Shopping – All our local tips

Despite its size with only three or four tables, Aamann’s stands tall amongst Danish innovative restaurants with “new school” kitchens. Aamann’s has taken the smorgasbord to new heights with an uncompromising philosophy to provide the highest quality possible – at a reasonable price.

You will need a reservation if you want to try Aamann’s open faced sandwiches – which is a traditional Danish preparation. There is soup to die for as well – and cakes. The menu is seasonal and changes every two months or so and everything is either home made or bought off ecological suppliers and prepared with great love. This kitchen is both rare and world class. Nothing less. So, if you are into food…

In addition to the restaurant, Aamann’s offers both take-away of selected dishes and various goods of a quality to match the rest of the setup.

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Aamann’s | Shopping, Restaurants (Danish ) | Sandwich DKK 45
Øster Farimagsgade 10 | Østerbro | +4535553344
Mon – Tue 12:00 – 16:00, Wed – Sat 12:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 23:00

This is one of the best places to go if you like great retro and vintage finds, but don’t have the time to go to oceans of flea markets. Tucked away just by Amagerbrogade is the result of one woman’s love of flea markets and great finds.

The amazing shop is owned by Lea, who really has an eye for graphic patterns and great colours. She makes her finds at Swedish flea markets and sells them both in the shop in Liflandsgade and online. To get a sense of the style go to www.affaer.dk

The things are mainly from the 50-, 60- and 70-ties. You can find smaller things like mugs and bowls, but also great furniture and a lot of stuff for children.
You can see the current selection online, but in the shop you can really see how everything goes together.

Affär is the Swedish word for shop, but it also means affair in Danish. So I guess Lea couldn’t have picked a better name for her Swedish affair with flea markets.

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Affär | Shopping
Liflandsgade 2 | Amager | +4532115020
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 17:30

“Øieblikket” is an old spelling of the Danish word meaning “the moment”. Well chosen for a place that lends itself for some very pleasant moments on the Copenhagen harbour front.

The café is located inside the famous “Black Diamond” building housing part of the Danish Royal Library but has outdoor serving, outside the winter season. The café itself is nice, though nothing special, but with absolutely competent coffee and sandwiches. It is definitely about the location. Both the building and its surroundings.

The audience is a good mixture of tourists and local people. The Royal Library is a research library so there are often students with laptops. Next to the café, lies the Royal Library bookstore which is worth a visit, also.

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Café Øieblikket | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping
Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 | Inner City
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 19:00, Sat 08:00 – 18:00

Well, more than 60% percent of the world’s population consume chili every day, and would surely answer “yes” to that question. So, in recognition of this and the fact that chili is this exciting, multi-faceted ingredient, Copenhagen has its own dedicated chili shop. And according to owner, and chili connaisseur, Henning Petersen, ChiliHouse is the only such shop in Europe. Go figure.

The shop’s offering is comprehensive and not limited to chili alone. In addition to all the different chili’s – ranging from not too spicy to nuclear explosion hot – the chili dip, chili crackers (great with cheese) and chili chocolate, you can also acquire all the essential gear to provide for a complete chili experience, with chili aprons, shirts, plates, napkins… just about everything chili.

Got you curious? ChiliHouse is located near Copenhagen’s main square, Rådhuspladsen. On the 1. Friday each month, there are additional samples for tasting.

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ChiliHouse | Shopping
Studiestræde 40 | Inner City | +4540858020
Tue – Fri 10:30 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 -14:00

Cinnober, cinnabar:
A bright red mineral consisting of mercury sulfide. It is the only important ore of mercury and is sometimes used as a pigment.

Copenhagen has, for a year now, been gifted with this lovely little ore of inspiration, a book and paper shop solely dedicated to visual inspiration – illustration, packaging, graphic design, art, photography, etc. Anything a creative heart desires.

The place has a really warm feel to it. You can tell that there is a lot of love and energy going into carefully exhibiting every little book and gem around the shop in aesthetic displays. It’s all about, not just seeing the books, but enjoying their tactility and making you fall in love with them – which you will! Leaving this place without buying something has proved very dfficult…

Apart from books and paper products, you can also buy limited prints from various Danish illustrators who appear in the shop from time to time signing artwork and sipping champagne.

Cinnober is located in the city centre close to Rundetårn and just off Købmagergade, one of the busiest pedestrian shopping streets. Please don’t miss it.

