Top 3s
Given that I consider eating a hobby, when it struck me that I have yet to write a post about food in Copenhagen I knew what needed to happen next...
Eating out in Copenhagen is far more of an occasion than in New York. When I'm not traveling I make a point of eating at home but I still eat out in Copenhagen far more than the average Dane. What have I learned? That I have a lot more eating to do because the food scene here just doesn't stop. While no doubt this list will change in the future, allow me to share the Top 3 restaurants and Top 3 food items that have been holding rank in 2015.
Top 3 Restaurants:
No. 2
No. 2 might just be my No. 1 restaurant in Copenhagen. What you'd hope that all Copenhagen restaurants would be like (though a smaller price tag would be nice).
No. 2 gazes upon the The Royal Library Extension called the Black Diamond because of the Zimbabwean granite façade. As I sit there enjoying my modern Danish version of a Negroni I imagine how cool it would be to see some photos from when the granite arrived by ship. It was in 1996 so not that long ago.
The food is modern Danish. The menu changes regularly but includes things like shaved ham from the isle of Fanø off the west coast of Denmark, cod pulled from the North Sea outside the windows and sour sea buckthorn gelato for dessert. The other big perk is that No. 2 is in my hood and often has high tables at the bar available without a reservation.
Höst
Höst is also modern Danish but far more affordable than No. 2 and in an intimate yet sophisticated environment compared to No 2 which is falls squarely in the sophisticated category. Höst is a restaurant from the owners of super popular restaurant group Cofoco with eight other restaurants in the city. The interior looks as if it was taken straight out of an catalog for Scandinavian minimalist furniture, the walls are washed white, the tableware rustic and foliage abounds. All this is supposed to make you feel as if you were out on the front porch of a Danish farmhouse that somehow has been transported into the city environment. And it works! The food goes with this theme, focusing on local ingredients and simple preparations. Honestly, I'd go just to eat the beer baked bread but it's the seared Norwegian lobster, juniper-pickled carrots, sea buckthorn, juniper cream and hazelnuts in browned butter that made me recommend Höst to countless times. Still on the 'to do' list is to plan a party at the massive wood table that seats 20 in their basement. The perfect cozy spot for a winter evening.
Osteria 16
Osteria 16 is in Vesterbro, a part of Copenhagen many visitors don't make it to. Plus it's an Italian antipasti restaurant, a type of food most would not prioritize in Copenhagen. Well I'm here to say this place makes magic. The atmosphere is like a big family dinner. The food is simple. You eat what they serve, no menu, no choices but of the four times I've been there now I can't help but think Italy is a little bit less amazing without them. To top it all off, after some complications with our reservation the first time I visited, they picked up the entire check including the wine!
Top 3 Food Items:
Danish hot dog
I don't think I have ever eaten a hot dog in New York and certainly not off one of those disgusting street carts with pretzels hanging off the side. Yet Danish hot dogs are another animal (probably literally as well as figuratively). Hot dogs are the Danish fast food, it’s as easy as that. The “pølsevogn” (hot dog stand/ cart) is omnipresent in the city – on the shopping streets, on squares, at train stations, at the airport. My theory is that, wherever you are in Copenhagen, you’re never more than 3 minutes away from a hot dog stand. After a night out, a hot dog with everything on it and a Cocio (Danish chocolate milk brand) on the way home are a must.
Spicy Egg Banh Mi at Torvehallerne
Denny's Special at Gorm
I'm willing to bet money that Denmark has the best bread in the world so it follows, though unexpectedly, that Denmark has amazing pizza. The first Gorm pizza shop was on the small Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and now there are half a dozen shops in a Copenhagen. You really can't go wrong with any of their cornmeal crusted pizzas but the one I keep going back for is Denny's Special. It is a white pizza with mozzarella, potato, rosemary, goat cheese and truffle oil and it will rock your world. Between this pizza and a pie from John's in New York there is no contest.
Bror and Uformel are two super hot restaurants in Copenhagen these days that I still have yet to check out but it excites me that there is so much competition for my Top 3 lists. I'll leave you with a bold statement - Copenhagen is the only city of its size with such a rich and diverse food culture.
Yum.
Eating out in Copenhagen is far more of an occasion than in New York. When I'm not traveling I make a point of eating at home but I still eat out in Copenhagen far more than the average Dane. What have I learned? That I have a lot more eating to do because the food scene here just doesn't stop. While no doubt this list will change in the future, allow me to share the Top 3 restaurants and Top 3 food items that have been holding rank in 2015.
