Try These: Best Places to Eat and Drink in Copenhagen in 2021

Please note that current COVID-19 restrictions in Denmark extend until 17th January, 2021. During this time, restaurants and bars can only offer takeaway options.

While it’s been a very tough year for those in the food industry worldwide, we’re lucky that in Copenhagen many new restaurants, bars, and cafes not only stayed open, but flourished. Making the best of a bad situation, many spots offered takeaway, special deals, and gift cards so that they could keep the lights on. In addition, Denmark’s quick action on providing many businesses with grants and loans allowed many more to stay employed than would have otherwise.

From old favorites that opened new locations to exciting additions to the international cuisine scene in the city, there are so many new offerings. Get out your checklist and make sure these places are on it!

Here are the best places to eat and drink in Copenhagen through 2021:


Copenhagen Restaurants	Copenhagen Cafes & Bakeries	Copenhagen Takeaway

Copenhagen Restaurants

Hija de Sanchez Cantina

Further evidence that Nordhavn really is the up-and-coming area in Copenhagen, Rosia Sanchez recently opened her 4th location on a side street in the rapidly growing district. The Cantina sits squarely in the middle of the existing Sanchez and Taqueries, offering a mix of the tostadas and tacos with ceviches and larger plates, all at an accessible price point.

Everything is made fresh and the menu keeps to Sanchez’s unique New-Nordic take on Mexican dining, using local and seasonal produce alongside responsibly sourced heritage corn from Mexico. The masa (corn dough), which is the soul of every dish served, is stone-ground daily by the team.

It’s a casual spot, with interiors by OEO that layered architectural elements with the carefully designed dining space. The blend of Mexico and Scandinavia is continued through this design, as Mexican-inspired details and vibrant hues of red and earthy tones are balanced with the muted cool hues of graphite and coal that are typical of Nordic design.

Cantina benefits mostly from being able to provide customers with greater indoor seating than at any of the Taqueries. The canteen-style suits families and groups of friends looking to feel the warmth of Mexico this winter. Lord knows we can’t go to it.

Hija de Sanchez Cantina

Hamborg Pl. 5
2150 København

Opening hours:
Wed – Sun: 11 am – 3:30 pm & 5 pm – 10 pm

Alto Palato

Near Hellerup train station, just a 15-min train ride from central Copenhagen, sits a restaurant that feels more like a direct flight to Northern Italy. Alto Palato is steeped in passion, care, tradition and respect. The restaurant prides itself on its homemade pasta and boasts a rice variety that is among the best in Italy to use for risotto.

The menu follows a typical Italian layout, with antipasti, primi, and secondi courses. It changes daily according to seasonality, though the Italian classics will always find their way on to it, reimagined to suit a Scandinavian climate: at the time of visiting, they had a spaghetti dish with Norwegian lobster and tomatoes on the menu. It was, of course, unapologetically delicious.

The dining room is run by the owners themselves, 2 gentlemen that are as charming and attentive as they are Italian. There are few restaurants like this in Scandinavia that remain authentic while using local produce. Grazie millie to Alto Palato – well worth the train ride.

Alto Palato

Duntzfelts Allé 3
2900 Hellerup

Opening hours:
Mon – Sat: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm

Restaurant Zahida

An authentic Pakistani culinary experience in town, run by Manchester natives Shane and Bobby Affridi. It follows the credo, traditions, and lessons taught by their mother, Zahida. Their only purpose is to provide an authentic Pakistani meal in Copenhagen, just like she taught them.

The brothers proudly claim that no one cooks more at home than Pakistani mothers, but this tradition has been overshadowed by the popularity of Indian cuisine. They aim to change this by bringing authentic Pakistani flavors, friendly service, and killer cocktails to their Copenhagen setting.

The food is delicious and most importantly authentic. They’re not trying to impress of adapt to local, spice averse, palates. They remain true to their roots, using generous amounts of spice to produce flavors with such depth, and that is why the food stands out – we need more diverse restaurants in Copenhagen.

Restaurant Zahida

Rømersgade 20 st
1362 København K

Opening hours:
Lunch
Thu – Sat : 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Dinner
Tue – Sat: 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Baby Babbo

This Italian-inspired eatery is one of the coolest places Copenhagen’s food scene has ever seen. Nestled in the cozy and busy Godthåbsvej in Fredriksberg, Baby Babbo is a down-to-earth, ingredient and natural wine-driven eatery that finds inspiration in Italian cuisine.