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Cinnober | Art & culture, Shopping
Landemærket 9 | Inner City | +4526139833
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 17:30, Sat 11:00 – 15:00

The beautifully decorated little shop CMYK kld in Jægersborggade is quite a curiosity. Within 30 m2 only the owner has put together nothing less than a print factory, a bookshop, an artist/designer shopping mall, an animation box, a drawing/print desk, a poster tube, a card house and a gallery. The best way to introduce yourself to the place is if you visit on the first Thursday of each month, where the entire street is open till late for their “Late Night Hunting” event. For this CMYK has invented a concept called “7 o’clock Performer” where various bands and/or artists perform live in the tiny window sill of the shop. In addition to the often quite quirky performances beers are only 10 kr., so its definitely something not to be missed!

1. The Print Factory
…was the first invention when the shop opened in 2006. Here you can choose one of the many A4 sized artworks by named artists and illustrators, have it printed and framed to take with you for only 85 kr. Part of the fun is the steps you have to go through to buy it which is like a little performance in its own right. Go see for yourself.

2. The Book Shelve
… is an artwork in itself assembled from various wooden chairs cut up and put back together to form a beautiful book shelve painted silver grey as everything else in the shop. On the shelves you will find zines, magazines, art books, cartoons and catalogues by independent publishers or individuals, all focused on visuals.

3. The Shopping Mall
… consist of 30 square boxes on a wall each representing a shop “owned” by an artist or designer. The selected artists/designers can display anything they want to, which have resulted in some fine miniature exhibitions. All the objects are of course for sale.

4. The Art Gallery
… consist of three walls representing the contrary to the print factory with original artworks by changing groups of artists, cartoonists or the like. Changing exhibitions every 2-3 months.

5. The Drawing/Print Desk
…a desk with piles of drawings and original prints with works ranging between 350-1000 kr.

6. The Poster Tube
…little “trees” of tubes with A3 posters from 200 kr.

7. The Card House
…postcards by various artists, including some made by the owner who is originally a graphic designer herself.

8. Animation Minute
…a box you can peak into and watch short animation films. The films change once a month with each “7 o’clock Performer” night.

It is a very charming little place full of surprises and creativity. Make sure you don’t miss it!

You can also join their group on Facebook for regular news on events, concerts, etc.

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CMYK kld | Art & culture, Music, Shopping | A4 art print DKK 85.00
Jægersborggade 51 | Nørrebro | +4521629563
Tue – Fri 14:00 – 17:30, Sat 11:00 – 15:00

At Vesterbrogade 137 is a true mecca of crafts and design named Designer Zoo. At this 800 m2 shop you can not only buy beautiful things – you can also talk to to the artists as they are working in the shop as well as creating.

The place opened ten years ago with just tree designers. Now they are eight in the fields of knitwear, glass, ceramics, furniture, jewelery, unique arts and so much more!

The idea is to make as much of the production in Denmark. They have very delicate ceramics jewelery (that I totally adore) as well as sculptural glass vases, pillows and bowls with little princes inside. The displays are really delightful as well.
Designer Zoo is also a gallery with about four shows a year. Read and see more about current show on the homepage. Event though the pieces in the shop are fine design, the prices are very reasonable. A lot of the artists also make pieces to order, so you can be a part of the process as well.

So if you want a different look at cool Danish design this is the place to go. And the shop is actually on the way to the real Zoo, so if you’re feeling wild you are going the right way!

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Designer Zoo | Art & culture, Shopping
Vesterbrogade 137 | Vesterbro | +4533249493
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 17:30, Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 15:00

To call this a bookstore is to simplify things. When you enter “Det Ukendtes”, you enter another world. A soft smell of incense and soothing music greets you as you walk by the counter and into the store. This place offers healing. Here you can speak of shopping as medicine and still be in your right mind!

If I hurt, whether it be in the body, mind, heart or soul I visit this place. Det Ukendtes offers books, incense, music, tarot cards, Tibetan drums, healing stones, dream catchers, protective charms, yoga mats, art and various other spiritual necessities. Sometimes I go there, even when I don’t want to buy anything just to let myself be calmed and soothed by the atmosphere. I can only recommend that you ask advice if you need it in any way. In this store, people will actually listen and guide you. That is rare.

Det Ukendtes is a bookstore after all and you may find books concerning a multitude of subjects. If you need inspiration for new yoga positions, a better veggie diet, ways to find your soulmate or simply seizing the day, this is your place. Of course you will probably have to be into that whole new-age sort of thing, but after one visit you probably will be.

