In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Smørrebrød is a lunch dish, an open sandwich on rye bread, and the places named by the most of the 114 publishers counted are Aamanns (26 sources), Restaurant Schønnemann (21), Restaurant Palægade (18), Møntergade (17) and Selma (16), then Mad & Kaffe (14), Hallernes Smørrebrød in Torvehallerne (11) and Restaurant Kronborg (11). Schønnemann is open every day, 11:30 to 17:00, and shut from 24 December to 5 January 2027. Selma is closed on Tuesdays. Order two or three pieces. Or book a tour: Secret Food Toursad includes two smørrebrød and is from DKK 911 for 3 hours.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. Nothing here is ranked on one visit. This pass read 763 list pages, and counts the 171 pages from 87 English-language publishers and the 163 pages from 27 Danish publishers: newspapers, magazines, guidebooks, broadcasters and travel writers, among them Time Out, the BBC and Condé Nast Traveller in English, and Berlingske, Politiken, ELLE Danmark, Euroman and Mig og KBH in Danish. Copenhagen-only sites without a named newsroom, tour operators, directories and the venues’ own sites are not counted. Counts are publishers, not pages, and the English and Danish counts are shown apart. How the guides are made
⚠️ Check the day. Selma is closed on Tuesdays. Møntergade closes at 15:00 on Sundays. Schønnemann is closed from the evening of 24 December 2026 to Tuesday 5 January 2027, and Lumskebugten on 23, 24 and 31 December. Palægade serves dinner Monday to Saturday only.
What it is
Smørrebrød is an open sandwich on dense rye bread, rugbrød, with the topping piled on top and eaten with a knife and fork. Visit Copenhagen lists herring, smoked eel with scrambled egg, fried plaice, roast beef, liver paté, egg and prawns among the toppings. The classic drink with herring is akvavit, a cold, caraway- or dill-flavoured spirit also called snaps. Schønnemann, Palægade, Aamanns and Selma all pair the two.
Three pieces of smørrebrød: smoked salmon with egg, roast pork with pickles and crackling, and roast beef with horseradish. Photo: angermann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The places named by the most sources
The count is the number of publishers that name the place on a list of Copenhagen smørrebrød or lunch restaurants, with the split between English and Danish publishers. A place named by fewer than 5 is left out.
| Place | Sources | English | Danish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aamanns | 26 | 17 | 9 |
| Restaurant Schønnemann | 21 | 16 | 5 |
| Restaurant Palægade | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| Møntergade | 17 | 12 | 5 |
| Selma | 16 | 14 | 2 |
| Mad & Kaffe | 14 | 8 | 6 |
| Hallernes Smørrebrød | 11 | 8 | 3 |
| Restaurant Kronborg | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Aamanns Deli | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Sankt Annæ | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Told & Snaps | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Lumskebugten | 5 | 3 | 2 |
The English lists lean towards Aamanns, Schønnemann and Selma. Berlingske’s Byens Bedste 2026 shortlisted five smørrebrød restaurants: Bobe, Møntergade, Café Gammeltorv, Lumskebugten and Restaurant Kronborg.
The restaurants
Restaurant Schønnemann
Hauser Plads 16 · daily 11:30 to 17:00 · lunch only · since 1877 · Cited by 21 sources (16 English, 5 Danish) · restaurantschonnemann.dk
The restaurant dates its classic Danish lunch to 1877 and calls itself one of the oldest lunch restaurants in the city. It is a lunch restaurant only: lunch is served from 11:30 or 12:00 to 14:00, or from 14:14 to 17:00. The menu runs from herring, plaice and smoked fish to pork, veal and beef, tartare and cheese, and the restaurant lists 24 beers and more than 140 snaps. The lists tie it to herring (12 publishers). It is closed from the evening of 24 December 2026 until Tuesday 5 January 2027. From 12 November to 23 December it also serves a Christmas buffet from Thursday to Saturday, 18:30 to 23:00. Book on the site.
