Funders Vester Voldgade: the tourist centre’s local café
I’ve walked past Funders on Vester Voldgade countless times without ever noticing it. It has the same black canopy as the nondescript Italian restaurant next door and a plain sign, which serves to somehow blend it into the street. Nothing to see here…
Except there is! Because once you step into this unassuming little café, you are set to be pleasantly surprised. With a bright red counter under a quirky lightbar, colourful art on the walls, fresh flowers on display and intentionally mixed furniture, it had the feel of a hipster Copenhagen apartment.
Near me, a couple of silver-haired men in expensive shirts chatted with a young guy in a gilet. If they were starting their work day, then it was in a leisurely, lighthearted way that felt warm and familiar. The waitress greeted one of them as a regular, which added to the feeling that this is a place where the locals go in the tourist centre.
My visit to Funders was prompted by a request from my husband who insisted that it’d be a good BMO to review. He and my daughter joined me on this visit where, on the plus side, I enjoyed my husband’s commentary (he’s a ruthless restaurant critic) and, on the flip side, I had to share my cheese bun with a hungry one-year-old.
Onto the BMO
Funders’ BMO is a large sourdough bun served with whipped butter, aged havarti cheese and a small pot of jam. For anyone wondering about the jam, it is quite normal to spread jam on cheese in Denmark, where the correct order of operations is bread, then butter, then cheese, and jam on top.
Funders source their buns from Helges Ost on Værnedamsvej in Frederiksberg which, although best known for an impressive cheese selection, also bakes tasty bread. The bun was notably bigger than most BMOs I’ve come across, with a light, fluffy interior, a good chew to the top half (which is lightly sprinkled with mixed seeds) and a crisp bottom-half. I appreciated that there wasn’t a choice in bun - this is the one you get and it’s very good.
In terms of cheese, the aged havarti from Castello is a classic choice, and what we usually buy at home. It had a baseline saltiness that brought enough flavour on its own, but also paired well with the strawberry and rhubarb jam.
In the interests of legitimate BMO research, I had one half of the bun with only cheese, and the other half with both cheese and jam. I would actually recommend this half-and-half strategy, as you get the savoury hit first with full focus on the bread and cheese flavours, and then you get to satisfy your sweet gremlin with the jam-slathered half. The cheese-jam combo added a salty-sweet blend that was really pleasant, but the sweet was dominant and I found it muted the other flavours a bit.
My main critique of Funders’ BMO is that I only received a small portion of whipped butter. I appreciate a thick layer of quality butter, so I was disappointed with the amount provided here, especially given the mammoth size of the bun. That said, if you are bolder (and less British) than I am, then you could ask for more since the staff were very friendly and helpful.
The advantage of having a companion was that I could test out two coffee options - a black filter coffee and an americano. Funders uses Kontra Coffee which was one of the first micro-roasteries in Denmark and has been a heavyweight in the Copenhagen coffee scene for the past 20 years. Both the filter and americano were very good, although I marginally preferred the filter coffee for the smoother taste.
Where to sit
Funders on Vester Voldgade has indoor seating and I can imagine it being very cosy during the colder months. You can pitch up and enjoy high stools at the window bar looking out onto the street, or cluster with friends at one of the lower tables.
Outside there are plenty of seats, with green metal tables and chairs that you wouldn’t lounge all day in, but that work well for a coffee and BMO pitstop. Vester Voldgade has wide pavements, lined with small trees and, despite its central location, is quite calm. You’ll see a steady flow of cyclists in the nearby bike lane, but you’re unlikely to be disturbed by heavy traffic. It’s probably the best spot to sit in the area, as it gets much busier up towards Rådhuspladsen.
That said, if you’re seeking a more green and lush spot, you can sneak across the road to Rådhushaven. This is a well-hidden but publicly accessible garden within the walls of the city hall (Rådhuset). It’s just two minutes’ walk from Funders with benches to sit on and you might be lucky enough to observe someone’s wedding celebrations, since some newlyweds use the garden to continue their celebration after getting married in the city hall.
The verdict
If you are in the city centre, then I think this BMO might be hard to beat. The bun was large and filling, with a really delicious texture and, while the butter was lacking, the jam was a welcome addition. Whether you sit inside or outside, Funders is a lovely spot to take a deep breath and enjoy a slow start to the day right in the heart of the city.
On my visit, I noticed a tourist couple about to continue strolling past. Instead, they clocked Funders’ relaxed, satisfied patrons lounging outside and immediately made a beeline into the cafe. I smiled to think of these tourists noticing a local gem that I had often overlooked.
Behind the scenes…
