Most Danes take breakfast at home around a copious breakfast table. This means that many cafés will not be open for brunch/lunch before 10 A.M. But in later years, several places have opened their doors around 8 or 9 A.M.
Among them:
Cafe Europa, Amagertorv 1 Copenhagen K – opens at 8 A.M.
*** Galores, Sankt Hans Torv 30 Copenhagen N – opens at 8 A.M. on weekdays. At 9 A.M. on weekends.
The Coffee Factory, Gothersgade 21, Copenhagen K – opens at 7.30 on weekdays. Saturdays at 9 A.M. Sundays at 12 A.M.
Kaffesalonen, Peblinge Dossering 6 Copenhagen N – opens at 8 A.M. on weekdays. Weekends at 10 A.M.
Coffee at Delores, Frederiksborggade 18 Copenhagen K – opens at 8 A.M. on weekdays, Saturdays at 10 A.M. Sundays closed.
Bang & Jensen, Istedgade 130, 1650 Copenhagen V – opens at 8 A.M. on weekdays, weekends at 10 A.M.
The restaurant kitchens close early at night. Most at 10 P.M., but even 9.30 P.M. is not unusual. This means that Copenhageners go out for dinner at around 7 or 8 P.M., and then they flock to the bars.
Claus Meyer is a famous Danish cook who is passionate about quality products. A few years ago he opened his first delicatesse in Frederiksberg – a fusion of restaurant, grocery store, coffee bar and take-away.
The atmosphere is informal. You sit at big shared tables without cloths – and you have to be prepared for a little self-service. You order and pay at the bar, and when your food is ready, the waiters will serve it at your table. You are rewarded with a quality meal at very reasonable prices.
As a novelty, Meyers Deli has moved into the department store Magasin, Kongens Nytorv 13, Copenhagen K
At the basement level of Magasin you will find Meyers combined deli, coffee bar and diner. All the bread is from their own bakery and all food is entirely home-made.
Meyers Deli, Gammel Kongevej 107
www.meyersmad.dk
Geranium
In the beautiful gardens of Kongens Have, you will find one of Copenhagen’s latest gourmet restaurants. It is not cheap, but if you are going for an exceptional dining experience, this is the place to go.
Geranium is run by Rasmus Kofoed, who has an impressive resume as one of the best and most innovative young chefs in Copenhagen.
As a child, he went to an alternative school and was raised with biodynamic vegetables and an awareness of animal rights. Therefore, you will not find any fat liver from crammed French geese on his menu, highly unusual for a gourmet restaurant. In other words, if you are going for foie gras, it will be in vain. On the other hand, vegetarians will enjoy their green gourmet menu.
The white restaurant in the beautiful park is light and airy, which gives you the impression of sitting outside. The place has the atmosphere of a summerhouse in days gone by, but the furnishing is tight and up-to-date, so there is no doubt that you find yourself in the elite of the new Danish cuisine.
Geranium is expensive. A full course menu costs 738 DKR and a wine menu is the same. So two people should count on a total of 3000 DKR, unless you want to try the unspecified vegetarian menu, which costs 538 DKR.
As the only chef in the world, Rasmus Kofoed possesses two Bocuse d’Or medals - bronze in 2005 and silver in 2007 – the chefs’ world championship. His partner at Geranium is another famous chef, Søren Ledet, also the winner of several awards and with a past at the Danish gourmet restaurant, Noma.
Both are fervent believers in quality products, the products’ history and of course their taste. They are capable of creating precisely the atmosphere of enchantment and seduction, which the location deserves. The concept is to use organic, biodynamical or properly grown products.
For lunch, you can enter Restaurant Geranium through the eastern part of Kongens Have. At night, the park is closed, so you enter at Kronprinsessegade 13, opposite Dronningens Tværgade.
Note: In Denmark, Rasmus Kofoed may be best known as the chef who was fired from the restaurant at the Hotel d’Angleterre, because he thought it was irreconcilable with the cuisine’s ambitions, that they had to serve fried fish and hamburgers.
Restaurant Geranium, Kronprinsessegade 13, Copenhagen K
Closed on Mondays. The kitchen closes at 9.30 P.M.
www.restaurantgeranium.dk
Check out other places for gourmet dining:
www.aok.dk/search?type=grid&flavor_id=2&cw1=42&sort=rankdesc&context=english&histo_name=Gourmet+restaurants
Aamann's
If you are a lover of Danish open sandwiches (the unpronounceable “smørrebrød”) or if you are tempted to try - Aamann's is a good place to go.
