20 Best Copenhagen Coffee Shops and Cafes

We created this comprehensive guide showcasing the best Copenhagen coffee shops after drinking flat whites and pour overs all over the Danish capital. But we didn’t stop there! We included a half dozen Copenhagen cafes that serve specialty coffee in addition to freshly baked laminated pastries.

Adding fuel to the percolator, Denmark is also a country that embraces the concept of hygge. There’s no better place for a traveler to experience Danish hygge than at a warm and welcoming Copenhagen coffee shop. The couches are softer, the spaces are warmer and the people, including the baristas, are friendlier compared to most European cities.

What is Hygge?
According to Webster Dictionary, hygge is “a cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable” but hygge is more than a handful of words. It’s a way of life that makes Denmark one of the happiest countries in the world if not the happiest country in the world.

14 Excellent Copenhagen Coffee Shops

We weren’t Danish coffee novices when we arrived in Copenhagen. Not only do we live around the corner from a Copenhagen Coffee Lab in Lisbon, but we’ve also imbibed single-origin coffee roasted by Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective and Aarhus’ La Cabra in cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin and Dublin.

Even still, we were so impressed with the Copenhagen coffee scene that we visited multiple cafes each day in our quest to experience the city’s best coffee shops and cafes. Not only did this endeavor energize us during a week-long blitz of the city’s best restaurants, but it also put a bit of a dent in our wallets.

With Copenhagen coffees often priced at the equivalent of $6 or $7 each, it’s important to drink specialty coffee at the best spots even if you’ve properly budgeted for your trip. These are our favorite Copenhagen coffee shops and the ones you shouldn’t miss during any Copenhagen coffee crawl:

Coffee Collective – Jægersborggade

Coffee obsessed individuals can visit a number of Coffee Collective locations in Copenhagen The internationally respected roaster operates a handful of coffee shops with a few fun quirks and differences.

The Jægersborggade location is an obvious choice for coffee pilgrims who want to visit the neighborhood where Coffee Collective roasted its first beans in 2007. Following the wagon trail (i.e. google maps), we made the short walk from the Nørrebro metro station to drink coffee here.

A serious coffee shop for serious coffee drinkers, Coffee Collective’s Jægersborggade location offers a range of coffee drinks in a cosy yet spacious space. The cafe even takes the time to share stories behind the beans it sources around the world.

We ordered an Aeropress coffee crafted with Kenyan beans during our visit though we had the option to upgrade to better beans, specifically Ethiopian geisha beans for an extra 22 kr ($3.35 USD). We were happy with the cheaper coffee choice.

Prolog Coffee Bar

Open in Copenhagen’s meatpacking district since 2016, Prolog Coffee Bar is almost a decade younger than Coffee Collective. But this Copenhagen coffee shop rivals its elder when it comes to producing excellent coffee.

Prolog’s baristas love to talk about the great product they serve and we don’t disagree. The shop offers a range of beans in a somewhat stark converted industrial space with a few hi-top tables plus additional outdoor seating.

Our visit to Prolog was practically inevitable. We kept drinking Prolog beans at cafes like Mirabelle and Seks and we just had to drink them at the source. Not wanting to miss any sips, it was our last cafe stop in Copenhagen. Maybe next time it will be our first.

We were all about the coffee during our visit so we skipped the shop’s limited menu featuring croissants, morning buns and yogurt. Mindi’s cappuccino featuring red honey processed Costa Rican beans had flavors that were slightly funky yet elegant. As for Daryl, he enjoyed his pour over, brewed with Kenyan beans so much that he wanted to buy a mug or two as a remembrance. Alas, the mugs were out of stock.

April Coffee Store & Showroom

During our visit, we ordered a filtered coffee brewed with washed Ethiopian beans and a flat white crafted with natural processed Ethiopian beans. The former tasted like peaches while the latter channeled watermelon, jasmine and caramel in each sip.

More of an experience than a grab-and-run coffee shop, April Coffee is priced on the higher end even for Copenhagen. Our two drinks totaled $15.25 once we converted the Danish krone to dollars. However, we’re willing to pay a bit more for the kind of quality and immersive service that April delivers.

Darcy’s Cafe

Homey Darcy’s Kaffe offers a rotating roster of coffee beans sourced within Denmark (i.e. April, Coffee Collective and La Cabra) and beyond. It’s also a great place to chill with friends or a good book while sipping coffee and munching on a savory toast or sweet treat.

Although we arrived too close to closing to properly chill out, we enjoyed both hygge and fika during our visit. Not only did Darcy’s barista make us feel welcome but we had just enough time to enjoy a coffee and dessert.

Since the beans change weekly at this Copenhagen cafe, we considered ourselves lucky to sip filtered coffee made with beans from Amsterdam’s Dak Coffee Roasters. We considered ourselves additionally lucky to munch on an arzac biscuit – an oaty cookie with origins in Australia.

Enghave Kaffe

Enghave Kaffee occupies a cozy, candlelit Versterbro space. Design elements include a wood burning stove and a vintage starred motorcycle chopper that holds court on the cafe’s back wall.

Coffee Collective – Telefonkiosken

Coffee Collective’s Telefonkiosken location, with the exception of its outdoor seating, must surely be the city’s smallest coffee shop. It’s difficult if not impossible to imagine otherwise.

The compact cafe is literally located in a 19th century telephone booth designed by architect Fritz Koch. While operators previously facilitated phone calls in the hexagon structure using using now-antiquated telephone equipment, baristas now craft state-of-the-art coffee using modern espresso technology and machines in the same space.

To be honest, our visit was spontaneous. We literally wandered by the booth located near the Nørreport metro stop while touring the city. Like moths to the flame, we couldn’t resist ordering a quick flat white to drink on the fly.

