Food in Copenhagen: 10 Must-Try Danish Dishes

“Let’s go out for Danish food” isn’t something you typically hear, however Denmark is really a foodie destination. The food in Copenhagen is steeped in tradition as well as history, however for the last decade, it’s been undergoing a revolution.

Innovative chefs create modern dishes with ancient ingredients as well as fuse cuisines across cultures while embracing sustainability.

We’ve lived in Denmark considering that 2017 as well as although we aren’t Danish, we’ve learned a lot about the food in Copenhagen.

Danes only dine out for special occasions or to meet treasured friends, so the restaurant experience is professional as well as memorable.

Copenhagen has the most Michelin stars of any type of city in Scandinavia however maintains a lively street food scene. even some top restaurateurs have opened food trucks.

In Denmark, you will see how tradition as well as advancement come together to create an amazing culinary adventure. take pleasure in our recommendations on things to eat in Copenhagen!

Table of Contents
Denmark Food culture as well as History
10 Tasty Foods to eat in Copenhagen
Best Food excursions in Copenhagen
Drinks in Copenhagen
Now You know What To eat in Copenhagen

Denmark Food culture as well as History

Geography is destiny, as well as the food in Copenhagen genuinely reflects this.

Denmark is a small, flat country in northern Europe with no point a lot more than 50 km from the sea. The Danish realm, now as well as historically, stretches north to the Arctic — additionally shaping its food.

Denmark is a country of fascinating contradictions. It’s a progressive country with deep traditions.

It’s is a collectivist society, however people maintain few, yet deep relationships. It’s a homogeneous culture comprised of people who are natural explorers. 

All of which is reflected in the food.

Traditional Danish Cuisine

Historically, Denmark was a country of small farms as well as fishing villages. Danes salted as well as cured food to survive the long winters. Fish was the main protein, especially from the Baltic or North seas.

Dietary staples included root vegetables as well as hearty grains that can prosper in a short growing season. Today, standard Danish foods like pickled herring, cured beetroot, as well as rye bread come from the climate as well as geography of Denmark.

In the 19th century, three major changes came that had major impacts on the food of Denmark.

First, population growth required a lot more food as well as extra farms. Farmers reclaimed hilly land that could not support grains as well as now planted potatoes, which thrived in the rocky soil.

Second, increases in global grain production made small Danish farms unable to compete. since of this, farmers shifted to raising livestock like dairy cows as well as pigs.

Third, the industrialization of agriculture forced small farms to develop cooperatives, leading to the construction of dairies as well as slaughterhouses.

The Danish national dish of stegt flæsk, fried pork belly, represents all three elements of these changes.

Modern brands like Arla Foods, Lurpak butter, as well as Danish Crown bacon all have their origins in this period. In Copenhagen, lots of of the former slaughterhouses are now high-end restaurants in the city’s popular Meat packing neighborhood.

The food in Copenhagen brilliantly reflects Denmark’s geography as well as its history with an eye on advancement as well as the future.

Modern Danish Food in Copenhagen

In 2004, Danish chefs led a movement to fuse the historic as well as standard foods with modern culinary techniques. They developed the new Nordic Cuisine.

New Nordic focuses on local as well as seasonal foods from natural as well as sustainable agriculture. The defining experience of a new Nordic meal is the flavour of core ingredients with a simple, yet gorgeous presentation.

The a lot of popular example of this movement is the restaurant Noma, four times named the “best restaurant in the world”. lots of think about Noma as the vanguard of the new Nordic movement.

Noma is priced out of reach for a lot of visitors to Copenhagen, however there are dozens of Michelin star as well as rated new Nordic restaurants in Copenhagen.

Each one uses extraordinary examples of this modern Danish cuisine.

10 Tasty Foods to eat in Copenhagen

While there are lots of amazing meals to try on your trip to Copenhagen, these are the 10 best!

1. Experience an inexpensive new Nordic Meal

Out of all the things to eat in Copenhagen, you absolutely need the experience of a new Nordicmeal.

