7 Tips and Tricks from a Food Tour of Copenhagen (Plus Locations!)
Somebody Feed Phil
I never thought I would become a traveling foodie. Don't get me wrong; I always try to eat local cuisine and drink all the drinks when I travel. But I do not watch food shows . . . until my friend Chrissy told me to watch "Somebody Feed Phil" on Netflix since one of his episodes was in Copenhagen.
Phil Rosenthal, the creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond," travels the world to take in the local cuisine. I fell in love with him within 5 minutes of watching this show. He reminds me a lot of myself: freakishly happy about travel, trying new things, asking so many questions, and being goofy! I was texting my friend nonstop about how much I love him, his show, and all the places we should try!
Below are the places he went while in Copenhagen:
Gasoline Grill
Tivoli Gardens
Balderdash
DOP
Hija De Sanchez
Freetown Christiania
Fiskebaren
Amass
Barr
Amann's Deli
Noma
Tips and Tricks for Recreating a Somebody Feed Phil Adventure
Tip One:
Check whether any places are only open for a specific season. For example, Tivoli Gardens were closed when we were there, and we went to Copenhagen the second week in November.
Tip Two:
Don't be sad if you can't get something that was a feature on the show. For example, we went to Balderdash to get "drunken ice cream," which is infused with alcohol and other unique ingredients. When we got there, we were told it was a seasonal thing.
Tip Three:
If you want to eat at Noma (which we didn't), you must book in advance and be prepared to spend some serious cash!
Tip Four:
If you can't go to one of the listed places, see if you can recreate that experience elsewhere. For example, we didn't have time to go to Amann's Deli to do open sandwiches, but we stumbled across another place that did open sandwiches, and we count that as a win!
Tip Five:
Be open-minded! The food there is different, and I wanted to try an open sandwich (Smørrebrød), a staple of Danish cuisine. An open-face sandwich is built on a thin layer of rye bread, and it's topped with pickled herring, boiled eggs with shrimp, or roast beef with fried onions and horseradish. The thought of pickled herring did not excite me at all, but I wanted to try it since it is their specialty. I will say it was better than I was expecting and tasted good, but I was glad it was only a tiny portion.
Tip Six:
Try to eat only some new foods in a day! Give yourself some time. I tried DOP’s famous hot dog, and then I had dinner afterward. My stomach wasn't that happy with me since I mixed too many new foods.
Tip Seven:
Go and explore! Try new things; even if you aren't adventurous in eating, try anyway! My friend isn't that adventurous about trying fresh foods, but she did try the hot dog and the open sandwiches, even though it was a plan.
Places We Tried
1. Balderdash
Backstory:
A Jewish goldsmith who migrated to Copenhagen in 1732 built the house in the city's center. Tailors, shoemakers, and barbers have used this home, and now it’s a bar owned by Geoffery Canilao from New York.
My experience:
As I mentioned, they didn't have the drunken ice cream since it was seasonal, but we ordered two similar drinks. I had the espresso martini, but it was slushy. My friend ordered a drink that was like a strawberry shake slushy with alcohol added. The Balderdash menu changes often, and they don’t list their drinks on their website.
We even met the owner; he was charming and friendly and even jumped into the picture we took.
If you want to come here, you’ll want to arrive early since it is a small place and you may have to wait outside until people leave. And if you are lucky, like us, you can meet the owner. By far, this is my favorite place in Copenhagen, and that’s because of the drinks and the vibes! Thank you to Geoffrey for talking to us and making it a fun night!
2. DØP
Backstory:
During the First World War, street hotdogs were famous in Germany. They caught on in Sweden and Norway soon after. Denmark got its first hotdog vendors in 1920. It's the perfect quick meal if you're out and about in the city center. Eating organic has become a high priority for many Danes. And since they have organic hotdogs, DØP has become popular. The hotdogs are served on sourdough bread (unless you opt for the breadless one—a sausage with toppings and sauces in a box). There are many different sausage options, including a vegan ones, and you can get classic and not-so-classic toppings.
My experience:
I had the roasted hot dog served with ketchup, mustard and remoulade, fresh fried onions, and pickles. It was delicious and reminded me a little of the hot dogs in Iceland.
My friend only got a cheese Sausage dog on the bun. I had a bite of hers, and I did like it.
Backstory:
Klaus Wittrup, the owner of Gasoline Grill, went to the United States as an exchange student at 16. On the way home to his host family's house, they decided to stop for food. That was when Klaus had his first American burger. It stuck with him when he returned to Denmark. But eating a burger did not give him the same sensation at home. He searched for something similar but could never find an equivalent, so there was only one thing to do . . . open his own burger spot: a very simple and authentic, high-quality burger for the Copenhagen burger scene. This is according to their website.
The first Gasoline Grill opened very quietly on April 26, 2016. No press, no advertising, just a small note on Klaus' personal Facebook page telling people to stop by for a burger. It was sold out on the first day and has sold out ever since.
My experience:
Honestly, they are the best burgers I have ever eaten! Little salty, but bloody good! I would take this burger over a burger in the states!
4. Brooklyn Bar
We didn't go to Amman's, one of the famous places, to get an open sandwich since we needed more time. Walking from the famous Danish houses, we saw the Brooklyn Bar had open sandwiches. This place had a moody vibe inside and an enchanting outdoor patio. We had the Christmas platter, which included the following:
· Marinated herring topped with pickled onions
· Shrimp with lemon and dill dressing
· Fired filet of plaice with remoulade and lemon
· Smoked Salmo with dill dressing
· Risalmande with warm cherry sauce
Surprisingly enough, I liked the herring over the shrimp!
Other Things I Tried
Tuborg Julebryg, a dark holiday pilsner, was recommended to me. The Carlsberg Group is the owner. Its annual launch is J-day, which takes place on the first Friday in November, and it's a big celebration across Denmark. I tried other beers from Carlsberg as well.
We also tried the hot wine, which I'm typically not a fan of, but this was pretty good. We also had hotties and baileys hot chocolate at the Christmas market, which I recommend!
Thanks, Copenhagen and Phil, for making me a foodie!