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Det Ukendtes | Shopping
Løvstræde 8 | Inner City | +4533133701
Mon – Thu 10:30 – 17:30, Fri 10:30 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 15:00

Flying A is for the ladies – especially ladies who like to dress up and wear funky and funny accessories, patterns and colors. Flying A is somewhat in the expensive end of the spectrum but it is affordable for the common fashionista and most often the clothes are of a good quality.

The shop has two floors. One of them contains clothes of all sorts: skirts, dresses, t-shirts, pantyhose and everything in between, by designers such as Paul Frank and Fred Perry. The other floor holds shoes (Italian Boccaccini and Patricia Pepe), underwear and other delights.

On the ground floor, there is a large glass showcase and that is the true treasure chest of the boutique. In here you may admire a collection of wallets, hair clips, earrings and other accessories that seem like exotic butterflies on pins under the glass. It can seem a bit overwhelming, but do take your time to sort out the mess of colors and find the most beautiful piece.

I feel obliged to say that Flying A is a trendy shop, for ladies who care about fashion and sometimes it is a bit too fashionable. If you cannot stand the over-the-top trendiness and you only want a few minutes in the shop – head for the showcase!

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Flying A | Shopping
Kronprinsensgade 5 | Inner City | +4533339063
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 18:00, Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 17:00

Frederiksberg Allé is one of the most beautiful streets in Copenhagen. If you walk from Vesterbrogade towards Frederiksberg, you get a nice feel of what Frederiksberg is like.

And then there is the chocolate. Never forget the chocolate. This is the place to go if you want really good handmade quality. I am told you don’t eat as much chocolate if the quality is high, but that’s not my experience…

Frederiksberg Chokolade dates back to 1923 and the current owner, Tina Jacobsen, has been making the wonderful brown pieces of heaven since 1996. The shop still has that feel of long gone times with great service and customer care. But just the smell alone makes the visit worth while. And you’ll need plenty of time if you want to select all the chocolate your self. They have so much to choose from.

I recommend that you try a “flødebolle”. I’m told it’s a Danish thing. It’s a cream puff with a marshmallow kind of filling coated in chocolate on a wafer biscuit. Just try it – it’s a mouthful!

Visit the shop online.

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Frederiksberg Chokolade | Shopping, Snacks | Cream puff DKK 17.00
Frederiksberg Allé 64 | Frederiksberg | +4533223635
Mon – Thu 10:30 – 17:30, Fri 10:30 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 14:00

“Genbrug” means vintage in Danish and this is both the name and the contents of the shop. If you still have money to spend after visiting Tante T, this is where you should go. It’s a ten-minute walk away.

The shop is quite big for one that sells vintage and it is also remarkably popular, even for the vintage-loving Danes. The shop has two departments. The first one is entered from Vesterbrogade and contains all you could ever dream of in all sorts of clothes and accessories, while the second department, just next door, holds shoes (mostly high heeled and leather booths), purses and furs for the cold winters in the north (or wherever you might like!). Right now there is an extended collection of furs and fury accesories and considering the present condition of European weather and climate problems, a vintage fur might be it for everyone.  The clothes are all affordable and in fairly good condition.

Genbrug offers new goods regularly and has a local trend spotter who makes sure that the fashion victims won’t go home hungry. Especially dresses from every decade of the last century can be purchased and admired. Both dresses for daily wear and huge Cindarella robes with glitter and skirts like balloons. Even though you may never wear one, it’s good to be one the safe side and squeeze one into the closet, ay?

For a vintage shop the shoe department is impressive. The high heeled shoes are put in order by color in the biggest room along with the purses, while the boots live their vintage lives in the other room. Go get them!

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Genbrug | Shopping
Vesterbrogade 79 | Vesterbro
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 17:30, Sat 10:00 – 15:00

Granola is a very retro and very charming… café – or whatever. The place is 30’s style right down to the original industrial lamps and counter, well worn tables and terazzo floor.

The offering on the food and liquids side is basically café style and I want to mention the great brunch menu where you can either go for the full package or pick and choose between the various “brunch components”. Nice if you, like me, just want coffee and scrambled eggs and bacon with your pancakes. I mean, who needs orange juice and yogurt?

