From being a burdened street with drug dealers and gang violence, Jægersborggade in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district has become a charming gem with stylish design shops, coffee bars, second hand shops, art galleries, restaurants, cool bars and flea market. When Copenhagen opens to visitors again after the pandemic, this is a street that should be on your bucket list. Experience street charm in Copenhagen.
You should definitely look beyond the city center and head northeast to Jægerborggade in Nørrebro, which is a true melting pot with diverse and unique cuisine. Beside the multicultural aspect, you can also find some relaxing parks.
Eat and drink
Coffee Collective in Jægersborggade is known as Denmark’s best coffee place, and to our knowledge the only coffee bar in Denmark that both roasts coffee and serves the liquid refreshment. Coffee Collective is owned by four barristers who buy beans directly from selected farmers in Guatemala, Panama, Kenya and Brazil.
The small takeaway place Onigiri is named after the small Japanese restaurants with various fillings. When Natasja Latif studied in Japan, she usually brought a rich samurai lunch box with her. At Onigiri it has been westernized with more filling and less gluten.
For breakfast and lunch we recommend Café Blå in the south of Nørrebro. If you’re a vegan, this is the place! It’s a casual place where every fifteen minutes you’re ‘disturbed’ by the staff laughing at someone’s joke and where people come in just to have a talk. Taste their brunch plate with avocado toast, fruit, smoothies, a brownie or smørrebrød (a kind of Danish bread).
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Terroristen is a shop and wine bar characterized by wines from Italy and Slovenia. The evening’s first guests are privileged to choose which wines to sell by the glass.
You should stop at the cozy Antidote wine bar for a glass of wine and a snack to fortify pre- or post- (or both) shopping. It’s worth mentioning that beer lovers can pop around the corner to the Nørrebro outpost of famed beer bar Mikkeller & Friends, which offers over 40 microbrews on tap and some 200 bottled beers, spirits, ciders, and soft drinks (plus a cool space too).
Ramen to Bíiru is a very tiny Japanese ramen place with good beer. The first thing you see is a sort of vending machine with all the ramen dishes they have on the menu. Once you make a choice the machine ejaculates a receipt with which you go to the counter to order and pay.
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Ramen to Bíiru has a collaboration with Mikkeller, Denmark’s most famous craft beer brewery. Next to the ramen machine is a beer machine which works the same way the ramen machine does: choose a beer and pay at the counter.
Manfreds is Relæ’s more reasonable little brother. The restaurant is pleasant with healthy and organic home cooking on the menu. Enjoy everyday gastronomy that can be highly recommended.
Did you know that there is a porridge-only restaurant in Copenhagen? At Groed (meaning Porridge) you’ll find steaming bowls filled with toppings like apple and vanilla compote, homemade caramel, and organic berries. Later in the day savory porridges take over, with offerings like a tomato, parmesan, and pesto bowl and Indian-inspired daal porridge.
If you’re a oyster lover, you should head to Depanneur (French for ‘problem solver’). The bar itself is pretty cramped, therefore it mostly uses its outside area to house most of its guests. Fresh oysters are served on the terrace at lunch. Enjoy your oysters accompanied by craft beers.
All kinds of delicious caramels are kneaded and shaped in Karamelleriet. A 100-year-old caramel manually operated machine in the middle of the small room ensures that the sweets can be called “handmade”.
If you have a sweet tongue, you should also visit Ro Chocolade. Here, chocolatier Rasmus Olsen makes confectionery and hot chocolate with chili. This is a small and elegant shop with a chocolate counter that is impossible to walk past unaffected.
Don’t be fooled by the name BRUS (meaning Soda-water in Danish). At BRUS they have a wide choice in beers from the famous micro-breweries To Øl and BRUS, but also from other breweries. The place is mostly full of students who come to wind down after a hard week of studying. If you want a bite to eat on the side, that’s also possible. In the same room where the taps are, there’s a kitchen that serves proper pub food (but better).
Another place that’s bustling every single night is Stefanos Pizzabar. The pizzas and pastas there are awesome! After you order at the counter you get a puck that starts buzzing and ringing when your order is ready. If it’s quiet enough, they bring your plates, but most of the time, you have to go to the counter with your buzzing puck to collect your order. Unfortunately, they don’t have beer on the menu, so you have to go to the next place if that’s important.
If you’re a music lover, head to Musiksmag (Taste of Music). This is a bar with funny paintings on the walls and new vinyl on the player. Wooden benches, wall-to-wall carpet and a huge football table create a homely atmosphere.
If you’re in the market for Danish designs, head to the chic clothing store Tricotage, The boutique stocks simple, sustainable knits from its namesake brand, Tricotage, as well as others like Baserange, Maska, Armor Lux, Tweedmill, and more.
Istid (which means “ice age” in Danish) serves organic ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Their ever-rotating menu of inventive flavors include local favorites like liquorish fudge and salted caramel alongside lighter tastes like pink grape sorbet.
An outpost of Danish food impresario Claus Meyer is Meyers Bageri, a small bakery shop that sells fresh-baked breads and pastries until they run out each day.
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Shopping
The tiny vintage shop Resecond stocks brands from Stella McCartney and Marni to Rag & Bone and COS. But instead of buying straight from the racks, the concept here is to encourage swaps. Members of the store pay a small monthly fee and are welcome to bring a piece in and trade it out for another in the store. The boutique also has an iPhone app for international swapping.
Illustrator Maya Langeland runs the gallery CMYK KLD. This is a showroom for artists and illustrators where you can buy affordable prints. An exhibition wall with original drawings is replaced once a month.
Vanishing Point is a craft shop which offers a funky array of curated wares from handmade ceramics to art prints. Pieces on offer here are made by the Vanishing Point artisans, local artists, or in collaboration with NGOs across the globe.
Kaktus København is a precious store full of playfully potted cactuses and other succulents. And while US or other foreign customs agents may not be thrilled to find you smuggling succulents back in your suitcase, the store is worth stopping into for some window shopping if nothing else.
Old Nintendo games, video games and action figures are sold in Ruben & Bobby hair salon. The two hairdressers combine their interests in hair cutting and collecting. Barter is also possible.
This compact shop Ladyfingers is run by a collective of local jewelry designers. Their wares rotate regularly.
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Besides being the second largest park of Copenhagen, Assistens Kirkegården is also a huge cemetery. Kirkegården literally means ‘graveyard’. Weirdly enough, the park is very lively (no pun intended). Benches with coffee drinking students and locals taking a relaxing afternoon walk through the park.
A lot of famous Danish are buried here, like the famous fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen. Signs guide you to his grave.
Street art in Nørrebro is world famous. Gorgeous paintings can be found anywhere in the area. Don’t forget to look up once in a while, because the artists do want you to take some effort. One place where street art isn’t hidden is in Banana Park at the center of Nørrebro. Besides awesome street art, a huge climbing structure was built in the park. Naturally, the structure has been decorated with some cool paintings as well.
Street Charm in Copenhagen, compiled by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): Jægersborggade. Photo: Visit Denmark
Interesting Scandinavian Names For Your Baby, written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian by Karoline Gore. Karoline is a freelance writer from Stoke on Trent in the UK who left the corporate grind when she started a family and has never looked back. She enjoys contributing to a range of online publications on the topics that are important to her.
