Copenhagen: What to Eat and What I Ate

What you read in the guidebooks is true: eating out in Copenhagen is expensive. But hey, you are there for a holiday, aren’t you? Don’t think too much, just eat, drink and be merry!

Here are my recommendations:

#1: Have smoked salmon smørrebrød (delicious Danish open-faced sandwiches on my favourite dark rye bread), wiener schnitzel (fried pork cutlets) or pork medallions with potatoes at Nytorv Restaurant, a charming place that, like so many others in the area, used to shelter drunks, sailors, and prostitutes.

Nytorv 15

#2: More traditional smørrebrød (I had marinated and fried herring this time) and Danish specialities for lunch at Spisestedet Leonora, the cozy restaurant in one of Frederiksborg Castle’s gatehouses.

Montportvejen 5

#3: Smoked eel with scrambled eggs smørrebrød at Nyhavns Færgekro, surprisingly good and untouristy despite its location along the famous Nyhavn harbour. The homemade fishcakes are delicious too, and the beef burger is huge!

Nyhavn 5

#4: Ok ok, I hear you, enough of smørrebrød (but it’s so yummy and there’s so many variations that I think I can eat them everyday)! Go vegetarian at Riz Raz, well-known for its fabulous Mediterranean all-you-can-eat buffet. Carnivores, don’t worry, there’s meat on the ala carte menu too. Though I suspect the small balls of insanely tasty falafels may just make you swear off meat for a day.

Kompagnistræde 20

#5: Overlooking Amagertorv in the heart of Strøget, Cafe Norden is very mainstream, very big, very noisy and very crowded. I count us lucky to be able to find a table on a weekday night! We had a very comforting tomato soup (the house signature), humongous bowl of cheesy nachos, beef stew served in a gorgeous Le Creuset pot (I wanted to bring it home!), and chicken mushroom pasta that came in such a generous serving that finishing it was a challenge. Needless to say, we left happily with full tummies 🙂 

Østergade 61

#6: Street food! Copenhagen is known for its popular sausage stands and there are plenty in the city. I didn’t try any but I think my friends enjoyed this inexpensive and easy meal-on-the-go the most~

#7: And if you are in Copenhagen during the festive season like I was, be sure to try Ris a l’amande, a tradional Danish dessert served mostly at Christmas. Somewhat like a rice pudding, it has a light creamy texture with crunchy almonds and tart cherries. I had mine from Nytorv Restaurant and Cafe Norden (see #1 and #5 above).

#8: Last but not least, remember to save a meal solely for pastries from Lagkagehuset!

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Copenhagen: Danish Pastries at Lagkagehuset

Before Copenhagen, all I know of Danish pastries was what I see on Delifrance’s counters. But Lagkagehuset has opened my eyes to a whole new world of golden treats! This is one of the best bakeries in the city and wow, I didn’t know that Danish pastries can be soooo good till I came here.

Look! A mouthwatering array of delicious looking pastries!

Ah, now I wish I had bought a whole apple tart back to the hotel for breakfast the next morning.

Row after row after row of beautiful desserts waiting to be eaten~

It was tough to decide what to pick since everything look so wonderful. In the end, 6 pastries ended up on the table.

Here, this is my favourite! Simply called “Danish Specialty“, it’s perfectly flaky and the winning combination of sesame seeds and almond-like paste make my heart sing~

Spandauer is a bright and cheerful circle pastry with creamy custard as the filling. Very nice!

Kanelgiffel = cinnamon roll. Anything with cinnamon = yum!

Anything with chocolate delights, especially Direktørsnegl! I’d love this even more if the chocolate ain’t so sweet.

This croissant is so good that it converts my I-don’t-like-croissants friend to a fan! Personally, I think that the one I had from Paris is still unbeatable.

Though I read lots of raves about Kartoffelkage, (a soft choux filled with crème pâtissière and covered with marzipan and a thin layer of bitter cocoa powder), I didn’t like it cuz there’s just too much cream and marzipan for me to handle.

I really really wanted a tart too but 6 pastries at one go proved to be too much! Another time, another day, definitely =)

Torvegade 45; another branch at Copenhagen Tourist Information Bureau

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Favourite Snapshots of Copenhagen

Colourful iconic Nyhavn.

Grander-than-I-imagine Københavns Rådhus.

Picturesque Hillerød.

My first snow angel, for me but not by me haha.

Evening dusk by Kronborg Castle.

Tivoli, Copenhagen’s famous amusement park.

This is my favourite pic! Amager Square along Strøget.

Whenever I reach a new destination, I fall in love with the place.. Copenhagen is no exception =)

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