Eat & drink spots
Start your day the right way by visiting a cosy breakfast or brunch spot. This is always the typical meal I look forward to most, so I repeatedly seek out the best spots in a new and uncharted city. For Copenhagen, I found lots of places I wanted to try out, but since I only had 2 days I had to make some tuff decisions. I picked out Paludan Bogcafé and Next door café.
Paludan Bogcafé
I read about this spot on many different blogs and it had an accompanying high ranking on Foursquare. When I learned that it is actually a bookshop as well, I was sold – I have a deep love for books. Paludan Bogcafé is located near City Hall Square (or Rådhuspladsen) which is a public square located right in the city center. After your delicious breakfast, you can effortlessly continue your exploration. In Paludan Bogcafé there are a lot of different places you can have a seat, but everywhere you are surrounded by books. It feels like having breakfast in an old library, especially when you have a seat upstairs. I had a simple breakfast because I did not want to waste too much time, but I have heard wonderful things about the extended brunch you can have there, so do so if you can!
1171 Copenhagen
Next Door Café
This became one of my absolute favourite places in Copenhagen. I came across Next Door Café thanks to Foursquare (one of my favourite apps as well apparently). It was ranked as the absolute number one breakfast spot, so I simply had to try this out. Next Door Café is located near Paludan Bogcafé, so I had no trouble finding it at all. This really is the perfect spot to start your day: you can enjoy your freshly brewed coffee outside while watching people walking by, savour a delicious breakfast (the pancakes are highly recommended, I challenge you to try to eat it all) or sip a freshly squeezed juice full of vitamins to quick-start your day. The barista is super friendly and helpful in deciding what you want. But the decoration inside was what I loved most: it is very unique and fascinating. They have tables covered with glass and underneath they put bank notes from every possible country, notes, drawings, any type of things tourists may have left behind. I spent my breakfast reading every one of them.
Next Door Café
Larsbjørnsstræde 23
1454 Copenhagen K
Other places that I wanted to visit but had no time to:
Mad & Kaffe: apparently you can try some real good Smørrebrød here. This is buttered rye bread with toppings, a dish that is indispensable when talking about Danish cuisine. This place is ranked in the top 3 by Foursquare.
Grød: I absolutely wanted to try this place and I was really sorry I did not get to it. This place is famous for its porridge, which is the only dish they serve. You can choose your toppings and have some delicious coffee to go with it.
Torvehallerne
I came across Torvehallerne around lunchtime on my first day, so this couldn’t have worked out any better. Inside of the Torvehallerne, you will find about 60 stands selling anything you can imagine from tapas to pastries, sushi, meat and fish. This place is really vibrant and attracts a lot of people. Being the sushi addict that I am, I was in great doubt what I would eat, but eventually when I spotted a sushi place, the doubt was quickly over. The sushi at ‘Sushi Lovers’ was delicious and fresh and the people working there were so nice. I loved sitting there, enjoying my sushi and observing the rush taking place around me. Must visit when you love food!
1360 København K
From across the water, near Nyhaven, I spotted a place called PapirØen, which attracted a lot of passers-by. My curiosity won over and I had to check it out. To my exitment, it appeared to be some sort of big hangar with street food. Inside you had so many foodtrucks, I did not know where to start: Turkish, Brazilian, Mexican, Korean, Thai, cocktails, hamburgers, pancakes, etc. In the middle of the venue, they installed a cosy fire pit you could sit around and a lot of tables and chairs where everyone could eat together. I stayed here longer than I had originally planned, but I simply loved the atmosphere, the cosiness & the various fragrances coming from the freshly prepared food. I had a latte and some Thai food (Phanaeng) that was very tasteful!
Coffee & cake
I love my lattes so naturally, I had to find some places where I could have a well-deserved caffeine break and plan the route to the next spot I wanted to visit. The first coffee place I came across was Mormors. This place immediately caught my eye when I was walking by and only then I realised that I was actually looking for this coffee place. This is such a unique and lovely place, I instantly felt at home. It is like having coffee at your grandma’s place, you must taste the atmosphere here for yourself. I actually did not have a coffee here since I was intrigued by their smoothies and I felt like I could use some extra vitamins. The smoothie was big & delicious and I had a typical cinnamon bun with chocolate. They have an extended variety of desserts, cakes and pastries you can choose from. I wanted to taste something typical, so the waiter encouraged me to try their cinnamon bun, did not regret it at all.
MORMORS
Bredgade 45
1260 København K
During my second day I had a coffee while visiting the street food trucks. On the day I had to fly back, I finally ordered a juice & a latte at Joe & the Juice. I saw their establishments all over the city, but I never had the time to go in or I never encountered one of them at the right moment. When I arrived at the airport, I was so happy to discover a Joe & the Juice over there (there are actually two – what a great airport!). I love their decorations, the way they help the customers and off course their coffee & juice. They have a wide variety to choose from. I also think that they create a really cool vibe: their interior is mostly in dark colours and the uniforms the waiters wear are in the same style. Go and discover it for yourself!
Dinner
Since I was alone, I kept my dinners rather quick and low-budget. Plus during the evening mostly was the time when my Italian roommates were in the room as well, so we would talk about our day and share some experiences. I did not really feel like eating out in a restaurant & I walked around so much that I couldn’t lift another foot close to the evening. But I did some research beforehand and there were some restaurants I would have loved to try out: Halifax (burgers) and Mother (pizza).