In addition to serving delicious coffee and cakes to the busy urbanites, Granola sells various high quality food products as well – teas, coffee – stuff like that. Which is why I am reluctant to just call café on Granola. The decor spells shop, industrial, Bauhaus just a little, maybe some drugstore in there too… oh just go and visit the place. It is very likable, indeed.

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Granola | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping
Værnedamsvej 5 | Frederiksberg | +4533250080
07:00 – 19:00 daily

Grønsagen is one of my favorite places at Christiania. It’s a greengrocer’s shop and restaurant/café combined! It’s very (very!) small and filled with baskets with vegetables and fruit. You can buy all sorts of organic goods: juice, nuts, snacks and food. At the counter you find various salads, veggie lasagna and bread. Especially the salads are very tasty and creative with nuts, beetroot, pasta, eggplant, and all of your favorite traditional or nontraditional vegetables. The food is prized per weight. It’s a bit expensive, but nutritious and delicious!

In the middle of the room are a couple of tables and chairs so it’s possible to sit down and enjoy your lunch, but you can also take your plastic plate and your food outside and sit wherever you like on one of the many beautiful and cozy spots at Christiania. If you want to eat outside in the sunlight I recommend bringing your food into Haven (”the garden”) and to sit on the grass like a true Copenhagener! I have to warn you that this spot is a bit chilly during wintertime, but if you are wlready equipped for walking around the city, it should not be much of a problem.

If you are staying inside, Grønsagen has a wall with some very large windows, so with all the greens it’s kind of like being inside a greenhouse, but luckily without the damp. There is something very beautiful and fragile about the interior and the way the light falls inside this place is gorgeous. Remember to enjoy this!

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Grønsagen | Shopping, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Salad plate DKK 35.00
Pusherstreet/Fremtidsskoven | Christianshavn
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 19:00

It’s not too much to call Husflid in Blågårdsgade a crafters paradise. You can find everything you need to sew or make anything. From headbands to pillows and beyond. And everything is so inspirational! Beads, ribbons, fabric, yarn – you’ve got it!

Everything is carefully chosen and oozes of old times and retro style. You can find vintage treasures like badges, bead necklaces and patches to iron on. You can also find a lot of cool vintage clothing for kids, so it’s a great place to find a unique and original present for the little ones in your life. And maybe you can find some cool re-cycled fabric for great christmas presents?

Rikke – the kind lady owner of the shop – also offers cute DIY kits for making your own bracelets and lots more. The back half of the shop is her crafting table where there is always something exiting going on. She has a great eye for putting stuff together and I always love to stop by and get inspired.

Husflid is an old Danish word for craft and arts. It’s becoming more and more popular to make your own stuff and that way get something personal and unique. If you don’t know where to start your project – stop by Husflid and you are well on your way into the world of making. Enjoy!

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Husflid | Art & culture, Shopping
Blågårdsgade 4 | Nørrebro | +4535347172
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 18:00

“Kongens Klæ’r” is a vintage shop in the center of the city. It is not very big and it is a bit old fashioned, but often you can find beautiful things. The clothes and accessories are in good condition. Especially belts, shoes,purses and boots are worth looking at and are sold at reasonable prices and the owner, an elderly gentleman, seems to have good taste for these things. Some beautiful knit clothes may also be found in the shop and it seems like a nice priority with the current state of temperature.

I have to warn you that this gentleman is not always very gentle. He will gladly share his opinion on things you look at in the shop, something you are trying on or just the topic of conversation between you and your companion, whether he is asked or not. Having said this, he a nice gentleman and sometimes his advice is very useful. If you are alone and in doubt whether those boots will go with your color of hair or not, feel free to ask him and he will take you seriously and give his best advice.

You should definitely take time to look at the window exhibitions, not only because they are colorful and thought through, but also because the best items often hide there and you can’t really see them from inside the shop. If you are in a hurry for some reason,

and you do not have time to go through all the items, head directly for the boots and feel the day brighten.

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Kongens Klæ’r | Shopping | Boots DKK 200
Rosenborggade 10 | Inner City
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 17:00, Sat 12:00 – 16:00

Mormor is Danish for your grandmother on your mothers side, and Mormors is like coming home to grandma’. This place is one of a kind and I highly recommend it. And located in Bredgade with all the galleries and just by Amalienborg Castle this should be on your list.

