Where to eat & drink in Copenhagen - cafés, bakeries, bars & restaurants • Lyzi Unwin

I just finished a blog post about our hygge winter visit to Copenhagen, how to get around & a cosy place to stay, which somehow ended up being 1,300 words, so I decided to split where to eat in Copenhagen, and where to soak up the fashion, art & design (shopping and museums) in separate blog posts.

So this is going to be split into cafés (places that are only open daytime) and then bars & restaurants (places that are open in the evening), to make it slightly easier to navigate. I’m also going to include a list of places that were recommended to me, but I couldn’t make it to, because there were so many that looked really good.

I really need to go for longer than 4 nights next time…

Cool cafés, coffee spots & bakeries in Copenhagen

You know I love a little treat — I literally don’t think I can survive a week without one these days — and Copenhagen really is running on a little treat economy. It’s very famous for its bakeries, so unsurprisingly, there are loads of amazing spots to hit up for coffee and pastries.

Lille Petra: the cosiest café in Copenhagen

On our first morning, we hopped on the M2 line to Kongens Nytorv in Indre By, and walked 5 minutes towards Kongens Have (the King’s Garden) where one of the most perfect cafés I’ve ever visited is situated – Lille Petra.

You walk through a large gate into a beautiful courtyard (too cold to sit outside, despite all the blankets, but I bet that shady corner is heaven in high summer), past the mottled mirror, and then into a warm, low-lit room, with candles on every table, and a wall of wooden shelves displaying the most gorgeous mid-century-style lamps.

In front of that wall sat my friend, Gabi, reading her book. I really wish I’d taken a photo before she looked up and saw me, because it was the most perfect scene. She was staying in Copenhagen for 2 months, and when she shared photos of Lille Petra, I knew I wanted to hang out there.

We drank coffee and ate pastries, talked about what we would do over the next few days, and just hung out. It was so special to finally meet Gabi in person, after a few years of online friendship.

I loved it here so much, I went back a couple of days later on my own, to read and journal, and eavesdrop on conversations around me.

Coffee Collective for a cheese roll

Our friend said she thinks about these cheese sandwiches regularly, and when I saw them, I thought, “surely not, it’s just a roll with a bit of cheese in it…” but I stand corrected.

Firstly, the bread is delicious, with a slightly chewy sourdough texture. Secondly, the cheese is very tasty too. Thirdly, I was feeling very tired and a bit poorly, so it genuinely may have saved my life.

There are lots of Coffee Collective cafés across Copenhagen (I counted 6), so you’re never far from one, and it’s a good place to hang out.

These cheese rolls are available at quite a few other cafés, but this is the only one I tried and can vouch for.

Hart Bageri for gooey cardamom buns

On Sunday morning, I met Gabi for coffee and a bun. There’s a Hart Bageri opposite Marmorkirken metro station, which is only 6 minutes walk to the Design Museum, which was our plan for the morning.

There aren’t many seats — a couple of benches outside and the window seats inside — but we timed it well, ordering our items just as some people were leaving. We sat in a window seat and chatted away, and I had the first bite of my vanilla & cardamom soft bun — wow. So delicious. So soft. So moist.

Prolog Coffee Bar

I stopped at the Papirøen branch of Prolog Coffee, which is by the water. It was beautifully calm and quiet inside, with seating outdoors too, which I can imagine being perfect on a warm day.

It was a great place to stop for a delicious latte and a cardamom bun (not quite as good as Hart’s, and much smaller too…) while I read a bit of my book on a solo day.

Recommended cafés & bakeries in Copenhagen

All the cafés and bakeries we didn’t make it to, but came highly recommended.

Albatross & Venner – bakery.
Amator – a calm & cosy café serving delicious breakfast and lunch.
Andersen & Maillard – coffee roastery & bakery.
Apotek 57 – I popped in to see what it was like here while visiting the attached shop, but didn’t stop to eat or drink anything. It’s very beautiful and the food looked great, so I would definitely go back.
April Coffee Store
Atelier September – for breakfast & lunch, simple and seasonal, with fresh, local ingredients.
Café Niko – coffee, breakfast, wine, drinks, beer, and small plates served with care.
Copenhagen Coffee Lab
Dallas – coffee & cool café
Doomsday Deli – coffee & sandwiches.
Grød – porridge!
Ibens Smørrebrød – Denmark’s smallest smørrebrød restaurant – lunch only.
Joliment – café and vintage shop.
Juno the bakery
Kasada – bakery & café.
Kismet – café.
La Cabra – bright and crisp speciality coffee & matcha.
Lido – fresh, flavourful dishes and baked goods.
Lille Bakery
Mad & Kaffe – brunch.
Ø12 Coffee & Eatery – quality coffee, and nourishing comfort food.
Original Coffee
ORSA – for coffee & music lovers.
The Roe Bar – seasonal breakfast & lunch.
Wulff & Konstali – brunch.

Use the navigation in my sidebar to jump to my map with all of these places (and more!) pinned >>>

Bars, restaurants & other eateries in Copenhagen

The food and bar scene in Copenhagen is obviously very good too. It’s such a cool place, with lots of focus on seasonal, local produce. Here’s where we ate.

Juju for a fried chicken sandwich

When we landed in Copenhagen, it was around 5pm and we were very hungry. We’d already set our hearts on going to Juju for fried chicken after seeing it in a Reel on Instagram, so we chucked our luggage into the apartment, and headed straight back out to catch the metro.

