Now that Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca has bumped Noma to second place on San Pellegrino’s top 50 list, you should probably cancel that Copenhagen visit, right? Wrong. The city remains a must, thanks to friendly locals, legendary design and—yes—astonishingly good restaurants. Here, DailyXY’s guide to Copenhagen.
Where to Sleep
From the moment you enter the Avenue Hotel’s lobby bar, with its plush, Scando-perfect sofas and roaring fire, you’ll know you’ve chosen well. An impeccable attention to detail—witness the Missoni sheets, house-baked bread, and original artwork—distinguishes this 68-room boutique property, which is set in a 114-year-old, Emil Blichfeldt-designed building in the heart of the city.
Where to Eat
Sicily-born, Copenhagen-raised Christian Puglisi was sous-chef at Noma before opening his Michelin-starred shrine to culinary simplicity, Relae, and, across the street, its crowded, cheap and incredibly fun sister wine bar, Manfreds & Vin. The cozy, cellar-like room is always full of stylish locals and tourists, sipping natural Danish wines and chowing down on small plates of ox tartare, parlsey-laced charred carrots, and blackcurrant-spiked roasted root vegetables.
Where to Drink
If you spend a weekend in Copenhagen and don’t wake up with a wretched aquavit hangover, you’re just not doing it right. Get your fix in the city’s gentrifying meat packing district, at the art-filled cocktail bar-cum-nightclub Karriere, where the caraway-tinged herbaceous spirit is served straight-up, or as part of a Red Cow, mixed with lime, mint, and ginger.
What to See
Not a modern art person? It doesn’t matter. Sure, the collection at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is about 45 minutes north of the city, is worth the trip alone—think Picasso, Warhol and Lichtenstein. So is the epic cafeteria’s epic buffet. But the real draw is the building itself—connected glass-walled modern houses, surrounded by a stunning sculpture garden and perched over the dramatic Øresund Sound.
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Ben Leszcz is a former editor of DailyXY. He spends his time galavanting around the world, hitting places like Belgrade, the Alps, and Paris. Check out his website here.
