The Daily Scandinavian Team has explored hot spots in Copenhagen together with local friends to find out where to stay, where to eat and where to go clubbing. Here is our insider’s guide to your hot spots in Copenhagen, the Danish capital.
Eat and drink
Scandinavians love to drink coffee. Therefore we asked one of our Copenhagen friends where he like to get his coffee. He had no doubts when he recommended the Coffee Collective.
The Coffee Collective explores and unfolds exceptional coffee experiences in a manner that gives better living conditions to coffee farmers across the globe. Their ultimate dream is for a coffee farmer in Kenya to obtain the same status and living conditions as a wine grower in France.
Coffee Collective have several bars, all very nice, but try their Fredriksberg shop at Godthåbsvej 34B, 2000 Frederiksberg.
Read their blog here.
Another coffee bar is Risteriet (Roastery), located at Halmtorget in Copenhagen Vesterbro area. Risteriet takes coffee seriously and it shows. You can also get your hands on high quality coffee equipment. On a nice day you can enjoy the coffee outside on the lively street Studiestræde.
For a nice meal, go to Almanak at Standard, where there actually are two restaurants and a jazz club.
Almanak is such a lovely place, and if the weather is good, enjoy the canals outside.
If you’re into Mexican food there’s a place around the Lakes called Blue Taco.
Blue Taco’s inspiration comes from owner Morten Frydendal’ss gastronomic trip through North and Latin America, and the concept is a twist on the Mexican taco inspired by the rich taco culture of both North and Latin America.
At The Market (Asian food) – their pulled duck salad is to die for! The Market is an international restaurant where the food experience from the open kitchen is central. All courts have one thing in common, the passion for craftsmanship.
Enjoy your brunch at Atelier September, located at Gothersgade. The boutique originally operated from an old workshop facility in 1987. Later in the early 90’s the boutique moved further up the street to number 30, where it is still located today.
In 2013 chef Frederik Bille Brahe opened his Café Atelier September in the beautiful forefront of the Atelier September rooms, where he serves natural food & artisan coffee, operating for breakfast & lunch as well as late afternoons.
A little pearl in Copenhagen if you just want to get away from the hectic city life and enjoy a glass of wine is the French wine café Beau Marché Café à Vins.
You find it in a cozy backyard in Ny Østergade 32 in the city center. There you can relax and enjoy a glass of great French wine of their own import, or a really good café au lait made on their old retro Faema coffee machine.
The café is located in a charming little house behind the interior shop of the same name – Beau Marché, where French design and vintage are sold. The Beau Marché empire is run by the three siblings Julie, Elisabeth and Christian Lee Dann, who grew up in France near Genève. They are danish, but have taken their passion for the French quality back to Copenhagen.
The Union Kitchen
is located in Store Strandstræde street near Nyhavn in Copenhagen. Here you will be served breakfast, English “balls” and tasteful cocktails in classic surroundings.
English “balls” are the focal point at The Union Kitchen – tasty meat balls that is – served in every possible size and with various fillings and in combination with a wide variety of sauces and sides, all with very favorable price tags.
Furthermore, breakfast platters as well as salads are a big hit, and if you find yourself at the restaurant after a rough night out, try the Bartender’s Hangover Burger with a fried egg and a shot of Fernet Branca on the side.
Llama
introduces a menu inspired by South America. Here you can savor on countries like Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Mexico, but there is still respect for the Nordic roots and commodities
Besides the food, Llama serves cocktails. The restaurant has its own dining and cocktail bar where pisco, tequila, mescal and rum are recurring ingredients.
Llama has a unique interior design and won gold at the International Design Award 2015 for “interior design” in the category “conceptual”.
Cantina
This stylish Thai take-away offers delicacies guaranteed to pamper your taste buds. Menus include green curry with chicken, Thai aubergines, bamboo shots, long green beans, and sweet basil; Phat Thai Goong with rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts in a tamarind sauce served with lemon and toasted peanuts.
If you prefer, you can dine on the premises. The Wokshop has a few tables and chairs, but it is not the sort of place where you would want to linger over your meal for hours on end.
Fiskebaren in “Kødbyen”
What is a Fish bar? It’s all about fish and shellfish. It’s about fresh, healthy, delicious food. About fine wine and a relaxed atmosphere at affordable prices.
What to see?
