Den Bette: the little one before the beach

On a glorious August morning in Copenhagen, I dropped my daughter at vuggestue (nursery) and continued cycling across the soothing greenery of Amager Fælled. I was enjoying the fresh morning air and passing unfamiliar parts of my city, while building up an appetite for Den Bette’s BMO. Den Bette was recommended by a reader, which felt like a milestone for this little newsletter!

I almost biked straight past the front of it and then discovered that it was closed.

Disappointing, of course, but I also quietly admired their uncompromising opening hours. I decided to embrace the notion that Wednesdays should be a day of leisure by hopping on my bike for a few minutes to the beach, where I sourced a back-up BMO and spent two hours lying on the sand listening to my book.

My next attempt to visit Den Bette was notably more successful, in that it was open and serving BMOs. Tucked on a residential corner near splashes of street art, Den Bette lives up to its name, which means ‘the little one’ in Jutland dialect. It’s tiny, perhaps the size of a living room, and has previously been, among other things, a vinyl records shop, a storage room for residents and a bike shop. In its current bakery form, it has an undeniably cosy feel, with one full wall of freshly baked goods.

It’s a family-owned micro-bakery, started by a married couple in November 2021 who were seeking a change of scene after Covid. As I ordered our BMOs, I saw the baker in the back room jabbing a large loaf into the oven and sensed a justified pride in their morning’s efforts from those behind the counter. This café seemed like a go-to spot for locals: two frazzled mums one-arm-hugged outside while jiggling their strollers, a young woman tapped away on her laptop, a fashionably dishevelled man sipped a coffee with relief.

Onto the BMO

I ordered the Ølandsbolle which is a sourdough bread bun made with an old Nordic wheat variety, sourced from an organic micro-farm (Grønsund) based on Møn. My husband chose a sourdough walnut and cranberry bun.

You can select two toppings on your bun, one of which is the butter. You then have the option of a medium-aged cheese or Thise’s Vesterhavsost, for an additional charge. We chose the Vesterhavsost, which is a firm cheese with a slightly nutty flavour. We also ordered a small pot of raspberry jam on the side for a sweet treat, plus two Americanos. The coffee beans are from Copenhagen Coffee Lab - ours were served piping hot and had a fresh, fruity note.

You could tell that both buns were baked that morning, with a good chew and crisp outer edge. The Ølandsbolle was round and springy with small pockets for the butter. The walnut and cranberry bun was a little more dense, so the butter formed a smooth layer on top. There was quite a lot of flour on the outside of both buns - so much so that I was blowing flour off my phone screen as I typed up my review notes. The taste and texture it left in my mouth were a little more than I’d choose, but it did add to the just-out-of-the-oven experience.

Where to sit

There’s very limited seating inside, including a couple of window seats and a few cushion-clad chairs. A hand-written sign outside even requests that guests only queue two at a time inside, to respect the experience of those who manage to nab a seat.

Outside are wooden chairs and tables with burlap-sack seats, fleece blankets and parasols to help navigate the changeable Copenhagen weather. Walking a little further along the street are some public outdoor benches framed by a canopy of winding leaves. You can also pop into the old graveyard nearby (Sundbyøster Kirkegård) to sit on a bench by fading gravestones and towering trees.

The verdict

Den Bette is a lovely place to enjoy a freshly-baked BMO while the quiet rhythms of the day unfold. There are a variety of tasty buns to choose from, and perhaps give them a gentle tap on the plate to remove some flour! Given the limited indoor seating, I’d visit Den Bette on a sunny day and, unlike me, check the opening hours first: enjoy a BMO outside, pack some pastries and continue on to a day at the beach.

(PS. Thank you to Josie who recommended trying Den Bette!)