Dining Out

From casual cafés to stunning Michelin-star restaurants, Copenhagen's culinary scene offers something for everyone. Take the opportunity to sample Danish cuisine - plain or fancy - during your stay.

World-famous Tivoli Gardens amusement park (Vesterbrogade 3) has a variety of attractive indoor and outdoor restaurants, cafés and bars.

Don't leave Copenhagen without tasting these Danish specialties:

· Traditional Danish open sandwiches, called "smørrebrød", traditionally served for lunch. They may be topped with anything from cold beef to chopped egg to tiny, sweet shrimp from the North Sea.

· Self-service, buffet-style "koldt bord" (smorgasbord) with a variety of fish, meats, hot dishes, cheeses and desserts.  Another lunchtime favorite.

· Danish hotdogs from the "pølsevogne" (sausage wagon). You'll find them all around town. They're popular for late-night snacks.

· Frikadeller, the tiny, tasty meatballs that are Danish "comfort food".

· Herring in all manners and forms: pickled, smoked, marinated, cured, soaked in tomato sauce, curried...you name it. No true Danish meal is complete without a herring course.

· Æbleskiver, the sweet, delicious puffs of dough served with fresh jam. You can't eat just one!

· Beer. It's Denmark's favorite beverage, especially locally brewed Carlsberg and Tuborg.

· Christmas specialties. If you're cruising to Copenhagen in December, be sure to sample a full, multi-course Danish Christmas menu at a local restaurant. Toast the season with gløgg, traditional warm wine with raisins and almonds that's usually accompanied by mellow home-baked ginger cookies.

Typical meal hours and average prices (all prices include taxes and service charge)
Breakfast 7 a.m.-10 a.m., EUR 10-15
Brunch (mainly weekends) 9 a.m.-12 noon, EUR 15-20
Lunch 12 noon-2 p.m., EUR 20-25
Dinner/Supper (principal meal of the day) 6 p.m.-10 p.m., EUR 20-45
Late Night Snacks (just a few places) 11 p.m.-3 a.m., EUR 10-15

Most restaurants serve beer, wine and liquor. Beverage prices generally start at EUR 3-4 for a small glass of draught beer and EUR 20 for a bottle of wine.

Service charges are automatically added to hotel and restaurant bills. Tipping for outstanding service is a matter of choice, but is not expected.

More and more restaurants in Copenhagen are adding non-smoking sections to their dining rooms. It is rare, however, to find an exclusively non-smoking restaurant in Denmark.