Copenhagen is one of those cities in Europe that feels effortlessly cool. This low rise city seems to
be defined by light, water, and an openness that is incredibly appealing. Tall and blond, the Danish
understandably seem pretty satisfied with life in this sophisticated and stylish city – it’s clearly a
pretty good place to live. One of its major attractions is its nightlife. Copenhagen is one of those
cities that has distinct neighbourhoods and getting to know the different neighbourhoods and the
best bars in each district is a big help – you will probably need the help of a local for this, but work
out which neighbourhood you want to go out in and that will help narrow your search for the bars
that you want to drink in. In this article we take a look at some of the best places to go drinking in
Copenhagen.

The Meatpacking District
In Danish the Meatpacking District is known as Kødbyen but English is widely spoken in Denmark
so if you ask for the Meatpacking District they will know what you mean. This is a fantastic precinct
for bars and restaurants. You can’t go past dinner at Fiskebar which has a really energetic vibe and
is serving up great seafood. I used to really love the bespoke cocktails at Karriere bar but that has
recently closed, but there’s a lot of other good options here – the bar called Jolene is very good ,
relaxed and boisterous, but I’ve had some really top nights at Bakken which is fairly small inside
but has an outdoor terrace where everyone seems to congregate. The young and the cool of
Copenhagen seem to flock to this place and the music is great and it’s a lot of fun. I usually drink
beer here so it’s probably not a cocktail recommendation but it’s a great place to hang out.

Vesterbro
Vesterbro used to be a fairly rough part of town and it still is a bit of a red light district, but in recent
years there has been a bit of gentrification and it has become one of Copenhagen’s best places to
live. Bars to check out in this area include Simpelt V where they specialise in Mojitos (and are
proud of the fact that this is a bar where you can smoke inside); and Cafe Dyrehaven (which
translates at Cafe Deer Park – there are a forest of deer heads mounted on the wall) – this is a cafe
that turns into a bar and it’s good fun.

Nørrebro
If I was going to live anywhere in Copenhagen it would have to be the ultra cool neighbourhood of
Nørrebro. Jægersborggade is my favourite street – stunning restaurants, cool shops, and amazing
cafes such as the Coffee Collective and also Grød (where they just serve porridge – genius). In
terms of bars, I really like The Barking Dog – it feels a bit like an English pub but somehow more
grown up and sophisticated.

Copenhagen will always be one of my favourite cities in the world. Not just because they have
great bars and know how to serve great drinks and cocktails, but it certainly does no harm to their
reputation.

Photo Credit: Angelo Amboldi under Creative Commons License