Copenhagen is expensive there is no denying that. But foods food and girls gotta eat. Almost every blog I read prior to coming to Copenhagen mentioned Papirøen so naturally, this was something firmly on the ‘to visit’ list. There had to be something behind the hype.
Papirøen (Paper Island) is a small island in the harbour and once was where the Procurement Association of the Danish Process used to keep their paper storage. So the name Paper Island is rather fitting! With these big halls empty over the years the concept of the Copenhagen Street Food came into fruition in 2014. And what an awesome idea it was. In the last few years, a bridge has been built linking Paper Island to both Christianshavn and Central Copenhagen.
It’s a beautiful spot in the harbour opposite The Royal Playhouse and Nyhavn and next to the Opera House. It’s in very good creative company. Within the old halls and smaller buildings, there is a creative space which has a current exhibition from Yoko Ono, offices, cafes and The Copenhagen Street Food. Whilst the Street Food opened in 2014 and they had to wait till 2016 for the bridge linking it to central Copenhagen to be completed. The bridge like most of Copenhagen has a cycle lane so make sure you are walking in the right place so you don’t get mowed down by the cyclists!
The main pull for Paper Island is the street food and trust me it’s well worth a visit. The place is huge! There is a substantial selection of food covering all cuisines from the four corners of the globe. You can get main meals, selections of sides, the naughtiest of sweet treats, great beers, cocktails and juices.
There is a nice outdoor section which would be bliss on a beautiful sunny day overlooking the harbour. The beaches and tables outside are all communal and there are shipping containers which double as eating areas and seating platforms. Some of the seating areas are also positioned around huge fire pits which on the day we visited were much needed! Even being a chilly day with the sky threatening to rain the outside areas were packed with tourists and locals alike. It is the place to be.
As soon as you walk into the big factory shed it’s like walking into a travel food heaven. There is more communal benches inside and even some ‘restaurant’ style set ups with tables that you actually book in advance. We opted for the communal benches and some poor chaps had us staring (sorry salivating) at their food while we were trying to decide if we go Chinese, Thai or Mexican. Playing on the industrial feel there were rooftop style areas built upon shipping containers, benches and tables made out of old oil drums and milk cartons, some handy work was made with pallets and they were fashioned into tables and benches. Danish Architecture at its finest.
All of the food stalls had such brilliant designs. My favourite was this pancake stall. The roof was made of old egg cartons! All of the designs worked well together to create fabulous space.
Some of what we eat and drank included below and spoiler alert it was all DELICIOUS
Chicken Penang
Chicken pad Thai
Pizza slices
Nachos
Burrito
Raspberry mojito, passion fruit mojito and strawberry mojito- maybe we had a few too many mojitos
Whisky sour
Apple cider and beers
Decadent chocolate mousse
And the things at the topped it for the boys was .. a delicious creme brûlée doughnut. They are still talking about how amazing it was!
The easiest way to reach is across the Inderhavnsbro bridge at the end of Nyhavn or if you are in Christianshavn then it’s only a short walk from the canals.
If you’re not hungry (and trust me you will be once you get there and the smells hit you) it’s still worth a visit to see what it’s all about and take in the views around the harbour. We didn’t find it overly pricey but it’s still Copenhagen so expect to pay more than you would in the UK.
More details including opening times and the specific food stalls can be found here
What a great concept! I’ll add it to the list for our next visit. Glad you all enjoyed your visit to Denmark.
I love that pancake stall Mel, so cool 😉
I’ve also tagged you in a post of mine. If you get the chance, check it out here
https://amindfultravellerblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/28/blue-sky-tag/
This looks great!
Okay, Mel, you have convinced me that I need to put Copenhagen on our travel list. Funnily enough, when a housesit comes up the homeowners are inundated with responses. Now I know why 🙂 Great post to read and as usual, the photos are fun with great angles! x
OK, so I’m hungry just reading this! I didn’t know about this part of Copenhagen, will definitely visit if I go back!
I’m hungry just reading this! I didn’t know about this part of Copenhagen – will definitely visit if I go back!
Am drooling, looks and sounds amazing!
Copenhagen has always been on my “to visit” list!! This might be a stupid question, but what kind of weather do they typically have??
This looks absolutely brilliant. Just my kind of place (basically anything food related & im sold). This is going on my bucket list now.
Paper Island sounds great – I love the pancake stall with the roof made out of egg boxes! I am going to Copenhagen in 3 weeks time (my first visit) so will be sure to check it out! Thanks for the info 🙂
I’m jealous! When we went, the two sides of the bridge still didn’t quite meet in the middle and it was too much of a mission to work out how to get over to the island when it was close to closing time! You know how much I love my street food so it’s probably the only reason I’d go back to Copenhagen 😁
Beautiful pics! I have never considered traveling to Copenhagen but after some research recently I have become really interested. This is really helpful. Now I’m hungry and want to travel 😊
This looks like a great place to visit! 🙂
OMG, creme brûlée doughnut? I’m crying with want over here! Loved all the pictures and the creativity of all the stalls.
Yummy looking food. I’m now sitting here with a growling tummy.
Looks fab. Copenhagen is defo on my list of places to go. A stopover in the airport doesn’t really count does it lol.
The market closes permanently at the end of the year as the area is set for redevelopment. However, the people behind the market will open a new and much larger market by the waterfront in the former shipyard about 1 mile east. The new 10,000 square metre market is set to open around Easter 2018.
Oh is it!! That’s exciting it will in a much larger place. I look forward to hearing about how it develops!
Actually, even at present, this market isn’t the largest street food venue in the city. WestMarket in the Vesterbro district is larger – but mainly local Copenhageners go there since it’s a bit off the beaten tourist route. The new market planned for the former shipyard will, however, be the biggest in town and will also comprise large outdoor areas. There are already bars and eateries out there, mainly frequented by locals. The new market is also expected to have a boat service for easier access.
Nice post and lovely photos…..wonderful to know about this new place….:)
Wish I had known about this when o visited Copenhagen!