Copenhagen

The 10 Best Dive Bars in Copenhagen

Copenhagen's dive bars are the rooms locals defend hardest. Cheap, loud, exactly right. The dive bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

  1. 01

    1105

    INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    1105 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  2. 02

    Aamanns Deli Bar

    INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Aamanns Deli Bar draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  3. 03

    Apollo Bar Copenhagen

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Apollo Bar is Nyhavn's most precise classical cocktail bar — opened in 2018 by former Ruby bartenders. The 32-seat counter bar is dimly lit with leather banquet. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  4. 04

    ARCH Rooftop

    INDRE BY · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    ARCH Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  5. 05

    Baest Bar

    NORREBRO · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Baest Bar draws a steady local crowd in Norrebro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  6. 06

    Baest Pub

    NORREBRO · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Baest Pub draws a steady local crowd in Norrebro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  7. 07

    Balderdash

    INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Balderdash draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  8. 08

    Balderdash Copenhagen

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Balderdash is Indre By's most theatrical classical cocktail bar — built around traditional cocktail technique with Nordic ingredients. World's 50 Best Bars regu. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  9. 09

    Baren 1656

    INDRE BY · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Baren 1656 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  10. 10

    Barr Copenhagen

    THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Barr is the polished restaurant-bar attached to former Noma chef Thorsten Schmidt's Christianshavn restaurant — opened in 2017 in the original Noma harbour-fron. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Copenhagen or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten dive bars that any serious drinker in Copenhagen would tell you to put on the list.

1105 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Aamanns Deli Bar draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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