Image by Grand Fromage

Far away from downtown Copenhagen and even a bit out of the way from downtown Frederiksberg, lies a small cheese shop near Peter Bangsvej Station. Even though it is out of the way, it is most certainly worth the trip. I frequently do a 20 minute bike ride detour home from work to buy cheese in the small shop.

Grand Fromage is originally from Denmark’s 2nd largest city Århus, but due to their popularity with Copenhagen restaurateurs, they opened up a small shop in Frederiksberg. Grand Fromage is run by father and son, who both have a cheese-making background. The family have been cheese-makers since 1883. This of course shows in their selection of products for sale in the shop. Cheeses are chosen from small artisan producers in Denmark as well as France, Italy and the UK.

The staff is of course extremely knowledgeable (it is usually the son working the shop) and you can be quite sure you’ll get a taste of cheese and a good story when in the shop. Apart from cheese, the shop has a small selection of Salamis, hams, freshly baked bread and relishes and other condiments to go with a cheese platter. My personal favorite is the French Epoisses de Bourgogne which you can get at Grand Fromage at a perfect level of ripeness. It becomes extremely smelly and runny when it is mature enough to eat. Yummy!

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Grand Fromage | Shopping
Peter Bangs Vej 89 | Frederiksberg | +4538161303
Tue – Thu 10:00 – 18:00, Fri 10:00 – 18:30, Sat 09:30 – 14:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by David Brandt

Gourmandiet is small butcher shop on a quiet side street in Østerbro. A delicious little shop with only the best quality butcher goods. Apart from some of the best beef and pork in Denmark the shop also sells sausages, pates and other butcher goods.

While their butcher products are great and worth a visit, the real attraction is what happens at night after butcher-shops normally close. The owners thought that it was a shame to have such a nice room just sitting around, so they started opening their doors Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

A few tables has been setup around the shop and a chef and a waiter has been hired. At night they serve a simple menu of with a lone starter (a plate of Danish salamis, cured ham and other cold cuts), a selection of different cuts of beef with todays garnish and finally a single dessert (usually something delicious with Danish apples).

The décor is simple but with a few nice details: The chairs are lined with sheepskins and the wall is full of shelves with various delicacies.

Gourmandiet serves fantastic Danish meat in a very homely atmosphere. There is only a handful of tables so reservations are essential, but it ensures a very personal dining experience facilitated by the very attentive staff.

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Gourmandiet | Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Meat) | Steak DKK 250.00
Rosenvængets Allé 7A | Østerbro | +4539271000
Shop Mon – Fri 11:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 15:00 | Restaurant Thu – Sat 17:30 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Elina Roivainen

The cutest dresses in town!

On the street with the most of variety in Copenhagen, Istedgade, you can find a small shop offering you a trip back in time, straight to the fifties. Dixie Grey offers a great deal of beautiful clothing, jewelry and shoes, all in the style they call “Modern vintage”. The best way to describe their clothing is found from their webpage: “Humor, nostalgia and stories are all essential to the design of Dixie Grey clothing”. See it for yourselves, this shop is worth experiencing! 

Not that the clothes wouldn’t be enough, Dixie Grey also sells Vivienne Westwood’s amazing shoes! 

ps. After shopping at Dixies, continue your Mad Men -inspired day with a drink at The Jane…

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Dixie Grey | Shopping
Istedgade 56c | Vesterbro | +4535131808
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 18:00, Sat 11:00 – 15:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by FN92 Vintage, Pauli Tvilling

This is one of my two favorite vintage shops in Copenhagen because I do not have to go through piles and piles of hideous 1980′s dresses. I can just walk in and enjoy all the beautiful items that have been handpicked by the shop’s owner Pauli Tvilling. This of course does affect the price level, which is on the high side, but you definitely do have the creme of the creme here.

Although there are items from the 1920′s, 30′s and 40′s – even 1900′s and 1910′s – the shop’s biggest strength is definitely 1950′s dresses! In these, there is a large variety in sizes, so there should be something for every frame and every taste, and although I’m certainly no size small, but I have always found something that I can fit. Go and try your luck!

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FN92 Vintage | Shopping | 50′s dress +/- DKK 750
Larsbjoernstraede 6, kld. th | Inner City | +4533132050
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Frederikke Rode

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. At the counter you’ll find various salads, 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 already 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 (Healthy) | Salad plate DKK 35.00
Pusherstreet/Fremtidsskoven | Christianshavn
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Mikkel Skjoldan Svenningsen

“Genbrug” means vintage in Danish and this is both the name and the contents of the shop.

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) and purses.

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Mikkel Skjoldan Svenningsen

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Frederikke Rode

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Frederikke Rode

“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.

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 is 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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen

Image by Mikkel Skjoldan Svenningsen

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Copenhagen