Where to eat in Copenhagen: 5+1 places to enjoy local food

Copenhagen is one of the priciest European capitals, and its restaurants are no exception. However, I was delighted by the quality of the food in Denmark’s capital, and despite its cost, I’m happy I dined at some of the city’s nicest eateries. There’s no lack of places to dine or lunch in town, but if you’re wondering where to eat in Copenhagen, you should be ready to spend extra cash.

Unless you come from another Scandinavian country, you should expect to pay double or even triple what you’d pay in a restaurant in your home country. However, for food lovers and people who believe that local cuisine is integral to traveling, Copenhagen offers countless options to satisfy you.

In the following lines, you’ll read about the places I enjoyed eating the most in Copenhagen; I call them places because not all of them are restaurants. Moreover, despite the city’s elevated costs, this article will reveal some options for eating in Copenhagen on a budget. Lastly, you’ll also see my photos and what I paid for when I visited them.

So, let’s start with the places to eat like a local in Copenhagen and what to expect from them.

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Where to eat in Copenhagen: 5+1 addresses for a local Danish cuisine experience

On my journey to Copenhagen, I focused mainly on traditional Danish cuisine. Although new Nordic cuisine, expressed by restaurants like Noma, seems to be the city’s hottest food topic, I thought of having a more traditional experience. Of course, in the following five places, you have the option to taste modern dishes with a twist; however, you won’t find Michelin-starred restaurants.

Instead, this article is all about places to eat in Copenhagen like a local. Lastly, to further expand your Scandinavian culinary horizons and embrace the Hygge concept, consider going on a food tour like this one.

Judie restaurant

Judie became instantly one of my go-to places for lunch in Copenhagen. Located on an old boat in colorful Nyhavn, it offers a unique dining experience. From its minimal interior, Nyhavn’s colored houses will accompany you throughout your stay. Judie is famous among locals, and booking a table is recommended, especially if you’d like to have a table by the window.

Denmark and Smørrebrød are interconnected, and at Judie’s, you’ll find some of the city’s best open-faced sandwiches. There’s a wide variety of Smørrebrød on the menu, and if undecided, there’s also a Chef’s menu. One thing to keep in mind is that Judie is open between 11:30 and 5 pm, so that’s a place to have lunch in Copenhagen, not dinner.

We tried four different Smørrebrød at Judie, all of which were equally delicious. I have a hard time picking just one, but if I’m forced to, I’d say that the Smørrebrød with eggs, mayo, fennel, crispy rye bread, and shrimp was probably my favorite. Together with four glasses of wine, the price for two people was 955 DKK. This roughly translates to 130 euros or 140 $.

The restaurant’s address is Nyhavn 26, and you can see Judie on Google Maps here.

Cold Feet restaurant

Well, that’s not exactly a restaurant, but that’s how it defines itself. In fact, that’s the humblest place to eat in Copenhagen, but I can assure you it’s tasty and relatively cheap. Cold Feet is a hotdog cantine at the Town Hall Square, and it’s ideal for a quick bite. Due to its central location and the extended opening hours, Cold Feet is there to save you when you are hungry late at night or just feel like chewing something before you continue walking or cycling.

I found the Ristet hotdog to be delicious, and you have the option to add toppings. Although a Danish hotdog is not exactly the definition of a Scandinavian fine dining restaurant, the truth is that its taste is great, and it can save you some cash. Most of the Cold Feet hotdogs cost 40 DKK, which translates to 4 euros or 5 $. If you’re hungry, you’ll probably need a second one (or even a third), but it will still be a cheap street food option in Copenhagen.

You can see the Cold Feet joint on Google Maps here.

Kronborg restaurant

I was really curious to try Kronborg restaurant. Located just off the busy Strøget, it is one of the oldest buildings in town, dating back to the 17th century. Kronborg offers traditional Danish cuisine in a cozy environment. It feels charmingly old-fashioned, and the food it serves is delicious. As it’s the rule in Copenhagen, you can find -of course!- Smørrebrød but also a variety of other dishes. They also have a selected wine list; if you can afford the cost, I recommend ordering a bottle.

Since Smørrebrød became instantly our favorite dish, that’s what we also tried at Kronborg. The Kronborg’s gravlax with sweet lime cream and the Vet’s Midnight Snack, consisting of pickled meat, liver paté, red onions, cress, and meat jelly, were the ones I chose. Both had strong but highly enjoyable tastes. For four Smørrebrød dishes, a chocolate cake, and a bottle of red wine, we paid 1300 DKK, which is approximately 175 euros or 189 $.

And here’s a fun fact about Kronborg: outside the men’s restroom, you will see a cannonball. England bombed the building, and it’s one of the few that survived.

An extra plus of Kronborg is that it stays open until late—it won’t shut down before 11 p.m., sometimes even later. You can see Kronborg on Google Maps here.

Restaurant Tight

On the last evening in Copenhagen, we decided to visit Restaurant Tight. Kronborg has elevated our expectations, and we wanted to see if another restaurant could stand next to its level. Restaurant Tight is also conveniently located just off the main shopping street. However, it expands on three levels and has a bar. Its interior is more modern, and this is also reflected in its cuisine. Tight is all about modern Danish cuisine -but, of course, if you are up for Smørrebrød, you’ll also find it here.

The appetizer I ordered introduced me straight to Tight’s tastes. I ordered hand-peeled shrimp on roasted focaccia with white asparagus emulsion, wakamee, and apples; it was super tasty. Then, I had the equally delicious stag venison thick roast fillet as a main dish, with pommes Dauphinoise, Madeira reduction, Hokkaido puré, and salad with lingonberries.

