Flying to Copenhagen? Here’s a honest review to guide you where to eat in Copenhagen, plus a sample of no-rushing 3 days itinerary.
To me, whenever travelling, food is always as important as where to do sightseeing. For this Copenhagen trip, I targeted several well-reviewed restaurants after having a look on Tripadvisor.
They are: the ever-popular Cofoco, plant-based dining pioneer Bistro LUPA, open sandwiches speciality store 1733, and Tripadvisor users top pick Mapel Casual Dining.
We had reservations 2 weeks in advance for Cofoco and LUPA , and the others we just walked-in.
So, first, let me give you a brief idea of how did we travel in Copenhagen in 3 days. For the sightseeing details, you can read this blog post.
3 Days Copenhagen Itinerary
Day 1
Airport→Vaerftets Madmarked Food Court→Maritime Museum →Kronborg Castle→Louisiana Museum→Restaurant Cofoco
Day 2
Coffee Fellaz→Rosenborg Castle→SMK: Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark)→Market Torvehallerne→The Round Tower→Christiansborg Palace (only The Royal Reception Rooms)→ Canal Tour→Bistro Lupa→Tivoli Garden
Day 3
Andersen Bakery→DAC : Danish Architecture Center→Restaurant 1733→Nyhavn→Strøget shopping street→Maple Casual Dining→Airport
Got some ideas of the itinerary? Now let’s move to the restaurant reviews.
Restaurant Cofoco
There are a few restaurants under the Cofoco Group (including Coco Boutique Hotel), and Cofoco is considered the most popular one. I made a reservation for a Friday or Saturday night two weeks ago, and there were only reservations left after 21:00.
On its website：
Restaurant Cofoco starts with great Danish ingredients and serves food filled with contrasts: rustic and elegant, simple and complex, but always really tasty.
Cofoco runs a small menu, with 10+ dishes, including desserts. You can choose a la carte or a 4, 5, and 6-course set menu (there is also a Vegetarian menu). Each dish is a starter size.
We ordered a 4-course menu, which consisted of salted scallops, baked cod, guinea fowl and elderflower ice-cream.
By looking at the menu, I was really looking forward to it. But I was really surprised by the small portion – the scallops were only a few small pieces, and the cod was about the size of a finger.
However, I really liked the mussel sauce with cod, which was very flavourful and top-notch with bread. The pheasant offered the expected taste, and the dessert ice cream had a hint of lavender aroma (I couldn’t taste the elderflower), which was also a very flattering taste.
Although the portions of the dishes are small, I was full and satisfied in the end because the bread was refillable. The atmosphere and service were good too. All in all, it was a satisfying meal.
Bistro Lupa
LUPA is a plant-based dining restaurant. It only uses local ingredients – the mushrooms are grown by themselves, and some wines are brewed there too. It seems that many things are made from scratch by themselves.
On its website：
Our food takes inspiration predominantly from our local environment but ties in flavour profiles from across the globe. We select vegetables at the peak of their season, extracting the best parts of their character and utilising their natural flavor while making exciting combinations.
Compare to Cofoco, LUPA’s menu was even smaller, like this:
There was only one set dinner, consisted of 5-courses, including the top 4 dishes on the menu and a dessert. It costs 395DKK per person (around £45). Add 50DKK for the extra signature dish ‘LFM’（deep-fried oyster mushroom）.
Our favorite is cured aubergine. The aubergine has been air-dried for two days. On top of that were a lot of nuts, garlic and pickles, plus the foam made of beer. The overall texture was full of contrasts, which was quite surprising.
LFM fried oyster mushrooms were very springy, and look a lot like Japanese karaage fried chicken!
Desserts were good too, using hazelnut milk instead of milk, not too sweet, with strong cocoa and hazelnut flavors.
In contrast, the corn and flat bread were mediocre and a bit disappointing.
Curry Boy and I both felt that although such a restaurant theme could catch up with the trend, the cost would be high, and it would naturally be reflected in the price. The overall eating experience was OK, because neither of us has tried a plant-based restaurant, but maybe one or two times is enough.
Restaurant 1733
1733, which is rated quite well on Google, is located next to Christiansborg Palace, facing Slotsholmen’s Canal, and offers the famous Danish food Smørrebrød (open sandwiches) with a little modern touch.
On its website：
We love Danish cuisine and serve Danish dishes and open sandwiches with a modern touch, homemade from lovely fresh ingredients – if we don’t make it ourselves, we only want the best from our suppliers.
There are many choices of open sandwiches here, mainly seafood and meat, and a small amount of vegetarian food.
Curry Boy ordered a curry-herring, and he kept saying that it was delicious. He said it three or four times! He usually wouldn’t give a compliment like this. Maybe he got high after having a sprit shot on the house.
The fishball I ordered was also delicious with a little bit of springiness, but it was a little salty. Maybe it could have gone well with a glass of wine.
1733 lunch is available from 11:30 to 16:00, then switch to dinner menu until 21:00. Also worthy noting that the service was very good, making customers very comfortable.
Maple Casual Dining
Many reviews mention Maple Casual Dining has a generous portion with a reasonable price, which is rare in Copenhagen. We decided we should give it a try before leaving Copenhagen. So, on that Sunday, we popped over at 17:15 without reservation.
The menu was clear at a glance, with 5 starters and 5 main courses, and 4 desserts. I heard that the dishes are very big, and we were in a hurry to go to the airport, so we didn’t order a set meal, but only ordered an appetiser and a main dish for each person.
I think the food of Maple Casual Dining is simple and unpretentious, there is no twist. If it is chicken thigh, I will give you a big piece of chicken thigh. Blue mussel is a big bowl of blue mussel. Sea bass is sea bass, and it is served with fresh salad and grilled vegetables. If you want to eat at a restaurant that is not fancy and can be satisfying, you should not be disappointed when you come here.
Coffee Fellaz
For breakfast, this Coffee Fellaz is also good, located near the central station. It opens at 8:30 in the morning, a little earlier than other cafes, so you have more time to catch up with the attractions!
I like that its sandwiches are freshly baked. Although it took a while, the taste was good and the portion was big. If you don’t eat too much for breakfast, I think two people can share a sandwich.
Andersen Bakery
Another breakfast recommendation is Andersen Bakery. Opened by the Japanese, it can be seen that both the quality and good-looking of bread and pastries are so-Japanese.
Instead of eating the cold bread at the hotel, we would rather take a 15-minute morning walk to Andersen. There are many choices of bread, which are freshly baked and delicious, so no wonder customers keep coming.
There is space for dining-in, and there is a sofa where you can sit comfortably. Why not order a cup of hot coffee or tea with some freshly baked breads as a super cozy breakfast?
I think overall the dining experience in Copenhagen was not bad. First, the service was very good and friendly. Everyone can speak fluent English. Second, the quality of food was good. The only thing that I felt ‘Oh no, wrong choice!’ was that I bought two tapas in Market Torvehallerne.
