The medieval centre: Schønnemann's smørrebrød on Hauser Plads, Torvehallerne by Nørreport, Apollo Bar at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, and the hotel rooms around Kongens Nytorv.
Schønnemann on Hauser Plads in Copenhagen has served smørrebrød since 1877, with house-baked rye, a 140-bottle snaps cabinet and lunch-only service.
OrderMarinated herring with raw onion, capers and rye, plus a glass of cold akvavit.
TipLunch only, closed Sunday and books a week ahead. Walk in at 14:30 for the best chance of a counter seat.
Aamanns 1921 on Niels Hemmingsens Gade in Copenhagen serves Adam Aamann's modern smørrebrød at lunch and a Nordic dinner menu, with a silver organic dining.
OrderThe lunch tasting of four smørrebrød with a glass of snaps and a beer chaser.
TipOpen seven days for lunch and dinner; dinner books on the website. Closed Sunday evening from October.
Selma on Rømersgade in Copenhagen holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for chef Magnus Pettersson's modern smørrebrød at lunch and an evening tasting menu.
OrderThe five-piece smørrebrød lunch plus the seasonal kale and mussel dish from the evening menu.
TipLunch books out a week ahead. Dinner is a multi-course tasting; reserve via the website only.
Marchal inside Hotel d'Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv holds one Michelin star for chef Jakob de Neergaard's Nordic-French menu in Copenhagen's grand hotel.
OrderThe à la carte signature menu.
TipHotel guests get priority for evening tables. Lunch is the easier booking; lobby afternoon tea runs daily.
Restaurant Pluto on Borgergade in Copenhagen has been the city's sharing-plate room since 2012, with a long bar menu running to 02:00 on Friday and Saturday.
OrderThe four small plates plus the off-menu burger; the kitchen lets you build the meal at the counter.
TipOpen seven days from 17:30; the bar takes walk-ups after 22:00 when the dining room slows.
Beau Clugston's Iluka on Peder Skrams Gade in Copenhagen serves a sustainable-seafood menu from an open kitchen: raw plates, grilled fish, Limfjord oysters.
OrderThe chef's daily fish tasting plus a half-dozen Limfjord oysters with mignonette.
TipTuesday to Saturday dinner only. Counter seats face the open kitchen; ask when booking.
Slurp Ramen on Nansensgade in Copenhagen makes noodles from Bornholm wheat and rye, with a tonkotsu and shoyu menu by Austrian chef Philipp Inreiter.
OrderThe classic shoyu ramen with a side of gyoza; the noodles are made daily on site.
TipWalk-ins only and short queues outside; arrive at opening or after 20:00 for the shortest wait.
Slurp Ramen on Nansensgade in Copenhagen makes noodles from Bornholm wheat and rye, with a tonkotsu and shoyu menu by Austrian chef Philipp Inreiter.
OrderThe classic shoyu ramen plus a side of gyoza; the noodles are made daily on site.
TipWalk-ins only; arrive at opening or after 20:00 for the shortest queue.
Restaurant Pluto on Borgergade in Copenhagen has been the city's sharing-plate room since 2012, with a long bar menu running to 02:00 on Friday and Saturday.
OrderThe four small plates plus the off-menu burger; the kitchen lets you build the meal at the counter.
TipOpen seven days from 17:30; the bar takes walk-ups after 22:00 when the dining room slows.
Aamanns 1921 on Niels Hemmingsens Gade in Copenhagen serves Adam Aamann's modern smørrebrød at lunch and a Nordic dinner menu, with a silver organic dining.
OrderThe four-piece smørrebrød lunch with a glass of snaps and a beer chaser.
TipOpen seven days for lunch and dinner; book dinner on the website.
Restaurant Sankt Annæ on Sankt Annæ Plads in Copenhagen has served traditional smørrebrød since 1894, a short walk from the Royal Palace with tree-lined.
OrderThe stjerneskud (shooting star) with fried plaice and salmon, plus a glass of akvavit.
TipTuesday to Saturday lunch only, 11:00-16:00. Walk-ins likely after 14:00.
Culture Box on Kronprinsessegade has run as Copenhagen's reference techno club since 2005, booking international techno, house and drum and bass across the upstairs White Box bar and the downstairs Black Box floor.
TipWhite Box opens earlier as a free bar; the downstairs Black Box ticketed floor peaks 02:00 onward. Cloakroom is fast at the door.
