In the few months prior to coming to Copenhagen, people would ask me about my study abroad plans and then proceed to warn me that I will never find vegan food, it will cost like ten dollars for a singular grape, I will just have to eat meat for a few months otherwise I’ll probably starve. While I knew that these warnings were exaggerated, I was still a bit nervous. I knew that Copenhagen was quite expensive and didn’t know whether they’d have some of the vegan staples I know and love. I soon realized that people don’t realize how talented we vegans are at reading ingredients labels in any language as well as finding vegan food anywhere and everywhere. As it turns out, the vegan options here (produce, beans, etc.) haven’t actually been much different from back in New York. We even found vegan cheese for one fourth of the price that it would be back at home! While we have yet to find nutritional yeast, Nadia and I have found vegan meat substitutes, vegan butter, and all of our favorite staples. Plus, DIS provides us with Købekort card with a food stipend that works at several grocery stores. Here’s some of the food Nadia and I have made thus far:
Now to restaurants:
Max Burger: I’m not usually a fast food person, but the Oumph! Barbecue Jackfruit Burger was powerful! Texture, ratio, taste—all 10/10. The onion rings were crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and not greasy at all. Definitely recommend for a fast, comforting meal that you can get on those late study nights.
Atlas Bar: I really appreciated that they had a vegan menu here. Nadia and I got a rice/vegetable/tofu dish and a bean tortilla dish. They both came with some interesting side salads that were fun to try. The restaurant had a cute vibe and the people working there were so nice. While the food was good, I wasn’t that impressed, especially in comparison to all of the other vegan foods we have tried.
Glass Market: Okay, so we haven’t actually had that much from the glass market, but I had to include this tomato focaccia. It was fantastic! Plus, it also has vegan ice cream and Grød, an oatmeal place with vegan options (will it compare to @addicted_to_oatmeal oats? Who knows?)
District Tonkin: There was a huge mound of cilantro on top of my noodle bowl and I’m one of those people who can’t stand cilantro; however, after picking each leaf off, the bowl tasted pretty good. My favorite was the spring rolls. I would definitely just get a whole order to myself next time.
42Raw: Nadia and I stopped by here for breakfast before arriving at DIS. They were super helpful about checking ingredients for nuts, which is always a plus. Unfortunately, their pancakes did have nuts. However, we ended up getting peanut butter “milkshakes” (frozen banana, dates, peanut butter, soy milk) and a vegan burger. Both were super tasty. Definitely want to head back again soon.
Chao Viet Kitchen: This is the first place that Nadia ate at and it was the perfect introduction to vegan food in the city. The rice paper rolls were okay, but the curry was amazing!
Simple Raw: This meal was so good I’m almost crying just thinking about it. The restaurant was beautiful and the waitress was also really kind about checking for nuts. We got the special, a cauliflower soup with bread, and the peanut tempeh bowl. It was on the pricier side, so definitely a place for special occasions/a treat.
Cooking: DIS gives students a Købekort card with money loaded onto it for our meal stipend. It can be used at Netto, Føtex, and Bilka! Of the three, I’ve only been to Netto, but it’s had (almost) everything I’ve needed so far. For foods like vegan ravioli and Oatly yogurt, Irma is the (pricier) place to go!
