Restaurant
Geranium
Rasmus Kofoed and Søren Ledet's three-Michelin-star restaurant on the eighth floor above Fælledparken, serving long seasonal tasting menus with views over the park.
Café Halvvejen
An old tavern next to the Round Tower, trading since 1789, serving herring, open sandwiches and Danish classics at lunch and staying open late as a bar.
At a glance
- Type
- Traditional Danish tavern lunch
- Area
- Indre By / Latin Quarter, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Price
- $ · Budget
- Opening
- Open 6 days a week (closed Sunday)
- Official site
- cafehalvvejen.dk
Good to know
- Herring and smørrebrød
- Danish classics
- Bar until late
Why we recommend it
Café Halvvejen is a traditional Copenhagen værtshus, a tavern, on Krystalgade in the Latin Quarter, right next to the Round Tower. It has been trading as a tavern since 1789, and the street itself has its own history: it was originally called Skidenstræde, or Dirty Street, before King Frederik VI approved the more elegant name Krystalgade in 1818. It is unpretentious, and in the evenings it is a popular meeting place for both younger and older guests.
At lunchtime the kitchen cooks Danish food in what it calls the good old Danish way. Herring is the centrepiece, served marinated, in curry sauce, Christiansø style with egg yolk, or warm and fried, all with capers, onion and dill. Open sandwiches include rejemad with shrimp, stjerneskud with fish fillet, shrimp and caviar, fish fillet with remoulade and chicken salad with bacon. Hot dishes include homemade deller (meatballs) with red cabbage, biksemad, æggekage omelette with bacon and a pariserbøf topped with egg yolk, capers and horseradish. Finish, if you dare, with gammel ost, a strong aged cheese served on rye with dripping, aspic, onion and rum.
For a first visit, the platters are a good way in: the larger one brings together herring, egg and shrimp, fish fillet, chicken salad, warm meatballs with red cabbage, cheese and fruit, and the herring platter combines four styles of herring. Wash it down with a cold Danish beer.
Halvvejen suits budget travellers, solo diners and anyone who wants an authentic local lunch without ceremony. The kitchen is open from 12:00 to 15:00 from Monday to Saturday. The tavern itself opens at 11:00, stays open until midnight from Monday to Thursday and until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday, and is closed on Sundays. In the evening it becomes a lively bar rather than a restaurant.
The tavern is a short walk from Nørreport station and from the shopping streets Købmagergade and Strøget. Combine lunch with a climb up the Round Tower next door, or with a stroll through the Latin Quarter's bookshops and cafés.
If you come in the evening, expect a bar crowd rather than a dining room, as the kitchen closes at 15:00.
Café Halvvejen FAQs
When is Café Halvvejen open?
Monday to Thursday 11:00 to midnight and Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 03:00. It is closed on Sundays.
When is the kitchen open?
The kitchen serves food Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 15:00.
What should I order?
Try the herring, an open sandwich such as stjerneskud, or one of the platters for a mix of Danish classics.
How old is Café Halvvejen?
It has operated as a tavern since 1789.
Where is Café Halvvejen?
At Krystalgade 11, next to the Round Tower in the Latin Quarter.
Is it suitable on a budget?
Yes, it is one of the more affordable ways to eat a traditional Danish lunch in the centre.
Is it a bar in the evening?
Yes. After lunch the tavern carries on as a bar until late.
How do I get there?
Walk from Nørreport station or from Strøget and Købmagergade.