To Fika in Copenhagen: Where are the real cafés in America?

Fika? If you don’t know what the word means, it’s Swedish and it means “to have a coffee” or “to take a coffee break”. While recently in Copenhagen I had plenty of opportunities to fika. I loved their cafés, I don’t know how many times I stopped to fika just so that I could take a closer look at the décor and of course, taste some real coffee. I’d moved to Sweden some years ago and was an immigrant for the first time in my life. One of the things that staved off the gloom that sometimes envelopes a winter day in Sweden is having a fika with friends, family or by yourself. You see fika is a huge part of Swedish culture, it’s vital for peace of mind as well as sharing fun and meaningful moments with friends, coworkers and even by yourself.

I found this café, Kompa’9 on a hot summer’s day in Copenhagen. I didn’t have a cup of coffee, instead, I wanted a cool class of fresh apple juice and one of their toasted rye bread sandwiches. The sandwich blessed my soul! It was so delicious I needed a moment of silence. As soon as I finished my sandwich, a bunch of customers came in and I was outta’ there. Kompa’9 is a great place and I’ll be sure to visit again as they now serve tapas and cocktails at night.

If you’d like to know more about the culture of fika, take a look at these lovely six part documentary here.

I can hardly wait to get back to Copenhagen and discover even more of this dynamic city and its people!

All photos taken by myself, Felicia Shelton

#cafés #coffee #coffeeculture #Copenhagen