Feast to Your Heart’s Content on Copenhagen’s Street Food at Papirøen

Copenhagen is known as the happiest place on Earth and I honestly understood why it is labeled this way when I visited this June. The locals were so welcoming and friendly, making me feel so much warmth within. From the moment I got through the customs at the airport, I was showered with helpfulness from the employee who served me at the convenience store. She kept smiling and tried her best to answer my enquiries regarding purchasing a sim card even though we had a language barrier. As a foodie, or rather, glutton, I don’t mind travelling for food so when I heard about Papirøen (Paper Island), of course I had to check it out.

Opened in 2014 in an old warehouse located beside Copenhagen’s Opera House and The Royal Playhouse, it’s no wonder Papirøen is always crowded, with both young and old basking on the benches while dining alfresco. There are also indoor seatings if you’re afraid of the scorching heat. Then again, it’s actually quite comfortable sitting outside as the air is not as humid as Singapore and the breeze helps cool you down.

Many people would know Papirøen as Paper Island, reason being that the warehouse was originally used for paper storage. This street food market features about 40 unique stalls, with food choices from all over the world such as Turkey, Korea, Mexico, Italy, France, Thailand and many more. Papirøen’s aim is to create a vibrant and colourful platform for the people, where everyone can get tasty meals at an affordable price ranging between DKK 20 ($4.07 SGD) to DKK 100 ($20.37 SGD). With a plethora of food items to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice! Here’s a very compressed list of my 5 favourite food stalls at Papirøen.

BRASA

Meat lovers with hearty appetites can devour Brazilian grill with different kinds of meat, chipotle, salads and bread at this stall. One platter consists of three different kinds of meat. The pork neck is marinated 24 hours in white wine, garlic, pepper and lemon juice before being grilled. The chicken is marinated with red wine, paprika, chilli, salt and a little spices while the Spanish Chorizo is also marinated in some spices but doesn’t taste as strong as the chicken spices. I was quite surprised as all three meats were grilled really well. They were succulent, with a little smokiness. Sides such as potatoes, corn, Chimichurri and tropical salad accompany the meats. I would recommend sharing a platter so you’ll be able to try more varieties of food at Papirøen.

Brasa is located at Græsgangen ( The Grass Path).

DUCK IT

As its name suggests, this stall is popular for their Pulled Duck Burger. The concept is based on the absolute best quality of Confit de carnard served in a burger. The burgers are served in several variations where the basic elements are fresh salad, home-pickled onions and homemade dressing. Don’t expect a fancy looking burger though. It looks a little messy yet one bite was full of flavours and textures. Don’t be afraid of getting your hands dirty in order to savour this delicious burger! Besides burgers, Duck It also serves Duck Fat Fries.

Duck It is located at Mælkevejen (The Milky Road).
Telephone Number: +45 28 76 66 88
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duckitdk

HANDMADE

Ignite your senses with artfully-decorated traditional Danish open sandwiches with homemade rye bread and different kinds of cold cuts and seafood toppings at Handmade. These sandwiches originated from Smørrebrød, literally translated as butter (smør) bread (brød). However, you probably won’t ever find one that limits itself to those two ingredients. You’ll often come across these sandwiches lined up in café windows or served in specialty restaurants and they are piled high with pickled herring, spoonfuls of sharp horseradish cream, and mounds of fresh shrimp. The menu at Handmade varies according to the seasons’ produce and is about 30% organic. I really enjoyed the one with smoked salmon on top!

Handmade is located at Tyregangen (The Bull Path).

MARRAKECH

The reason I tried this stall was ‘cause of the snaking long queue on the first evening that I visited Papirøen. This made me head back earlier the following evening just to join a shorter line for the Moroccan-inspired flatbread wraps. Their authentic Moroccan wraps are made with traditional ingredients and spices served by the family Gassa from Morocco. You have a choice between the vegetarian version or with chicken. Both versions come with homemade bread, hummus, spinach, lettuce and tzatziki. If you’re really hungry, you can opt for the “Msemen Mix” and indulge in fresh slices of mozzarella. The meat at Marrakech is 100% halal. Each mouthwatering bite made my time spent on queuing so worthwhile!

Marrakech is located at Tyregangen (The Bull Path).
Telephone Number: +45 53 53 57 77
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mstreetfood/

TOLDBODENS FISH N CHIPS

Behold Danish Fish & Chips as I found it to be different from the usual British ones I’ve always tried. Typical Danish fish & chips use plaice fillets, in other words, a group of flatfish. These are breaded and fried and served alongside a remoulade, a slice of lemon, seasonal vegetables and chips on the side. Its exterior is not as crispy as the ones you get elsewhere but it’s done reasonably well such that the interior is tender and fresh but not mushy nor soggy.

Toldbodens Fish N Chips is located at Mælkevejen (The Milky Road).

Besides my favourite fives, Papirøen also houses stalls like Banzai Street Sushi serving Japanese delights and fresh oysters, India which serves authentic Indian butter chicken inspired by recipes from the Kashmir province and Made in Italy where you get to try different kinds of authentic homemade gourmet pizza, just to name a few. Don’t forget to save some stomach space for desserts from Cheesecaken, serving an array of cheesecakes in original American-style but with a twist of Scandinavian touch, The Pancake, delighting guests with British-inspired flavours and many more.

Address: Warehouse 7 & 8, Papirøen, Trangravsvej 14, 1436 Copenhagen K
Opening Hours: Sun-Wed 12pm to 9pm. Thu-Sat 12pm to 10pm, with bars opening till late.
Website: http://copenhagenstreetfood.dk/en/
Email: info@copenhagenstreetfood.dk

Do note that this street food market is open according to the weather. If it rains a lot, it may open at a later timing that day or close earlier. There are often events happening as this space attracts artists and musicians so remember to check the website for the updated events when you’re in town.

2016 is almost over and December, being the final month of the year, cannot help but make me think of what is to come in 2017. This year brought me many surprises and adventures but I experienced my fair share of downsides as well. December marked a new beginning, well, sort of, for my work as a food and travel writer with www.misstamchiak.com. I still can’t believe that I’ve been writing for my boss for over a year already. Hopefully, this month will be a good one. Let’s all cheers to a new beginning and I hope you’ll continue enjoying reading my travel guides. Let me know if you require more information or you have any suggestions that I can add on!