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The Culinary Paradise of Copenhagen

Copenhagen has recently been hailed as an up and coming culinary haven, housing Michelin star restaurants like Noma and Clou. These restaurants, featured on shows and costing a few hundred dollars for one meal, can require reservations weeks or even months in advance. If that's your thing, go for it! If eating a delicious meal on a reasonable budget is your thing, read below (and drool over the photos of delicious foods!)

The Culinary Paradise of Copenhagen

The "Danish" Pastry

There must be a reason there is a specific pastry named after the country, right? At first bite, I understood! There are many different varieties and variations in quality, from the first 7/11 you see to the gourmet bakeries sprinkled throughout the city. My personal favorite were any involving chocolate, of course! Chris opted for the savory kind.

Restaurant Recommendation: Skt. Peder's Bageri at Sankt Peders Straede 29, 1453. Look for the historic golden pretzel hanging outside this bakery, it is a years old symbol for respected bakeries. This is one of the oldest and most established bakeries in Copenhagen. Pastries generally run 2-4 Krone each.

The Hot Dog! (Personal Favorite)

I'm not a hot dog lover at home or abroad, but I had read to try the hot dogs from street carts in Copenhagen, and I followed the suggestion. This turned out to be my FAVORITE meal while visiting. In fact, I loved it so much, I ate a street dog THREE TIMES. They come with delicious pickles, remoulade, and other crazy toppings (similar to a Chicago style dog in the States). Look for "pølsevogn" printed on carts - that means it's a hot dog stand!

Restaurant Recommendation: There are many stands around town (STEFF being the most common and abundant brand) but I liked DOP the best. They are all organic and make some of their own ingredients. Standard dogs were 3-5 Krone.

A Street Dog in Copenhagen Denmark

Photo cred to Chris Hancock

Smørrebrød

Think of the most delicious open faced sandwich you've ever had with the wackiest of toppings. These small snacks are good and worth trying. You can get a few different ones and try them all, or share with a friend! I particularly liked the ones topped with eggs or fried onions, but I only tried 5 different types, I'm sure the possibilities are endless! Check out the one with a giant piece of fried cod in the picture below.

Restaurant Recommendations: You can find these in windows of casual or take-away places. Rita's is highly recommended but we didn't make it all the way out there. You must stop by Torvehallerne (address: Frederiksborggade 21, 1360) an indoor open food market will all kinds of delicious eats to try! We stopped at one booth for cocktails, another for smørrebrød, another for chocolate, and another for coffee! It's a fun and lively place that is worth a stop, you can try several things at the same time. This is a great stop for someone who has limited time in the city. You can try a lot quickly.

Smørrebrød in Copenhagen Denmark

Kebab/Shawarma Shops

These seemed to be on every corner. For a quick, delicious meal that doesn't break your budget, stop in. These are casual, almost fast food type of places but most make the food right in front of you (which most fast food joints in the US don't do) so it seemed fresh to us. We stopped in one of these in between museums one day when we didn't have much time and grabbed a sandwich to eat on the walk. We stopped in again late one night when most restaurants were closed and took our food back to our AirBnB.

Restaurant Recommendation: Mujaffa's Shawarma 31 Istedgade was on a busy corner near the train station and where we stayed. They were open late and always had people in an out - a good sign to me!

Lunch at a Shwarma shop in Copenhagen Denmark

Street Food!

I saved the best for last. Get ready to read about a magical land that I feel needs to be in every city...PapirØen! A.K.A. Heaven. This is an old paper mill turned indoor food truck warehouse. It's cool, it's hip, and it's delicious! You can get all sorts of dishes and drinks, it was a really fun environment, plus it's open late, usually until 11 p.m. so you can visit after your museum stops!

Restaurant Recommendation: Visit the Copenhagen Street Food website for all the details. We loved La Drueta, a specialty gin and tonic stall, the drinks aren't cheap but they're worth it once you see the quality of the ingredients going into them! Erik den Rode (Erik the Red) was our favorite cocktail there. We also liked Bulko, a modern Korean BBQ stall.

Have any favorite Copenhagen eats? Share below!

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