Copenhagen, Summer 2015
I always struggle with writing travel posts because writing reviews and recommendations is completely boring. So, I borrowed this format from the wonderful Molly Yeh who writes my favorite blog ever. Food bloggers are the best; thanks for always inspiring me, youz!
Anyway, I loved everything about Copenhagen. Even when I had one of those travel days where I got lost and had to pee and got too hungry to make decisions and just ended up walking miles and then settling on a frozen pizza from the convenience store, I was having a good time. Denmark was cozy and dreamy, even in the beginning of June when people where shedding layers and the sun almost never set.
FYI, it's true that everyone in Scandinavia is tall, lovely and stylish. I wanted all of their things from their bikes (so many bikes!), to their street signs, to the tall melty candles all over every bar and restaurant.
My favorite part of Copenhagen was learning the word "hygge." It's pronounced like "HOO-guh" and it means "coziness." You use it to describe bars or restaurants or homes where you want to linger. Isn't that just perfect? Copenhagen was just perfect. And very hygge.
Some Great Spots
Conditori La Glace - An old-school bakery where the cakes are out-of-this-world. Older ladies in adorable aprons take your order and serve your sweets to your table. They have cookies and coffees, but also every cake you could possibly imagine, served up Danish style. Think lots of fruity mousse, marzipan decorations, and perfectly-piled layers of sponge.
Tiger - They just opened up one of these shops in NYC (here they call it Flying Tiger). It's like Ikea, but only for fun little home things like colorful colanders or cute little tea towels. And everything is, like, a buck. Now that I know there's one in NYC, I bid my money farewell!
Nørrebro Bryghus - This super-cool neighborhood has a ton of neat beer bars (we also liked ØLSNEDKEREN a lot and Mikkeller and Friends is a must-go), but this one was less cool-kid, which can be nice, and the food was sooo goood.
Foodshop No. 26 - Our AirBNB was located in the up-and-coming neighborhood called Islands Brygge (by the way, "up-and-coming" in Denmark is, like, completely charming and gorgeous). I stopped at this coffee shop every single morning while we were there. Amazing pastries, coffees and other take-away items. And I definitely recommend a trip to Islands Brygge--hanging out at the seaside park was perf.
Almanak - Snagging a reservation here for our first night was my welp, we don't have a reservation at Noma solution. I'm sure Noma lives up to the hype, but this other new Nordic spot was also yummy and in the nicest location, with windows all around and the river right outside. My favorite dish was warm radishes and boiled potatoes in a soft fresh cheese with ramp butter. So good.
Torvehallerne - There are two food hall attractions to check out in Copenhagen. One's called Copenhagen Street Food, on Papirøen, which collects a bunch of cool food trucks in one permanent space. The other is Torvehallerne. I'd compare one to Smorgasburg (Street Food) and the other to Chelsea Market (Torvehallerne). Both totally worth a visit, but I really liked the latter, which was more accessible and great for finding some foodie souvenirs to bring home.
Restaurant Schønnemann - If you're planning on getting some authentic smørrebrød, this is the place... and you should definitely plan on getting some authentic smørrebrød. I got a herring toast and some freshly made pâté with mushrooms and pickled veggies. The waitress told me to get some aquavit too; I listened. Ugh, it was E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
Døp - Did you know that Danes love hot dogs? I had no idea, but they're all over the city in various forms. This, supposedly, is a favorite among locals. Look for the cart right outside the Rundetaarn (also totally fun to visit). It was no Grey's Papaya, but you can't get more Danish than eating one of these while riding a bike. They really do all ride bikes.