Overall, Tight stood easily next to Kronborg, and we were delighted by those two choices. Obviously, these two were also the priciest eateries we chose to eat in Copenhagen, but we never regretted it. At Restaurant Tight, two appetizers, two main dishes, a bottle of wine, and an apple and blueberry crumble for dessert cost us 1350 DKK, which translates to 180 euros or 195 $.

You can see Restaurant Tight on Google Maps here.

Torvehallerne Food Market

If you want to eat in Copenhagen like a local, your best option is to visit one of the city’s food markets. That’s the place to buy fresh ingredients if you’d rather cook at your Airbnb or flat rental or enjoy food on-site. Danes hang out very often at the markets, and there’s a good reason for that. Apart from being a nice spot to socialize, food markets offer delicious food that’s not as pricey as restaurants.

The Torvehallerne is located north of the city center and halfway to Copenhagen Lake. Visiting is one of the most local things to do in Copenhagen, and it is definitely worth a stop. Even if you’re not hungry, there are several places to enjoy a cup of coffee or one of the delicious Danish cakes.

By now, you already know that I have a thing for Smørrebrød, and that’s what I had shortly before leaving Copenhagen. Various food stalls are inside the market, and every dish looks delicious. I stopped by the Hallernes Smørrebrød, and although they weren’t Kronborg’s or Judie’s level, I found them satisfying, especially the one with the avocado. The serving is much simpler, as you can see in the photo, and the wine glasses are plastic. Four Smørrebrød and two glasses of wine cost 445 DKK, which is almost 60 euros or 65 $.

As you can see, this is not exactly a cheap option for eating in Copenhagen, yet it is more affordable than the restaurants. You can see the Torvehallerne on Google Maps here.

The Louisiana Museum Cafe

My plus-one selection of the best places to eat in Copenhagen is the Louisiana Art Museum Cafe. I added it as a plus because a) it is not in the Copenhagen city center and b) you are mainly there to enjoy Scandinavia’s most fascinating museum. If you are an art lover with a passion for local food, the Louisiana Cafe is a great place to enjoy both. Seeing world-famous art and enjoying lunch are among the top things on every journey.

Since Louisiana is approximately an hour outside the city center, having lunch at the museum sounds like a must. My advice is to enjoy the museum and not rush through its halls. Make it an immersive experience, and enjoy seeing art before slowing down at the cafe.

Despite the number of visitors, the cafe has enough space to accommodate everyone. Grab the menu, and the waiter will take your order when you decide. We had two dishes for lunch: the hot Faroese salmon and the Beetroot tartare with pickled sea buckthorn. They both were tasty and offered us a glimpse into new Nordic cuisine. Since it was early, we drank two glasses of sparkling water. However, shortly before leaving, we stopped again at the cafe for two espressos and two cakes so that I could add everything to the bill.

For the dishes above and drinks, we paid in total 600 DKK, which is 80 euros or 87 $. I believe that if we had two appetizers and some wine instead of sparkling water, we would have paid approximately what we paid at Kronborg or Tight.

You can see the Louisiana Cafe here.

Food in Copenhagen: My overall experience and 5 tips

I was delighted by the food in Copenhagen. While, as you can see, everything was expensive, I enjoyed very much visiting the city’s restaurants and immersing myself in Danish cuisine. Although it’s already a couple of weeks past my journey, the food in Copenhagen exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend visiting some restaurants on the list if you can afford the cost. Yes, they are costly, but they’ll surely make an impression.

Five tips about eating in Copenhagen

So, in the last section about where to eat in Copenhagen, I have five tips I believe you should consider.

1. Don’t leave Copenhagen without tasting Smørrebrød. I believe you already know how much this local delicacy fascinated me. Smørrebrød is a traditional open-faced sandwich consisting of a piece of buttered rye bread; it is always served with toppings, including pieces of meat and fish, cheese, vegetables, and other garnishes.
2. In Copenhagen, you can pay everywhere by card. If you decide to do so, choose the latter when asked if you want to pay in DKK or your local currency. There will always be a commission, but leaving your bank to handle that is better.
3. The tip is not included. The service in Copenhagen’s restaurants was top-class everywhere, and everyone was lively and polite. If you are happy with the service, make sure to tip accordingly. The standard 10% tip is expected, but the amount is up to you.
4. Always reserve a table. Copenhagen’s restaurants are busy, so booking a table in advance is always recommended. If you show up without a reservation, make sure to have an alternative or two in mind.
5. Book a food tour. You can also book a food tour if you’d like to taste everything the city offers. Those tours are great ideas because they combine guided walks and food tastings in various places. That said, you can enjoy various local dishes in one strike while sightseeing. The food tours I suggest are this one and this one.

Where to eat in Copenhagen: conclusion

The 5+1 places to eat in Copenhagen I described above should have given you a good idea of what to expect food-wise when visiting Denmark’s capital. Despite being a pricey city, Copenhagen is generous with first-time and returning visitors. Talking about the food, you should expect fantastic tastes that come at a price. As you can see, a starter, a main dish, and something to drink can easily cost 80 euros/dollars, so if you are visiting the city on a budget, make sure to keep an eye on it.

Barbara and I visited Copenhagen after a tough winter and thought of enjoying the city. We never regretted tasting the city’s delicious food and enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the eateries. Sure, as you read in the previous lines, the Copenhagen restaurants come at a price. Therefore, if you can’t do it every day, try to do it at least once during your journey. It will be a lasting memory and something you’ll enjoy in real time in Denmark’s stunning capital.

More about Copenhagen: Copenhagen Canal Tour Review, Nyhavn Guide, The Round Tower

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Last Updated on May 11, 2024 by George Pavlopoulos