Our Guide To Denmark
Northern European / Hanseatic culture has resulted in certain similarities in pubgoing. The climate is wet and cold, and the Danish response has been the concept of Hygge, an essence of cosiness, belonging, contentment. You may recognise this from numerous attempts to monetise it - hoodies, lifestyle books, copycat interior design concepts, but in Denmark this is genuinely the yardstick on how a good pub is measured.
Similarities don't stop there. A drinking and smoking culture prevails, something which may shock those of you who know Denmark as an idealised, undemonstrative, perhaps even model society. In reality, their system of ensuring smaller gaps between the haves and have nots has helped maintain a working class culture for longer than other Western nations, with the traditions and rituals that accompany that. That may change from when this paragraph was written, but it holds true for now.
Germany has its Pilsbars, Netherlands & Belgium their brown cafés, England their boozers. Denmark's equivalent is the Brunt Værtshus, or brown pub, which can also be called Bodega or Vinstue (the latter being old wine bars, now generally not) on signage. If you want to experience distinctive Danish pub culture then it is essential to try these.
What to expect? The Brunt Værtshus is appropriately named, as the interiors of these pubs tend to be fitted with wood furniture and panelling with rich maroon walls. It is very common, almost the default for smoking to be permitted, though this is slowly changing with time. Inside, fruit machines, billiards tables and occasionally TVs, with comfortable lounge-like furniture.
It would be a mistake to think these are all for old men. There are certainly plenty that fit that description during the day, however nighttime is a different story. These old pubs come alive at night as a younger crowd tends to descend from about 7pm onwards. Early evening is a good time to visit, because the mixing of generations generates a good atmosphere.
It is very common for even unlikely looking pubs in cities to remain open until 2am even on weekdays, making Copenhagen a standout beyond many other Northern European cities who tend to go to sleep after midnight other than Friday or Saturdays. Copenhagen, with its fabulous transport infrastructure and late opening bars puts up a very decent fist of it after midnight, so long as you know where to go.
Etiquette
- Card payments are very common but old pubs generally prefer cash if you have one. There are free cash machines around the city - do not use Euronet machines which charge an access fee and commission on top at a poor exchange rate.
- Order at the bar and pay as you go. Very few bars operate a table service policy. This is all for the better as you can get the transaction over with right at the start without having to wait around for ordering, drinks and payment.
- It is reasonably common if you're in a family-run pub and/or with older folk to say a polite hello/goodbye on entrance and exit.
- Food is very uncommon in the old pubs, to the extent that it isn't even that common to see people eating snacks. Smoking tends to fill that gap.
Pricing
Denmark has a justified reputation for high prices, with some of the most expensive alcohol in Europe. There is no point pretending that visiting a craft beer bar or good wine bar is going to be anything other than punishingly expensive. However, unlike other wealthy countries (Finland and Switzerland being clear examples of this), fair pricing can be found. If you are content drinking basic beer bottles these are still very affordable. You will find a lot of people drinking the most basic bottles to help keep a cap on their spending. These are often priced below English, Belgian, Dutch and German levels.
Other options
As well as the typical traditional Bodegas, you will of course find the interchangeable bars you'd have elsewhere in Europe - cocktail bars furnished by Wayfair, craft beer bars made from a cookie cutter, and there's not much else to say other than they exist. However, there are some interesting sub-cultures to explore and venues which fall between the cracks of basic categories which are well worth experiencing!
Similarities don't stop there. A drinking and smoking culture prevails, something which may shock those of you who know Denmark as an idealised, undemonstrative, perhaps even model society. In reality, their system of ensuring smaller gaps between the haves and have nots has helped maintain a working class culture for longer than other Western nations, with the traditions and rituals that accompany that. That may change from when this paragraph was written, but it holds true for now.
Germany has its Pilsbars, Netherlands & Belgium their brown cafés, England their boozers. Denmark's equivalent is the Brunt Værtshus, or brown pub, which can also be called Bodega or Vinstue (the latter being old wine bars, now generally not) on signage. If you want to experience distinctive Danish pub culture then it is essential to try these.
What to expect? The Brunt Værtshus is appropriately named, as the interiors of these pubs tend to be fitted with wood furniture and panelling with rich maroon walls. It is very common, almost the default for smoking to be permitted, though this is slowly changing with time. Inside, fruit machines, billiards tables and occasionally TVs, with comfortable lounge-like furniture.
It would be a mistake to think these are all for old men. There are certainly plenty that fit that description during the day, however nighttime is a different story. These old pubs come alive at night as a younger crowd tends to descend from about 7pm onwards. Early evening is a good time to visit, because the mixing of generations generates a good atmosphere.
It is very common for even unlikely looking pubs in cities to remain open until 2am even on weekdays, making Copenhagen a standout beyond many other Northern European cities who tend to go to sleep after midnight other than Friday or Saturdays. Copenhagen, with its fabulous transport infrastructure and late opening bars puts up a very decent fist of it after midnight, so long as you know where to go.
Etiquette
- Card payments are very common but old pubs generally prefer cash if you have one. There are free cash machines around the city - do not use Euronet machines which charge an access fee and commission on top at a poor exchange rate.
