Danish cuisine has been making headlines around the world, and a few years back Bon Appetit magazine was calling Copenhagen “the new must-visit foodie destination.” When you visit the city ad start digging into the restaurant scene there, you soon understand why there is so much hype. Here are a few spots to hit when visiting this hip European capital:
Madklubben. Famous for its interpretation of Scandinavian peasant fare and extremely reasonable prices, this bistro offers an absolutely perfect introduction to Danish cuisine. I ordered a Nordic charcuterie plate that was just delicious. The beer sausage with pickles was so succulent, and there was delicious thinly sliced cured lambs stomach, complete with bright green veins of grass running though it. I followed with meatballs, buttery new potato mash and pea puree. I was too stuffed to make it to a third course, although the cheese plate was very tempting. If you order from the standard menu (skipping the more expensive lobster etc), then you pay by the course, which makes the bill very reasonable (approximately $35 for three courses).
Café Glyptotek. In the cool leafy atrium of the beautiful Glyptotek art museum you’ll find a café serving traditional open face sandwiches and heavenly pastries (the pastry chef there has her own TV show and the minute you bite into one of her buttery morsels you’ll see why her cakes have achieved celebrity status).
Nørrebro Bryghus. This microbrewery is over in Nørrebro, the city’s multi ethnic neighbourhood, and features an ever-changing menu of hand crafted beers and a very interesting food that uses beer in most dishes (such as rooster in a red beer sauce). Dining at the brewpub wasn’t definitely more up market than at your average North American brewpub (dinner ran at around $60 for three courses, and then each small glass of beer was about $7), but it was good, so if you are a micro-brew fan it is well worth the splurge.
Anderson Bakery. Located on the edge of Tivoli Gardens, one of the world’s oldest amusement parks, this bakery serves up awfully good hot dogs with all the traditional Danish trimmings. This is a hole in the wall, without much space to eat, but worth grabbing a dog to wolf down when you are in the area (and much more reasonably priced that some of the restaurants inside Tivoli Gardens).