A Guide to Eating in Copenhagen

I love food. I love cooking, trying new foods, eating out, finding restaurants… everything about it. Considering that, I was very excited to come to Copenhagen where there’s such a great food scene going on.

In this post, I’m going to list and talk about some of the best meals I’ve had here, as well as how to explore a passion for food on a budget in a rather pricey city like Copenhagen. I’ll also talk about where to find food options fitting dietary restrictions, like dairy-free and vegan, and my favorite meal to cook for myself when I’m not going out.

Places I’ve Been

Lunch Spots/Cafes

Next Door Cafe – fun vibes, good breakfast spot
WeCycle – great food and smoothies near Islands Brygge
The Living Room – good for doing work, get the goat cheese sandwich!
Sankt Peters Bageri – go for the Wednesday snails
Paludan Bog Cafe – super cozy vibe, bookstore cafe, hygge
Fresh Bagel – good for cheaper lunch near DIS, the workers are also so nice
Momo Wok Box – quick lunch right next to DIS, stir fry and noodles
Cafe Flottenheimer – cozy spot for a sit-down lunch
42 Raw – vegan and healthy options, the acai bowl is really good
Cafe Oha – healthy and has student discounts, near Nimbus Kollegium
Hope Organic – Acai and poke bowls, has student discounts
OliOli – also acai and poke bowls, there’s one in the airport
Sandwich Pigeon – a lot of sandwich options for a filling meal

My Favorites: Paludan Bog Cafe, WeCycle, Fresh Bagel, and The Living Room

A Wednesday snail from Sankt Peters Bageri

Coffee

Democratic Coffee – go for the almond croissant but not the coffee
Emmerys – student discount and good for a chain coffeeshop
Espresso House – cozy vibes but not great coffee. Amazing chai lattes
Lagkagehuset – everything is so so good. And expensive
Buzz Coffee- carrot cake and chai lattes? Yes. Also very hygge
Joe & The Juice- health.

My Favorites: Emory’s, Joe & The Juice, and Lagkagehuset

Dessert

Bon Bon Ice Cream
Paradis Ice Cream
NiceCream – amazing, plant-based ice cream
Is à Bella – ice cream in the glass markets
American Pie- such good pies, they also make savory pies
Reffen- has some great dessert options!

My Favorites: NiceCream and American Pie

Restaurants (both lunch and dinner)

Ramen to Bíiru – ramen and Mikkeller beer… no compaints 🙂
Slurp Ramen Joint – very popular, had to wait in line outside every time
Chao Viet Kitchen – Vietnamese food near DIS
Karma Sushi – they have a Wednesday special that is wonderful
Mao Bao – Asian food and drinks, they have a great happy hour special
Hidden Dim Sum – really good dim sum
Tapas Huset: Casa Lola – pretty good tapas
Mikkeller Bar in Vesterbro- ton of beers on tap
Mikropolis – Mikkeller beer and also cocktails! Cute place near Norreport
Neighborhood Pizza – good cocktails but overpriced pizza
Gorms – pizza, they have a few locations all over the city
Rossopomodoro – rooftop restaurant, the best pizza I’ve had in Cope
Warpigs- very good BBQ, the mac and cheese is amazing
Boulebar – they have games (Boule) and food
Halifax – burger chain that’s really good
Mahalle- Lebanese in a cozy space
Send Flere Krydderier -went with my core course; good middle eastern food
Indian Swaad – pretty good Indian right by DIS
American Pie – the savory pies are amazing
Kayak Bar – go when it’s nice out and get the mussels… you will not regret
Mazzoli’s in Tivoli – cute Italian place in Tivoli
Færgekroens Bryghus in Tivoli – go for the vibe not really the food
Sticks’n’Sushi – really good sushi and they have a couple of locations
Kiin Kiin – a friend’s parents took me here… beyond amazing, Michelin star
Amass – near Reffen, Michelin Guide New Nordic
Restaurant Barr – “casual” New Nordic by a former NOMA chef
Llama – Peruvian, tons of sharing plates and good cocktails

The last seven places I went to with my parents and also my friend’s parents… save them for people with real salaries.

My Favorites: Kiin Kiin, Hidden Dim Sum, Ramen to Bíiru, Sticks’n’Sushi, Mikkeller Bar, Rossopomodoro

Brunch

Grød – really good oatmeal; they have both sweet and savory types
Wulff and Konstali – small plate style brunch
Møller Kaffe & Køkken – small plate style brunch
Mad & Kaffe – small plate style brunch
Sidecar – Just amazing. Make a reservation very far in advance

My Favorites: Møller Kaffe & Køkken, Sidecar, and Grød

Markets/other fun places:

Reffen – a must visit
Magasin – fun to just walk around and look at the food and chocolate
Glass Markets – close to DIS with a ton of options
Bolton’s Food Court – more food options!

My Favorites: Reffen when the weather is nice, and the Glass Markets

Dairy-free places and healthier eating in general

I don’t have any dietary restrictions, but of the places I’ve been these have some good options for those of you who do:)

Mao Bao had a really good mango dairy-free ice cream
NiceCream was amazing, and vegan!
42Raw – vegan options
Hafnia Bar – healthy eating
Halifax Burgers – has a couple of vegan options
Hope Organic – healthy lunch by DIS
Souls – good vegan options at a sit-down brunch place
Matcha Bar
Cafe Oha
Chao Viet – has vegan options
Sidecar – has a vegan plate
The Glass Markets – have a ton of options for all sorts of dietary restrictions
Paleo- sweet potato wrap was so yummy and so healthy, more options too

My Favorites: Paleo, Sidecar, and NiceCream

Eating Out on a Budget

It’s no lie that Copenhagen is pretty expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find places to eat out on a budget. A lot of spots offer a student discount if you ask, and it can sometimes be as high as 20% off! I also usually share things with friends and then split the bill between multiple people, so I can try more dishes but not order an entire one for myself. Dinner generally is more expensive than lunch, so I don’t really go out to dinner very often and most of the places above have been lunch visits. I try to limit myself to one or two meals out a week, but sometimes I forget to pack lunch so that number goes up, oops. Overall, I used my meal stipend to cook most of the time, but my stipend just ran out and now I’ve been eating out more often than earlier in the semester.

Super easy cooking idea

As a small side note to this list of places to eat, I have to include the meal I probably ate the most this entire semester: roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes.

This has literally become a staple of my diet. It’s so easy and you can keep sweet potatoes and chickpeas around for a long time without worrying they will spoil. You can bake it all one one pan making it super easy to clean. It’s also gluten and dairy-free and even vegan! All you do is toss chickpeas, chopped sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts in olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper and then bake for about 15 minutes. I like to add a balsamic glaze after it’s done, which might take away the vegan or gluten-free aspects but it’s super yummy. It’s also great with a scoop of tahini over some salad for a bigger meal.

Anyways that ends this long blog post all about food… hope it made you hungry:)