What to eat Copenhagen? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Nordic people are used to eating early. Lunch, frokost, is traditionally served between 12 and 3:30 pm, but dinner,aften, is served from 5:30 pm! After 9pm, it can be difficult to be received, even if this custom is changing and adapting to the development of tourism. The good news is that the vast majority of restaurants are open for lunch on Sundays.

Note, however, that the cost is generally high, and it's advisable to reserve a table at a restaurant - essential at Michelin-starred restaurants up to a month or two in advance - or in touristy places like Nyhavn. Credit cards are accepted everywhere.

The Danes are accustomed to eating lunch on the go, so this is an opportunity to do as they do and try a smørrebrød and a pølser, or indulge in the gourmet sweets and other prepared dishes - to eat in or take away - from bakeries such as Meyers bageri or Emmerys. These formulas are less expensive, but still hearty enough. Inexpensive food can be found in the large covered markets near Nørreport Station or at Reffen - Copenhagen Street Food (closed in winter, reopening in April) in the harbor area. Museum restaurants are an excellent alternative: quality food, quick hot and cold options, moderate prices.

The carafe of water on the table is not a Danish custom. You'll always be offered bottled water. Flat or bubbly, the choice is yours!

Eating out is a habit, which is why picnic areas abound in city parks.

The Danes are used to eating on the go at lunchtime. As soon as the weather's fine, the whole city is an invitation to settle down on a bench, a quay or a park lawn. And you can find all kinds of take-away food, without having to fall back on a fast-food restaurant. In restaurants, order and pay at the counter.

Herring is a staple of Danish cuisine, and there are at least twenty different ways to prepare it! In brine, marinated, in a sweet-and-sour sauce, served with chopped hard-boiled egg... Another specialty is frikadeller or meatballs, made with equal parts of veal and pork, flour, milk, eggs, onions and spices. The national dish, Stegt flæsk med persillesovs, is prepared with crispy pork in a parsley sauce, accompanied by potatoes.

A few gourmet ideas before heading to your bench:

Pølser: numerous street vendors offer sausages, sandwiches, hamburgers, croque-monsieur, drinks and ice cream in their pølsevogn.

Smørrebrød: these traditional sandwiches can be found just about everywhere. Every day, these famous little slices of buttered bread are prepared with shrimp, herring, beet, curry sauce or not... In short, there are numerous combinations. Not so easy to eat without spilling, though.

Bakeries: these can be spotted from a distance by their sign in the shape of a wreath of plaited bread. In general, you won't find much in the way of savoury products. Note that Bageri-Konditori are open on Sundays and also sell drinks and newspapers.

The disgusted smileys! The windows of restaurants display the report of the control carried out each year: the Smiley Certificate. For the vast majority of them, you will see proudly displayed a happy smiley named Elite! Since 2008, four additional emoticons, from happy to disgusted, indicate if the restaurant has received a notification or a fine. The strong point of Danish restaurants is the strict hygiene conditions and food standards.

Children are very welcome. The restaurants provide baby seats, high chairs and changing tables. Adapted menus are available à la carte.

Smoking is not allowed inside restaurants or bars, but Danes appreciate the fact that smoking is permitted on terraces in all seasons. An exception is made for cafés that have a license to sell alcohol and are less than 40^m2 in size: in this case, smoking indoors is still permitted! Of course, the cigarette butt goes home with its owner or ends its life in an ashtray, but never, ever on the ground or in a manhole.

Opening hours vary depending on the establishment, but generally speaking they open from noon or 3pm and close at midnight. On Friday and Saturday nights, they are open until 2am. Bars are very popular from 4pm to 5pm, after work.

Draught beer is the cheapest alcoholic beverage and can be found everywhere in Copenhagen, the most popular being Carlsberg or Tuborg. In Copenhagen, a draught costs an average of DKK 50. This is 34% more expensive than in France. For a cocktail, expect to pay 90 to 120 DKK; a coffee 36 DKK. The cheapest solution is to take advantage ofhappy hour. Okay, it's sometimes a bit early, between 4 and 6pm, but some places start between 8 and 9pm and run until midnight!

You must be 18 to buy alcoholic beverages in bars and nightclubs. Minors are allowed to visit restaurants unaccompanied by their parents or guardians (http://www.protection-of-minors.eu/fr/country/DK).

In Denmark, excessive alcohol consumption among young people is a real problem. It seems that 15-17 year-olds are the heaviest drinkers in Europe in this age group. One of the main reasons for this is the easy access to alcohol from the age of 16. Drinking is part of Danish culture and part of high-school social relations. Examples abound. Every year, they get together near Copenhagen to celebrate the start of the new school year, which is an occasion for heavy drinking. On their Blå mandag confirmation day, young teenagers are traditionally given a drink. Similarly, later in life, young Danes can't avoid Fredag's bar (Friday bar), which is very popular at universities and in the corporate world. Their frequentation is often seen as a prerequisite for social integration. Just look at Thomas Vinterberg's film Drunk and you'll believe it!

Sunday opening is a custom in Copenhagen. We like to get together with our families for brunch.Aquavit, a brandy that will blow your mind, traditionally accompanies smørrebrød. Long neglected, it is becoming very fashionable again. No alcohol is sold in stores after 5 pm. In Denmark, the order taking and the payment are almost systematically done at the counter. But the waiters clear the tables.

The establishments indicate when children are not allowed, which is rather rare in Denmark, with the exception of certain cocktail bars and discotheques, which are sometimes permitted from the age of 21... or 23!

In Denmark, smoking is prohibited in areas larger than 40^m2 . But smoking is allowed in smaller cafés!