Copenhagen’s diveristy of cafés keeps on surprising me. If I were to come without expectations, still most would satisfy me. They are individual, personal, hygge and often organic. But the choices are so great, and so I have good reason to optimize.

After my first two visits I already put together a short, concrete list of my favorite eateries in Copenhagen (post here). Those are the selected few places that made my visits extra special. You’ll see, that there is no breakfast place amongst them. Well except for Meyers Bageri if a damn good cinnamon swirl counts as breakfast. Sure I also had other real breakfasts on those visits, many were better than most I find in Hamburg to be honest. But I was sceptical, and thus ended up judging all with a grain of salt. I was waiting for even more. Breakfast is my most specialized meal, and judging Copenhagen by its cover, I knew that there still were awe-inspiring cafés hidden in some small streets.

Waiting for Copenhagen’s Best Breakfasts

On my third visit to Copenhagen, this February, I found two of them. However they were the opposite of “hidden on windy cobblestoned streets with colourful house fronts”. You will find these two breakfast gems neighboring unexciting stores on big streets.

Atelier September:

Atelier September has quite the humble exterior. But once you enter you’re already absorbed in this simple, but beautiful retro café. It used to be an art atelier. Now you can watch the cooks create their masterpieces in the one half of this common room. They almost seem like family – well an idyllic family – calm, in their flow, and completing each other mistakes, getting a kick out of a spill of porridge onto the famous avocado toast. Come and grab the photogenic marble tabletops by the window, or accompany others at the rustic common table, splat in the middle of it all. It is just as bloggable.

Classic but with Perfected Unique Twists

Atelier September doesn’t offer my typical brunch, but classic, dainty breakfast plates with special twists.

Oatmeal for example. But with Olive Oil, Estragon and cooked Kumquats. Or whatever else the current season happens to offer.  It was cooked to perfection and even in its delicate flat bowl it stayed hot. With that little bit of flaky sea salt aside it we were in heaven.

We also chose the Avokadomad. This dish, seems to be a new danish tradition. Neatly fanned avocado on dark rye bread is far from special in Copenhagen. Now optimizing comes back to every ingredient and ratio. At Atelier September the nutty and soft rye bread didn’t loose importance under the plentiful ripe avocado that was enhanced with a heap of chives, lemon peel, chili powder and a drizzle of their good’ole olive oil.

Decision making wasn’t easy for the last order: Yogurt with Zucchini Jam, Matcha & Granola? Kyoto-Style filleted Grapefruit with Mint? Or something more savory off the lunch menu, like hummus with buttermilk and dukkah or burrata with Italian kale, truffle and hazelnuts?

We kept it simple and chose rye bread with Comté cheese and a soft-boiled egg. The same soft, nutty Rugbrød, as a long narrow slice, wonderfully complemented the bands of strong mountain Comté Cheese, a flat circle of great butter and a perfectly soft-boiled æg.

Simply Perfected Breakfasts

Did I mention that their coffee, from Koppi Roasters, and this matcha were just as perfect?  Here, at Atelier September, I came back to the realization that even the simplest breakfasts, just like the French tartines at SIP, can be amazing. Every ingredient as well as the service and atmosphere has to correspond. The creator, Frederik Bille Brahe, and his team have created an experience that they can be proud of. Even amidst the many wonderful experiences that Copenhagen presents to the world, their creation stands out.

Gothersgade 30, København K // Mo-Fr: 7:30-17:00, Sa: 9-17:00, Su: 10-16:00

After Atelier September, we were sceptical about finding anything close to as pleasing. However by finding something completely different, but just as compelling, we also nailed this second breakfast in Copenhagen.

ACACIA:

ACACIA is a completely vegan café in Nørrebro. It appears like your coffee table mag type of place, with a style that can’t get much more instagrammable.  Despite the photogenic food presentation, Kinfolk magazines and the fine, black and white interior – Acacia didn’t make us feel like we were amongst people who only cared about this style. First of all the service, two daughters and their mom, were so genuine, modest and kind. Secondly they surprised us by their creative menu that was matched by the perfection of its execution.

