Best Coffee In Copenhagen

During my time in Copenhagen, I (of course) managed to visit a fair few coffee shops. Much like the majority of cities, the best cafés tend to be found on the outskirts or in the surrounding neighbours. Generally this is because the cost of space is so much greater in the city centre; far too expensive for the smaller, independent cafés. It’s a shame because this tends to allow larger chains to continue their inner city domination, even somewhere that is so culturally rich, like Copenhagen. Nevertheless, it’s so worth venturing a little further afield to check out these incredible little spots if you get the opportunity to do so.
I’ve listed my top three absolute favourite coffee shops below. There are definitely a few cafés that I didn’t get a chance to visit but would have loved to, so I’ll just have to check those out when I return soon.
Favourite Coffee House: Copenhagen Coffee Lab
Address:
Boldhusgade 6, 1062 København K, Denmark
Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 7:30 to 17:00
Sat: 11:00 to 17:00
Wifi: None
Locations: One in Copenhagen, one in Lisbon.
It was a bitter cold morning when I reached Coffee Lab on my final day in Copenhagen. I parked up my hire bike just opposite and found my way inside the doorway which, when opened, overflowed with the aroma of delicious coffee.
The Copenhagen Coffee Lab was such a great find. The café is nestled deep down, underneath a rather unassuming row of houses. Yet, it is without a doubt my favourite spot in the entire city.
What I love most about Coffee Lab was the atmosphere inside. It was warm, cosy and the baristas were all incredibly welcoming. Around each corner lay another set of table and chairs, hidden away behind thick white walls like a maze. There are quite a few seating options too: armchairs, perfect for relaxing with a book; larger meeting tables which you can in fact reserve. The cost of the meeting room is 300 kr/hour including four cups of tea or coffee.
When I return to Copenhagen, Coffee Lab will be the first place I visit and I think that in itself, says more than enough!
Best Coffee: The Coffee Collective
3 Locations:
Jægersborggade:
Mon – Fri: 7am – 7pm
Sat – Sun: 8am – 7pm
Torvehallerne:
Mon – Fri: 7am – 8pm
Sat: 8am – 7pm
Sun: 8am – 6pm
Godthåbsvej (Roastery Location):
Godthåbsvej 34B, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Mon – Fri: 7:30am – 6pm
Sat: 9am – 6pm
Sun: 10am – 6pm
Wifi: None
Ultimately, our dream is for a coffee farmer in Kenya to obtain the same status and living conditions as a wine grower in France. – The Coffee Collective
Many people had told me how incredible Coffee Collective was, particularly the café located within the roastery, so I was really keen to check them out. It’s quite a way out of town (around a 45 minute walk) but I can honestly say, it was worth it! I had one of the nicest drip coffees I have ever had. These guys know their coffee!
After researching a little more about the café, I discovered that Coffee Collective was set up in 2007 by a group of prominent members in the coffee industry, with many cafés across Europe now serving their coffee. What amazed me was not only the quality of coffee, nor their selection of pastries but their stance on direct trade. As a coffee lover, this is something I am particularly passionate about promoting.
For those of you that don’t know, ‘fair trade’ is a pretty old and outdated idea where fair prices are supposedly paid to the producers. In short, this is no longer the case and so a few companies have begun to buy into the idea of ‘direct trade’. With direct trade, the producer is paid at least 25% more than with fair trade and the producer is visited every year to ensure there’s a personal relationship between farmers and the business. I strongly believe that this relationship is crucial to enhance the livelihoods of coffee farmers while creating a long lasting, ethical brand of coffee. The only other café where I have experienced Direct Trade first hand is Origin Coffee Roasters in Cape Town, South Africa.
Best Location: Original Coffee
Address:
Østergade 52, 1100 København K, Denmark
Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Photo by: Original Coffee
While Original Coffee has six different locations across Copenhagen, I was only able to visit the café at the Illum. As I found all across the city, the staff where incredibly helpful and also very knowledgable about their coffee.
For me, Original Coffee couldn’t quite compare to the first two cafés which felt like honest, Danish coffee houses that I wouldn’t find elsewhere. While Original Coffee was a little more generic, they still manage to serve nice tasting coffee, cakes and pastries. It’s the incredible location which sets this café apart, on the rooftop of the Illum. Originally I was put off by the fact it was inside a department store but once you reach the rooftop and sit outside on the balcony, overlooking the cobbled streets of Copenhagen, you soon forget all about that.
All three of these cafés are well worth a visit, for very different reasons. Let me know if you get a chance to visit one or all of the coffee shops I have mentioned; I’d love to know what you think! Thank you to everyone for all your recommendations, I visited as many places as possible.
Next on the blog: Must-See Spots in Copenhagen
Tags: coffeecopenhagenTravel
Hey Dan! Great post. I was just in Copenhagen last week and found this really helpful. Managed to visit all three of these places. Have to agree with you that the Coffee Collective (Torvehallerne) had the best coffee. Thanks for the recommendations!
Ah so glad you managed to visit all the cafés. Hope you had a nice time in Copenhagen!