If I’m being completely honest, most of my money that I’ve spent while spending my semester abroad in Copenhagen has been on pastries. It’s not a lie that Danish pastries are some of the best in the world, at least from my limited experience of the US, England, Germany, and Austria. A moment that was simultaneously the best and worst of my life was when my class took a group trip to Sankt Peders Bageri. It was the best because the food is absolutely fantastic. It was the worst because I have now given them so much money. I’m sure they’re happy, but my wallet is not.
Sankt Peders is approximately four or five blocks from my school. If I get off the bus a few stops earlier, I can walk through the back streets and walk directly past it. I get to exercise both my legs and my self-control. Established in 1652, Sankt Peders is the oldest bakery in Copenhagen, no doubt because everything is so fantastic. It’s hard to miss; you see a giant pretzel sign hanging from a yellow building as if to say “welcome home, please give me your money in exchange for the most delicious food you will eat all week.” The prices are very reasonable, though. You can either go to 7/11 and pay about 25kr for a muffin (about $3.75) or you can pay 15kr for a huge and delicious croissant (about $2.25). The coffee is slightly more expensive, but it’s very difficult to find cheap and good coffee in Copenhagen. For that, I would recommend going to The Donut Shop, but that’s a story for another day.
On Wednesdays, they have a sale on cinnamon rolls in which they are only 15kr. I would recommend getting there early (they open at 08:00) because it is very likely that they will sell out. Sometimes there will be days like the time that my professor came in and bought all of the cinnamon rolls because our class was watching a movie. Sorry, people of Copenhagen.
I only have about twenty minutes for lunch on Tuesdays, so I usually drop by and pick up their vegetarian focaccia with spinach. It is filling and delicious. This past week they even gave me one that was bigger than usual, which is either because it just so happened to be the one on top or because I’m becoming a regular there. If you want something a little bit healthier, they also sell sandwiches made from their homemade bread. I’ve never had one because they all have meat and I’m somehow living as a vegetarian in Copenhagen. Recently they started serving fresh-squeezed juices as well, in which they usually have a deal on Tuesdays for a focaccia and a juice for 55kr ($8.25). Considering that the focaccia is 20kr and the juice is about 45kr, this seems like a good deal to me.
My only complaint is that there is not much room inside the café to sit and eat. I’m always fine with bringing my treats with me and eating them in class, but it would also be nice to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of being in a café and eating especially because they offer free WiFi. They also do not take international credit or debit cards, so be prepared to use cash if you do not have a Danish credit or debit card.
So if you ever find yourself visiting Copenhagen, I would recommend taking time to visit Sankt Peders Bageri. Save up your kroner coins to drop by the oldest bakery in Copenhagen and eat some delicious sweets!
