I’m going to be honest; Denmark was never on my must-visit countries list. I was neck deep in flight research for my already planned October 2015 trip to Valencia, Spain when I came across an amazing flight deal – $632 round trip from SFO-CPH. When you see a deal like that, you just take it and work out the details later. One of the foundations of good travel is flexibility – because I was willing to be flexible and fly into Copenhagen first, I not only saved money but met a lot of friends along the way too.
More on the flexible mindset in a later post. As DJ Khaled would say, it is a Major Key.
For those that don’t know, Northern Europe, specifically Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, are not known for being cheap countries to visit. They are actually pretty expensive if not done right. I knew I had to start looking for cheap accommodations right away. Using pretty much exactly the same tactics I outlined in my cheap accommodations post, I quickly rooted out the Vesterbro neighborhood as a slightly rough, but very central and up-and-coming neighborhood with reasonable prices.
Neighborhood Vibe
When I say it was “slightly rough”, you have to keep in mind that we were in fact in Denmark – named one of the happiest countries in the world for several years. I expected something on par with the Mission District in San Francisco from how websites described it. What I found was closer to the level of Powell Street on a bad night (occasional prostitutes and drunks). I would say if you don’t mind a 20-30 minute walk or 5-10 minute transit ride to the city center, the outskirts Vesterbro are a good option and much cheaper than staying anywhere near Tivoli Gardens or Nyhavn.
Vesterbro in general has a very hipster and young energy to it. On weekend nights before going out, younger people gather at the parks scattered around the neighborhood and drink with friends, and it reminded me somewhat of the energy I encountered in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto (people are very different though). There are many cafes, restaurants, and bars scattered around the three main streets: Vesterbrogade, Istedgade, and Sønder. So if you are in an exploratory mood, just pick one of these and walk it.
I would also be doing you a disservice to not mention that this city is bike crazy. Chances are that your Airbnb host may have an extra bike and you can use to explore this very bike friendly city. You can also rent a bike for a few days too to make getting around easier. Copenhagen is not a large city and transit runs 24 hours, so biking or public transit is a very viable option.
Alright, on to the meat!
Coffee: MAD & KAFFE [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
I had trouble with this C in C3. I went to a few places in Vesterbro for coffee on my way out to explore each morning, but nothing really jumped out at me. I would love to get input from my Danish friends on this topic, but for now, I will give you MAD & KAFFE.
MAD & KAFFE is more of a breakfast place than anything, and starting at 65 Kr. (about $10 USD) you can take your pick of 3 or more dishes that they serve. Ranging from smoked salmon [icon name=’heart’ size=’small’] to a delicious avocado dish, even vegans and vegetarians will find enough options here.
The food is great for light eating and their coffee and espresso drinks are good too (at least the latté was good). As I said earlier, you aren’t going to find anything crazy out of the ordinary here in terms of coffee. The most important part though was that I liked the atmosphere; it was a good place to start the day and center yourself before exploring.
Cuisine: Café Dyrehaven [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
One thing you learn about Northern Europe quickly is that many countries don’t really embrace their own cuisine too much. It’s actually pretty funny. When I talked to my friends in Berlin about where to find good traditional German food, they were not too enthusiastic that I wanted “German food”. They wanted to give me Italian! Something similar happened in Stockholm too. So I didn’t know what to expect from Copenhagen in the food category.
Luckily, Café Dyrehaven caught my eye when I was walking down Sønder Blvd. Their logo reminded me very much of Jägermeister’s logo, so I wrote it off as another neighborhood bar at first. Then I did some digging and found it was actually rated pretty well for some it’s open-faced sandwiches; a very Danish thing apparently.
It gets pretty busy, and they don’t serve food all the time, so make sure to check the hours. They serve a lunch and dinner crowd, and the rest of the time it serves coffee and drinks only. It took me a few tries to finally make it in, but was worth it.
Trained by my Dad, I immediately ordered the weirdest thing on their menu – a fish ball sandwich. It was basically a fish meatball sandwich with a remoulade and other fixings on some bread. It was really good and pretty cheap in comparison to Danish standards. Don’t worry, they have other options if you aren’t into fish balls [icon name=’emoticon-tongue’ size=’small’]
Cocktails: Curfew [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
I am not exaggerating at all when I say finding Curfew was, without a doubt, one of the pivotal moments of my trip. The bartenders, owners, and the staff at this bar were just amazing. I immediately clicked with them and the drinks they make here are among the Top 5 bars I’ve been to in the world. You don’t have to take my word for it either – they are featured on several “Best Bars in Copenhagen” lists.
The vibe is definitely a bit more formal and old-time loungey, so I recommend business casual attire as the lower bound, but they probably won’t care either way. Expect the normal price for a good cocktail in Copenhagen – a lot. Remember when I said friends gathered in the parks to drink before going out? That’s why. Don’t let the price deter you, it is worth the cost. You’re on vacation anyways, right? Curfew serves as a good last stop to cap off the night as well.
Most of the drinks here tend to lean toward the sweet, citric, or floral/herby side. I think this was actually a common theme in the Copenhagen bar scene – drinks are not as spirit forward as stronger drinks tend to be in America. If you are really into drinking whiskey neat, now is a good time to explore the other side of the spectrum. The one drink that sticks out in my mind is the Ampicilin, but the seasonal menu is where it’s at. The seasonal drinks are their specialty and always changing. I recommend talking to the bartenders to figure out which one will best suit your taste.
This wraps up C3: Copenhagen, Vesterbro. I just want to give a shout-out to my friends at Curfew. So glad to have met you guys and I will be back this summer for another drink. An open invitation to SF is always extended to you all! Also, I borrowed a lot of your pictures – so if you need me to give a different photo credit or take them down, let me know.
If you haven’t already read up on C3: NYC East Village – Lower East Side, make sure to check that out. I’m torn on the next edition right now, but it’s currently between Berlin and Portland. We’ll see 🙂
Until next time, Cheers
Featured Image: Queen Berengaria and Humberto by Curfew – Photo Credit: @curfew_copenhagen
Header Image: Edited – Queen Berengaria and Humberto by Curfew – Original Photo Credit: Curfew
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