Aamanns 1921
Niels Hemmingsens Gade 19-21 · lunch and dinner daily · Michelin Selected · Cited by 26 sources for Aamanns (17 English, 9 Danish) · aamanns.dk
The Aamanns group’s smørrebrød restaurant, which describes its cooking as Michelin-recommended, organic and seasonal. Michelin prints lunch from 11:30 to 17:00 every day, and dinner from 18:00. The group also runs the Østerbro Deli, which has served smørrebrød to its neighbourhood for 20 years, Aamanns Replik at the corner of the Royal Danish Playhouse, with smørrebrød and evening seatings, and Aamanns Genbo in Carlsberg City, as well as a take-away service. The lists tie Aamanns to smørrebrød (22 publishers) and herring (10). The count covers the group, not just this room.
Restaurant Palægade
Palægade 8 · lunch daily 11:30 to 17:00, dinner Monday to Saturday 18:00 to 00:00, by Michelin · Michelin Selected · Cited by 18 sources (12 English, 6 Danish) · formelfamily.dk/palaegade
A lunch restaurant with a Danish-French dinner restaurant attached, from the formel B group. Its card runs from caviar and truffle to rullepølse (rolled spiced pork) with Italian salad and chicken salad with crisp bacon, and it has a large wine list. It made a range of lower-strength akvavits with the Radius distillery, which it pairs with curried herring and grilled Norwegian herring. Sunday is lunch only.
Palægade in Indre By, the street where the restaurant is at number 8. Photo: Orf3us, Wikimedia Commons.
Møntergade
Møntergade 19 · Mon to Thu 11:30 to 23:00, Fri and Sat 11:30 to 00:00, Sun 11:30 to 15:00, by Michelin · Michelin Selected · Cited by 17 sources (12 English, 5 Danish) · montergade.dk
Smørrebrød at lunch and a Danish-French brasserie in the evening. The lunch card runs from herring and fish to meat, warm dishes and soups, and it changes every month with the classics always on it. You can eat at the table or at the bar, and the kitchen recommends dessert or cheese from the trolley to finish. It sells take-away smørrebrød. Berlingske shortlisted it for Byens Bedste 2026. Sunday closes at 15:00.
Selma
Rømersgade 20 · lunch Wednesday to Monday 11:30 to 16:00, dinner Wednesday to Saturday 18:30 to 23:00 · closed Tuesday · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Cited by 16 sources (14 English, 2 Danish) · selmacopenhagen.dk
A restaurant that serves smørrebrød for lunch and a seasonal dinner, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The lists tie it to smørrebrød (16 publishers), herring (11) and rye bread (10). The decider is Tuesday: it is shut.
Hallernes Smørrebrød
Torvehallerne, Frederiksborggade 21 · inside the market, Mon to Fri 10:00 to 19:00, Sat and Sun 10:00 to 18:00 · Cited by 11 sources (8 English, 3 Danish)
A smørrebrød stall in the food hall by Nørreport. It also has a stall in the Tivoli Food Hall. The Guydeez food tourad starts in the food halls with two smørrebrød stops.
Restaurant Kronborg
Brolæggerstræde 12 · Mon to Wed 11:00 to 18:00, Thu to Sat 11:00 to 22:00, Sun 11:00 to 18:00 · Cited by 11 sources (7 English, 4 Danish) · restaurantkronborg.dk
A smørrebrød restaurant in Indre By that Berlingske shortlisted for Byens Bedste 2026. The kitchen closes an hour before the restaurant.
Told & Snaps
Toldbodgade 2 · Sun to Thu 11:30 to 16:00, Fri and Sat 11:30 to 17:00 · open for lunch every day · Cited by 5 sources (all English) · toldogsnaps.dk
A classic smørrebrød restaurant on Toldbodgade by Nyhavn, with fresh produce and its own snaps, from classic bog myrtle (porse) and walnut to horseradish, beer or black pepper, and milder ones such as chokeberry, apple and cherry, made on an organic base. The kitchen closes 30 minutes before the restaurant on Sunday to Thursday and an hour before on Friday and Saturday.