At Aamann's they both challenge and respect the old Danish “smørrebrød” traditions. The atmosphere is informal and everything is prepared on the spot.
Aamann's is a deli, a diner and a take-away joint, all in one place. You can get freshly prepared or ready-made “smørrebrød” to take away. Or you can eat at the premises and pay an extra 20%. The selection of “smørrebrød” changes every other month, but among previous suggestions you could find:
Cold-smoked autumn herring with new Danish potatoes, capers, lovage and spring onions tossed in elderberry vinaigrette.
The dainties are of course being served on Aamann’s homemade bread. The cold counter is filled with various delicacies; homemade sausages, venison sausage, pickled beets and other goodies that you can bring home to please your family or yourself, if you appreciate genuine gastronomy and Danish food culture.
Aamann's
Øster Farimagsgade 10, 2100 Copenhagen Ø
www.aamanns.dk
Danish “smørrebrød” – a classic!
“Smørrebrød” means butter (smør) + bread (brød), and is a Danish/Nordic specialty. It consists of a slice of rye bread with a small or large quantity of meat or fish and condiments on top. Some call it an “open sandwich”
The “smørrebrød” was originally just a hunk of bread and butter filled with cheese or sausage. They were brought in a basket to the workers in the fields. The heavily covered “smørrebrød” was invented in the 1880's, where small restaurants appeared in Copenhagen and served only “smørrebrød”.
Various classics among “smørrebrød” even have names: Sol over Gudhjem (Sunny Gudhjem) (rye bread, smoked herring, chives or onion and a raw egg yolk), Dyrlægens natmad (The Vet’s Midnight Snack) (rye bread, liver pâté, veal sausage, onion and gravy) and Stjerneskud (Shooting Star) (white bread, salad, tomato, fried fish, steamed fish, shrimps and caviar).
Remember to treat yourself to a beer along with your “smørrebrød” – and maybe even a Danish schnaps. “Skål!” (Cheers!)
UMAMI - The Copenhagen Nobu!
Friday night, Umami is one of the most funky places to dine in Copenhagen. The fashion crowd, musicians and other creative people crowd on the small leather couches in the booths. If you make a booking, make sure you get a table on the top floor, where all the action takes place.
In regards to interior decoration, Umami is at the level of the top restaurants in London or Barcelona. It is open for lunch and without interruption until the bar closes at 1 P.M. At the long bar on the ground level, you can order a Kirin beer or a Martini cocktail made from gin and lemon grass saké, while the DJ regales with lounge- and jazz music.
Umami offers a groovy list of cocktails. You should try their signature drink “Umami Ginger Passion”, a refreshing mix of ginger, lime, litchi liqueur, passion fruit and shochu, which is a Japanese liquor made from rice or wheat. The taste is slightly milder than vodka. Umami’s wine list offers a good selection of whites and reds, served by the glass as well, and a selection of Champagne, i.e. Bollinger – which comes by the glass as well - Louis Roederer and Krug.
Not only does Umami have a particular menu for Saké – but according to themselves, they carry the largest selection of the Japanese national beverage in Europe. They serve only premium Saké, which is called ginjõ in Japanese and is of the finest category.
Both the sushi and warm Japanese dishes served at Umami have the touch of a French chef. You can celebrate Friday Night Fever with vintage Champagne, sea urchin and Kobe beef from cows that have been raised on beer and massages.
Omakase is the Japanese expression for leaving everything between the hands of the chef, who gets to create the most outstanding meal. If you order the Omakase-menu, you owe yourself the matching wine menu.
UMAMI, Store Kongensgade 59
www.restaurantumami.dk
Lê Lë Nhà Hang
Excellent Vietnamese food. Be prepared to spend a little time in line or waiting at the bar. Enjoy a cocktail or one of Lê Lë’s special lemonades. Yummy…
Once you get a table, your food will be served quickly. The prices are low and the food is very good - a variation of the Vietnamese cuisine, based on the street kitchen tradition. The atmosphere is lively – it is a large dining room with busy waiters, as the restaurant is full almost every day of the year.
We recommend the beef salad and the fresh spring rolls.
Lê Lê Nhà Hang, Vesterbrogade 40
By Mette Lomholdt & Katrine Salomon