Don’t underestimate the coffee crafted at this former phone booth – it’s some of the best in the city. You can even request a proper ceramic coffee mug if that’s your thing. It’s our thing so that’s what we did when we ordered ours.

CUB Coffee Bar

We were excited to learn that CUB roasts its beans in conjunction with Copenhagen Coffee Lab. Although the various Copenhagen Coffee Lab locations in Lisbon originally stoked our desire to drink coffee in Denmark’s capital city, there were no Copenhagen Coffee Labs in the center of Copenhagen at the time of our visit.

We were also excited to find CUB’s basement space hiding in plain sight near the Parliament. After all, there’s no such thing as drinking too much coffee in Copenhagen.

La Banchina

During our chilly morning visit, we observed people of all shapes, sizes and clothing options (ie. nude) dipping themselves into the water. All looked entirely refreshed despite the frigid temperature.

Meanwhile, we were perfectly content to lounge in the 14-seat cafe and sip cappuccinos crafted with beans from Copenhagen’s Nordic Roasting Company. Though we didn’t take a dip, we had our kind of adventure by eating salted young plums that looked like olives but tasted like… salted young plums.

Democratic Coffee Bar

Democratic Coffee opened in 2011, more than a century after Denmark embraced a democratic form of government. But, as the expression goes, better late than never when it come to good coffee.

Literally located in a public library near Rundetaarn, Copenhagen’s Round Tower, Democratic Coffee keeps to theme by offering a catalogue of coffee drinks that includes typical cappuccinos and flat whites as well as espresso tonics and golden lattes. But this Copenhagen cafe’s story doesn’t stop with coffee…

Democratic Coffee Bar’s almond croissants are worth every calorie. We shared one of these buttery beauties with two coffee drinks – a cappuccino and filtered coffee, both crafted with Denmark’s Le Cabra beans sourced from Brazil and Kenya respectively.

If we had to vote on our favorite Copenhagen cafes, Democratic Coffee would be a top ten contender. To be certain, we’ll have to return and eat another almond croissant to be sure.

Andersen & Maillard

Milton Abel and Kristian Andersen brought years of experience at acclaimed operations like Noma, Amass and Coffee Collective when they joined forces and opened Andersen & Maillard in 2018. In just a few years, their cafe has become a top Copenhagen destination for specialty coffee drinkers who crave a quality pastry…or two.

Expansive and airy, the original Nørrebro cafe has an in-house bakery and roastery. Crowds fill the space, spilling onto an outdoor space with a half dozen picnic tables.

Ordering the cafe’s espresso glazed croissant during our first visit was a no-brainer as was pairing it with espresso-based flat whites crafted with freshly roasted Guatemalan beans. However, we went rogue during a return visit by opting for a pour over and a Canelé de Bordeaux instead.

You may be wondering why this cafe is called Andersen & Maillard instead of Andersen & Abel or Abel & Andersen. We wondered the same until we connected the dots. Maillard refers to the Maillard Reaction – the caramelization (aka burning) of sugars that brings deep flavors to food and coffee.

Sonny

Sonny stands out by serving tasty smørrebrød with textbook cups of specialty coffee. The combination is on point considering the city’s infatuation with both artisan joe and open-faced sandwiches served on wholesome dark rye.

Beyond coffee and smørrebrød, owners David and Lisa Andersen have peppered Sonny’s menu with special items like artisan rye breads, green frittatas and monster beetroot salads. They also serve a special juice with apple, ginger, turmeric and sprulina.

Seks Bakery & Eatery

Seks Bakery & Eatery is the cafe that we’d frequent most if we lived in Copenhagen. We’d eat breakfast there. We’d eat lunch there. And we’d especially satisfy our cheesecake urges there.

Regardless of time of day and our moods, we’d always drink coffee crafted with locally sourced Prolog beans there too. Although the cafe’s menu offers a diverse range of specialties, the team at Seks treats their coffee as seriously as we do.

Owners Jan and Monika Pawlak put their culinary passion into all aspects of their cafe’s menu including the cafe’s coffee program. Jan crafts flat whites and batch brew coffees as well as any dedicated coffee shop in the city.

Beyond its eclectic dishes and crafted beverages, Seks offers a cool vibe, comfortable furniture and good tunes to all who enter its doors. Did we mention the cheesecake? Don’t forget to order the cheesecake!

Ricco’s Kaffebar

Unlike other Copenhagen coffee shops which we visited with a mission, Ricco’s Kaffebar caught our eye when we walked by the vine-covered cafe. As we learned during our spontaneous visit, the cafe is one of many Rico’s Kaffebars sprinkled around the city.

Rico (the owner) roasts beans sourced from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Guatemala for the cafes. Colorful names include White Magic, Bitches Brew, Orangutan and Black Death.

We drank a cappuccino crafted with Black Death coffee, a blend of beans sourced from all three countries (Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Guatemala). The well crafted drink hit our coffee sweet spot and made us smile.

Alice Ice Cream & Coffee

Alice Ice Cream & Coffee combines two of our favorite things – ice cream and coffee. The shop makes its ice cream in house and sources its coffee beans from Sweden’s Koppi.

This combination is divine at any time of the year but especially during the summer. That being said, we ate a chocolate coated milk ice cream pop during our late autumn visit and were happy with our choice.

Additional Copenhagen Coffee Shops

6 Copenhagen Cafes with Excellent Coffee

A Copenhagen morning would be incomplete without good coffee and a tasty layered pastry. While you can accomplish this goal at several Copenhagen coffee shops featured in this guide, a tasty option is to do so at one of the city’s top bakery cafes.

Bonus – Copenhagen Coffee Store

View the latest Web Story.

Original Publication Date: January 13, 2022