The cuisine originated at Noma, however they are booked months in advancement as well as the meal can cost over $1,000 per couple. Luckily, there are budget-friendly alternatives for a new Nordic dinner.

New Nordic restaurants will have a fixed or set menu, as well as you cannot customize or change the dishes.

Your only real option is if you would like an appetizer, normally called chef’s snacks, as well as what to drink. It’s typical for each course to have an accompanying white wine selection.

Many of the dishes will consist of unfamiliar herbs, vegetables, as well as seeds. You may have dishes with celeriac juice, dill, smoked cream cheese, ramsons, or lingonberry — just opt for it.

These local ingredients create the flavours that define new Nordic cuisine, even if they stretch your pallet.

To sample new Nordic food in Copenhagen, try restaurant Meille. They have a phenomenal operation headed by former Noma chef, Mads Magnusson.

Restaurant Meille serves inexpensive luxury — you can have a 5-course meal at $60, as well as you won’t forget the experience.

2. Julefrokost, The Danish Christmas Meal

Autumn in Europe indicates altering leaves however likewise changes in the menu items. starting in the fall, restaurant Puk serves Julefrokost, the standard Danish Christmas meal.

Come hungry!

The Julefrokost consists of a curried herring with egg, onion as well as capers, or pickled herring with dill sour cream. next you try smoked salmon with apple as well as horseradish, shrimp with egg, as well as deep-fried plaice with remoulade.

Then you’ll dine on a Danish pate, roasted duck with gravy, roasted pork with red cabbage as well as the Christmas sausage.

Dessert is a Danish rice pudding with cherry sauce as well as a shot of Akvavit, a standard Danish liqueur.

A terrific midrange place to try this meal is restaurant Puk.

It’s housed in a historic building, the former royal Brewhouse, which dates back to 1539. several Danish kings have been regulars at the site as well as you can be too.

Restaurant Puk has an a la carte menu as well as a fixed menu for lunch as well as dinner. Click here to find it on the map.

Copenhagen has a large selection of restaurants claiming to be standard Danish cuisine, however lots of are vacationer traps. A red as well as white checkered table cloth with an antique candle holder does not indicate it’s authentic.

3. Danish-Fusion Food in Copenhagen

The Danish food scene is all about freshness as well as the quality of local ingredients.

This poses a problem if you prepare cuisine using ingredients that originate in other parts of the world. Freshness is paramount, so recipes in Copenhagen are duplicated using local Danish ingredients as well as new Nordic cooking techniques.

One example of this hybrid or fusion idea is BÆST, an organic Italian inspired pizzeria.

They serve pizza with a Danish-style sourdough crust as well as locally sourced cheese, tomatoes, herbs, as well as other ingredients. By using the herb ramson instead of garlic, you get a familiar dish with Scandinavian flavour.

Another place to test this idea is Kiin Kiin, a Michelin star Thai fusion restaurant.

They serve a new Nordic take on Thai cuisine, so Denmark meets Thailand in the kitchen. The result is culinary fusion like a green curry dish with cod as well as a spicy Oriental salad with flounder.

At both BÆST as well as Kiin Kiin, you’ll taste foreign cuisine with a Danish influence as well as new Nordic presentation. If you keep an open mind, you will love the result of these food cultures mixing.

4. try Danish Picnic Food in Copenhagen

You may think a picnic is the same in any type of city, however Copenhagen takes them to the next level.

Picnics are ingrained in the food culture of Denmark, since people love being outside as well as need the extra space.

Public spaces are often the only option for gathering a group of pals larger than 3 people. Copenhagen apartments don’t leave much room for entertaining so people picnic a lot of of the year.

You can expect people to dine outside in parks, gardens, as well as along the waterfronts of the harbour as well as canal system.

Picnics are such an crucial part of Danish culture that some Copenhagen food spots only offer takeaway meals.