At Mormors you can get sandwiches, home made cakes, cookies and hot and cold drinks. They also serve breakfast the old fashioned way with oatmeal porridge. Mormor is also modern enough to make a wide range of delicious smoothies. But the most special treat is the biscuit cake or kiksekage as it is called in Danish. This is a layered cake made with biscuits and a very heavy chocolate filling. My mormor used to make this for Christmas, but I can eat this all year round. Great with strong, black coffee.

The cafe is decorated in a cute retro style with floral tapestry, tiny lamps and the atmosphere is peaceful and friendly. So stop buy Mormors and get good taken care of.

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Mormors | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Biscuit cake DKK 22.00
Bredgade 45 | Inner City | +4533160700
Mon – Fri 09:30 – 16:00, Sat 11:30 – 15:00

If you like tea, both the regular and the fancy kind, Perchs is your place. A.C Perch has been delivering tea to the Danish people and royal court since 1835. The small shop is absolutely exquisite and old fashioned.

The weight of the tea is measured in old brass scales and the staff knows absolutely everything there is to know about tea. You may purchase over a hundred kinds of tea, both English and Asian of origin. Recently Perchs has established a small tea room on the first floor, with Asian lacquered tables in bright orange – the kind only the royals used to sit at. The tea room holds a piano and several crystal chandeliers, but there is no need to get stressed out. It’s all very relaxed as long as you show the tea some respect.

Tea pots, biscuits and gift bags for tea-loving friends and family at home are all (unfortunately rather expensive) must-haves. A new A. C. Perchs book of tea will be available in English sometime this year. It is written by one of the owners and provides a history of tea from the first Asian plantations to the now nearly 175 year-old shop.

The Rooibos Vanilla and White Crème as well as Green tea with Bamboo are all excellent choices, but of course the best thing about visiting the shop is picking different kinds from the shelves and sniffing your way through until you find what is right exactly for you.

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Perchs The | Coffee & tea, Shopping | 100 g DKK 35.00
Kronprinsensgade 5 | Inner City | +4533153562
Mon – Thu 09:00 – 17:30, Fri 09:00 – 19:00, Sat 09:30 – 16:00

When you are travelling you get to immerse in whatever your passion is. And if you are into photography then you probably bring a camera when you travel. I do. And one thing I really like, is to give way to my passion for photography and the cameras and go and visit camera shops when I am in a foreign place. Doesn’t matter if it is the five square meters shop, in a small Italian mountain village with a 47 years old KODAK sign outside, or it be some huge department store downtown somewhere.

And then again, sometimes you just really need one – if you lost or broke something or want to buy something new.

Photografica is one of the very best in Denmark. If not the best – comes down to personal preference. The shop is really two businesses…

new cameras from the top brands of Leica, Nikon, Canon, Alpa, Linhof, Hasselblad, Zeiss Ikon and other professional equipment manufacturers

second hand classics from Leica, Contax, Hasselblad, Mamiya,… and many more

plus various equipment for lighting, processing, printing and what have you – they keep a nice stock of film for those who have still not turned to the dark side

There is a definite bias towards professionals but the casual shooter will not feel out of place at all. I recommend visiting their homepage where you will find an up to date price-list with both new and used stock.

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Photografica | Shopping
Skindergade 41 | Inner City | +4533141215
Mon – Thu 09:30 – 17:30, Fri 09:30 – 18:00, Sat 09:30 – 15:00

Well to be honest there are probably no diamonds to be found in Pico, but many beautiful accessories in bright or douche colors made with silver, gold, different stones and colored strings. Nothing really fancy but the designs are beautiful and simple and the prizes quite low.

The shop is divided into two small departments, placed right beside one another. The interior is pretty and simple, with dark wood and glass. The young women behind the counter are always happy to help and easy to ask for advice or a second opinion when you’re in doubt whether orange or purple is best with your hair color. This is one of the few places where they will actually give serious criticism if you ask and not just try to sell you the first thing you look at.

Pico has the usual sorts of jewelry; necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, but also hair clips, scarves, ballerina shoes (a bit expensive, but beautiful), wallets and purses in gorgeous materials and colors. Unfortunately the hair clips tend to be pretty fragile, but if you take good care of them they might survive and even if they do not, the prizes are so low that you won’t shed many tears.

All the jewelry is nickel free, so you won’t have to worry about allergy and I can only recommend a trip to this women’s paradise.

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Pico | Shopping | Necklace DKK 300.00
Østerbrogade 98 | Østerbro | +4535558769
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 17:30, Fri 11:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

This wonderful corner coffee shop is a true neighbourhood favorite. And I think I know why!

