Shopping, Restaurants & Bars

Shopping
Queuing in shops, banks, post office etc.

Whilst queueing in places like bakeries, chemists, banks, official offices and post offices (amongst others) the will almost certainly be a system which involves a ticket machine. Sometimes they are not obvious to see but you will need to find it and take a ticket - without a ticket you will not be called or served. The next number in line will be called out, but there is also usually a screen showing the next number in line so you can keep looking to check that you don't miss your slot.

Supermarkets
The main supermarkets that can be found in most areas are as follows: Irma and Meny are the more expensive supermarkets, while Fakta, Rema 1000 and Netto are at the cheaper end. The rest sit somewhere in the middle.
 * Netto
 * Lidl
 * Fakta - coop
 * Føtex
 * Super Brugsen - coop
 * Rema 1000
 * Kvickly - coop
 * Irma
 * Meny
 * Bilka – giant hypermarkets

They are generally open every day except for public holidays, although some of the small Døgn Nettos may be open on these days. However over Easter, Christmas and New Year it is not unusual for every supermarket to close. Make sure to do all of your shopping beforehand! You can get a co-op card for the supermarkets under the co-op umbrella and collect points or get discounts for members.

The locals tend to shop every day for groceries and it is unusual to use a shopping cart and do a 'big shop'! You will probably experience some sighing and tutting from Danes if you do a large amount of shopping in one go & at the checkout you can expect your groceries to be thrown along the conveyor at warp speed and be given little time or space to pack efficiently! You must also remember to put down the plastic space divider between you and the person behind you to separate your groceries - you can expect same amount of sighing and tutting (See above) if you forget!

Specialist Markets
https://torvehallernekbh.dk/

Torvehallerne (close to Norreport Station in the city) Is a high end indoor (and, in summer, outdoor!) food market with stalls, shops and food/coffee outlets... a great place to buy some quality products, wander and enjoy the atmosphere.

Package (plastic free) shopping
Loes Market is a great package free grocery store, here you can either bring your own bag or box or buy one in store to re-use. They offer a wide variety of both dry and wet goods and have two shops in Copenhagen – one in Vesterbro and  on in Nørrebro. https://www.loes-market.dk/#velkommen

Recently Meny in Nordhavn has introduced a large package free shopping experience with three schemes running in the shop for dry goods (pasta/cereals etc) and a machine dispensing milk into your own glass bottle. You can buy the first bottle for around 10dkk and each time there is a steamer to clean the bottle before refilling. They also sell eggs singularly so you can buy as many or as few as you need.

Spices:  ASA Spice in Torvehallerne will refill your spice jars or bags for you rather than using a new bag.

Online Grocery Shopping
(sites are in Danish but if you open with google chrome can be translated to English!)
 * Nemlig (http://www.nemlig.com) is an online supermarket with a large range of products and one hour delivery slots.
 * Irma have an online shopping site (http://www.irma.dk)
 * Aarstiderne on this site you can order boxed organic food such as fruit and vegetables or the ingredients for their weekly meal plans to suit you family size (www.aarstiderne.com)
 * Too Good to Go app – this is an app that allows you to purchase a 'deal' on close to expiry date foods from local retailers (bakeries, supermarkets etc) see http://www.toogoodtogo.dk for further information

Toiletries & Health Products

 * Apoteks (pharmacies) are in most shopping areas. You can buy over the counter medicines, vitamins and toiletries. You can also pick up your prescription medicines here. You can expect to pay for prescriptions for both adults and children.
 * Matas is a chain of shops where you can buy make-up, toiletries and household cleaning supplies.
 * Normal is a chain of shops selling toiletries, cleaning supplies, makeup and household goods at very reasonable prices.

Home Furnishings & Do-it-Yourself

 * IKEA - Nybrovej 2, 2820 Gentofte or Mårkærvej 15, 2630 Taastrup.
 * ILVA  (furniture, lighting etc) - Gammel Lundtoftvej 5, 2800 Kongens Lyngby or Industridalen 10, 2635 Ishøj
 * Bolia  (furniture)- Lyngby Hovedgade 59-61, 2800 Kongens Lyngby
 * Fog  (lighting, garden furniture, household goods) - Nørgaardsvej 3, 2800 Kongens Lyngby. Fog sells household items, lights and also paints and tools etc etc.
 * Silvan - Gladsaxe Møllevej 27, 2860 Søborg. Do-it-yourself store selling garden equipment,  fire wood (bulk) tools, lighting, paints etc etc
 * Bauhaus - Industridalen 7, 2635 Ishøj. Large do-it-yourself store
 * Harald Nyborg - Gladsaxevej 367-371, 2860 Søborg. Do-it-yourself store selling house and garden items.
 * El Giganten - Nybrovej 2, 2820 Gentofte. Shop specialising in electronic and electrical goods.

Toys
Currently there are no chain toy stores operating on the Danish high street or in shopping centres, there are toys (lego etc) in limited supply in Fotex (supermarket). The Lego Store is on Stroget in the city centre. Online toy shopping can be done on amazon.de (Amazon Germany).