In their small kitchen, they produce charcuterie, fresh cheese, and anything that the imagination of the chefs envision.

One dish in particular stood out to me: a pizza with wild Danish mushrooms, stracciatella – the creamier, juicier cousin of mozzarella – and parmesan cheese. It is an explosion of flavor and texture, so simple yet so darn tasty.

Baby Babbo

Godthåbsvej 62
2200 Fredriksberg

Opening hours:
Wed – Sat: 9:30 am – 00:00 am
Sun: 9:30 am – 2:30 pm

Tèrra

From the owners of Il Matarello – the pasta shop and lab at Torvehallerne – comes Tèrra. Romans Valerio and Lucy stand behind this project and boy was it a pleasant surprise. Not because there was ever any reason to doubt their food (they are Romans…), but because Tèrra is not a classic Italian restaurant. It is contemporary, innovative, and dare I say unique.

The modern Roman trattoria is on a quiet street between Østerbro and Nørrebro. Upon entering, you’re greeted by friendly Italian staff, an open kitchen, brick walls, a beautiful selection of natural wines, and authentic Italian food reinterpreted in a Scandinavian way.

The wine pairing by Lucy is perfect and the attentive service from the rest of the staff is brilliant – I rarely feel this welcome. Grazie mille!

Tèrra

Ryesgade 65A
2100 Copenhagen

Opening hours:
Thu – Sat: 5:30 pm – 00:00 am

District Tonkin 

One of Copenhagen’s best loved and authentic restaurants in town, District Tonkin brings a bit of Hanoi street food culture life to Denmark.  Now with a brand-new and massive second location at Store Kongensgade, there are three floors of vibrantly-colored neon signs and a unique, cool vibe.  And the food, oh dear, the food! Bold Vietnamese flavors, spicy and fresh. 

Whether you want the dishes that tend to be best-known in Copenhagen (either the Bahn Mi or the Pho), or you want to dig in a tad more with the rest of the menu that ranges from salads to dumplings, District Tonkin is a must-visit for anyone in Copenhagen.

District Tonkin 

Store Kongensgade 71
 1460 Copenhagen K  

Opening Hours: 
Sun – Wed 11:00 am – 9:30 pm
Thu – Sat 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
 

Flavour Bastards

When Maria, the food blogger behind Vanlose Blues, told me she was going to open a plant-based spot in Nørrebro, I was almost as excited as it if was my own.

Considering she’s one of the best food bloggers in Copenhagen, it should come as no surprise that Flavour Bastards has already gotten plenty of attention, but it is beyond well-deserved. Maria and partners have created a unique concept in Copenhagen: an all-day eatery serving delicious plant-based food from cocktail lover’s Lúlú bar, and all on one of Nørrebro’s hottest streets – Ravnsborggade.

They search for the best of the best in terms of ingredients and with creativity, passion, confidence, and influences from different world cuisines, have created a menu that covers brunch, lunch, and dinner with solely delicious food. Pay them a visit sooner than later, you are in for a treat.

Flavour Bastards

Ravnsborggade 12 D
2200 Copenhagen

Opening hours:
Wed – Fri: 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sat – Sun : 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Gola Cph

If you have been to Rome and are familiar with this concept, then you will be forever grateful that Gola now exists in Copenhagen. Pizzaiolos Antonio and Giovanni are serving up Roman-style pizza – rectangle slices on a focaccia-style dough – from their intimate digs on Rantzausgade. Amazing ingredients, history, and technique define the flavors of their pizzas and street-food favorite, supplí.

Drop-in and indulge in delicious pizzas and natural wines. La dolce vita, baby.

Gola Cph

Rantzausgade 47
2200 Copenhagen

Opening hours:
Tue – Thu: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Fri: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sat: 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Garbanzo

I don’t need fussy words to describe this cozy pita joint.  The menu is simple, with both homemade pita bread and a bowl options, and a choice of five different fillings or toppings that include chicken, flank steak, lamb, falafel, or halloumi.

After indulging at Garbanzo, you’ll feel full but not uncomfortably stuffed. Halloumi fries, sweet potato fries, or potato fries are all worth the extra indulgene. If you need a quick bite, this is the place for you.