It’s the combination of a coffee-thirsty neighbourhood, a great location on the corner, really, really good coffee, friendly service, enough seats (about 20 inside) and just the right atmosphere of urban retro cool. Not to forget the fact that they are open from 8 in the morning (hello espresso!) to 22 (goodnight espresso!). This would make a great stop if you are out exploring the more unknown sides of Amager.

And who stops by here? Everybody from young moms on maternity leave with the strollers close to the window to students working on papers, artists needing a break and families (like my own!) on the way home just craving something delicious, hot and sweet.

At Riccos you can not only have great coffee at a very fair price. You can also buy really beautiful porcelain from the talentet Helbak. And if you don’t like coffee you can always try one of the many tasty Anton-beverages. All natural juice. In a bottle. My kids love them. Rasberry is really great!

And as something new you can get soup from the ever so yummi-yummi Soupanatural (check the Soupanatural article) at Riccos!

Behind the name ‘Ricco’ you find Ricco Sørensen who now is the proud owner of 7 coffee shops around Copenhagen. You never go wrong with coffee from Riccos!

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Riccos | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Double espresso DKK 22.00
Holmbladsgade 52 | Amager
08:00 – 22:00 daily

With its truly unique atmosphere and an original and delicious food concept, Royal Café is one of my favourite places to go for lunch or just a stopover during the day.

It is not your standard cafe concept at all but more of a combination of an ambitious cafe and a factory outlet for some of the best Danish design ware manufacturers. The synthesis works, in my opinion.

On the food side, the offering is re-designed Danish food culture with the emphasis on quality that characterise the place through and through. Royal Café invented what they call… smushies – miniature open sandwiches of a superb quality and obviously a tribute to, and re-interpretation of, the traditional Danish open sandwich. The word smushi is a contraction of the Danish smørrebrød (open faced sandwich) and sushi, by the way.

Royal Café is very much a lunch/shopping-stop-over place but with a Sunday brunch as well. You may want to book a table if planning to visit during the peak lunch and early afternoon hours.

Royal Café describes itself as being “Funky Baroque – design confusion, humorous and chic”. And that is a fair description, actually. Go experience – the café is located in the courtyard behind/between Royal Copenhagen’s and Georg Jensen’s flagship stores on Amagertorv. You can’t see it until you are in the courtyard.

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Royal Café | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Cappucino DKK 40
Amagertorv 6 | Inner City | +4533121122
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00, Sun 11:00 – 17:00

I used to live in Vesterbro when I first came to Copenhagen. But that was sadly before Sort Kaffe & Vinyl. This is the kind of local drop by coffee place you will love if you love a good cup of coffee. They open at 08:00, so if you are out and about early this is a great first stop.

The owner, Christian Rygaard, has combined two wonderful things – coffee and vinyl records. The place is quite small and there’s no bathroom, but with black coffee and records like that you will forgive everything! You can sit in the back and read magazines, listen to music and drink coffee.

By the way – the poster from the 2008 Copenhagen Jazz festival was made by Kasper Eistrup from the Danish band Kashmir and depicted no other than Mr. Rygaard of Sort Kaffe & Vinyl.

Did I say they make great coffee??

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Sort Kaffe og Vinyl | Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping | Black coffee DKK 20.00
Skydebanegade 4 | Vesterbro | +4561703349
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00, Sun 11:00 – 18:00

Sweet Treat is a lovely little café and shop in Sankt Annæ Gade on Christianshavn. Just around the corner from the canals you will notice it by the garden chars outside on the sidewalk where people usually hang out and enjoy their daily hot coffee or tea.

Inside is nice too, where you cat sit down and relax to some jazz music. It is, however, a very small place and especially in the mornings it gets quite crowded, mainly due to the run of politicians from the Foreign Ministry who start their day with a sweet treat here.

And there are lots of little sweet treats in Sweet Treat, most of them organic too. You will find homemade liquorice, fruit juices, very dark chocolate and French caramels with silly jokes written inside the packaging. At least that’s what they tell you, a non French speaker myself I wouldn’t know – they might be really funny?! They also have a good selection of good teas and coffee.

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Sweet Treat | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Lunch plate DKK 49.00
Sankt Annæ Gade 3a | Christianshavn | +4532954115
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

If you like tea (and who doesn’t!) you must not miss this spot! Tante T is a nostalgic and cozy tea saloon and shop with no hurry and no stress. The furniture is old and the rooms decorated like a typical Danish grandmother would have done it – all velvety in douche pastel colors. It’s funny and creative and first of all very comfortable. The shop is an old grocery store and the shelves behind the counter are old and charming.

