Copenhagen
Copenhagen's best speakeasies hide behind unmarked doors and ask you to whisper passwords. The speakeasies 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.
INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
1105 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
INDRE BY · $$$ · 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.
THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Apollo Bar is Nyhavn's most precise classical cocktail bar — opened in 2018 by former Ruby bartenders. The 32-seat counter bar is dimly lit with leather banquet. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
NORREBRO · $$$ · 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: 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.
NORREBRO · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Baest Pub draws a steady local crowd in Norrebro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
INDRE BY · $$$ · 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: 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.
THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Balderdash is Indre By's most theatrical classical cocktail bar — built around traditional cocktail technique with Nordic ingredients. World's 50 Best Bars regu. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
INDRE BY · $$ · 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: 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.
THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Barr is the polished restaurant-bar attached to former Noma chef Thorsten Schmidt's Christianshavn restaurant — opened in 2017 in the original Noma harbour-fron. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Barr is in the former Noma space in Christianshavn. The room is the original Noma — wooden walls, harbour-side floor-to-ceiling windows, a long marble bar — and. 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 speakeasies 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.
Looking beyond Copenhagen? See our guide to the best speakeasies worldwide, or compare speakeasies city by city.