Lumskebugten
Esplanaden 21 · lunch Monday to Saturday from 11:30 (last arrival 15:00), Sunday from 12:00 (last arrival 14:00) · dinner Wednesday to Saturday from 18:00 · closed 23, 24 and 31 December · Cited by 5 sources (3 English, 2 Danish) · lumskebugten.dk
A smørrebrød restaurant on Esplanaden, by Kastellet, that Berlingske shortlisted for Byens Bedste 2026. It is on the way to the Little Mermaid.
Mad & Kaffe
Sønder Boulevard 68, Vesterbro, and other cafés · lunch from 12:45, weekends from 13:30 · Cited by 14 sources (8 English, 6 Danish) · madogkaffe.dk
A café group whose lunch menu is smørrebrød with a twist on rye and sourdough bread, lighter dishes to share and larger plates, changing with the season. Weekend lunch starts at 13:30 and on Sunday it runs to 16:00. It serves brunch first, from 08:30.
What to order
| Order | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Herring (sild) | Herring on rye, plain or curried, with a snaps | Schønnemann, Selma, Aamanns, Palægade, Told & Snaps |
| Fried plaice (stegt rødspætte) | A breaded fillet, which Lumskebugten fries in rye flour, according to Berlingske | Lumskebugten |
| Rullepølse | Rolled, spiced pork with Italian salad | Palægade |
| Chicken salad with bacon | A lighter piece | Palægade |
| Akvavit (snaps) | The cold spirit that goes with herring | Schønnemann, Told & Snaps, Palægade |
Schønnemann’s menu says two pieces make a decent start, three fill you and four finish with a smile. Order two or three in a restaurant.
Toasted rye with smoked herring, scrambled egg and shallot. Photo: cyclonebill, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Learn to make it
GetYourGuide has no cooking class in Copenhagen. Copenhagen Cooking Class teaches a smørrebrød class from DKK 725 at Herluf Trolles Gade 9: see Copenhagen food tours.
Plan the rest
Where to eat in Copenhagen ranks every kind of restaurant, Copenhagen’s food halls cover Torvehallerne and the Tivoli Food Hall, and Danish pastries names the bakeries. 3 days in Copenhagen puts the lunches on the days they fit, and what to book before you go to Copenhagen lists the closed days.
Common questions
What is smørrebrød?
An open sandwich on dense rye bread, traditionally eaten at lunch. Visit Copenhagen lists toppings from herring and smoked eel with scrambled egg to fried plaice, roast beef, liver paté, egg and prawns. It is eaten with a knife and fork.
Which smørrebrød restaurants do the most sources name?
Aamanns, named by 26 of the publishers counted (17 English, 9 Danish), Restaurant Schønnemann with 21 (16 and 5), Restaurant Palægade with 18 (12 and 6), Møntergade with 17 (12 and 5) and Selma with 16 (14 and 2).
How many pieces of smørrebrød should I order?
Schønnemann's menu says two pieces for a decent start, three to be full and four to finish with a smile.
Is smørrebrød only a lunch dish?
Mostly. Visit Copenhagen calls it a lunch-time experience, and Schønnemann is a lunch restaurant that is open from 11:30 to 17:00. Palægade, Møntergade, Selma and Lumskebugten also serve dinner, from an evening menu of their own.
Which smørrebrød restaurant is closed on Tuesdays?
Selma, whose lunch runs Wednesday to Monday from 11:30 to 16:00. Møntergade closes at 15:00 on Sundays, and Lumskebugten opens at 12:00 on Sundays.
Can I take smørrebrød away in Copenhagen?
Yes. Møntergade sells take-away smørrebrød, with a lunch card that changes every month, and Aamanns has a take-away service and a deli on Østerbro.
