it. It is called, appropriately enough, Grød. They have locations throughout the city. I attempted to go to the location in Vesterbro.
Grød
One look at their menu tells you that Grød have much more than just Grød, although different variations of that is the core of their breakfast menu. Other breakfast options include Oats, or several varieties of Smoothie Bowls. The lunch menu consists of Tomato Risotto, Red Lentils, Chicken Congee, and Mushroom Bygotto ( an Italian dish similar to Risotto, but made with barley instead of rice), and a Buddha Bowl, which is a Grød with every topping under the sun (scallions, kale, apples, truffle mayo, pesto, hummus, slivered almonds, and black sesame) .
As I said above, I attempted to go to Grød for breakfast one morning. It turns out that Grød is open early every weekday, but not on weekends. And I decided to try it on the Saturday of my departing flight. I did not have enough time to eat there and make my flight, but I was able to take some pictures.
But I did not go Grød-less, as my hotel serves it. Their Grød is upscale. The Grød itself was smooth and creamy, and it was topped with plenty of fresh fruit, slivered almonds, and a coating of honey. While all the fruit was fresh, I made special note of the raspberries. They were some of the most flavorful raspberries I have ever had.
Bars
Most evenings, we stopped in a bar to get drinks. All were lively and fun experiences. Here is a sampling of them.
Mikkeller
Mikkeller has locations throughout Denmark. We went to a couple, but the one that is worth taking the trip for is their brewery along Copenhagen River. It is in Indre By, but situated north of the opera house, it is a good distance from everything else. To get there, we took a water ferry and enjoyed a ride up the river.
Mikkeller has a wide variety of beers on tap, both their own and other local beers. The options include many sours, which readers of this blog know I love. This location also sells bottles. We bought several.
All were quite good. They varied in their levels of sourness. I preferred the ones that were not too bitter. My favorite was the one I got, a sour cherry.
The atmosphere at the Mikkeller brewery is fantastic. Located right on the river, there are plenty of tables to relax at and enjoy the view. In addition to watching the boats floating by, you could also watch people bungee jumping. They were set up just a little bit further north along the river.
Dispensary
The Dispensary is a nice bar located right next to Kosem’s, in Nørrebro district. They have a good selection of beers, ranging from IPAS, sours, and Pilsners to stouts. Also on the menu is a good variety of Boilermakers (beer with a shot of alcohol). I had Naughty & Nice, a very good Milk stout. On the lower level, there is karaoke but we did not partake of that.
Quintessential Danish food
From the Two Food Trippers a list of quintessentially Danish food that I wanted to try during my trip. I have already mentioned several of them: Shooting Stars, Smørrebrød, pastries, and Grød. I managed to have several of them, but not at formal restaurants.
First of all, I had Smørrebrød. They are open faced sandwiches and can be made a wide variety of toppings. They are quite distinct from sandwiches seen in the States. I loved them and no trip to Denmark would be complete without one. I did not take a picture of any of the sandwiches I ate, but pictured here is a display from a vendor in the Copenhagen airport.
Next up is hot dogs. While similar to their American counterparts, they are different in subtle ways. They are longer and the toppings are not quite the same. The mustard is seasoned differently, there are crunchy onions, and the pickles on top have a unique character. But the key difference is the hot dogs themselves. There are a variety of flavors available — take note of the bacon wrapped one — but the one that is the most well known is the Red Sausage (Rød Pølser). And that is what I got. With a strong, distinct flavor, it has a little bit of a kick to it. Highly recommended. While there are stands all over Denmark, I had this at the airport.
Finally, there is Æblekage (Danish apple cake). It is a moist yellow cake with apples on top. There is a wide variety in how they are made. I had a slice at my hotel, where it is served during the breakfast buffet. Their version is more like an apple pie, but the crust is a yellow cake and not a pastry crust. Definitely something to keep an eye out for.
I was able to have a taste of most of the items I was interested in. One item that I missed that I regret is the Danish national dish, Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesovs (Crispy Pork with Parsley Sauce).
Next Time
I did not have time to go to all the restaurants on my list, and I thought it might be helpful to mention them. At the top of the list is Noma. Michelin starred, Noma is the most sought after restaurant in Copenhagen. It takes months to get a reservation, so I knew I had no hope of dining there. But chefs that have trained there can be found at other restaurants in Copenhagen. Kødbyens Fiskebar, for instance. So I made it to one Noma related restaurant. One I did not is Sanchez, a Mexican restaurant in the Vesterbro District. On the other end of the spectrum is a hamburger restaurant called Gasoline Grill. The original location is in an old gas station. Finally, there is a Japanese Ramen restaurant called Slurp. A couple of my friends ate there and gave it a good review.
Copenhagen’s Books
It is a tradition of mine to pick up a book or two whenever I travel someplace. This started out being just cook books, but of late I have expanded to other types of books with some sort of local topic. The cookbook I picked up is Aftensmad: Til Hverdag og Weekend (Dinner: for weekdays and weekends) by Anne-Kathrine Schelde. This is a book of contemporary recipes and not just Danish cuisine. As such, it includes recipes for things like Minestrone soup and Lasagna. But it also has Danish takes on meatballs and several curry recipes that I want to try.
The other book I picked up is Copenhagen Tales, translated by Lotte Shankland and edited by Helen Constantine. This is an anthology containing mostly contemporary short stories, but it also has a short by Hans Christian Anderson (author of the Little Mermaid). The selection highlights different aspects of Copenhagen’s political and cultural life. I am part way through and am finding it a great way to spend more time with the city.
Jim's Dining Guides 