Shopping Malls (including stores for clothes, shoes etc)

 * Fields - large shopping mall near the airport http://www.fields.dk
 * Fisketorvet - large shopping mall http://www.fisketorvet.com
 * Waterfront Shopping Centre - mall in Hellerup http://www.waterfront-shopping.dk
 * Lyngby Storcenter - http://www.lyngbystorcenter.dk
 * Frederiksberg Center - http://www.frbc-shopping.dk

Clothes
Clothes, like most items, are expensive in Denmark, childrens clothes also have VAT charged to them (unlike in most countries) so it is wise if possible to stock up on kids clothes & shoes when visiting home or when on holiday away from Denmark.

Online:  https://www.boozt.com/dk  is a great online store which brings together many clothing brands and offers quick delivery within Denmark

Some online (UK based) retailers ship to Denmark familiar ones are: Remember when using online shopping options that shipping from outside the EU will incur additional tax fees which are not always obvious at checkout!
 * Next (UK Clothing store) http://www.nextdirect.com
 * John Lewis (UK department store) http://www.johnlewis.com
 * Marks and Spencer (UK department store) http://www.marksandspencer.dk

Discount shopping
It is common in Denmark for some big name retailers (clothing, jewellery, accessories etc) to hold one off sales 'lagersalgs' There is a useful website which you can register with to get the newletter and info about upcoming sales, this can be a great way to get some bargains on typically Danish items that are usually very expensive. http://www.myoutlets.dk

Books in English & Stationery shops

 * Books & Company - Sofievej 1, 2900 Hellerup. English language book shop and cafe. They also often hold book talks, book launches and host a couple of book clubs. www.booksandcompany.dk
 * Arnold Busck - this chain of books and stationery shop often has an English book section. There is one in Lyngby Storcenter which has a nice selection of English books.
 * Bog & Ide - a chain of books and stationery shops. There is one in Charlottenlund at Jægersborg Allé 5, 2920 Charlottenlund.
 * Panduro Hobby – a chain of hobby, baking and art supply shop

Cake & Baking Products

 * Special Købmanden - http://www.specialkoebmanden.dk. They have an amazing selection of cake making and baking products for birthday cakes and other special events.
 * Frederiksber Købmanden at Bagerstræde 2, 1617 København V- http://www.kostlich.dk
 * Online shop - http://www.bagetid.dk
 * Panduro Hobby - http://www.pandurohobby.dk

Bars / Drinking Culture
The Danes enjoy a night out – especially on the weekends. Cocktails are popular in Copenhagen, albeit expensive and, like most things here, drinking in bars can be a costly pastime! Look out for bars that have special deals and offers (such as 2 for 1 cocktails at certain hours even some of the higher end bars do promotions like this). If you prefer a beer, Copenhagen offers various pubs, bars and breweries as well. The 'Bodega' bars dotted around the city are bars where smoking is still permitted indoors.

In the summer and (ahem) warmer months it is very common and accepted to head outside to public areas (parks, beach etc) and take your own drink (bought from supermarkets etc) to enjoy outdoors with friends – which, if you enjoy, is a far cheaper alternative to drinking in bars.

It's also worth a mention that the winter months can be much quieter when out and about in the evening, many locals tend to stay indoors and practice their 'hygge' over the winter months - and the trains and public transport timetables change accordingly (best to check that you can get home easily after midnight!) the difference between summer and winter nightlife can be a shock if you are coming from a city where nightlife is the same all year round.

Eating out
The list of places to eat and drink is a long one, too much to highlight in this guide. Ask around or take a look online at one of the best resources for lists of bars, restaurants, street food and coffee shops which is:

https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/gastronomy/eat-drink

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g2551037-Gentofte_Municipality_Copenhagen_Region_Zealand.html

https://www.likealocalguide.com/copenhagen/eating

https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/gastronomy/top-10-value-money-restaurants

https://www.eater.com/maps/best-copenhagen-restaurants-38

https://www.expatolife.com/cheap-eats-copenhagen/

Takeaway services in Hellerup/Gentofte area
With the exception of Just Eat (which has specified delivery areas) It's not really a 'thing' for takeout to be delivered to the home in Denmark, there are a handful of places in the area that provide takeaway service for you to collect.
 * Just Eat, Service for ordering takeaway food online and a quick delivery at home. http://www.just-eat.dk
 * WOLT   http://wolt.com  - a relative newcomer to food delivery similar to just eat (not operating in all areas of Copenhagen at time of writing)
 * Room Service, Great selection of restaurants. Order online for home delivery. http://www.roomservice.dk
 * Armando’s, Brogårdsvej 25, 2820 Gentofte, Tel: 39 65 50 50) Great pizzas for collection. http://www.gentofte.armandos.dk
 * LaLucci Pizza Kildegardsvej 15, 2900 Hellerup Tel 39 30 00 54 order online for collection  http://www.lalucci.dk

Eating out as a Vegan in Copenhagen
If you are looking to eat out as a Vegan or Vegetarian check out the link below for ideas ranging from Michelin-starred restaurant Veve to some of the raw food bars in the city

https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/gastronomy/best-vegetarian-and-vegan-restaurants