What to Expect on a Copenhagen Food Tour
Through the streets of the Danish capital, visitors clamour to tuck into smørrebrød (more on that later), sip on powerful schnapps, and attempt to get a table at one of the small city’s 17 Michelin starred restaurants. But Copenhagen hasn’t always been a foodie hotspot…
In fact, it wasn’t until 2003 that things really began to take off. That year, Claus Meyer and René Redzepi founded the restaurant Noma, and with it came a resurgence of Denmark’s food scene in the form of the New Nordic Food Movement. Taking classic Nordic dishes and giving them a fresh, modern twist, it put Copenhagen on the map as a culinary destination.
And me being, me (ie: always hungry), I had to get a taste of it all for myself.
The Copenhagen Culinary Experience is a three and a half hour adventure that takes foodies around some of the most interesting and delicious eating (and drinking) spots in the city. With plenty of information about Copenhagen’s history and culture for good measure.
*complimentary experience in exchange for coverage*
My Copenhagen food tour came courtesy of the team at Tinggly – a gift experience company perfect for travellers. Their gift boxes allow the recipient to choose from a huge collection of experiences in over 100 countries, from walking tours and white water rafting to hot air balloon rides and cruises. And food tours, obviously.
Cheese Sampling
Our Copenhagen food tour begins at Torvehallerne, a local food market selling groceries, fresh meat and fish, fruit and veg and a whole lot more.
After meeting the tour’s guide, Maria, our first stop is one of my favourite things – a cheese sampling at Arla Unika. I’ll let you in on a secret – Danish cheese has some serious chops.
Jam & Liquor
The next stop was conveniently just one stall down, transporting us across the Baltic Sea to Bornholm, a Danish island. The island has plenty to offer in terms of food and drink, including liquorice, chocolate and an AMAZING seabuckthorn jam, which I loved.
Oh, and because everyone needs some hard liquor at 11am, we got to sample akvavit, a distilled spirit from Scandinavia. If I wasn’t awake by this point already, it definitely helped…
Danish Honey
During a lovely stroll through the grounds of Copenhagen’s Botanical Gardens, Maria whipped out two jars of Danish-produced honey to try. We also got to hear about how plants are used in cuisine, as well as finding out about a majorly smelly flower that blooms in the Botanical Gardens. It’s called the Amorphophallus Titanum…otherwise known as ‘Titan’s Penis’. Which is now in my Google Search History…
Smørrebrød at Aaman’s
Up until this point, I’d enjoyed the small tasting bites – but at Aaman’s Deli and Takeaway, we were treated to a full on spread of a Danish specialty. A stalwart of Nordic cuisine, I’d tried Smørrebrød before, so was pretty excited when a plate of these Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches arrived in front of me.
Aaman’s was opened by Danish celeb chef Adam Aamann in 2006, with two other restaurants to follow. The Deli and Takeaway is the more relaxed of the three, offering amazing flavour combinations, all served on the traditional rye bread. My favourite was probably the potato with smoked mayo, radish, pickled onion and potato chips – but all four were delicious and inventive.
I also *loved* the Elderflower Soda I ordered with the smørrebrød lunch – light, fruity and refreshing with just the right amount of fizz.
Copenhagen Craft Beer
The tastes of Copenhagen don’t just extend to dishes – the beer choices here are pretty decent too. Nørrebro Bryghus is a 100% organic craft brewery in Copenhagen. Their focus is creating exciting, innovative beers to a high quality. No watery pints of Carlsberg in sight.
We tried three of their beers – one a white beer style, one an amber ale, and my personal favourite, a breezy and easy to drink sour called Cruise 2020. Because the brewer is obsessed with Mission Impossible, apparently. Fair enough then.
Iconic Copenhagen Street Food
I was actually still pretty full from my smørrebrød, but a ‘second lunch’ came in the form of a classic street food dish – the humble hot dog. But this is no ordinary frankfurter – DØP have turned the sausage-in-bun concept on its head, offering a ‘healthier’ dog, with organic ingredients.
I had the tofu dog and it was delicious – a great consistency, with plenty of crispy fried onions held on with a generous squirt of mustard. And to top it all off, crunchy pickles lay at the top of it all. Messy, but wonderful.
Sweet treats
Towards the end of the tour, just like with any good meal, sweet treats were on the cards. We stopped off at Sømods Bolcher, the oldest sweet shop in the city. Since 1891, the shop has been producing their traditional hard candies by hand, and we watched some of the makers in action before getting a taste of their coffee candy.
My Copenhagen food tour came to an end back at Torvehallerne, but in the best possible way – with mouthfuls of CHOCOLATE. Yesss.
Summerbird Chocolaterie is a luxury chocolatier, and we had the chance to try their award-winning Sommerfugl white chocolate and vanilla caramel, as well as the Flødeboller – Grand Cru, which was a bit like a fancy Walnut Whip but with marzipan at the bottom instead of a walnut.
I had a fantastic four hours on the tour – there were only five of us, which meant it felt intimate and there was plenty of time to ask Maria loads of questions, not just about food, but about life in Copenhagen and Denmark. The samples were generous and plentiful, and there was no pressure put on to buy from any of the shops and stalls we visited.
If you’re looking for a way to taste all the culinary delights Copenhagen has to offer, and learn a bit more about the city in the process, a Copenhagen food tour is a great way to do it!
The Copenhagen Culinary Experience costs €124pp.
More Copenhagen Food Tours
Danish Pastries Tasting Tour: Visit five top bakeries and learn the art of baking the iconic Danish pastry
Culinary Bike Tour: Taste your way around different neighbourhoods in Copenhagen.
Nørrebro Food Tour: Tasting experiences in the lively, multicultural Nørrebro neighbourhood.
Secret Food Tours: Experience Danish cuisine from locally-beloved shops and cafes.
If you’re travelling with a group, you could also look at booking a private Gourmet Copenhagen tour.
More into liquid lunch sampling? Try a Copenhagen beer and wine tasting tour.
I would like to stay in Copenhaguen 5 days and to spend two days with gastronomic tours.I’m interested in danish food over all. And I will visit the most important places,of course.
It coulb be on 22 april to 26. But I can go other days too.
I would appreciate if tou recomend some centric hotel not very expensive.
Thankyou for tour attention
Pere