snackin' around: Copenhagen
a run down of all the bites I had in Denmark's capital
hey hey helloooo,
It’s been quite some time since last we spoke. I’ve missed you guys. I just came from a week in Zakynthos, Greece celebrating my best friend at her wedding. Post wedding I’ve made my way to Copenhagen and the road to get her has been fraught for my weak weak little stomach. A big bummer since I only came here to eat. While the tummy issues have slowed me downbut, they’re not stopping me.
This is my first time really solo traveling. I’ve travelled solo before, but, on quick weekend trips to meet up with friends who show me around town. So, I’m not sure we can really classify that as “solo”. Here I’ve been all on my own- and I think the nerves from that have fed into my upset stomach. Because from San Diego to Greece I was also a big ball of anxious energy and tummy upset. The entire week in Greece with my best friends?? Not a single issue. But, the second I was on my own again? The horrors… they persist.
Regardless, I’m loving Copenhagen. It’s extremely easy to get around on foot or with public transit. And if you’re a proficient bike rider, then yeah by bike as well but, I haven’t ridden a bike since I was 12?? I didn’t think this bikecentric city was the place to try and pick back up on that. I also really do enjoy seeing a city on foot as much as I can. You notice more of things you’d normally zip by on a bus or a bike. The architecture here absolutely stuns. Theres tons of green spaces and parks to walk through and it’s so lush and feels invigorating.
I will say though, you can get a 72 hour city pass for the metro. I got the one the covers all zones for about $70 USD and you can hop on and off to get all over very easily. The metro in CPH is so so so so easy to take, I don’t think I ever waited more than 4 minutes for a train to come, and then from station to where I needed to be was only ever max a 10-15 minute walk away. Copenhagen has public transit down *cries in southern californian whose nearest bus stop is a 40 minute walk away*
OOps- started writing this in Copenhagen so now I write and reflect a little fonder back in San Diego. Basically, I loved Copenhagen. But, I think you really need 2 maybe 3 days max to see it all. But, I’m also not a big see museums, do it ALL kinda girl. I will say though, if you choose the shorter trip route plan to go later in the week- Wednesday through Saturday. I flew in on Sunday morning and left almost exactly 72 hours later on Wednesday morning and a good handful of the bakeries and restaurants I wanted to visit were closed Sun/Mon or Mon/Tues OR Sun-Tues… So, maybe I’m eating my words and you do need more than 3 days in town? But, now I have a reason to go back, because I couldn’t make it to Lille Bakery.
Before heading out on this trip- I did take to Instagram to ask where y’all though I needed to eat/visit. I complied everyone’s suggestions onto this Apple Maps Guide for ya. BUT, I will not take responsibility if you go and the recc was ass. Alright, the only places I can speak for are the ones to follow!!!
Remember, these are NOT city guides- just recaps and thoughts of everything I ate. So like, they are not formatted to be the “best way to see the city” they kinda actually end up having up bopping back and forth between similar parts of town because I’m just a bop about kinda traveller.
DAY ONE:
Andersen & Maillard, Multiple Locations
The cardamom bun from here was def my fave from the handful I tried during my time here. Back home- I tend to stray away from ordering cardamom buns- they’re usually a let down here, kinda tough and kinda dry. Idk, maybe you can recommend me a place here worth trying but, I digress. The cardamom bun from Andersen and Maillard was incredibly soft and super flavorful. It was a little juicy on the bottom from the sugars melting.
The pistachio cube was… kinda meh to me. The texture of the pistachio custard was lovely but the flavor was extremely lacking to me. Also, low key can we put the croissant cube to rest?? It’s just not the optimal eating experience.
Their plain croissants were also, just fine to me. On the softer side with a nice crumb and flavor. A good croissant yes, just not my ideal. So, I could see their pastries relying heavily on fillings/glazes to be the star.
Østerberg, Multiple Locations
I got a scoop of their black sesame nougat ice cream. A very nutty flavor. The ice cream is swirled with nougat that has whole black sesame seeds studded throughout- which gives a nice textural contrast. The consistency of their ice creams is very smooth and creamy- not too icy. If I wasn’t freezing from the rain I probably would have gotten a second scoop because I really did enjoy the ice cream :)
Cafe Phenix, Multiple locations
By this point in my day I was hopped up on sugar, a severe lack of sleep and the trauma of a harrowing travel day, so I was in dire need of a real meal. So, walking back to the hotel I popped into the first place I saw. You know a place is a winner when the shots are priced in multiples of 10. YUP. 10 apple cake shots. 285 DKK. Licor 43, apple juice and whipped cream. Despite being a very enticing offer… I went with the pasta con carne instead. Penne paste in a white wine pepper cream sauce with tenderloin tips. The sauce to pasta ratio was high, a ton of sauce.Which is fine because it’s served with pita which is great for sopping up everything up- kinda. The beef was pretty tender but unseasoned. It’s not a place I think I’d ever recommend outright , unless you’re a. looking for shots by the gallon or b. moderately desperate for a warm meal.
DAY TWO:
Nordic Roasting Co, Amagerbro
As fuel for my walk to Hart I obviously neeed a croissant and a latte to get the day started. The latte was really solid, really good espresso. Smooth and creamy, fruit notes (that’s about as head ass as I’ll be about describing coffee). I also got a plain croissant, I wasn’t expecting much buuut I do have to eat with my coffee otherwise, well, it’s not a good look. It was small and heavy so I didn’t have high hopes for it. But, damn did she prove me wrong. It was very flakey, with and intense buttery flavor. And this is gonna maybe sound crazy to most of you- but will be understood by a handful of you (my freaking people) but, also had a very nice bread flavor. Not croissanty but like bread flavor. A very specific bread form my childhood that came in a orange plastic bag. Whatever… it tasted like that bread. Kind of an underdog because I was not expecting much out of it, but she surprised me.
