There’s nothing like summer in Copenhagen. After months of being bundled up in winter clothes, the Danes flock into the sunshine and take full advantage of the nice weather. The summer season may be short, but it is appreciated in a different way by those who don’t live in a warm climate year-round. People jump off sunny piers into ice cold water, they sunbathe with a glass of wine in their hands, and, of course, they eat a lot of ice cream. We tried Copenhagen’s most popular ice cream shops and made a guide to the absolute best scoops in town. Whether you’re looking for soft serve, gelato, or popsicles, we’ve got you covered in our Copenhagen ice cream guide.
Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in the Danish capital? Check out our city map of Copenhagen!
The Best Ice Cream in Copenhagen
The top three shops in our guide are in a league of their own. Each of them has their own style and has perfected a certain type of ice cream, taking it to a new level that we’ve never experienced anywhere else. We’d venture to say these ice creams are among the best in the world.
Alice
Unlike other Copenhagen shops that churn out gelato or the old-fashioned Danish-style of ice cream, Alice has an ingredient-driven style all its own. Owner Anders Lorenz takes a scientific approach when crafting ice cream. He never works with an ice cream base; each recipe is developed from scratch. The milk ice cream is a signature flavor, made with milk from the small Danish dairy farm Søtoftes. Alice makes its own nut roasts in house to create pistachio and hazelnut ice creams, two other popular choices. Sea buckthorn, chocolate, koldskål (a Danish buttermilk product), coffee, stracciatella, and strawberry are also offered regularly. But maybe the thing that makes Alice stand out the most is their homemade tonka bean waffle cone. Its deep, buttery, vanilla flavor makes it taste like a cookie – it’s the best waffle cone we’ve ever had.
ALICE Address & Contact Information Markmandsgade 1, Amager, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram
Østerberg Ice Cream
“Ice cream scientist” Cathrine Østerberg got her masters degree in food science (specifically studying ice cream) before opening her scoop shops in the Østerbro and Vesterbro neighborhoods. Everything at Østerberg Ice Cream is homemade, created with top-quality ingredients and a whole lot of passion. Flavors range from unique Danish ingredients like sea buckthorn or licorice, to exotic fruits from around the world. Cathrine’s dad owns a fruit import company, which means you can enjoy exciting flavors like dragon fruit (our favorite!), mangosteen, soursop, tamarind, and jackfruit. The soft serve flavor rotates, but our favorite by far is the tonka bean, which tastes similar to vanilla bean, with notes of caramel and almond.
ØSTERBERG ICE CREAM Address & Contact Information Rosenvængets Allé 7C, Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Tullinsgade 25, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Det Vide Hus
Forget everything you know about popsicles – Det Vide Hus (the little white house across from Kongens Have) is about to show you just how delicious ice cream on a stick can taste. This is not your average Magnum bar, these are small-batch, artisanal Danish ice lollies. Flavors vary seasonally, but some of our favorite flavors have been the tonka bean ice cream dipped in a frozen apricot yuzu shell, the koldskål (Danish buttermilk) dipped in a frozen strawberry shell, and the raspberry rosemary sorbet. For you chocolate lovers, try the dark chocolate ice cream pop with butterscotch caramel and roasted peanut filling.
DET VIDE HUS Address & Contact Information Gothersgade 113, Copenhagen, Denmark Instagram Facebook
Other Great Spots For Soft Serve, Gelato, & Popsicles
Once you’ve tried our favorite spots in the city, you should check out these other great shops which also make really good ice cream treats.
Coffee Collective
Take your daily cup of joe in ice cream form at Coffee Collective! Around April each year, the espresso soft-serve returns to the menu for the summer, a refreshing sweet treat for the true coffee lovers. The soft ice is everything you’d expect it to be, with a silky smooth texture and a perfectly balanced flavor of espresso and milk, which is gently enhanced by the dust of coffee grounds on top. Available in all shops except Telefonkiosken and Godthåbsvej.
COFFEE COLLECTIVE Address & Contact Information Jægersborggade 57, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark Kristen Bernikows Gade 2, Copenhagen, Denmark Vendersgade 6D (Torvehallerne), Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Hija de Sanchez
Rosio Sanchez is offering refreshing Mexican paletas (ice pops) all summer long. Flavors rotate – Hija de Sanchez’s Kødbyen location is currently serving their signature avocado popsicle topped with cajeta (dulce de leche) and dried raspberries, while Sanchez Cantina is currently offering a mango sea buckthorn pop dipped in hibiscus chamoy. Past flavors have also included tres leches, lemon and Sicilian pistachio, white chocolate with strawberry and elderflower, and coconut with candied cacao nibs. Yes, they’re as delicious as they are beautiful!