Top 3 Restaurants:
No. 2
No. 2 gazes upon the The Royal Library Extension called the Black Diamond because of the Zimbabwean granite façade. As I sit there enjoying my modern Danish version of a Negroni I imagine how cool it would be to see some photos from when the granite arrived by ship. It was in 1996 so not that long ago.
The food is modern Danish. The menu changes regularly but includes things like shaved ham from the isle of Fanø off the west coast of Denmark, cod pulled from the North Sea outside the windows and sour sea buckthorn gelato for dessert. The other big perk is that No. 2 is in my hood and often has high tables at the bar available without a reservation.
Höst
Höst is also modern Danish but far more affordable than No. 2 and in an intimate yet sophisticated environment compared to No 2 which is falls squarely in the sophisticated category. Höst is a restaurant from the owners of super popular restaurant group Cofoco with eight other restaurants in the city. The interior looks as if it was taken straight out of an catalog for Scandinavian minimalist furniture, the walls are washed white, the tableware rustic and foliage abounds. All this is supposed to make you feel as if you were out on the front porch of a Danish farmhouse that somehow has been transported into the city environment. And it works! The food goes with this theme, focusing on local ingredients and simple preparations. Honestly, I'd go just to eat the beer baked bread but it's the seared Norwegian lobster, juniper-pickled carrots, sea buckthorn, juniper cream and hazelnuts in browned butter that made me recommend Höst to countless times. Still on the 'to do' list is to plan a party at the massive wood table that seats 20 in their basement. The perfect cozy spot for a winter evening.
Osteria 16
Osteria 16 is in Vesterbro, a part of Copenhagen many visitors don't make it to. Plus it's an Italian antipasti restaurant, a type of food most would not prioritize in Copenhagen. Well I'm here to say this place makes magic. The atmosphere is like a big family dinner. The food is simple. You eat what they serve, no menu, no choices but of the four times I've been there now I can't help but think Italy is a little bit less amazing without them. To top it all off, after some complications with our reservation the first time I visited, they picked up the entire check including the wine!
Top 3 Food Items:
Danish hot dog
I don't think I have ever eaten a hot dog in New York and certainly not off one of those disgusting street carts with pretzels hanging off the side. Yet Danish hot dogs are another animal (probably literally as well as figuratively). Hot dogs are the Danish fast food, it’s as easy as that. The “pølsevogn” (hot dog stand/ cart) is omnipresent in the city – on the shopping streets, on squares, at train stations, at the airport. My theory is that, wherever you are in Copenhagen, you’re never more than 3 minutes away from a hot dog stand. After a night out, a hot dog with everything on it and a Cocio (Danish chocolate milk brand) on the way home are a must.
Spicy Egg Banh Mi at Torvehallerne
I'll never forget the first time I tried a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich at Nicky's on 2nd St in the East Village in 2001. Over the years I went back so much I became friendly with the entire family that ran the shop - mom, dad, son and daughter. So when Lêlê opened up a banh mi sandwhich shop at the main market in Copenhagen this summer I ate there three days in a row. If you haven't had a banh mi sandwich get excited because the best is yet to come. Since Vietnam was colonized by the French it's all the amazing spicy flavors of Southeast Asia serve on a baguette. Oh yes. Their spicy egg banh mi also serves the purpose of reminding me of New York bodega egg sandwiches - the perfect hangover cure. Just be sure to grab extra napkins so you don't end up with a river of yolk down your shirt!
I'm willing to bet money that Denmark has the best bread in the world so it follows, though unexpectedly, that Denmark has amazing pizza. The first Gorm pizza shop was on the small Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and now there are half a dozen shops in a Copenhagen. You really can't go wrong with any of their cornmeal crusted pizzas but the one I keep going back for is Denny's Special. It is a white pizza with mozzarella, potato, rosemary, goat cheese and truffle oil and it will rock your world. Between this pizza and a pie from John's in New York there is no contest.
Bror and Uformel are two super hot restaurants in Copenhagen these days that I still have yet to check out but it excites me that there is so much competition for my Top 3 lists. I'll leave you with a bold statement - Copenhagen is the only city of its size with such a rich and diverse food culture.
Yum.
Great post, thanks for sharing! Gone eating now, too much yumminess! Nomnomnom :P
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