Even high-end eateries, like garden Restaurant, offer gourmet picnic baskets for $50-60. They’re located across from The King’s garden as well as they pack tapas, charcuterie, as well as even white wine to take pleasure in your own picnic.

In summer, sunset is well past 9:00pm, so a picnic dinner is the best way to take pleasure in the extra daylight.

5. check out a Pølsevogn, The Danish hot pet dog Stand

It may surprise you, however the humble hot pet dog is one of the most standard Danish street foods in Copenhagen. crowds around the pølsevogen, or hot pet dog wagon, are a typical sight in the city.

The traditional Danish hot pet dog is called røde pølser or red sausage, however there are several varieties to try.

They originated in the early 1900s as meat vendors discovered they could salvage old sausages with red dye. Today the meat is fresh (don’t worry!) as well as makes a best snack or late-night bite.

The best place to try this best street food in Copenhagen is the DØP wagon. They sell organic røde pølser for $5-6 with all the toppings: remoulade, pickles, ketchup, mustard, as well as fried onions.

You can find their wagon just outside of Copenhagen’s round Tower every day. Click here for directions. 

6. Flæskesteg: Denmark’s national Dish

Flæskesteg is the national dish of Denmark, as well as something you need to try when you check out Copenhagen. The meal is roasted pork, prepared using standard Danish culinary methods.

Flæskesteg is a cut of pork broiled with the skin. While preparing the pork, cuts made in the skin are filled with a dry rub of salt, pepper, as well as often cloves.

The skin cooks along with meat resulting in a tasty crackling crust around each slice of pork. To total the meal, it’s served with boiled or butter-sauteed potatoes as well as a white sauce.

Once again, standard food in Copenhagen is basic as well as delicious.

Find out for yourself at one of the best authentic Danish kitchens, Frk. Barnes Kælder, in the Vesterbro neighbourhood. a lot of main dishes, like flæskesteg, will cost $10-12 however it’s tough to get a table without a reservation. Click here for directions to Frk. Barnes Kælder.

7. street Food in Copenhagen

Like any type of food city, the Danish funding has developed a lively food truck as well as street kitchen culture. It just wouldn’t be ideal to check out the city as well as not try the street food in Copenhagen.

The best place to try street food in Copenhagen varies based on the seasons.

From April through October, the best place is Reffen. It’s a Copenhagen institution of organic street food vendors located on picturesque Copenhagen Harbour. Reffen has seating for 2,500 visitors as well as hosts over 40 food stalls as well as bars.

In the wintertime months, the street food moves indoors to food halls.

One of the best in the city is Torvehallerne, two buildings of food stands as well as shops with an organic farmers market in between. It’s an exceptional stop for a cup of coffee, a pint of Danish beer, or a full meal.

8. Flæskesvær, a Tasty Appetizer

If you see flæskesvær on a menu, buy it! It’s served as an appetizer as well as is a delicious, unique, as well as genuinely Danish food.

Flæskesvær originated in the 19th century when Danes were trying to find a way to preserve as well as eat every part of the pork in their diet.

They devised a way for the inedible skin to be cooked down, fried, as well as consumed as a snack. The flæskesvær recipe hasn’t changed since.

The best place to try flæskesvær is at Nose2Tail, a Danish steakhouse located in the hip as well as historic Meat packing District, Kødbyen.

The restaurant derives its name from the method of using every part of the animals it serves. This is just the approach that gave the Danes flæskesvær years ago.

At Nose2Tail you can try delicious flæskesvær on both their a la carte as well as set menus which start around $50. Click here to find the restaurant on the map.

9. Danish Pastries & Bakery Food in Copenhagen

Nothing beats a Danish bakery.

Even basic items, like bread as well as rolls, are re-imagined as well as served in a way you have never experienced. Each item has a time as well as occasion in Danish life as well as bakeries are a cornerstone of Danish food culture.

For Danes, rye bread or rugbrød is king. expect dense loaves of rye bread that are often baked with malt syrup, pumpkin seeds, or whole rye berries.