You can order a pot of tea at the spot and bring some home if it delights you. There are over a hundred kinds of tea to buy and various sweet specialties from the Danish kitchen. Tante T offers cookies, brownies, biscuit cake, fruit pie – you name it! All of the cakes are homemade and they alone make a trip to Tante T worth your while. Especially the biscuit cake is mouthwatering. In Denmark, dark bread is very popular so the bread is darker in general. Even most breakfast buns contain several kinds of seeds and corn which go really well with cheese or butter. Try one!

I’ve enjoyed several Saturday and Sunday brunches, with homemade tea buns, Asti, lemon curd and of course tea and other delicacies. The service is really good and the atmosphere is calm, but Tante T is a popular spot. It’s a good idea to order a table if you want to be sure to get a place to sit.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Tante T | Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping, Snacks | Breakfast DKK 75.00
Viktoriagade 6 | Vesterbro | +4532103610
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 10:00 – 21:00

This shop is well hidden and that’s probably why it’s so peaceful. It’s quite big and painted black, with large windows and endless shelves holding explosions of colors. Tranquebar is a shop for the traveler.

The shop contains books on a variety of subjects but especially travelling, photography, anthropology and the cultures of the world are represented in this beautiful and inspirational boutique.

Besides books you can buy handmade toys in natural materials, Pashmina scarves, music from all over the world, jewelry, pictures and posters and a great cup of coffee! You can sit in one of the big couches (many pillows and no color coordination) and enjoy coffee, beers and snacks. The china is British and mismatched. Of course everything is fair trade and ecological. Try a chocolate scone with your cappuccino.

Tranquebar is a great shop to visit whether you are travelling and you want to learn more about Copenhagen or you need inspiration for where to go next. This place just seems to grow endlessly. Not physically but in my mind. It keeps getting better. I often go there just to feel my own presence in the middle of the colorful world song where all cultures and therefore no cultures are represented. In a shop that celebrates the world and all of her inhabitants there are no prejudices. Here you can be and be yourself.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Tranquebar | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Coffee DKK 30.00
Borgergade 14 | Inner City | +4533125512
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 15:00

I’ll just make this clear from the beginning : This is not a cheap shop.

The shop is entirely ecological/bio-dynamic, and sells a lot of special made products of high quality, which are quite expensive to produce.

Denmark is already one of the most expensive countries in Europe (only passed by the crazy rascals of Norway ), so a very common reaction to the shop is “What? 6 Euros for a piece of soap?”

You just have to see it as an experience, i sometimes “treat myself” to something from Vanilla Shop, because i in no way can afford to shop there regularly.

Now that the price issue is over with, i can start telling about the wonderful Vanilla Shop

The shop is located very close to Nørreport and the round tower, so it should be very easy to find.

The shop is divided into a top and a bottom floor, with the top floor being mostly personal maintenance items & perfumes, all really nice products.

The bottom floor is the very best part, seeing that’s where all the yummy food and tasty wine is, definitely recommendable.

So go to Vanilla Shop and buy some expensive goods you can bring back home, I promise you won’t regret it, at least not until you find out how much money you spent

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Vanilla Shop | Shopping | Omega 3 Müsli DKK 40.00
Købmagergade 53 | Inner City
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:30, Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Verde Food and Coffee serves the best organic coffee in town by far! The nice people there prepares it for you with a warm smile and always have time for a little anecdote or a chat about the days news.

Apart from the coffee and deli, another addition to Verde Food & Coffee is jeans! As goes for everything else in the shop the jeans are organic and fair trade. The brand Kuyichi is Dutch and has taken its name from the Peruvian God of the Rainbow. Sounds quite hippie – which it may well be, but really it is quite hip too.

So is this place, which also provides free Internet so you can check your email whilst resting comfortably on top of the chunky tree trunks which make up the chairs. The funky interior is lit up by custom made woolen lamps and makes for a cozy atmosphere any day.

By the way, new fresh and amazing juices have been added to the menu and more seats have been installed in a cosy lounge area in the back – another good excuse to go and hang out!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Verde Food & Coffee | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Cafe cortado DKK 27.00
Nørre Farimagsgade 72 | Inner City | +4570203015
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:00