How to eat smørrebrød like a local in Nyhavn

Smørrebrød is the Danish lunch: a slice of buttered bread with a generous topping, eaten with a knife and fork. Here is when to order it, the order to eat it in, what to drink with it and what it costs on the quay.

How Danes eat smørrebrød: the order on the plate, knife and fork, what to drink, how many pieces to order and what a piece costs in Nyhavn.

Smørrebrød is lunch

Danes eat smørrebrød mostly at lunch, and sometimes for dinner. On the quay, several places have it on the lunch menu only, which ends in the afternoon: at 15:30 at Restaurant Judie, 16:00 at Nyhavnskroen and 16:30 at Restaurant Oranje. Come at lunchtime and the whole menu is yours. Lunch in Nyhavn

**Why the Danes are so obsessed with Smørrebrød** · DW FoodPlays from YouTube when you press play.

Fish first, cheese last

If you order several pieces, eat them in the classic order: fish and shellfish first, with herring before any other fish. Then vegetables, poultry or meat. Cheese always comes last. Danish food in Nyhavn

Two or three pieces per person

One piece makes a starter. For a full lunch, Restaurant Judie suggests two to three pieces per person on its menu, and several places on the quay serve a plate of three. Choose toppings prepared in different ways – marinated, smoked or fried – so that each piece tastes different.

Use a knife and fork

Restaurant smørrebrød is eaten with a knife and fork, not lifted like a sandwich. Only the simple open sandwiches Danes pack for lunch, called håndmadder, are eaten with the hands.

Rye bread, white bread and the order slip

Most toppings sit on rye bread. Shrimp and the stjerneskud – a steamed and a fried fillet of plaice topped with shrimp – traditionally go on buttered white bread. At classic smørrebrød restaurants you may order on a smørrebrødsseddel, a slip on which you tick the pieces you want and choose rye, sourdough or white bread. The slip made its debut at Nimb in Tivoli in 1883.

Beer and snaps, or wine

A big smørrebrød lunch is often enjoyed with beer and snaps, the Danish aquavit. In recent years wine has become more common. None of it is required: water is just as fine.

What smørrebrød costs on the quay

In October 2026 we read the menus that 11 places along Nyhavn publish online. A single piece of smørrebrød costs 85–199 kr, a plate of three pieces 199–240 kr and a herring plate 148–235 kr. At lunch, Nyhavns Færgekro serves a herring table with 12 kinds of herring for 195 kr per person. All smørrebrød places in Nyhavn · Eat well without the tourist trap

Do you eat smørrebrød with your hands?

No. Restaurant smørrebrød is eaten with a knife and fork. Only simple lunchbox sandwiches are eaten with the hands.

In what order do you eat smørrebrød?

Fish first, with herring before any other fish, then vegetables, poultry or meat, and cheese last.

What does smørrebrød cost in Nyhavn?

A single piece costs 85–199 kr and a plate of three pieces 199–240 kr (menus read in October 2026). For lunch, plan on two to three pieces per person.