Coffee and music in Copenhagen

It’s not difficult to find good coffee in Copenhagen: the coffee bar culture is big here and there are plenty of places where you can grab a quick dose of caffeine. However, for those of you who won’t settle for anything less than the very best coffee paired with a welcoming, unique atmosphere, head to Sort Kaffe & Vinyl in Vesterbro.

The neighborhood used to be Copenhagen’s red light district, but these days you’ll find a glorious mix of porn shops beside fancy hotels and obscure sleazy bars next door to designer boutiques and vintage shops. The district has cleaned up, but the eclectic nature of Vesterbro is what makes it so attractive to hip young Danes.

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl translates as “ Black Coffee and Vinyl”, and coffee and music addicts will definitely satisfy their cravings in this spot. Along with the freshly roasted coffee, you can enjoy a selection of offbeat music played by the shop’s record players. There are snacks too, so you can tuck into some homemade cakes and pastries with your mug of coffee. The bar is tiny, unpretentious and effortlessly cool, with plain whitewashed walls – you’re there for the coffee and the music after all!

There’s a kind of urban, groovy, retro vibe that recalls the movie High Fidelity and Sort Kaffe & Vinyl is famous for its selection of records. In terms of genre, think everything from electronic to rock, from dub to folk and from ethnic jazz to garage! Since it’s also a record store, you can buy some of the records too but do not expect to find the latest hits, there isn’t anything mainstream and certainly no CDs – only vinyls are played and sold here. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a DJ, you can even grab a pair of headphones and start spinning some tunes.

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl is a definite hit with the trendy locals although that doesn’t seem to have affected the prices, which are reasonable, despite the fact that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in Europe. One last thing – the cafe’s owner, Christian, is quite a character and he will prepare and serve coffee with the same passion as he would talk about music. A highly addictive place.

www.sortkaffevinyl.dk