Copenhagen Restaurant Tips by johngayton

Restaurant Name: La Glace

La Glace is a Copenhagen institution frequented both by tourists and locals and has a wonderful feel of decadence, of the days when local people would meet to sit over coffee and pastries and put the world to rights.

When I went to put this tip here, VT gave me the: "Is your tip about one of these places?" box and the first thing on it was Burger King...........or something of that ilk.................Burger King!!!

OK Copenhagen has its share of these modern places but La Glace, and I am sure there must be other similar places, is a definite must.

Favorite Dish: Hot chocolate and pastries for elevenses! Choose from a wide selection of home made pattiserie, including, obviously, Danish Pastries! Washed down with delicous hot chocolate, served in jugs with separate bowls of whipped cream, and when your jug is finished just ask for more! Sit and read the paper, have convivial conversations, take photographs of the display cakes in the window, just generally chill-out :)

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: +45 33 14 46 46
Address: Skoubogade 3-5, Copenhagen K, 1158 Denmark
Directions: It's on one of the streets adjacent to the "Str?get" pedestrian walk, you'll just have to wander round and find it.. definitely worth it!!
Website: http://www.laglace.dk

Restaurant Name: Nyhavn 37

On a sunny, early spring, Sunday this turned out to be an almost perfect spot for a light lunch, sitting outside on the terrace with convivial company; the jazz trio providing musical background; the harbour its own unique colourfulness and business; passing strangers chic and cheerful and of course the beer wasn't too bad either ;)

The only very small gripe was the terratorial attitude of the waiter who seemed a bit miffed that we slightly rearranged his furniture, but I can live with that and so did he and apart from that the service was otherwise excellent - well reccommended :-)

Favorite Dish: Starting off with a nibble of June's raw herring and continuing with the gravalax were exactly as they should have been - freshness personified: fast food the healthy way - delish!

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 33 157076
Address: Hey You Guessed!! Nyhavn 37
Directions: Pretty much in the middle of the street of restaurants on the sunny side of Nyhavn.

Restaurant Name: L'Oliv0

It may seem a bit strange to go to Copenhagen for an Italian lunch but then why not? I dropped in here for a beer on a previous visit and even though that was all I had (yep, true - just ONE beer) I was particularly impressed with the standard of service and so this time round decided to give it a go for a light lunch (ALSO with just ONE beer - I'm not as bad as some may think ;0))

Not disappointed at all - perhaps not the cheapest lunch in town, but sitting on the corner of Nyhavyn in the late spring sunshine with decent food, friendly service, and just watching the world go by - it doesn't really get much better than this :)

Favorite Dish: Stuck to my favourite 3 B's - Bruschetta, Braesola and Beer: perfectly garlickly bread drizzled with a really good olive oil and a touch of sun-dried oregano as an accompaniement to mouth-melting thinly sliced cured beef with its peppery rocket salad, shavings of lusciouslly rich Parmesan, a touch more of the olive oil and a cold beer. "Le soleil brillait, les oiseaux chantais sur les arbes........." - they didn't really, but the sun WAS shining, and the birds WERE stunning ;)

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: Nyhavn 47
Directions: Right on the corner where the "Pissoir" is!!
Website: www.lolivio.dk

Restaurant Name: Kebabish

This newcomer here on the Copenhagen "restaurant scene" is the UK-based Kebabish Original group's first European venture and even tho' it is essentially a variation on the cheap & cheerful shwarama theme it does add something to the already eclectic and cosmopolitan feel of the Vesterbro area. The menu offers the usual kebab options but also a varied range of other Asian dishes including Indian curries all of which are available to eat-in or take-away and all at very (especially by CPH standards) reasonable prices.

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't even dream of having a kebab in the middle of the day but this place has a certain something which made it appealing even in the daylight hours. Perhaps it was the fact that every time I passed it always seemed busy, or perhaps the fact that the main cooking area, which features an open flame grill, is situated immediately inside the entrance and highly visible through the main front window. But whatever my motivation on the particular day I had a sudden attack of the "munchies" about 2 pm one midweek afternoon and just happened to be passing!

