Gluten Free in Copenhagen: My Field Guide to a Weekend Visit
The first time I visited Copenhagen, it was for the Christmas markets and the gluten filled treats (if only I had known) but fun as winter was, the short days and cold temps meant I missed a lot of great sights: seeing the castles and palace gardens in bloom, enjoying the long days to get to neighboring towns, and even just taking a proper walk down the canals of Nyhavn. Add in the amazing photos I saw of H.U.G. Bageri’s gluten free cinnamon rolls and so when I saw a cheap ticket to get back this summer, it was an easy call to book.
Copenhagen gluten free overview: 8/10
Navigating Copenhagen while gluten free
Beyond incredible sights, and there are lots of them, Copenhagen joins the rest of the Scandinavian capitals as a very solid spot for a gluten free visit. This may not be super obvious at first glance, as Denmark is known for its bakeries, open faced sandwiches, and generally gluten centric life. And yes, it lacks dedicated spots: there are only three in the city center that I am aware of. It also does not have the gluten free hype of Italy or Spain. But with strong allergen awareness, several great restaurants (both dedicated and shared), and nearly universal understanding of gluten issues in specific, it really is a great city in its own right for us to visit.
While there are only a few dedicated options, known shared spots are limited, and nothing about Copenhagen’s food scene is cheap, GF or otherwise, the quality of what I did have was great and so was the GF reliability. As I’ve found across my travels, you don’t need a ton of FMGF green dots (that’s dedicated spots for the unfamiliar) to have great food for a weekend and while I could spend a long, long time in Denmark, 3 days in Copenhagen is a very solid length to see a lot of the highlights and not entirely run out of easy eats either.
Where I ate
H.U.G Bageri
About the place: Dedicated / Bakery / Counter service with a few outdoor seats
The vibe: One of the best GF bakeries I've ever been to, make sure this is a stop
Copenhagen may not have many dedicated spots but of the few they do have, two are bakeries and that’s about as exciting as it gets for me, for food spots at least. While I visited and highly recommend both, H.U.G. Bageri (Indre By / Østerbro border) was immediately my go to spot for the visit and I went there each day for a treat and a simple cheese sandwich breakfast (supplemented with yogurt and some fruit from a grocery store just down the block). A very and I do mean very popular spot, their location packs in all sorts of items from simple breads to complex pastries, cookies, and also fridge worthy pastries. A few outside tables on the warm early summer mornings were truly a perfect vibe that felt about as normal as it gets.
As is often the case, their menu changes day by day and I suspect weekdays versus weekends as the amazing cinnamon rolls pictured here were only sold when I came by on Saturday. Then again, they could have just sold out, I mean I could have bought them out myself as those were every bit as good, light, and sweet as it looks.
Restaurant Tight
About the place: Shared / Moderately upscale Grill / Table service with indoor and outdoor seating
The vibe: Oh wow incredible food and incredibly good at GF!
I am not usually a foodie but there are a few meals and a few places that truly stand out in my memory and I suspect Restaurant Tight (Old Town / Central) will stay with me as one of those for a long time to come as I did not hold back on this trip. This should be little surprise as Copenhagen has a strong food scene and Tight is well rated across the board. From a GF perspective, Tight is a shared spot but with hundreds of great GF reviews on every platform, a clearly marked menu, and a very familiar staff, it’s about as reliable as things get for that. While basically everything on the menu looked appealing, the waiter directed me to the rib plate and it was absolutely divine.
Now I should be clear, Tight is not particularly cheap, though not a fancy, expensive spot either, and given the prices around Copenhagen, and especially the prices for anything frequently reviewed for GF, I would suggest biting the bullet to spend a few bucks more on a meal you really love rather than cutting for something less exciting, but that’s not always viable I know.
Palæo
About the place: Dedicated / Healthy Wraps & Burgers / Counter service with some seating
The vibe: The spot for a completely safe, kinda boring, bit cheaper meal
Arriving from a 15+ hour trip halfway across the world, I was ready for a meal and one without risk and so my first stop was to Palæo (Torvehallerne food hall), a dedicated GF and health focus spot with a couple locations around Copenhagen including one right in the city center. Despite their focus, their menu isn’t all grilled chicken wraps on egg tortillas (though that’s what I had) and they offer up some burgers on GF buns as well. I won’t claim it’s the most exciting menu by any stretch but for me, it balances some protein, fiber/veggies, and decent food among the cinnamon rolls, pizzas, and everything else I scarf down on a travel day.
I ended up coming back here again at the end of my trip after an uncertain Burger King experiment, which was probably for the best. Handy? Yes. Solidly reliable? For sure. Cheap? No. The most exciting meal of your life? Only if you’re as excited by pea-protein paste as me (I kid, mostly).
Osteria Alfredo
About the place: Shared / Pizzeria / Table service with seating (reservations recommended)
The vibe: Italian style pizza in Denmark!
Coming in a close second to Restaurant Tight on the number of FMGF reviews, Osteria Alfredo (Vesterbro) shows up everywhere in GF discussions for Copenhagen and also for good reason. While Italian may not be the food you are thinking of in Denmark, their pizza was impressively good, a little overly cheesy for me, but the dough feels much like what I’ve had in Italy and I say that having gone to Naples just a few days after leaving here.
