Rye bread – soooo there is a lot of hype around Hart’s super seed rye bread which is indeed magnificent as are the rest of their breads, pastries, coffee etc. An equally good alternative would be Meyers rye bread, and if you are like me you will take comfort in the fact that at Meyers they use tongs and gloves to touch your food, whereas at Hart they use their hands….that also handles cash, till and itchy hipster beards.
Cardamon bun. Juno Bakery has taken the Cardamon bun to the sky. Their cardamom bun is incredible and worth the bikeride to Østerbro (and the many pics you see on Instagram). BUT if you value the experience of going to a Danish bakery with sleeping kids outside and residents sitting chatting and truly feeling Copenhagen life. Then Juno is not your place, as it is now so popular that there are usually long queues and you’ll be striking up conversations with the Chinese tourists behind you and the American ones in front. Instead head to Alice on Amager or Flere Fugle in Nordvest. Here you will truly feel the Copenhagen vibe…and maybe just maybe the cardamom bun is taken to the sky because of the whole experience.
Smørrebrød. Is probably the most Danish thing you can eat while in Copenhagen. Its what we eat for lunch at home, what our kids have in their lunch packs and what we eat at our Christmas and Easter lunches. Just so that there is no doubt. It’s a lunch thing! The only time we have Smørrebrød for dinner, is when no-one had time to cook or we didn’t make it to the super market.
Selma and Aamans are truly your best bet for some amazing Smørrebrød. Its lush and relatively fancy. If you would like the more traditional places then checkout Færgekroen at Christianshavn or Schønnemann in the city centre. Try at least one herring piece as its usually what we have as starting dish and very traditional. Oh – and to drink is beer and snaps. Forget the fancy wine and cocktails on this occasion.
La Banchina is a great for food, great for views, great for atmosphere, great for wine, great for a dip. Just great. Go if you can. If you are looking for an eually chilled experience along the water that is a little less known, then head to the other end of the harbor to Café Slusen. You are welcome for that recommendation
Restaurants…where to start. A few good restaurants I have enjoyed lately is Lago and June. Great dishes, lovely staff and good wine (especially Lago). For Nordic food I often recommend Radio. Its not one of our newest most hip restaurants but they make amazing food and have done so consistently for years. The acoustics are not great, so ask for a table in the corner. Koan is the restaurant this is red hot on the food scene, and my guess its only a matter of time before The Guardian, New York Times and the worlds food critics are all over it and make reservations impossible. It’s a little pricey. Bæst is known for their sourdough pizzas and they are incredibly good and worth the visit. An alternative could be Diamond Slice that also do sourdough pizzas and are awing the food critics. Its great on a summer evening as you can sit outside and enjoy the Nørrebro atmosphere. Less fancy, more real!
Museums – DAC is a good option, but its relatively small and made up mostly of temporary exhibitions. Its always great though and never miss the chance to look at the lamps and furnitures in café and staircase. Louisiana is always a winner. Amazing modern art museum with a great garden around 40 km outside Copenhagen. Its an easy train ride, but even better it’s a gorgeous bike ride and you can do a detour through Dyrehaven (deer garden) and Ordrupgaard where the garden area is amazing and especially the home of Finn Juul (Danish architect) I find a treat.
/Lena
