Recently I found myself writing lists of recommendations for restaurants and bars for family and friends, and friends of friends who plan on visiting Copenhagen.

And more often than not, I’m writing down places I barely know or I’ve never been but I know have good reviews – feeling obliged to know all the in-vogue locations, all the Michelin stars that make this capital shine.

On one particular occasion, when asked what my favorite place to eat in the city was, I was surprised to find myself stumped. Without an answer. I realised I do not have a favorite anything here.  

Maybe it’s because it never occurred to me to experience a city through gastronomy. To be honest, I find it a little reductionist and at some point makes a new destination feel somewhat homogeneous.

Now, before you start scoffing, yes I do understand the significance of restaurant culture here in Copenhagen.

But it is exactly because of this culture that I have found myself burdened with the expectation of refined expertise and advice, simply virtue of the fact that I live here.

The truth is, I used to think Noma was a person and the New Nordic was a type of car.

Now, I would never deny someone the enjoyment of a trip to Copenhagen through the lens of dining.

Accordingly, I have resigned myself to the charge that comes with being a resident of this city. With great restaurants comes great responsibility.

But it feels like a disservice to this city and a dishonesty to my own experience to leave it simply at that.

So I have resolved to simply leave some room at the end of the list of recommendations I compile.

Just enough to include a little postscript, which simply says “walk the city”.

The good thing about being disgruntled by making these lists, is that it got me thinking about what it is I love about living here.

The sights, the sounds, the smells. Hearing the chattering coming from inside an unnamed bodega or the multilingual orchestra of voices by the canal on a sunny day.  

The visual contrast as one neighbourhood morphs into another on a stroll from Langebro to Lygten.  

Its about the overall atmosphere that you can only truly sense by going out and immersing yourself in random interactions without any expectations – kind of the opposite of asking for recommendations.

All too often nowadays, we rely on other people opinions to inform us on our own experiences and find ourselves locked into cookie-cutter, photo-friendly expectations of a place that stifle the chances
of gathering true, subjective impressions.

While I do love the fact that I’m never far from an immaculately choreographed culinary experience or a seat at a world class wine bar, if I had come to the city just for that, I would have left after the weekend.

I will continue to make lists and make all the recommendations I can for friends, but I just wish that they would come back at the end of a trip and tell me about a part of the city I’ve never heard of.  

The reason I don’t have a favourite place to go out to is because I just like going out in Copenhagen.