The Danish love for ‘aftenkaffe’: a story of coffee after hours
The phenomenon of 'Aftenkaffe' is very common among Danes. It taps into the Danish story of 'hygge' creating busy hours at the Copenhagen coffee bars in the late afternoons.
Drinking coffee after dinner is very normal in Danish homes. We call it ‘aftenkaffe’: evening coffee. Some people take pride in being able to slam a few cups and then head straight to bed. And just as heading out for a drink or a beer after work is very common in many countries, meeting up with a friend for a cup of coffee on your way home is a weekly thing for a lot of Copenhageners.
This quote from Klaus Thomsen of Coffee Collective describe the Danish love of evening coffee quite well:
“I was at a family gathering on the island of Lolland recently, where it struck me just how much coffee my family drinks in the evenings. Drinking an entire can of coffee by yourself and then heading to bed right after is extremely normal. Some of them claim that people from Lolland don’t react to caffeine. When I tell my colleagues from other countries that we drink coffee in the evenings in Denmark, they don’t believe me. In fact some of the busiest hours in our cafés are late afternoon. In Australia for example, the coffee bars close at four because nobody drinks coffee afterwards.”
Here’s where to drink good ‘aftenkaffe’ in Copenhagen
Many coffee bars and cafés have extraordinarily long opening hours. These places are perfect to go for a 'aftenkaffe' and experience the atmosphere around the phenomena.
Apollo Bar - Charlottenborg
Open till midnight most days. One of Copenhagen’s coolest hangouts, located in the picturesque courtyard of Charlottenborg. Serving coffee from Swedish roaster, Koppi.
Flere Fugle - Rentemestervej
Open till 21:00 and later in the weekends. Amazing bakery with coffee from La Cabra and pizza in the evenings.
Sokkelund Café & Brasserie - Smallegade
Open till 23:00. The owner of Sokkelund, Martin Hildebrandt, was the first Barista World Champion from Denmark in 2001, so naturally coffee is good here.
Sonny - Frederiksberg Allé
Open till 21:00 on the weekends. The second location of Sonny occupies one of the greatest squares on Frederiksberg, serving coffee from La Cabra.
La Banchina - Refshalevej
Open till 20:00 and till 22:00 on weekends. Quite possibly the best view of the harbour of any café/restaurant in the city.
Oberra - Skjolds Plads
Open till midnight most days. Restaurant location of long-time Nørrebro favourite coffee bar, Arrebo, serving coffee from Funen roastery: Holy Bean.
Café Pixie - Bopa plads
Open till midnight or later. Serving beans from Coffee Collective on one of the best squares in the city.
Coco Café at Coco Hotel
Open till 22:00. One of the best hotel cafés in town from the best hotel in Scandinavia for 2023 (source: Travel + Leisure) with an amazing courtyard.
Geranium
Open till late. We know that the world’s best restaurant for 2022 (Source: San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best) isn’t exactly a place to go only for coffee. But, if you find yourself at the end of a meal at Geranium, make sure to order their espresso, which they brew table side on a Flair Espresso hand-lever machine.
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