The plates that define Copenhagen: what they are, and where to eat the canonical version.
The plates that define Copenhagen. what they are, where they came from, and where to eat the canonical version.
Smørrebrød is Denmark's open-faced rye sandwich: dense buttered rugbrød topped with marinated herring, leverpostej, roast beef or pickled fish, finished with dill and crisp onion.
Where: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Selma, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Price: DKK 65-145 per piece
Stegt flæsk is fried pork belly slices, crisp at the edges, served with new potatoes and a thin parsley cream sauce. Denmark voted it the national dish in 2014.
Where: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Price: DKK 145-225 per plate
Frikadeller are flat Danish pork meatballs, pan-fried in butter and served with red cabbage, brown gravy and boiled potatoes. The everyday Danish dinner across every generation.
Where: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ, Café Wilder
Price: DKK 145-195 per plate
Tebirkes is the Copenhagen morning pastry: a square of laminated yeast dough wrapped around marzipan or remonce, topped with poppy seeds, baked until shattering and tender.
Where: Hart Bageri, Juno the Bakery, Andersen & Maillard, Sankt Peders Bageri
Price: DKK 25-45 each
Kanelsnegl is the Danish cinnamon snail: a coiled bun of laminated dough swirled with butter, sugar and cinnamon, baked dark and glazed with a thin sugar syrup.
Where: Sankt Peders Bageri, Juno the Bakery, Hart Bageri, Andersen & Maillard
Price: DKK 30-55 each
Hindbærsnitter is the Danish raspberry slice: two thin layers of shortcrust pastry sandwiched with raspberry jam, finished with pink fondant icing and rainbow nonpareils.
Where: Sankt Peders Bageri, Hart Bageri, Juno the Bakery
Price: DKK 25-45 each
Pølse is the Danish hot dog: a red-skinned wienerpølse in a bun with remoulade, ketchup, fried and raw onion, and pickled cucumber strips. The street food of every neighbourhood.
Where: DØP (Den Økologiske Pølsemand), John's Hotdog Deli
Price: DKK 35-65 each
Flæskesteg is roast pork belly with shattering crackling, juniper-rubbed, served with sweet pickled red cabbage and boiled potatoes in brown gravy. Denmark's Christmas centrepiece.
Where: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Price: DKK 175-265 per plate
Smørrebrød is Denmark's open-faced rye sandwich: dense buttered rugbrød topped with marinated herring, leverpostej, roast beef or pickled fish, finished with dill and crisp onion.
History: Smørrebrød grew out of 19th-century working lunches in Copenhagen and was codified as a restaurant dish at Schønnemann from 1877 and Davidsen from 1888. Modern editorial-quality versions arrived in the 1980s and 1990s with restaurants like Ida Davidsen on Store Kongensgade; the 2010s renaissance was led by Adam Aamann at Aamanns 1921 and Magnus Pettersson at Selma, who pulled the form into the Bib Gourmand category.
Where to try it: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Selma, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Watch out for: Gluten, Fish, Dairy
Stegt flæsk is fried pork belly slices, crisp at the edges, served with new potatoes and a thin parsley cream sauce. Denmark voted it the national dish in 2014.
History: Stegt flæsk traces to 17th-century Danish farmhouses, where pork belly was the everyday cured-and-fried staple for evening dinner. The dish moved into restaurant menus in the 1880s, especially at smørrebrød-adjacent rooms like Restaurant Sankt Annæ. Today most lunch counters serve a single-piece version on rye for under DKK 145; the canonical full plate sits at Schønnemann and Aamanns 1921.
Where to try it: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Watch out for: Dairy
Frikadeller are flat Danish pork meatballs, pan-fried in butter and served with red cabbage, brown gravy and boiled potatoes. The everyday Danish dinner across every generation.
History: Frikadeller appeared in Danish home cooking by the late 18th century, with the modern restaurant version stabilising at Copenhagen's smørrebrød-adjacent kitchens through the 1900s. The dish travels well as a smørrebrød topping (cold frikadeller on rye with pickled red cabbage) and as a hot main with potatoes and gravy.
Where to try it: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ, Café Wilder
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Tebirkes is the Copenhagen morning pastry: a square of laminated yeast dough wrapped around marzipan or remonce, topped with poppy seeds, baked until shattering and tender.
History: Tebirkes evolved out of 19th-century Danish viennoiserie traditions and was codified by Copenhagen bakery chains through the 20th century. The modern resurgence runs through Hart Bageri (Richard Hart, formerly Tartine) and Juno the Bakery (Emil Glaser, formerly noma), with Andersen & Maillard putting a roastery flat white alongside.
Where to try it: Hart Bageri, Juno the Bakery, Andersen & Maillard, Sankt Peders Bageri
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Kanelsnegl is the Danish cinnamon snail: a coiled bun of laminated dough swirled with butter, sugar and cinnamon, baked dark and glazed with a thin sugar syrup.
History: Kanelsnegl became a Copenhagen staple in the 20th century at neighbourhood bakeries; Sankt Peders Bageri codified the supersized Wednesday version, the onsdagssnegl, in 1988 and now sells around 4,000 a week. The modern viennoiserie wave has put Juno the Bakery's cardamom-leaning version alongside as the city's reference rolls.
Where to try it: Sankt Peders Bageri, Juno the Bakery, Hart Bageri, Andersen & Maillard
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Hindbærsnitter is the Danish raspberry slice: two thin layers of shortcrust pastry sandwiched with raspberry jam, finished with pink fondant icing and rainbow nonpareils.
History: Hindbærsnitter date from late-19th-century Copenhagen pastry shops and have become a fixture of Danish childhood birthday tables. The everyday format runs at every Bager in the city; ambitious versions appear at Hart Bageri and Juno the Bakery with house-made raspberry jam from Danish summer fruit.
Where to try it: Sankt Peders Bageri, Hart Bageri, Juno the Bakery
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Pølse is the Danish hot dog: a red-skinned wienerpølse in a bun with remoulade, ketchup, fried and raw onion, and pickled cucumber strips. The street food of every neighbourhood.
History: The Danish pølsevogn (sausage wagon) appeared on Copenhagen streets in 1921 and remains a city institution. The modern organic version dates from DØP's 2009 launch on Købmagergade; the classic ristet (toasted) version still anchors counters like John's Hotdog Deli outside Central Station.
Where to try it: DØP (Den Økologiske Pølsemand), John's Hotdog Deli
Watch out for: Gluten, Egg, Mustard
Flæskesteg is roast pork belly with shattering crackling, juniper-rubbed, served with sweet pickled red cabbage and boiled potatoes in brown gravy. Denmark's Christmas centrepiece.
History: Flæskesteg has anchored Danish Christmas meals since at least the 19th century and runs as a year-round Sunday roast in Danish homes. Copenhagen's smørrebrød rooms serve a cold version on rye with red cabbage every December and through January; the canonical hot plate is at Schønnemann and Aamanns 1921.
Where to try it: Schønnemann, Aamanns 1921, Restaurant Sankt Annæ
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy
Peak food season in Copenhagen is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
If you only have one meal, eat Smørrebrød. It is the dish most associated with Copenhagen.