Copenhagen's grooviest rendezvous
Copenhagen is a minefield of top-tier addresses; a purple patch of chic and relentless groove. With this 20-minute wander in the north of the Danish capital there is a treasure trove of savable spots.
For colourful stools, stainless steel countertops and bafflingly aesthetic signage, head down the Rantzausgade – a street originally split between the Nordvestvej, (Northwest Road) and the Rabarberkvarteret (The Rhubarb Neighbourhood) – to discover the city's trendy fiefdom.
It’s a steadfast rendezvous, a prime gathering spot due to the certainty that whether it be a bolle med ost, a pilsner or a second-hand bargain, it can be found amidst this bustling hive where trees clutter the walkways and the Pelago bikes take charge.
The royal-blue-licked stone hugging the corner of Gartnergade shimmers in its morning, sun-soaked glory. Zines, comics and books can be fetched from the RISO club cooperative, Vildnis, but it’s the white metal tables spilling from Darcy’s Kaffe that mark the spot. A coffee hangout by day and a residency of lauded pop-ups at night. Be it supper clubs, “unplug and decaffeinate” evenings to speed friending with a book in hand, the atmosphere is faultless. Sourdough buns are sliced, glazed with whipped butter and topped with a slither of aged cheese (a soft-boiled egg is a welcome extra) and rustled out to the hungry locals as the early rush descends. The sweet aroma hits when the coffee is brewed, the blend of the day bouncing between roasters from the likes of Boulder’s Prodigal Coffee to Reims’s Moklair.
When a Friday or Saturday rolls around OTP Copenhagen slings up its shutters. It’s here that the collections of Oscar Gilbert, a British art dealer now Danish expat, proudly plaster the walls. The sparkling panes of glass in the windows glimmer, the black rims startlingly neat against an otherwise stylised, graffiti-lined street. The opening hours make a visit hard to cadge, but the contemporary-filled walls are worth glimpsing in on, even if just through the panes.
Social Pottery CPH is just down the way. What started as an open workshop space to turn, model and cast plaster and pots has transgressed into a creative hub of wheel courses and ceramic markets. It’s also from here that the block-printed crates, armchairs and lamp-spilling Chrisitina bike buckets can be glimpsed cluttering the Skyttegade corner from the antique furniture emporium, Quriosa. Visitors duck and dive between the hanging light frames, the candelabras and the chamber of knick-knacks: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Across the road is Sømunken, a fiskehandler where there’s always a steady stream of Nørrebro hipsters popping in and out. Cristoffer Skov Pedersen leads the charge dolling out sustainably caught, in-season fish. The shelves are piled with relishes, condiments and natural wines, the white tiled walls scribbled with the menu of the day and tiny crab miniatures are dotted between the gourmet sardine tins. It’s also here that you can pre-order a loaf from the Refshaleøen-based, Lille Bakery for some fish-based dunkage.
When the hunger kicks, there’s nihau YAO for a bite of Taiwanese street food or the bistro Baka d’Busk - a beautiful, if a bit chaotic, hangout serving up walloping plates of vegetarian-friendly food. Distinguished by the radish and split pea ornaments framing the purple-washed door frames, Baka d’Busk is an artistic vision. Inside, Philip Varlev’s veg-centric paintings scatter the walls and a vibrant stained mosaic separates the kitchens from the dining area, the tables are covered in an assortment of fine bone china and various jugs, liquor and trinkets perch precariously upon the glass shelves.
Albeit, for a more carnivorous nibble, head to Restaurant Cleo. Here, a 10 or 5-course merriment of goodness is served in this silver counter topped, stripped-back concrete vision of a place. On the menu? Udon noodles dunked in parmesan, a sizzling, grilled seabass with kefir lime and a deliriously delectable citrus cake topped with chunks of blood orange, a generous smother of peanut ice cream and a delicate scoop of the boozy curaçao sabayon. Saucy, exquisite, delicious. Conveniently, Cleo’s summer-loving terrace is metres away from the stalwart craft beer bar, Kølsters Tolv Haner which abuts its sibling and organic pasta kitchen, PASTARIA. Here, the condensed, largely pescatarian menu keeps prices pocket-friendly; steaming bowls of golden arancini swap ragú for beets; and gnocchetti is tossed in a dirty martini sauce with a side of broccolini and olives.
As the road merges into Borups Allé, hordes of Nørrebro’s cool crowd settle in for the evening on Klovnen’s extensive terrace. In the daytime, this same patch of greenery transforms into a flea market, paving the way for pre-loved trading. Though, when we’re this far up the unwaveringly laissez-faire Rantzausgade, it’s all too easy to hop on a bike and head into the bordering Frederiksberg. For it’s just a rapid four-minute cycle to the utterly charming, Auren’s Deli – a spot that dolls out local supplies, Danish-grown produce and grocery goods while rustling up wondrous dishes on its central oak countertop. It may be sharing plates for dinner, though in the lunchtime rush this deli prospers on its sandwiches to go.
So, with an aubergine parmigiana stuffed focaccia in tow, it’s about time to deep dive into the market stalls and treasure chests back at Rantzausgade’s Det Grønne Loppemarked.
Hannah Rees-Middleton
Wild swimming. Natural wine. Excellent exhibitions. And glorious country walks. These are a few of our editor Hannah Rees-Middleton’s favourite things. Whether she’s bouncing around Mexico, paddling through the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond or ogling another mound of butter at a fabulous supper club, Hannah is always in the midst of something cool. A consummate planner, a lover of beautiful things, a traveller never without a camera and a deck of cards. Hannah is many things (including the perfect resource for perfect travel tips).
