This is a continuation of my posts on all the food I had during my 12 day trip to Finland, Sweden, Copenhagen, and Iceland. You can find part one on Finland here and part two on Sweden here.
Day One
Walking mileage: 14.1 miles
I took the 7:38 train from Malmo to Copenhagen, hitting the ground running in Copenhagen at 8:15. The city was not very awake yet, but given it was Saturday, I knew it would liven up soon. I made my first stop off the train at Buka bakery. I could tell immediately that it was… not necessarily “tourist-y,” but a bit Instagrammable. But I had it marked to try, and the smells that were wafting out were too good to ignore.
Their specialty was stuffed croissants – croissants that have been baked and then sliced open and filled. But they do it in some way that doesn’t result in a crumbly mess, so that’s impressive. I went with the Nutella. It’s a classic, and I figured I had not had enough Nutella during this Europe trip. Nutella used to only be a Europe trip thing for me. And I miss those days. I remember when I was at Target with my mom as a kid – probably 7 or 8 – and we saw Nutella for the first time at Target. I thought I was supposed to feel excited, but honestly? Even at that age, I was thinking… That’s a Europe thing. A treat for when we travel. Then I get to eat everything Nutella. I’m sure I was still thrilled when my mom bought some, but I also prefer it as a luxury treat. And having a “I’m in Europe, it’s Nutella time!” attitude is still baked in to me.
So I thoroughly enjoyed my Nutella-loaded croissant. My iced americano was also notably good here. They were playing ABBA over the speakers. A pretty good start to the day.
But, I did re-assess my list of bakeries to find one that felt slightly less Instagram-y. There was another on my list that did “cube croissants” and I thought… that’s definitely for TikTok, isn’t it? So I retooled and decided to go to Riviera. Is it a bit indulgent to go to two bakeries in one day? Yes. BUT, I had one day in Copenhagen, and had been reading about how good all their pastries were. It’s amazing I only did two.
I strolled through the old town, through the King’s Garden, and saw the Rosenborg castle, so I didn’t just beeline to the other bakery.
Riviera was clearly trendy as well – there was a line out the door! Not something you see very often in a city with that many bakeries. I knew I had chosen well. When I got in, I ordered a Rhubarb spandauer. I had in my head that danishes were not actually Danish, and I confirmed that I was correct with a quick Google search. I’m not sure how danishes got the name, but what we call a danish is actually called a spandauer. I didn’t need to get one in Copenhagen, because it’s not actually Danish, but… I also wanted to know whether they had good spandauer?
It was also rhubarb, and I mean, come on. If I’m going to get a danish, it’ll be rhubarb. And this was very yummy. But even more than the taste, I was impressed by the technical construction! It was a very sturdy pastry (while still being flaky) to be able to support all the filling. And the filling itself was sturdy – not just a jam, but something slightly thicker, more like a jelly mold. It held its shape and didn’t leak and droop all over. An impressive feat of baking engineering. I of course enjoyed this delicacy in a park. You know my routine by now.
I made a quick stop at this 7/11 for a drink, because I hadn’t brought my water bottle. I laughed because his 7/11 was right next to a Rolex store. I do not understand the prevalence of 7/11s in Denmark, and why they are so much nicer than American ones? Everything is dark and polished and clean. There’s an upstairs area that looked like a fancy coffee shop? What is going on?
I was off to the ballet then! In the Old Stage theater, which I think some people went to just as tourists, and I got to see a show there!
It was right over lunch time, so afterwards I made my way to Kompa9 to have some lunch. I enjoyed an iced matcha latte and a SALAD! More vegetables! Delicious. Enjoyed on their outdoor patio seating on what was apparently not a pedestrian street, based on the two cars that drove by a 3 miles an hour. It… definitely felt like a pedestrian street, and pedestrians seemed to rule the road. It felt good to be fortified by some veggies.
I spent the afternoon at the Glyptoteket museum, which had a really cool Degas exhibit that unintentionally continued the ballet theme of the day! It was also just a beautiful museum in itself. Then, I trekked back to this Observatory Tower I had seen earlier in the day. I climbed to the top, up a curving ramp that felt a lot like the Tower of Piza. Thankfully, this tower was not leaning. Which was good, because it was/is an astronomical observatory, and was used by the guy who discovered that light has a speed. Just imagine if he had been leaning when he discovered that??
I got the overview of the city on the tower, and then was going to get a ground-level overview during my 6:30 canal cruise. But first, I had to get dinner. I could probably have fund a very fancy-schmancy dinner in Copenhagen, but I had read that apparently their street hot dogs are famous and worth trying. Who am I to say no to a hot dog? So I stopped at a cart that was well placed, and stood behind I guy ordering two different hot dogs for himself in Danish. I figured I made a good choice.
I chose the classic hot dog, and was pleasantly surprised. A classic hot dog with very crunchy exterior, a slightly smaller, more proper bread bun, ketchup, two spicy mustards, crispy onions, regular fresh onions, and then pickles. Loaded, but not falling-off-the-dog loaded. Really quite tasty. Would recommend.
I was fortified so I wouldn’t get hungry during my canal tour, but it probably wasn’t a full meal after the amount of walking I’d done that day.
So after my tour, I stopped at a boat bar called the Tipsy Mermaid and got a beer as I came up with my evening game plan. As you do. The Tipsy Mermaid was just around the corner from the popular photo street, and it was literally on the water, but it was not very busy at all. Bizarre, because it was a great place to stop and chill out with a beer. Oh well! I’ll gatekeep it if I need to!
I decided at the Tipsy mermaid that I didn’t need much more than an extra snack to complete my dinner, but what I did want was an Aperol Spritz. I’d seen them on so many menus during my trip, and it just seems like a very trendy drink to have on a European vacation. I had Aperol Spritz Aspirations, if you will. And since I was going to Iceland the next day… Iceland did not exactly have the same vibes for enjoying an Aperol Spritz, in my mind. So I was Googling places to get “the best” Aperol Sprtizes, and found a place a ways down the water that had Aperol Spritzes and snacks. I finished my beer (feeling bizarrely drunk until I got off the boat and realized the boat had been swaying), and decided I would cross the river for a view before getting my dinner.
That was when I walked straight into the food market Broens! It was PACKED with people, clearly the Place to Be on a Saturday night in Copenhagen. People were spilling out onto the canal, clearly just enjoying the evening outside. I immediately retooled my plans – surely there was something there that I would want to eat. There were so many diverse options for food, it was overwhelming. But when I saw a place selling sweet potato fries with mayo, I knew that would be just the thing to round out my meal.
And there was a bar selling Aperol Spritzes! Just churning them out. I got one, and took my drink and fries a little ways away from the crowds to sit on the canal. Feet dangling over the edge of the canal, best view of the harbor and the city during sunset, food in hand, in a quiet place but still listening to the hum of people… this definitely fulfilled my Aperol Spritz dreams in a way I had not anticipated. Could it get any better?? No.
There were birds around but they were likely too overwhelmed by options as well, so they did not bother me. Another win.
I’d been planning to take a photo of the sign to remember it, but as I approached, this couple started getting into a very heated argument in Danish right in front of it, so… enjoy the other atmosphere shots.
Feeling very satisfied and content, I started making my way back to the train station for the train back to Malmö. I slept well that night.