The 10 minute walk from Nørreport St station to Juju seemed to take forever, and once we got there the vibe was unusual — the kitchen was downstairs, and upstairs was a very empty dining room (it was still early evening) with no staff, but QR codes to scan on the table.

We ordered our food, both going for the fried garlic Korean fried chicken sandwich combo with fries, smoked mayo, and a beer. This meal also saved our lives. The chicken was SO crispy and delicious. We loved it.

Kalaset for craft beers & vintage interiors

There was a bar on my map that was 12 minutes walk from Juju, so we headed there, taking the scenic route along what we thought was a river, but was actually a lake — Peblinge So.

We walked into the super cosy Kalaset, and luckily there was a free table for us, and we enjoyed a couple of local craft beers each, while admiring all the vintage musical equipment on the walls around us. People were drinking some yummy-looking cocktails too.

I really liked the rustic and eclectic vibe of the place – it felt a bit like being in someone’s home. I did overhear the owner saying to a friend that they will be doing some refurbishment soon, so I’m not sure whether the vibes will stay the same, but it’s worth a visit.

A cosy wine bar with incredible small plates: Bar Vitrine

This was our fancy meal of the trip — the one where we expected to pay somewhere between £60-80 each, and I’m so so glad this is where we went, as I really feel like it was worth it.

Bar Vitrine was another recommendation from Gabi, who met us there on our second evening. They only take walk-ins (no bookings) and there wasn’t space for 3 when we arrived, so we enjoyed a glass of delicious wine out in the cold, damp evening air — there was something quite magical about it.

As people moved around inside, there was space for us to wait for our table at the bar, where we stood and watched beautiful dishes being prepared, and people having a lovely time.

We had one snack at the bar, which is the only one I took a photo of, apart from the photo of the menu so that I could remember what we had. Each dish was absolutely beautiful in every way, and although we didn’t have room for dessert, we left very satisfied. The staff were all perfect as well.

We shared all three of the All Day snacks (crispy chicken & scallion pancakes pictured), the fish curry, and the beef cheek pithiver between 3 of us, along with 3 glasses of wine each, and it came to about £80 with a tip.

Apollo Bar for girl dinner

On Sunday, after exploring the Design Museum, Gabi and I headed to Apollo Bar for lunch — I really fancied some good bread, cheese, meat, and olives, with a glass of wine, and that’s exactly what we got.

We sat at the bar, watched people, and talked about everything. Gabi told me that she and a few friends went there for New Year’s Eve, and it was perfect. I can imagine so. We had a very nice little time.

This is another place that has a great-looking outdoor space, and really makes me want to revisit Copenhagen in warmer weather.

Warpigs Brewpub for craft beer and BBQ food

The evening before we left (after spending the day separately) Mike and I met at Warpigs for a couple of beers and some tasty Texan BBQ food, and to tell each other tales of what we had been up to.

We could order our beers remotely, which was quite handy, as we did that while thinking about what we might like to eat. All the beers we had were very delicious, and some of them had funny names, like “Lil Drunk Baby” and “YouFuckedUpMyXmas & ImFurious” — yes, really.

You have to go up to order your food, grabbing a tray or two and asking for all the bits you want. We shared beef brisket, pork ribs, macaroni cheese, pickles, and roast potatoes. The meat was good, but it definitely needed sauce, which is provided on the tables.

A hotdog from John’s Hotdog Deli

On our last day, we did separate things again, and met at Copenhagen train station for a hot dog before heading to collect our luggage and go to the airport.

John’s Hotdog Deli came recommended, and you order from a bunch of pictures on the menu. It felt a bit like an ice cream van, but with hot dogs instead.

I wasn’t really sure of the difference between all the different hot dogs, so I just chose the one I liked the look of best. It was so yummy. Mike liked it so much that he had two in a row. It was so simple, but so good, and we still talk about them all the time.

Recommended bars & restaurants in Copenhagen

These are all the bars and restaurants we didn’t make it to, but came highly recommended.

ÅBEN Brewery
Another Pizza
Bæst – pizza.
Bæst Cocktailbar
Bankeråt – a bohemian café, for brunch, dinner, drinks, and takeaway.
Bazaar – Middle Eastern cuisine.
bird – very nice cocktails & records spinning.
BRUS – good indie brewery, bar and eatery.
cleo – shareable food for dinner everyday and breakfast and lunch on weekends.
Corsa Pizza
Gasoline Grill – world famous burgers.
Goldfinch – Chinese food.
Hanzō – Asian restaurant.
Harry’s Place – hot dogs.
Hidden Dimsum
Hija de Sanchez – tacos etc.
Hotel Petra – nice spot for a drink.
Josephine – neighbourhood wine shop and bar with light food.
KIHOSKH – a good spot to buy beers to take away.
La Banchina – waterside restaurant, café and wine bar with an on-site sauna. A good spot in the summer.
Minas Kaffebar – a cosy and vibrant café, open from morning ’til late.
MOTHER – sourdough pizza.
Otto Pizza
Pirlo Vin – ambitious comfort food and wine.
Pompette – a very cool natural wine bar and shop.
POPL Burger
Reffen – all kinds of street food.
Slurp Ramen
SURT Pizza
Taphouse