Scenes from a Copenhagen Food Tour

Bicycle at Torvehallerne Market CopenhagenWe just returned from Copenhagen where we faced the dilemma of “so much to see/ eat,  so little time.” Because basically we were there for one very special meal, we had not made any other restaurant reservations yet, being my first time in Denmark and Neil’s first time there in a very long time, we were keen to try as many of the local specialties as possible, even given our short visit (the things we do for the blog, right?).

A little Googling uncovered my idea of a dream tour in a city I don’t know – Copenhagen Food Tours. A 2 or 4 hour walking tour covering a lot of ground in the city with pit stops for food along the way? Sign me up!  When I looked a little more in-depth at the rough outline of the itinerary, I saw that during the tour we’d be checking out a lot of my “must try” eats and drinks – it felt like an easy way to cross things off that list, all while learning about Copenhagen, its history and food culture from a local.

at Torvehallerne Market Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comBeginning and ending at the Torvehallerne Markets, the tour lasts approximately 4 hours and covers roughly 4km. You get to sit down at two of the stops for a little longer as well so it’s a really pleasant way to cover a lot of ground you might not have covered on your own (well, unless you’ve walked close to 9km the previous day like, ahem, some people… Note to visitors of Copenhagen, take really comfortable walking shoes. The cobblestones are not the easiest to walk on…).  The tastings definitely include food enough for a full meal so don’t eat a lot of breakfast before you go and don’t make lunch plans!

If you take one of these tours at the beginning of your trip, it’s a great way to learn about some typical Danish fare and some places you might want to return to later in your trip with the confidence of knowing where to go and what to order so you can take full advantage of all Copenhagen has to offer.  If, like us, you literally have one full day to explore the city, it’s a great way to fit as much in as you possibly can (literally and figuratively!). Our guide, Maria, a Copenhagen local with impeccable English (thanks to an upbringing by English teacher parents) is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about food and culture and was entertaining and friendly.

Outside at Torvehallerne Market CopenhagenWe spent a little bit of time at both the beginning and end of the tour wandering around Torvehallerne – just enough to make you want to return on your own and explore!

Torvehallerne Market Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comStops along the way included Arla Unika – with an outstanding range of dairy products based on the Nordic nature and terroir…

Unika Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comUnika Cheese Store at Torvehallerne Market Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comSpis Bornholmsk, where we tasted specialties from the island of Bornholm…

Spis Bornholmske Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comSummerbird, where we tried the classic flødeboller

Summerbird chocolates in CopenhagenFlødeboller are a sort of chocolate coated marshmallow treat that must be tasted to be truly appreciated…

At Summerbird in Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comOf course the market halls have the more regular market offerings too…

Fishmonger at Torvehallerne Market Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.com Charcuterie at Torvehallerne Market Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comSomething I’d been very keen to try on this trip was the classic smørrebrød – Danish open-faced sandwiches – which we got to do at Aamann’s Deli and TakeAway

Aamanns Smorrebrod Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comWe had a “sample platter” from the menu – if this is a sample, you’d want to go in very, very hungry for a full meal!

Smorrebrod in Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comAnd what better way of digesting all that smørrebrød than with some great Danish beer…

Norrebro Bryghus Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comWe checked out Nørrebro Bryghus – a Danish microbrewery in the Nørrebro neighborhood, open since 2003 and founded by ex-Carlsberg brewmaster Anders Kissmeyer.

Inside Norrebro Bryghus on eatlivetravelwrite.com Norrebro Beer Hall in Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comAlong the way, we got to see a lot of the city (it’s very walkable as long as you have shoes and feet that can handle the cobblestones!), including the Botanical Gardens (there’s a tasting there too!)…

Copenhagen Botanical Gardens on eatlivetravelwrite.comDon’t forget to look up too!

Around Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comAnd you don’t want to leave Denmark without tasting their classic street food, do you?  Copenhagen Food Tours has you covered!

Den Okologiske Polesmand Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comEnter DØP The Organic Hot Dog Stand!   Yes –  organic hot-dogs (made of organic pork or beef) served on whole grain, sourdough buns.  

Everything they serve is organic (including the soft drinks!).  Though we didn’t try it, they do offer 

a sausage served with mashed root vegetables!

DOP hotdog in Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comThis was a perfect hot dog – about 1/2 the size of the ones we get in Toronto with obviously quality ingredients.

And to follow that? What could be better than Sømods Bolcher – suppliers of hard candies to the Royal Danish Court…

Somods Bolcher candy store in CopenhagenStill producing hard candies in the traditional manner, they sell over 70 different kinds of candies. Check out their fascinating history here.

Inside Somods Bolcher candy store in CopenhagenWe ended the tour wishing we had much more time to go back and explore some of the places in a little more depth, but happy in the knowledge that we’d covered a LOT of ground even despite our limited time in the city.

Accordion player in Copenhagen on eatlivetravelwrite.comHighly recommended.

Check out Copenhagen Food Tours 2 Hour Tours and Copenhagen Food Tours 4 Hour Tours.

27 thoughts on “Scenes from a Copenhagen Food Tour”

  1. Great blog post, and timely! My wife and I will be in Copenhagen for two days in June, so this food tour sounds like a great thing to do.

    Thank you so much.

    Reply
  2. What a beautiful post chronicling your trip.
    We have a small Danish town here in California called Solvang, near Santa Barbara.
    Most of the shop-keepers are of Danish decent and offer Danish goods as well as food.
    The bakeries are my weakness. Good thing we don’t live nearby!

    Reply
  3. Looks like you had a super time! Many years ago Wayne and I went to Denmark so we could go to Legoland, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. I so enjoyed all your pics on Instagram while you were there.

    Reply
  4. Very nice post, Mardi! Both informative and graphically appealing. I am a big fan of Northern European cuisines myself. Next time you’re in Copenhagen, you need to go to KOKKERIET. Amazing and not at all overpriced fine dining experience in a very pleasant country-cottage style setting.
    Flødeboller are to die for!

    Reply
  5. LOVED this glimpse of Copenhagen. I, too, have always wanted to try a real smorgasbord, and I had no idea hot dogs were the city’s signature food. My husband would be smitten. We must plan a trip. I can’t wait to read more about your visit!

    Reply
  6. What a wonderful, whirlwind tour, Mardi. Copenhagen is on my wish list. Love that hot dogs are half the size but top ingredients, love the royal candies and intrigued by these chocolate marshmallows. Oh, and the savoury too. But of course 😉

    Reply
  7. This looks amazing, Mardi! I might be in Copenhagen at some point this summer and if I am, I can almost guarantee I’ll be heading on one of these food tours. Thanks for the great recommendation, going to bookmark this for later!

    Reply
  8. We just returned from Copenhagen yesterday, and we did the Food Tour on Wednesday with Maria. We were lucky since we had a small group of only four people.

    The tour was everything you described, and as an extra special treat we stopped at one of the oldest bakeries in Copenhagen called Sankt Peders Bageri. Since it was Wednesday, they make something called “onsdagssnegle” = Wednesday snails/cinnamon roll. Each Wednesday they sell 4,000 of these delicious rolls!

    Thanks again for the tip on this fantastic food tour, Mardi.

    Reply

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