Food market hall in Nørreport, Copenhagen

Torvehallerne

Two Glass Halls on the Old Vegetable Square

3.5 of 5

Copenhagen used to buy its vegetables on Israels Plads. Grønttorvet traded there from 1889 to 1958, then the supermarkets won and the square went quiet. In September 2011, fifty-three years later, Torvehallerne opened two glass and steel halls on the same ground, about a hundred metres from Nørreport station. The market says more than 115,000 people come through every week. On a Saturday you believe it.

More than sixty stalls share the halls, and the lunch move is to graze. Hija de Sanchez is the taquería of Rosio Sanchez, who left the pastry kitchen at Noma to cook the food she grew up with. Her menu moves with the season, and before noon there is a breakfast burrito with egg, cheese, coriander and salsa roja. Hallernes Smørrebrød has been making open sandwiches here since 2012 out of what the neighbouring stalls sell. Boutique Fisk fries fish cakes, Grød serves porridge with rice pudding on the 24th of every month, Coffee Collective pulls the coffee, and the Albatross & Venner bakers work in full view.

Hours are ten to seven on weekdays and ten to six at weekends, with coffee and pastries from seven. Thursday afternoons bring small producers onto the square outside. Walk a full lap before you buy anything, share everything with whoever came with you, and accept that you will leave carrying cheese you never planned to buy. It is a market first and a food hall second, which is exactly why it works.

Order this

Tacos at Hija de Sanchez, or the breakfast burrito before noon, Smørrebrød from Hallernes, Fish cakes from Boutique Fisk, Coffee from Coffee Collective

The damage

$$

Go

A weekday around noon, or Thursday afternoon for the producers' market

Find it

Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København K

Website

torvehallernekbh.dk