Copenhagen

We made our way from one of the finest food capitals in the world to another foodie spotlight city, Copenhagen. Having never travelled to Scandinavia, we were intrigued by this alluring Northern region of Europe and were excited to explore Denmark’s hip capital. We decided to tour the city mainly by foot and were overcome by the unique architecture that mixed modern with 17th century palaces and landmarks. We spent the weekend weaving through busy bike paths, sampling smørrebrød and other innovative cuisine, boating through the Nyhavn canals and conversing with the friendly Danes. Here are some of our favorite highlights:

First, we scaled the external spiral staircase atop the Baroque-style Church of our Savior and were hit by a truly breathtaking aerial view of the city.

Then we entered the Tivoli Gardens - a whimsical setting with fantastic lights, thrilling rides, and decadent sweets. We had to try the famous waffle cones filled with rich and creamy vanilla ice cream and covered in chocolate cocoa powder. 

We walked around in awe of the produce and baked danishes at Torvehallerne, the city’s wildly popular upscale market. We also sampled smørrebrød which are open faced sandwiches. We each had a traditional layering of a fish cake atop rye bread with a light spread of mayonnaise.

While we did not make a reservation, we stopped by René Redzepi's renowned noma. We were greeted by a simplistic setting with bee hives at the front door and fresh plants on the patio outside of the prestigious restaurant specializing in Nordic Cuisine.

At Neighborhood Organic Pizza and Cocktails in the up and coming Meatpacking District, we nibbled on thin, creative combinations of pizza like the Spiced Lamb and Pork Meatballs with Fried Slices of Aubergine, Tomato Passata, Pecorino Cheese and Mint Skyr Pizza. We also sipped on cocktails with organic London dry gin, fresh thyme and sage, lemon, shaken and served over ice, and topped with organic Bombay Pale Ale.

We ended the weekend with a trip to Paper Island. Located across from the Royal Danish playhouse, the converted warehouse is filled to the brim with creative food trucks and stands from all over the world. We sampled gazpacho dotted with mozzarella balls and chopped tomatoes and cucumbers from The Spoon Company and a plate full of Brazilian spicy sausages, pork neck, and chicken legs served with tangy chimichurri salsa, fresh bread, and a slice of watermelon from BRASA.

We left the tasty, incredibly friendly and charming city with great admiration and intrigue.