Favorite Dish: To my mind to go into a place called "Kebabish" and to pass on the main event smacks of a defenitely perverse nature and so on my only visit so far my late lunch consisted of the lamb "sheik kebab" which was a couple of skewers of tender and flavoursome diced lamb, cooked on their famous flame grill, and served in home-made flat bread with salad. With a drizzle of the chilli sauce and minted yoghurt, which were provided as table condiments, this made for a spot-on light and tasty lunch.

One small word of warning tho' - Kebabish is unlicensed and so no beer!!

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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 3322 6226
Address: Vesterbrogade 13
Directions: On the corner of Vesterbrogade and Helgolandsgade about 400 metres heading away from Central Station.
Website: www.kebabishoriginal.co.uk

Restaurant Name: S.A.R.S Kommandoren

Nyhavn as a tourist spot, comes into its own when the sun comes out and the left-bank of the canal becomes a mass of cafe terraces, all of which are equally inviting on a summer afternoon. During the winter though the restaurants here rely on their local trade and a very discerning trade it is too. Whilst none of the restaurants are particularly cheap they do offer exceptionally good food at the right price and here at S.A.R.S Kommandoren is no exception.

On a quiet winter's lunchtime only the little downstairs restaurant is open with its dozen or so tables crowded intimately around the darkwood bar in the low-ceilinged dining room which feels more like someone's front room at home than an actual restaurant (well at least until you get the bill!!).

Service is friendly and laid-back and a small but upscale menu is supported by a well-balanced tho' slightly pricey wine list. The lunchtime menu features mostly sandwiches and smorresbrod with a couple of hot dishes whilst the evening offers a small classical-style a-la-carte or a 5-course set-price menu.

Favorite Dish: For lunch it just has to be the Nyhavnsplatte which pretty much constitutes a 5-course lunch on one platter. The 5 varieties of smorrebrod usually include rare-roast beef with mustard sauce; marinated salmon with dill; pickled herring with caperberries; breaded whitefish with remoulade sauce and a chunk of Danish brie with olives, all accompanied by an ample basket of superb bread and washed down with a large beer makes the bill of under 200 DKK excellent value for money.

The lobster bisque is superb too; rich and flavoursome with chunky lobster meat, and with the bread makes for a substantial light lunch in its own right.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 3314 5614
Address: Nyhavn 14 1051 Kbh. K
Directions: At the top end of Nyhavn on the left just before Lille Strandstraede
Website: www.sars.dk

Restaurant Name: Hing's Sushi

As sushi places go this is as good as it gets without being hugely expensive. The menu has a good selection of reasonably priced sushi and maki along with a few soup and Yaki dishes in a not over the top oriental-themed dining room. Service is excellent (tho' we were the only 2 customers in the place for a late lunch on an early weekday in February) and the serve yourself sushi a great idea!!

Yep, they just hand you a net, a sharp knife, a chopping board, a dish of rice, some pickled ginger, soy and wasabi and leave you to it. All the waiter does is keeps the beers flowing (a full-time job with Allan and I). Prices are charged by the colours and numbers of the fish caught.

Favorite Dish: Well personally I reckon it has to be the little black and white ones with the big tails, tho' Allan reckoned the rainbow chubby ones were much easier to fillet and had a better taste! Watch out for the yellow and black striped ones as they keep darting into the rock ornament every time you think you've got them in your net - that's when you need to work as a team with one person rounding them up for the other to land.

Ha! Seriously folks this is excellent sushi and well recommended is the M4 special with its 11pcs of assorted sushi and maki and washed down with a bottle of Japanese beer still leaves change from 200 DKK for a pretty substantial lunch. Also worth considering are the cheap lunch specials with 8 pcs from 45 DKK.

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Theme: Japanese/Sushi
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 3321 4145
Address: Vesterbrogade 146
Directions: Towards the western end of Vesterbrogade, towards Frederiksberg - in fact another couple of hundred metres and this would have been a Frederiksberg tip!!
Website: www.hing.dk