Hive opened on Skindergade in 2012 as Copenhagen's high-end Indre By nightclub, with bottle service in two lounges, a large dance hall and a selective door that favours table reservations on Saturday.
TipDoors 23:00 Thursday to Saturday; reserve a table for guaranteed entry on weekends. Dress code skews smart casual.
Pumpehuset has run since 1989 in a former 19th-century water pump station off Studiestræde, with a 600-capacity main hall upstairs, a 400-capacity Sort Sal downstairs and the Byhaven beer-garden bar.
TipTwo stages run different bills the same night; ticket names the room. Byhaven beer garden opens through the summer with free entry.
Mojo on Løngangstræde has booked live blues, soul, rock and zydeco every night of the week since 1981, with one of the few European stages running music 365 days a year and a small basement room.
TipLive music every single night from around 21:30; cash easier than card. Sit close, the room is small enough that every seat hears the kit.
La Fontaine has run on Kompagnistræde since 1959 as Denmark's oldest jazz club, with a 100-seat basement room that programmes nightly jam sessions and trios alongside a smoke-stained ground-floor bar.
TipJam sessions from 21:00 Wednesday to Sunday; arrive before 22:00 for seats. Cash door, small cover on named bookings.
Jazzhus Montmartre reopened in 2010 on Store Regnegade at the original 1959 address, where Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Stan Getz held residencies; the 85-seat room books international touring jazz acts Thursday to Saturday.
TipSeating is unreserved; doors 19:00 for the 20:00 set. The Friends of Montmartre membership pays for itself across two visits.
Nimb Roof sits on the top of the Moorish Nimb Hotel inside Tivoli, with 1,300 square metres of terrace looking across the gardens and the rooftops, an outdoor plunge pool, a pool bar and a lounge.
TipOpen mid-May through the warm months; external guests book the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening slots. Reserve well ahead.
Hotel Danmark's seventh-floor rooftop bar opens to non-guests through the warm months with 360-degree views of City Hall, Tivoli and the National Museum, Scandinavian minimalist design and a short cocktail list.
TipFree entry for non-guests, but capacity is small; arrive before 19:00 on warm evenings. No food served, drinks only.
Ruby opened in 2007 on Nybrogade in a 1740 townhouse facing the parliament buildings, with an unmarked black door, leather chesterfields across a string of small rooms and a list of pre-Prohibition classics.
TipRing at the unmarked door; walk-in only, but the upstairs salon takes overflow. The 18th-century cellar is the date-night seat.
Geoffrey Canilao opened Balderdash on Valkendorfsgade in 2014 in an 1732 townhouse, with a secret-door back room, a spirits lab on the floor above and a daily-changing menu built around Danish seasonal produce.
TipWednesday through Saturday only; the secret room behind the bookcase seats six and takes reservations. Strawberry-foie gras old fashioned in season.
Centralhjørnet on Kattesundet has run as a gay bar since 1950 in a tavern that itself dates to 1917, and the room claims the title of the world's oldest continuously operating gay bar with rotating drag shows.
TipOpen from noon every day; the late drag sets land Friday and Saturday. Cheap beer at the counter; tip the queens.
Oscar on Regnbuepladsen, the Rainbow Square next to City Hall, runs as a non-smoking LGBTQ+ daytime cafe and evening bar with a Friday DJ programme, kitchen running lunch through dinner and a daily happy hour.
TipHappy hour daily 16:00-21:00; Friday DJs pull the room from 21:00. Pavement seats across the rainbow plaza in summer.
Brønnum sits in the August Bournonvilles Passage by the Royal Theatre, an old-school cocktail house in a 125-year-old building, six rooms ensuite that grow darker toward the back with a tuned sound system.
TipWalk through the rooms from light to dark; the rear salon is the quiet seat. Closed Sundays; weekday nights run earlier than the door suggests.
Bo-bi Bar on Klareboderne dates to 1917 and claims the title of Copenhagen's oldest brown bar, with the original counter still in place, red wallpaper unchanged in a century and hard-boiled eggs at the till.
TipCash only; the room is tiny so first round at the counter then find a chair. Boiled eggs and cheap beer is the order.
Andy's on Gothersgade ran as a postwar American-soldier hangout and has spent the decades since pouring cheap spirits to a young crowd until 06:00, with Jägermeister bottles holding the bar shelves up.
TipOpen until 06:00 most nights; the room fills after 02:00 when other bars close. Cash plus card, no cover.
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