Garbanzo 

Sværtegade 3
 1118 København K

Opening hours: 
Mon – Sun: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Copenhagen Cafes and Bakeries

April Coffee Roasters

In less than six months, April Coffee’s first direct-to-consumer coffee bar has quickly become a neighborhood favorite. The Copenhagen-based micro-roaster has long wanted to create a space that feels welcoming to traditional wholesalers and caffeine enthusiasts alike.

“Prior to this year, we’ve had a growing customer base internationally,” explains Joseph Nathaniel Fisher Budge, Head of Production, Media & Sales for April Coffee Roasters. “[Now] we have a place where we can invite people to better understand [our coffee] and how we work.”

April Coffee’s self-proclaimed “coffee showroom” is tucked away on Ryesgade – a pleasant, residential street that runs parallel to Copenhagen’s Lakes. The charming coffee-bar-cum-boutique blends minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic with handmade accents from Korea and Japan.

There’s no set menu at April Coffee – an intentional choice that reinforces their showroom concept. “[This allows us] to be more curated in the sense that we’re choosing the [beans] that we think are brewing the best at the time,” Joseph adds. “Seasonally, [the coffee is much] more interesting to present and from a quality perspective we’ve found it to be much better.”

Single estate East African and South American beans feature prominently in shop, and can be purchased in bags, capsules or as a filter drip pack. The compostable, single-filter drip has an innovative free-standing design, that it makes it the perfect gift for the on-the-go caffeine addict in your life. Of course, you can also get a cup of coffee carefully brewed by one of April’s in-house baristas. We recommend the espresso-based beverage with warmed, fresh milk that’s delivered directly to April from Søtoftes biodynamic farm.

Coffee Collective

The sixth location of the award-winning microroaster, Coffee Collective, opened just two months ago to quiet fanfare. “We had hoped to open with a big party,” says co-founder Klaus Thomsen, “however, due to corona restrictions, we decided to just open the doors and then put something special on the grinder.”

The gorgeous, new coffee bar, with a direct view of Sankt Hans Torv, has the same Nordic charm that the Danish third-wave coffee powerhouse has become known for. It also features a sleek Modbar – an invisible, under-the counter espresso machine that continues to revolutionize the style of the coffee industry. “[The idea] was to design a ‘samtalekøkken’ [conversation kitchen], where the customer and barista could engage,” explains Coffee Collective’s Marketing and Communications Specialist Signe Hansen. “We wanted the space to feel inclusive, whatever [the kind of] coffee you like.”

Of the all the Coffee Collective locations, Sankt Hans Torv was the most sustainably built. Renovations incorporated aesthetic ambitions, as well as environmental considerations around construction methods and materials. “Our goal is to be fully sustainable,” Signe adds. “We want [Coffee Collective to be] net zero by 2022.”

In addition to a wide-range of espresso-based beverages and pour overs, home-brewing equipment, roasted beans and buttery Meyers pastries, you can also find cans of Coffee Collective’s refreshingly effervescent coffee kombucha – the latest product from their years-long collaboration with Læsk, an organic kombucha company out of northern Zealand.

Be sure to ask about the recently rebranded coffee subscription options. Coffee Collective offers two kinds, both with exclusive beans not available in the stores.

Coffee Collective

Sankt Hans Torv 3
2200 København N

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sat & Sun 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

April Coffee Roasters

In less than six months, April Coffee’s first direct-to-consumer caoffee bar has quickly become a neighborhood favorite. The Copenhagen-based micro-roaster has long wanted to create a space that feels welcoming to traditional wholesalers and caffeine enthusiasts alike.

Single estate East African and South American beans feature prominently in shop, and can be purchased in bags, capsules or as a filter drip pack. (The compostable, single-filter drip has an innovative free-standing design, that it makes it the perfect gift for the on-the-go caffeine addict in your life.) Of course, you can also get a cup of coffee carefully brewed by one of April’s in-house baristas. My personal favorite, an espresso-based beverage with warmed, fresh milk that’s delivered directly to April from Søtoftes biodynamic farm.

Following the new COVID regulations implemented by Danish government, April Coffee is open for coffee and pastries to-go. You can also support April Coffee by purchasing a monthly coffee subscription.