When in Copenhagen, don’t miss Amaliehaven (Amalie Garden). This little park was a gift to the city from Mærsk McKinney Møller and was founded in 1983.
Amaliehaven in Copenhagen was founded in 1983, this petite park was given as a gift to the city of Copenhagen, by Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller. It is named by its close proximity to Amalienborg Palace, where Her Majesty the Queen keeps her permanent residence. The park was designed by the Belgian landscape architect, Jean Delogne, and adorned with sculptures from the Italian artist, Arnaldo Pomodoro.
On either side of a large fountain, the park expands, with two levels of hedges and walls, which enclose the garden from the street on one side, and the harbor on the other. This creates a green oasis in the middle of the city, protected from both noise, and wind.
Nyhavn (image on top) is of course a must, but walk from there to Papirøen (Paper Island) and the Opera.
Paper Island has a prominent place in Copenhagen Harbour and offers a handful of creative buildings with everything from art to showrooms and street food.
With the Opera House and The Royal Playhouse as its next door neighbors, Paper Island has a central location in the heart of the harbor.
The island is home to the grey industrial halls that served as paper storage for the Procurement Association of the Danish Press for many decades, hence the name Paper Island. When they terminated their contract, the halls were left empty – ready to be explored and experimented with.
Previously there was no public access to the island. However, today everyone can walk to the island and enjoy the new upcoming island of Copenhagen.
The National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) is a stunning building with the best of art from classics to modern art. It features outstanding collections of Danish and international art from the past seven centuries. SMK is located just off of Copenhagen’s Nørreport station. Here you can experience special exhibitions, the royal collections, guided tours, performances, art talks, concerts, workshops and much more.
Shop till you drop
Storm
Women’s and men’s clothing is the trendsetting clothing store in Copenhagnen, spearheaded by the unstoppable young Danish fashion designer Rasmus Storm. In addition to the exclusive clothing, the store also carries a large selection of beauty products, music, magazines, and books. Go there to see what the hippest European youth are wearing and to fuse your retail experience with a little design culture. You may even be able to take a little of it home with you.
Lot 29
In Lot 29 Rarities are hanging everywhere, refined leather goods fill the air and basically everything you lay your eyes on are crafted and customized founds. You can touch, you can feel, you can have a cup of tea while you’re there; this cave is sort of a luxurious, warm hug.
To make visitors feel like they have discovered a secret chest of finds and treasures was the intention when Lot 29 opened in 2003 and it still is today.
Magnolia 2nd-hand
As their name imlies, the shop have mostly expensive brands, like Louis Vuitton bags, Balenciaga pants and a lot of Danish brands like Malene Birger and Dag Birger Mikkelsen. However, check the zippers, buttons etc to see if they are branded with the correct brand. A fake can still be a nice piece of garment, but not worth its price.
At the popular fashion shop Mads Norgaard you find classic and fashion clothing For women and for men. “Ultimately fashion is meant to free you, not overrule or control you. What you wear should support you in your ways and beliefs. This is how I see it,» says Mads Nørgaard.
Nightlife
Sunday
Sunday is an ominous sexy playground for the mad adult children of the night. The guests indulge in raw pleasure and dare to contribute with an open mindedness to receive whatever comes back. Sunday opened in August 2013 and is the brain child of the team behind the renowned club SIMONS and acclaimed restaurant Congo – night scene conjurers Simon Frank & Simon Lennet and the Danish entertainer Casper Christensen.
Chateau Motel
is a celebratory intersection of different spaces, music genres and ambiances where humans cross each other and come together in search of a joyful late night. The overall idea is to invite the city’s buccaneers into a Rabbit hole, constantly finding an exploring a new and different scene in the larger universe of the club.
ARCH
At the private club ARCH they claim you can experience greatness on all levels. Privileged members are invited to have an out of body experience, where you not only find your average prominent nightclub, but rather push the boundaries of society and the intellectual creation itself.
Where to stay?
SP 34 is located right in the center of Copenhagen in the capoital’s Latin Quarter. In this area there is room for diversity. You find the hotel in Sankt Peders Stræde, a small, local street with a world known bicycle shop, pastry shop, good restaurants and design stores.
On the other side of the hotel is the garden H.C Ørsteds Parken, a green oasis where you will run in to locals on their run or in the middle of a picnic. The reception is super cool, the design is right and we love the organic breakfast.
Hot Spots in Copenhagen, edited by Tor Kjolberg