Two days in Copenhagen

Ever since watching those chef-y TV shows about Rene Redzepi, I’ve wanted to go to Copenhagen. Sadly, we didn’t get into Noma (we were #1400 on the waiting list when Jack entered us 5 months ago, ha!), but we had a blast eating our way through Copenhagen nonetheless. We had only 2 short days to take it all in, but I think we did pretty well. Thanks to all of you who gave us so many amazing recommendations on Instagram!

Day 1:

We checked into this Airbnb, had a conference call and took a nap (#werk).

Later, we walked through Nørrebro and had an awesome first dinner at Manfreds. It’s a tiny vegetable-focussed restaurant that, first off, smells amazing when you walk in – like sourdough bread baking and onions roasting. It was so warm and cozy especially since we had just walked in from the cold pouring rain. (The photo below, was taken the next day when it wasn’t raining). Our dinner consisted of about 8 shareable courses – my favorites were the roasted spring onions with pistachio cream, grilled cabbage with tarragon, and the olive oil chocolate mousse. The great thing is that they can cater to special diets & allergies if you ask. Be sure to book a reservation a few days in advance.

Day 2:

By popular recommendation, we had porridge for breakfast at Grød (the one in the Torvehallerne market because it was closest to us). I got oatmeal with almond milk, topped with granola, fruit and dried strawberries. Jack got (the better bowl), which was topped with homemade caramel sauce, apple and roasted almonds. Afterward we took a long walk to Copenhagen Street Food, which is a giant warehouse full of tons of food trucks/stalls – there is a stall representing pretty much every cuisine of food – Indian, Moroccan, French, etc, etc, etc. I had smørrebrød (the open faced sandwiches that are everywhere in Denmark), Jack had something meaty, and afterward we walked through Christiana Free Town. 

For lunch #2 (so much to eat, so little time), we went to 42 Raw since so many of you had recommended it. I had the veggie burger with vegan tarragon mayo and sweet potato fries. Although I was really wishing I had gotten one of the avocado sandwiches because they looked incredible. (I have this thing where I can’t help but look at other people’s food!)

For the rest of the afternoon, we walked around central Copenhagen and popped into the Design Museum when it looked like it was going to rain.

The highlight of our trip was a late dinner at Relæ (make a reservation in advance). We sprung for the 8 course tasting menu (although the 4 course option would have been totally sufficient). It started with the most delicious sourdough bread I’ve ever eaten. The rest of the courses were a series of creative, seasonal vegetable dishes. Some of the most memorable were: a salad with pickled green strawberries, marigold and chives, cold cucumber soup with sorrel & nostrum, and these wonderful thyme roasted carrots en papillote with hollandaise sauce for dipping. We had organic natural wines (although I’m not sure how I feel about those, but they were interesting to try), and yogurt panna cotta for dessert.

The next day before heading to the airport:

We took a quick walk through the Torvehallerne Market, had a more smørrebrød at Hallernes Smørrebrød – I had one that was piled high with potatoes, cucumbers and chives, and a slice of carrot cake at Laura’s Bakery.

Super quick trip, but we’ll be sure to go back! If you have favorite Copenhagen places, feel free to list them in the comments!