April Coffee

Ryesgade 86A
2100 Østerbro 

Opening Hours:
Weds – Fri 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Sat & Sun 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Hart Brød & Bar

The second location of Richard Hart’s decadent bakery opened last weekend at Strandgade 108, at the former location of The Corner at 108, and the baked goods are as excellent as you would expect.

“We have seized the opportunity to open a new place and are really looking forward to it. Just like in Frederiksberg, we will offer sourdough bread, rye bread and pastry to the local community” said Hart of the somewhat sudden move.

For innercity residents, it’s surely a welcome one, as artisanal bakeries with cult-like followings have so far clustered in the outer edges of Copenhagen – Østerbro, Nørrebro, Refshaleøen, etc.

For those bereft by the loss The Corner’s wines, however, there’s good news: Hart Brød & Bar is a bakery-cum-café-cum-bar, with coffee, boards of charcuterie and glasses of wine to take you from the morning pastry run to 9 pm on a Sunday inhaling sardines with slabs of bread. Hart collaborated with Noma’s sommelier on a wine list that’s small but perfect, while working on his own tea-infused cocktail list that pays tribute to his British upbringing.

The charcuterie boards come with healthy portions of saucisson, tinned sardines and anchovies, wedges of cheese, and literally a loaf of Hart’s famous sourdough bread (I ate half a loaf in one sitting. I’m not even sorry.) The only negative? No cornichons.

It’s a relaxed and intimate spot, easy to while away a few hours in after picking up your loaf for the week, though it’s sure to shine brightest when summer rolls around again and the city’s residents descend upon waterside locations like wine-drinking walruses.

Hart Brød & Bar

Strandgade 108
1401 København

Opening hours:
Mon – Sun: 8 am – 10 pm

Depanneur

“Dep,” as it’s affectionately known by its regulars, is a design-driven convenience store, cafe and bar founded in 2014 in Nørrebro, characterized by its products which have been developed in-line with the charming and eclectic items typically found on convenience store shelves in Italy or Portugal, like tinned sardines and vermouth, plus all the best Scandinavian design pieces.

Their newest (and largest) location on Rantzausgade combines a bagel bakery with a wine bar to bring you vibes, beautiful interiors, super friendly service, and all the best food and drink you’ve come to expect from the Dep.

Their bagels are chewy and generously filled with salmon, cream cheese, jam, or anything else you’d expect to find on a bagel. You can enjoy one over coffee or natural wine in the newly renovated space, or take a freshly baked bunch home to eat over a weekend.

Depanneur

Rantzausgade 36
2200 København

Opening hours:
Mon – Wed: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thur – Fri: 7:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sun: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Grums

The latest addition – and a great one at that – to Copenhagen’s specialty coffee scene. Located in the heart of Nørrebro, just a few steps from Runddel.

Madeline and Mathilda, its friendly founders, have created a small coffee universe where, naturally, coffee is the center around which homemade, organic food orbits. They keep things simple and opt for quality over quantity. Simple is best afterall.

The space is hyggeligt and the crowd is as international as Nørrebro itself. Danish classics like morgenbolle are available, plus tasty avocado toast, skyr, freshly squeezed juices, and the heavenly all-butter croissant from Il Buco.

Grums

Nørrebrogade 161
2200 Copenhagen

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 7:30 am – 8:00 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm

Copenhagen Takeaway

YAM

British-Jamaican chef Kai Semple is bringing delicious takeaway to Copenhagen with his Caribbean food concept, YAM. Semple had trouble finding the kind of Caribbean food he desired in the Danish capital, so he decided to provide it himself. Semple launched YAM in March of 2019 as a catering and event business and only recently began offering takeaways.

Once a week, YAM opens for takeaway orders on a single day of Semple’s choosing: order the jerk chicken or vegan jerk (plantain-stuffed vegan mince balls) with rice ‘n peas. You better be quick because he sells out almost immediately. Each dish is 150 DKK, including delivery in Copenhagen, and is delivered hot to your door by the chef himself. It’s the best takeaway dish in Copenhagen, full stop, and you gotta try it.

Takeaway is available every Monday from January 2021. To order yours, follow @yamcph on Instagram and send a direct message. You can also place an order by emailing [email protected].