HIJA DE SANCHEZ Address & Contact Information Slagterboderne 8, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Istedgade 60, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Istid
Have you ever tried liquid nitrogen ice cream? Istid is the first of its kind in Scandinavia, which opened on trendy Jægersborggade in Nørrebro. All of the ingredients are fresh and organic, and each ice cream is made to order in front of the customer, thanks to the process of using liquid nitrogen to freeze the cream. The result is one of the creamiest ice cream textures you’ll ever try. The most popular flavor is their signature salty caramel, and other choices include marzipan stracciatella, caramelized banana, and rhubarb cheesecake.
ISTID Address & Contact Information Jægersborggade 13, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Bageriet Brød
The bakery has been around since 2012, but this is the first summer Bageriet Brød is making ice cream. The flavors are pretty classic – we tried the fior di latte, white chocolate, vanilla, strawberry sorbet, and chocolate brownie (our favorite). The chocolate brownie tastes a bit like a gourmet version of Ben and Jerry’s “Half Baked.” Both the ice cream and the waffle cones are made in house – the cone reminded us of a krumkake with its buttery flavor and crispy cookie texture.
BAGERIET BRØD Address & Contact Information Enghave Plads 7, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Instagram Facebook
Andersen & Maillard
Why not fill your morning pastry with some ice cream this summer? Andersen & Maillard fills half of a croissant (a croissant cone, if you will) with coffee soft serve, which is made with leftover milk from the coffee bar and old coffee grounds. The croissant is coated with a cinnamon sugar glaze that adds some nice sweetness to balance out the coffee ice cream. Only available at the Nørrebro shop.
ANDERSEN & MAILLARD Address & Contact Information Nørrebrogade 62, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Siciliansk Is
For the city’s best gelato, try Siciliansk Is, with outposts in both Vesterbro and Nørrebro. Classic Italian and local Danish flavors are on offer – choose from Sicilian pistachio, Sicilian almond, and Piemonte hazelnut, or opt for sea buckthorn, koldskål (buttermilk), or licorice. The texture is creamy, smooth, and chewy (in a good way), but get it in a cup – the waffle cone here is nothing special.
SICILIANSK IS Address & Contact Information Skydebanegade 3, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Rantzausgade 56, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
Ismageriet
This kid-friendly ice cream shop serves chunky scoops jam-packed with candy pieces and swirls of caramel and chocolate. Flavors include the Tropical Cheesecake with cheesecake bites and swirls of passionfruit, Roasted Peanut with chocolate and caramel, and Nutella with cookie bites mixed in. Fun fact: this is the only scoop shop open year-round in Copenhagen, so come here to get your ice cream fix in the winter months.
ISMAGERIET Address & Contact Information Rued Langgaards Vej 6E, Amager, Copenhagen, Denmark Website Instagram Facebook
What is your favorite ice cream in Copenhagen? Please leave a comment below.
I want to try all these places!
You are missing Isoteket at Randersgade! And Nordhavn Mikromejerei has fantastic goosberry sorbe and popcorn icecream.
We tried Isoteket, but didn’t love it. Might try it again when they have different flavors. Nordhavn Mikromejeri looks very interesting! Thanks for the tip.
Nice Cream is my favorit 100%
We’ve tried it, but sadly weren’t very impressed. But we’ll give it another chance!
You should try Bon Bon Ice on Frederiksberg. Homemade Italian Gelato in freshly baked waffles. Made from high quality organic ingredients they serve a variety of original flavours that you won’t see anywhere else. For example the rich “Black Vanilla” that colours your lips with vanilla bean, or their take on Danish classics such as “Rødgrød med fløde”, “Koldskål” and “Rugbrød gelato”.
The shop is placed right next to Frederiksberg Have, perfect to take your ice cream for a stroll.
Thanks for the tip!
Hmm…. my favorite ice cream at IS SMAGERIET is Basil & Bergamot. The raw liqurious ice cream is surpurb. In my opinion no other ice creams in Copenhagen have the handcraft or the work behind the flavors as at IS SMAGERIET.
What we like about Ismageriet is that it’s open all year long and they have fun flavors, but as for ingredient quality, ice cream texture, and pureness in flavors they were at the bottom of our list. But that’s the fun thing with taste, it’s subjective, so everyone can have their favorites. 🙂
Mamma Che Gelato-La Fiorita i Nansensgade har HELT FANTASTISK is.
Takk for tipset!
Alice 🙌 No one better! Subjective flavours or not. It can’t be argued ❤️
We have to agree!