Flavors Like a Michelin Starred Brunch

There is this type of fine dining, it has crazy interpretations of foamed, pickled and infused foods. Food creations like that, I have only experienced for dinner in super fancy restaurants. ACACIA luckily doesn’t feel like a Michelin starred brunch place, but it’s food is on one level with it.

Look at the Banana Bread French Toast. It is prepared with juniper pickled blueberries, preserved compote, Ceylon cinnamon white chocolate ganache, olive oil shortbread, coconut yogurt, crushed hazelnuts, salted juniper maple caramel, and blueberry dust.  Maybe I should have tried that? To be honest, all dishes sound just as amazing. In retrospect, I know that even the simplest of them, like the cacao-smoothie-bowl will taste wonderful.

We ended up choosing the following:

1. Butternut Squash Pancakes: made of almond flour, topped with spiced ice cream, burnt orange swirl, sea buckthorn, coconut yogurt, hazelnut crumble, cacao nibs, dried flower petals
2. Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto: arborio rice risotto, roasted Jerusalem artichokes, pickled celeriac, crisply artichoke skins, toasted sunflower seeds, tarragon, truffle & walnut marinated chervil
3. “Nourish Bowl”: warm black quinoa, marinated kale and brussel sprouts, garlic balsamic dressing, baked butternut squash, lemon-tahini drizzle, pumpkin seed dukkah, slice of seedy bread

Sounds Lavish, Tastes Exquisite and Looks Amazing

Yes, I know adjectives can make things sound quite lavish, but ACACIA was lavish – as I said, like at a Michelin starred restaurant. The portions were fine, which encouraged you to treasure every bite, an instinct that the evolving flavors rewarded grandly. Each creation burst in tastes and textures but wasn’t overwhelming. Even just the bread again, it was amazing  – so juicy and nutty.  And yes, “Das Auge spielt mit.” (lit. “the eye plays along”) is what one would say in German. If I don’t judge this book by its cover, then I’ll just count the presentation as an extra bonus.

Lastly we got to try a dessert. As an apology for having to “wait so long” – it was maybe 5 min more than usual – they offered us a treat on the house. We chose the raw-hazelnut chocolate tartlet. Smooth, nutty, crunchy, sweet, rich, fresh . . . all in the right way. Just like everything else. I want to come back till I have tried every dish. ACACIA is not replicable.

Gammel Kongevej 171, Frederiksberg // closed Mo & Tu, Wed-Fr: 9-17:00, Sa-Su: 10-16:00

Copenhagen is a small city, and its density of amazing cafés, or people who write about them* is higher than any other city I have been to. So merely finding two awesome breakfast places must be a scarce start. I can’t wait to come back and discover what else this nordic capital has to offer. Thanks to the resources below, my list is long. Just to name a few: The Corner 108, Tolboden, Andersen & Maillard, Sonny, Pixie, Natur Tørst, Juno the Bakery, Granola,  . . . (Open the map below to find more.)

Comment below to tell me your best breakfast in Copenhagen! 

Other Breakfasts that I would go to again:

• Grød: porridge café, opens early, fair prices // 4 Locations
• Møller Kaffe og Kokken: assemble your own breakfast in fine-dining tapas style // Nørrebrogade 160, Nørrebro
• Café Auto: not bad avocado-toast // Griffenfeldsgade 22, Nørrebro

*More Great Sources for Copenhagen Guides:

• Ankerwechsel (city guide by @fraeulein_anker, a Hamburg coffee & travel blogger)
• andershusa (foodie stories by Anders Husa, a fine dining specialist from Oslo)
• The Copenhagen Tales (local food blog by Laura, a german expat)
• Copenhagen By Me (local blog focused on sustainable lifestyle by Camilla)
• Running Copenhagen34 (local city guide offering tours)
• Good Eatings (vegan & gluten-free food blog, by Malin from Sweden)
• Scandinavian Standards (Scandinavian lifestyle magazine)