Copenhagen Bakery Itinerary

If you visit Copenhagen during the colder months, eating your way through their amazing bakeries is one of the best ways to spend your time (and to gain a few pounds of padding to protect you from the cold). We visited 9 bakeries in 5 days. Copenhagen’s bakeries rivaled the ones I tried in Stockholm (reviewed here). While I loved them all, we agreed there was one clear favorite. The list below is loosely in reverse rank order and rated as good, great, or amazing.

Lille atmosphere, outside at Hart, Albatross & Venner at Torvehallerne

Good

• Andersen & Maillard — Conveniently located in the middle of town, we tried their croissant, cookie, and cinnamon roll. Service wasn’t as friendly as the other bakeries and the pastries weren’t quite as tasty, but our late afternoon visit may have impacted the quality. I would give them another try.
• Leckerbaer — Cute little cakes that are almost too pretty to eat (but you should eat them because they are delicious). It doesn’t quite fit with the theme of the other bakeries, but it deserved an honorable mention.
• Albatross & Venner — We went to the location in the Torvehallerne market. I think savory breads are their specialty, but I loved my chocolate chip cookie. Checkout the many other great food vendors at the market while you’re there.
• Atelier September — On my last trip to Copenhagen, this was one of my favorite spots. On this trip they were closing when I visited, so I just got a tea. However, their new location is beautiful, and I’m sure the food is just as good as it was three years ago (based on their almost sold out pastry case).

Andersen & Maillard cinnamon roll, Albatross & Venner cookies, Leckerbaer cakes

Great

• Alice — It is a bit of trek to get to this cafe in a residential part of town, but I enjoyed seeing a little more of “real” Copenhagen, and the pastries were worth the trip. Alice had our third favorite cardamom bun, and I was a big fan of the other pastry I got (although I can’t remember the name). I’d love to come back for ice cream.
• Hart — Hart is the most well-known bakery amongst the food obsessed. It’s related to the Noma restaurant group, and they’ve expanded to seven locations. The spandauer (a custard pastry) is my favorite, although everyone else is bigger fan of their cardamom croissant is good (a bit too buttery for me).
• CPH Cooking Class — This isn’t a bakery, but it did have some of my favorite breads (not to toot our own horn!). I highly recommend this cooking school for its friendly and helpful teachers, beautiful facilities, and tasty results.
• Lille — Lille wins for the best vibes. They have a decent amount of seating and an interesting menu of breakfast and lunch dishes. I had a bowl of creamy yogurt with amazing granola in addition to a delicious, buttery cinnamon roll. I would have happily visited a second time if it had been closer to our hotel (it’s way out in Holmen — past the Opera house).
• Kobenhavns —This is bakery is located in what looks like a new business district (lots of newly constructed office buildings), and it was a surprise hit. Their cardamom bun was our second favorite of the trip and my simple sandwich of cheese and butter on a seeded roll really hit the spot.

Lille yogurt & granola, Lille cinnamon roll, Hart spandauer, Alice cardamom bun, CPH cooking class bread rolls, Kobenhavns sandwich

Amazing

• Juno — Winner winner! In a sea of great bakeries, Juno really stood out. Based on the long line when we arrived on a Wednesday morning, it’s no secret how good this place is. Luckily the line moved quickly and when we got to the front there were plenty of cardamom buns remaining. Their cardamom buns had a perfect balance between sweetness, spices, and butter. In addition, their seasonal saffron bun was a delicious more savory twist on a cardamom bun, and I savored the box of chocolates I bought from them all week.

Juno line, bakers in action, cardamom bun and saffron bun