At 4 p.m., the sun has already set for the day, and the Copenhagen sky is darkening to an inky blue. I pull my wool hat down and scarf tighter as I walk along the Østerbro waterfront, the wind continuing to whip around me. It’s the winter solstice, the darkest and shortest day of the year. Yet improbably, the Danes transform this bitterly cold season into one seemingly out of a fairy tale.
Christmas markets illuminate the capital city, impeccably blending a festive atmosphere with the storied Scandinavian essence of hygge—coziness, contentment, and mindful living. Street stands are shelved with steaming mugs of gløgg (mulled wine) as residents bike past along the glimmering canals. And as I pause and peer into shop windows, I catch an aromatic whiff that lures me along its scent trail.
I end up at the doorstep of a nearby bakery—Juno the Bakery (as I later would learn, one of the most prominent players in the Copenhagen pastry scene). But I’m lost in the moment, enveloped by a warm, buttery gust of air as I watch the pastry chefs delicately create works of culinary art. With eyes bigger than my stomach, I follow their guidance, first sampling Juno’s signature cardamom bun.
I take my first bite and let the flavors wash over me: buttery, crispy caramel, and fragrant black cardamom, wrapped up in a warm and pillowy yeasted dough. It’s hygge personified, and a slice of accessible decadence—an oxymoron that is fit for few luxuries in life. Yet while it’s extraordinary to me, it’s a regular treat for locals. Thus, my quest began to understand why so many of the world’s greatest pastries can be found here in Copenhagen.
To uncover answers, I journeyed back to the start, first visiting the oldest bakery in the city: Sankt Peders. Having opened its doors in 1652, this historic building has become a Copenhagen fixture, tucked away in the Latin Quarter amongst pastel-hued shops and cobblestone squares. Yet the traditional Danish baking techniques that formed its very foundation have undergone centuries of immense transformation.
Influenced by medieval European bakers’ guilds, the Copenhagen Bakers’ Guild was established that same year to regulate the baking trade, ensuring high-quality goods and the protection of its members. To easily identify which bakeries had met the lofty standards of the guild, a lustrous golden kringle was adorned over the door—an exclusive emblem of royal approval—and is still found today throughout the city.
But in the mid-1800s, pastry change commenced through a bakers’ strike, spurring a shortage of workers in Copenhagen and ushering in a new wave of Austrian bakers. With them came their Viennese baking techniques like lamination—the basis of a perfect croissant.
After the strike concluded, Danish bakers merged these newly introduced Viennoiserie techniques with local ingredients, flavors, and fillings, taking the first steps towards creating the world-famous pastries of today. (In homage to the influence of their Austrian culinary counterparts, the wienerbrød, or aptly named “Vienna bread,” remains a popular staple across Danish bakeries.) And the guild’s legacy and influence is still evident today, acting as a coordinating body marking Danish royal celebrations and as a framework for this new wave of illustrious bakeries.
While the Copenhagen Bakers’ Guild has historically wielded immense power, culinary innovation now works hand-in-hand with these revered traditions. And few Copenhagen bakeries are as design-forward, yet accessible, as Hart Bageri. With his background working at the legendary San Francisco bakery Tartine—and with backing from Noma, the Copenhagen institution that has frequently named the world’s top restaurant—Richard Hart opened his namesake bakery in 2018, with a philosophy of honoring the rules of baking while simultaneously reinventing them. Accompanying Richard at the helm was, and still is, Talia Richard-Carvajal—Hart’s creative director and COO.
As I spoke to Talia, one thing became abundantly clear: to her, inspiration is everywhere. It’s found in the Noma greenhouses used for R&D as they were preparing for the bakery’s opening. It’s found in the stalwarts of Danish design that influenced the aesthetic and design of Hart’s shops and unique branding. And it continues to be enjoyed in their cardamom croissants and strawberry tarts, two popular pastries that feature a signature Hart twist.
“We very much feel like a modern Copenhagen brand,” Talia explains. “But Denmark is somewhere that has such a strong baking tradition.” Respecting it and celebrating it is a non-negotiable. It’s evident in Hart’s classic pastries, staples of a traditional Danish pastry shop, the holiday-inspired seasonal creations, and even in the reverent way Talia talks about baking. She emphasizes, “Through playing around with the mechanics, we’re striving to create elevated versions without changing what is fundamentally right.”
The guild’s legacy of culinary evolution extends beyond the pastry shop walls, further influencing Copenhagen’s broader food culture. Claus Meyer, co-founder of Noma and creator of New Nordic Cuisine, a groundbreaking, global culinary movement, opened Meyers Bageri in 2010 with a mission to highlight the best sourcing and ingredients found locally in the Nordic region. “We’ve teamed up with an organic farm just across the bridge,” says Jonas Astrup, head of development and innovation at Meyers. “Meyers works solely with organic flours and produce, and with that comes the awareness of how we produce and the potential of the raw ingredients in our region.”
But innovation and success in the kitchen thrive best when a loyal community is present. “We were handing away the recipes for free, trying to spark enthusiasm, a movement,” he explained. “To us, there’s equal enjoyment if people have success making their own breads at home. Here’s some free sourdough; you can buy a bit of flour from us.”
It’s a core theme echoed over and over: ingredients matter, quality matters, community matters, legacy matters. Coupled with intricate craftsmanship and a deep connection to the area’s history and local land, it’s no wonder that the Danish capital has become a global center of gastronomy. From the guild’s early days and the opening of the city’s first bakery to the centuries spent perfecting this culinary craft, one thing is certain: these pastries are the kind of thing you can’t get enough of. I certainly couldn’t.
I returned to Copenhagen the following June, and again this past October. Now able to recite the metro directions by heart, I hopped on with one goal in mind and a scribbled note stuck in my pocket: First, Juno. Then, Hart. Next, Meyers. Finally, Andersen. And that was just day one.
In a city overflowing with couture design and minimalist facades, Copenhagen’s pastry legacy is continuing to be rewritten. Not just by famed culinary legends, of which there are plenty, but by locals, who are reimagining what’s possible—while honoring the centuries of celebrated Danish baking tradition that came before them. In the bakeries of Copenhagen today, the spirit of the guild lives vividly on.