On the Copenhagen city blog, there are a number of places for Smørrebrød (the infamous open-face sandwiches, e.g. check out the Kanal Cafeen article). All the numerous smørrebrødplaces in town each have their own personality, e.g. Hansen Gamle Familiehave in Frederiksberg being kitsch and classy and Kanal Cafeen being old and traditional. But my top favorite is Schønnemanns.

Schønnemanns is a fairly new player on the scene. Well, actually Schønnemanns has been operating since 1877! But it was only after new owners bought it in 2007 that it entered the big leagues.

Schønnemanns is one of the best place in town for smørrebrød. The menu is rather large and provides both authentic classics as well as new interpretations (Rene Redzepi of Noma fame has had his favorite sandwich named after him: Greenland Halibut with warm cucumber a la creme, radishes and chives on sourdough bread).

Common for all is high quality, great flavor and the fantastic use of ingredients. Everything is of course home made. Smørrebrød is served with the largest selection of Aquavit I’ve ever seen. Schønnemanns has more than 70 kinds sourced from all of Scandinavia and The Netherlands as well as a few homemade varieties.

My only problem with Schønnemanns is that it is so popular. It is almost impossible to get a table on short notice, so make sure to book in advance!