Hart Bageri, Multiple Locations- 11 to be exact which, I think might be excessive for a city that is just shy of 70 square miles
I was told the cardamom croissant is *thee* thing to get here and not wrong. I could taste the cardamom before the croissant even hit my tongue. It’s incredibly airy and not too sweet at all. If you go, I highly recommend one of these makes it into your order.
The plain croissant was good, on the softer side and lightly flakey. I will say after having the croissant from Nordic Roasting Co earlier they kinda set a precedent for how buttery I wanted the rest of the croissants to be and this one didn’t live up to that, but still a very solid croissant.
I also got the chocolate hazelnut cake which was dense and almost brownie like with a thick layer of caramel and a whipped milk chocolate mousse on top. Definitely on the sweeter side, and needed like the faintest bump of salt to balance it out. I did leave wishing it had more of a hazelnutty crunchy component. But still bodied the whole thing in three and a half bites.
Poulette, Nørrebro
I got the chicken sandwich combo. The chicken filet was mostly breading but the actual bit of chicken that was tucked in there was juicyyyyy. Tons of pickles which I very much appreciate as a pickle lover. A sweet pickle which was a nice cold contrast in the heat in both regards. Because not only was the chicken ripping hot, it’s kinda spicy. I know they say it’s spicy but usually “spicy” things aren’t spicy enough for me but this baddie had a kick to it. The fries were also tossed in the same spice blend and like.. meh wish they weren’t? I think it’s like a touch too much especially when you want a little reprieve from the spice of the sandwich. Definitely worth going to. Bonus is that there’s also an andersen & maillard location right next door.
DAY THREE:
Juno the Bakery, Østerbro
I got in line at Juno around 10:30 by 11:05 I made it to the door and at 11:15 I was at the counter to order. The thing about me? I’m not waiting in a 45 minute long line to just get one or two pastries- at that point I gotta get the whole damn menu okay!! And I did exactly that, one of each available pastry (basically, one per ten minutes spent in line).
The cardamom bun, very soft and buttery, I feel like leaning into briochey territory. But, still has a good bite to it, not melt in your mouth soft. I felt the cardamom had was less of an in your face intensity, it’s a creeping flavor that becomes stronger with every bite. I think this was my fave card bun of the trip.
The almond croissant was like sopping wet in syrup but somehow not overbearingly sweet- just wet and sticky. Covered in a thick, very almondy frangipane. Which I personal prefer, sometimes an almond croissant isn’t almondy enough for me! Would prob skip though if I was really narrowing down my options.
The pistachio frangipane tart came in this ultra thin and delicate pastry shell. Had a nice pistachio flavor and you know what? I love pear in a pastry, I need more respect to be put on the humble pear ok. All that hype up just to say that I would skip if I were just going on favorites ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now, the apple brioche? Yeaaaah, this was my number one pastry *from a bakery* the entire trip. The bottom layer had caramelized into a delicate, crispy, crunchy layer ugh. Impossibly tender and light, like air. Butter flavored air. I need to see more brioche feuilletée PLEASE. Enough croissant, start laminating more brioche- it’s elite. My only gripe is I wish the pastry has more apple. That’s it, my only note.
Kinda unfair for me to have the plain croissant after the brioche. Because after that, the plain croissant was just fine to me. light and flakey, as a croissant should be. But, she’s no brioche feuilletée. :/
Ristet Dog, uh- kinda everywhere.
Some of y’all will know I was fiendin’ for a hot dog. So, I tried a Ristet dog from one of the many carts around town. The first cart I saw getting off at Kongens Nytorv. They put 3 sauces on that bad boy- mustard, ketchup AND remoulade. Then it gets onions two ways- fresh and fried. finally some pickles. The sausage itself is thin and long, it’s fried up on the griddle. The snap on it? DELICIOUS. SO SNAPPY AND CRONCHY. This hit the spot and I’m SO SAD I only ate one during this trip.
CIBO, Amager Strandpark
I walked by this place on my way back to my hotel so many times that it piqued my interest. I had run into a couple of friends who were staying in the same area, they had eaten there the day before and had this to say: “surprisingly good pizza”. Consider me sold. I got the ‘nduja (which ya know, when i see ‘nduja on a menu… i’m getting it). The pizza was topped with mozz, ‘nduja, ricotta, cherry tomatoes and arugula. All I gotta say… surprisingly good pizza. Normally I hate a hot… cooked…tomato but it was not the worst thing here. The crust was solid and like they give a generous amount of ‘nduja. If you’re in the area, def worth the stop and a nice spot to people watch from.
Thus concludes everything I ate in Copenhagen. Oh except, I was feeling bold before the AM flight and got a spicy tunacado from Joe and the Juice. Not sure if that was worth adding. But, it was fun to learn Joe and the Juice originated in Copenhagen. Ugh the bread on their sandwiches always hits.
Anywhoooo, Next week I’ll have London up for ya!
Till then, let me know if you’ve been to any of the spots above and what you though of them!!
I need that dog right now! Dying to take a trip there, looks lovely!