- Order at the bar and pay as you go. Very few bars operate a table service policy. This is all for the better as you can get the transaction over with right at the start without having to wait around for ordering, drinks and payment.
- It is reasonably common if you're in a family-run pub and/or with older folk to say a polite hello/goodbye on entrance and exit.
- Food is very uncommon in the old pubs, to the extent that it isn't even that common to see people eating snacks. Smoking tends to fill that gap.
Pricing
Denmark has a justified reputation for high prices, with some of the most expensive alcohol in Europe. There is no point pretending that visiting a craft beer bar or good wine bar is going to be anything other than punishingly expensive. However, unlike other wealthy countries (Finland and Switzerland being clear examples of this), fair pricing can be found. If you are content drinking basic beer bottles these are still very affordable. You will find a lot of people drinking the most basic bottles to help keep a cap on their spending. These are often priced below English, Belgian, Dutch and German levels.
Other options
As well as the typical traditional Bodegas, you will of course find the interchangeable bars you'd have elsewhere in Europe - cocktail bars furnished by Wayfair, craft beer bars made from a cookie cutter, and there's not much else to say other than they exist. However, there are some interesting sub-cultures to explore and venues which fall between the cracks of basic categories which are well worth experiencing!
Ratings Key (0-10)
New In This Year: 🔹
A: Choice and/or quality of drinks
B: Style and décor
C: Atmosphere and feel
D: Amenities, Events & Community
E: Value for money
F: The Pub Going Factor
| Name | Location | A | B | C | D | E | F |
| Bo-bi Bar 🔹 | Copenhagen | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 9.3 |
| Cafe InTime 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 9.2 |
| Charlie's 🔹 | Copenhagen | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 8.8 |
| Jernbanecafeen 🔹 | Copenhagen | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 8.7 |
| Hviids Vinstue 🔹 | Copenhagen | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 8.3 |
| Eiffel Bar 🔹 | Copenhagen | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8.2 |
| Tjili Pop 🔹 | Copenhagen | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 8.1 |
| Floss 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Woodstock 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Vinstue 90 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7.9 |
| Diligencen 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7.9 |
| Søernes 🔹 | Copenhagen | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Kompasset 🔹 | Copenhagen | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Fermentoren 🔹 | Copenhagen | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Bodega 48 🔹 | Copenhagen | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Alléenberg 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Børges Bodega 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Café Haraldsborg 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Lord Nelson 🔹 | Copenhagen | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 7.6 |
| Toga Vinstue 🔹 | Copenhagen | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Funchs Vinstue 🔹 | Copenhagen | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Café Viking 🔹 | Copenhagen | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7.5 |
Copenhagen
/ Pop. 1,492,049Nightlife Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Denmark's capital is a sprawling city on the island of Zealand between the mainland and Sweden, linked to the Swedish city of Malmö via the famous Øresund bridge. Famous for its nautical heritage, the much photographed Nyhavn with its old sailboats and pretty painted houses is one of the city's sightseeing highlights.
As the city expanded beyond its fortifications in the modern era, quirkily, the town of Fredriksberg to the west was not subsumed into the city as a whole, and remains its own entity today. For practical purposes however, and with that pedantry out of the way, it acts as a district to explore for bars, just as does Nørrebro to the North West of the centre, Christianhavn/Christiania commune and Amager to the South East.
The city centre is sizeable, and stretches "walkable" a little, so we strongly recommend buying a city pass for the time you're there, which allows you to take metro, suburban rail and buses. You'll still be walking plenty in between those connections, so it is essential to limit wear and tear.
For bars, you'll find 10 strong candidates in the centre and around the train station, while the remainder are set in the suburbs mentioned above. Don't look at a map and think they seem impossibly distant. Most of these can be accessed in 15 minutes from the centre.
Christiania provides a lurid, if touristy counterpoint to the icy, Protestant sleekness of central Copenhagen. A long standing hippy commune which other cities like Vilnius (Uzupis) and Ljubljana (Metelkova) have since taken inspiration from. Certain activities are tolerated up to a point, which may therefore be of interest. Overall the area still has a busy cultural schedule and is well worth exploring, particularly in the evening.
The city as a whole is a tough nut to crack in one visit - the vastness of the royal castles, fortresses and parks absorb a lot of time, let alone the museums and galleries. Exploring those, as well as the various other quirks will take multiple visits.
Copenhagen is a true late-opening city. It isn't quite 24 hours but the public transport network is very agile well into the early hours of the morning, while even many of the old pubs stay open until 2am even on weekdays. You won't find districts like Kazimierz (Kraków) or District VII (Budapest) here where the partying never stops, but late night bars are plentiful and you'll find it easily beats the declining London whose late night scene is dying away outside of Friday and Saturday.
Copenhagen's bar scene is divided up. You have the classic Danish 'Brunt Værtshus', distinctive old pubs similar to Dutch Brown Cafés and English pubs, smokey, working class but also in the evening vibrant, lively and mixed. There are an array of craft beer pubs, wine bars and cocktail bars. from the more distinctive to the most generic. There are also pleasingly several venues which fit no particular template, falling in between rigid categories that are well worth checking out.
With well over 20 venues evaluated and inscribed on our guide, you'll be well supplied on your visit.