Charlie Scott's runs two moods from one small room, a sports bar by day and a jazz club by night, and the switch between them is the whole charm of the place.
The address is Skindergade 43, in the lattice of medieval streets behind Stroget. The room is narrow and low, with a staircase down to a cellar that gives the music its name.
The bar states its dual identity plainly. Its own site bills Charlie Scott's as your favourite local jazz and sports bar, presenting live sport and live jazz across the week from the same compact space.
Football is the daytime draw. Matches play on the screens with the volume up, and the prices stay friendly, with Guinness and Carlsberg poured cheaper than most of the centre. For anyone tracing the best sports bars in Copenhagen, this is the intimate option where you can hear the commentary and the bartender at once.
Then the room turns. On Tuesday evenings the bar runs a free entry session billed as jazz under the stairs, and live music takes the cellar several nights a week, drawing a crowd that comes for the playing rather than the score.
The size is the defining feature. Charlie Scott's seats a few dozen at most, so a big fixture or a strong band fills it quickly and the atmosphere tightens around whatever is happening that night.
The welcome is the other constant. Regulars and first timers share the same short bar, and the easy, unpolished feel is what visitors single out most in reviews.
The cellar is the heart of the place. A narrow staircase drops to the basement room where the bands play, and the low ceiling pushes the sound straight at the crowd. It is the kind of space that rewards arriving before the first set.
The two identities rarely clash. Sport runs upstairs in the afternoon and music takes over below after dark, so a single visit can move from a Premier League result to a standards trio without leaving the building. That range is unusual for a bar this small.
Prices stay low across both halves of the day, which is part of why the regulars treat the room as a second living room rather than a night out.
What to order: a pint of Guinness or Carlsberg is the move while the football is on, since the low prices are part of why locals stay. Come back after dark for the jazz, when a whisky suits the cellar better than another lager. There is no kitchen to plan around, so eat first and treat this as a drinking and music room.
Who it is for: solo visitors who want a friendly screen, music lovers chasing live jazz a few steps off Stroget, and anyone who prefers a snug room to a barn of televisions. It is the wrong call for a large group on a marquee match day, when the space simply runs out. For more screens nearby, The Globe on Norregade spreads sport across two floors, while The Dubliner off Stroget keeps football and fish and chips going late.
Best time to go: a weekend afternoon fixture for the sport at its calmest, or a Tuesday for the free jazz session downstairs. Arrive early either way, because the room is small and word travels. Either slot rewards turning up early over planning a big night out. Our guide to the best bars for watching the game in Copenhagen frames the wider scene, and the Copenhagen city guide covers the streets around Stroget.
Sources
Charlie Scott's official site · Charlie Scott's: live sport · Foursquare: Charlie Scott's