The restaurant is located not far from the heart of the city center and easy to access by bus or rail though a reservation is absolutely in order and I was lucky to sneak in with a table for one and the promise of a quick pizza. After the GF upcharge on top of a mid tier pizza, the total price was a bit above a wrap at Palæo and definitely a step up in flavor, even if not in health vibes.
Thunberg’s Kreative Hjørne
About the place: Dedicated / Bakery / Counter service with a bit of seating
The vibe: My second fav GF bakery in the city
The other dedicated bakery just a few minutes ride past H.U.G., Thunberg’s Kreative Hjørne (Østerbro neighborhood) was also really impressive with a selection of bread and pastries. Though their shop was smaller, they have a nice indoor seating area which worked out wonderfully as I caught a bit of rain on my walk over and it’s always fun to try a different variation of a local treat. I tried the Kanel snurre, which was delicious but a little too greasy for my liking, and The Birkes, which was a filled bread and awesome enough I came back before my ferry cruise to Oslo (a thing I did on this multi-country trip) for another.
Cafe Flottenheimer
About the place: Shared / Cafe / Table service with seating
The vibe: Home to some of the best GF bread I've had but otherwise just ok
Located in the middle of the touristy/shopping district center, Cafe Flottenheimer (Latin Quarter) was another well reviewed spot I had on my list to try out even before arriving. While a shared cafe with lots of bread, reviews were encouraging and their menu certainly suggested a decent GF approach complete with a dedicated fryer. Their breakfast tray plate had been what drew me in originally but after morning bakery treats, I went with a chicken sandwich instead. While the chicken wasn’t particularly exciting to me, the bread they put it on was absolutely amazing. Clearly different from what all the “normal” people got but without a doubt one of the best I’ve had. Throw in a side of safe fries and it was a nice enough meal though at a price rivaling Tight and Osteria Alfredo, harder to justify.
Taste
About the place: Shared / Cafe & Bakery / Counter service with seating
The vibe: Insane looking desserts and a lot of GF ones in a fully shared bakery
Wandering back from Frederik’s Church, one of Copenhagen’s most amazing sights (seriously, be sure this is on your list, even just the outside, I couldn’t go in when I passed by), I “accidentally” found myself at the third bakery of the trip, Taste (Frederiksstaden neighborhood). A shared spot, the reviews here were impressive even if there’s not a ton of them. After a quick check with the staff who, in typical local fashion, assured me things were fine, confirmed the flour, and glossed over my presumably silly seeming CC questions, I decided to give one of their amazing cakes a try. This also came with me on my ferry ride and made a very fitting dessert that evening, not too sweet at all despite the look of it.
Burger King
About the place: Shared / Burgers / Kiosk with seating
The vibe: Typical BK with a few GF options, just watch the prep
The last new spot I tried (but not the last place I ate at) was Burger King. I’ve had McDonald’s since going gluten free in Italy, Lisbon, and would try it later on this trip in Budapest but Burger King, it’s been years and years. Seeing a GF burger option, I chatted up the staff who confirmed things were fine and I ordered away. However, peeking over the counter, I watched the bun go through a shared drop toaster and just didn’t feel like pushing the very nice staff or my luck before a 15 hour boat ride, cabin or no cabin. So, I enjoyed the fries (nice enough, but nothing I miss) and passed the perfectly good but maybe, possibly, not good for me burger off to someone else who could enjoy it and walked a few blocks over to Palæo to grab a wrap before I left the city.
Grocery store options
Copenhagen is full of small and medium grocery stores all around the city center that had plenty of yogurts, fruit, and other naturally GF options that I added into my day’s food. When it came to GF specific foods however, things were surprisingly limited in these city version stores, especially when I consider how much I’ve run into in other Scandinavian cities. This was however easily fixed with a visit to Føtex market’s larger location which was like a premium version of a super walmart complete with a very decent and very Schar (I love Schar) dependent GF section. So if you aren’t seeing snacks at first, go bigger, and also remember that EU labeling laws call out gluten in a way some countries (like the US) do not.
Saving money on GF eats
As soon as I saw the menu at Palæo, I knew I’d be pushing my food budget for my time here but there are some ways to save a bit and not just the obvious grocery options. Near the end of my visit, I ran into a fellow Celiac traveler who really leaned into the GF marked spots, throwing review hype to the side and exploring the Tivoli food hall, even a Pizza buffet at Next House (hostel & hotel) who made her a custom GF pizza. These spots may not be for everyone but it was a good reminder that even if our goal of avoiding gluten is the same, how we navigate the risks can differ a bit, and as she had no issues, I would say a good reminder you don’t need 50+ reviews either, a little convo and vibe check goes a long way sometimes.
Closing thoughts on a gluten free visit to Copenhagen
Copenhagen is solid, easy enough, and more so, full of really good food even if not a ton of well documented places. It’s a city well worth exploring and one where you’re rarely struggling to find a bite. Just be ready for a fair bit of shared, ask whatever questions help you, and know that the vibe on cross-contamination may differ a bit from what you’re used to, which seems to be a thing across all of Scandinavia, but obviously it works for them and as I had no issues, it worked for me!
Other Nordic guides: Visiting Stockholm GF | Visiting Oslo GF
