The weekend travel guide to Copenhagen
Where to eat, drink, and shop in this lovely city.
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Sprezza Travel Guides are back!
In February I launched a travel guide series with the homie Mat Spade (aka Mat Buckets on IG), and we’ve gotten great feedback on it so far after covering Edinburgh and Manchester.
So, enjoy these curated guides to our favorite cities and countries around the world. We only recommend places that we’ve visited and explored ourselves. More in the American pipeline too.
A note on Mat
Mat is Sprezza’s travel editor and a master curator of good vibes. He has a colorful eye for design, strong personal taste, building a home, and how to travel well.
If you want to get to know Mat better, here’s an interview I did with him last year. Also, please give Mat a follow for more zinger content.
Got a city we should cover next? Drop it in the comments!
Shop & Coffee: Another Aspect x La Cabra
This store feels like the ultimate retail combo. The coffee bar inside a retail setting is nothing new, but how about one that gives dual emphasis to each experience? These guys did just that.
Copenhagen-based clothing label Another Aspect likes to call its store a clubhouse because it's more than just a place to sell clothing. AA is a rare brand in a sea of sameness committed to designing beautiful, sustainable clothing that’s easy on the eye.
The airy unit invites the visitor to pump the brakes on the pace, slow down the retail environment, chat with the owners of the brand, and enjoy a coffee from one of the dopest and best coffee roasters in the game.
Eat: Diamond Slice
We love a New York slice; turns out they dig them there too. Diamond Slice sits nicely between a "sizeable snack" and a main meal. And when I say sizeable, consider just how hungry you might be because one is likely enough.
The beautifully designed interior will be missed in the warmer months, swapped for serious chill time on the benches out front. And when it comes to toppings, you'll need a solid 5 to decide. Sometimes, simple is best though.
Drink: ÅBEN Brewery
The city is spoiled for choice with nice places dedicated to beer, but my favorite one is Aben Brewery. Located in the Meatpacking District, when you punch it into Google Maps you'll be thinking it's the wrong destination, but as soon as you reach this impressive space you'll find knowledgeable staff and roughly 25+ beers on tap.
Set inside a converted packing plant, Aben's design team has worked with some of the original details, combined with their own love for precisely polished steelwork, subtle plays on colour, and laid-back design details. There's no other like it.
Shop: Studio Arhoj
We like collecting souvenirs from our trips. A postcard to your mum from a seaside trip to southern Italy, a clog keyring from a forgotten weekend in Amsterdam, a Mickey Mouse ears cap from a childhood memory in Orlando, or handmade ceramic from a cultured visit to CPH.
Studio Arhoj's lovely store is just the place for that. Set in the centre of the city, it will bring you some color and fun to your older years. They hand-make ceramics on site, and there’ll be something great to pick up for you or someone you appreciate. Give it a visit.
Coffee: Prolog
When we start researching any city, my brain goes straight for the best coffee spots. Lame? Love what you love. During one of my first trips to Copenhagen, I remember sitting at the back of Prolog's first coffee outpost with a cortado in hand. A couple of years later and they opened up a new shop in the Osterbro district.
Prolog is lovely because they offer their own roasts, local baked goods, and nice vibes all around. Sit in the window and watch the world cycle by, or grab one of those blue stools with a buddy and catch up over some cold brews. Choices to make, but they ain't hard ones.
Eat: Juno The Bakery
Just around the corner from Prolog, you'll find one of the highest-regarded bakeries in the city. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if you could smell their iconic cardamom buns from a few streets away.
Don't be deterred if you see a queue forming; this is a good sign that Juno is still on top form; you'll be at the counter in 10 minutes faced with around 15 options. Fresh out of the oven, you honestly can't make a bad choice here.
Eat: Grød
Every day begins with a good breakfast in Denmark, and Grod has monopolised the porridge game. There's nothing quite like a hot bowl of it, with a towering list of toppings as long as the Rundetaarn. The caramel sauce is legendary; don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
If porridge isn't your thing, they also offer some very tasty acai bowls and smoothies.
Eat: Atelier September
This sweet outpost is Atelier September's second cafe. Having not been to the first one, I can't compare, but my first impression of this location is strong vibes. Extra friendly staff inside a neatly designed, colourful, modern interior space, with a fresh menu of breakfast and brunch options that changes seasonally. Perfect for people-watching the outside, too.
Eat: Slurp
There is no messing around with this place. Hot bowls packed with flavour, and seating all around the edge of a smaller restaurant. Aside from their ramen bowls, the fried chicken is banging, and they also have their own beer selections. The only place you’ll want to get noods from. Nice.
Shop: Mfpen
Now this one is tricky to find, but you'll find a buzzer right between a bustling Irish bar and another equally party-people joint. Once in, make your way up the winding staircase, and you'll find the front door. Nope, this isn't some kinda wild secret nightclub. It's just that Mfpen keeps things low-key.
Their understated clothing style matches their ethos to use as much deadstock fabric as possible, lessening the impact of an increasingly busy and wasteful textile cycle. Their office acts as a showroom, so you'll feel right in the thick of things.
See: Design Museum
No trip to Copenhagen is complete without a jaunt around one of the design museums. There's a bunch out there but this one is nice and central, and could well be the most chilled-out, understated museum you'll likely visit, and you'll leave with a greater understanding of why design is so inherent.
Great list.