Danish cooked dishes typically consist of meat or fish, often served with potatoes and other boiled vegetables. Herring features heavily in the seafood diet of Denmark, along with cod, plaice and salmon. Pork is to be found on most menus (unsurprisingly, given there are twice as many pigs as there are people in Denmark), along with beef and chicken. Don’t be expecting to find the famous Danish bacon everywhere, however – this is something that is typically exported and not found as often on local menus as one might expect.
Cold dishes, however, are what marks Danish cuisine apart from the rest of Europe. Smørrebrød (an open sandwich) is typical fare for many cafés and restaurants during the day. A meal of Smørrebrød is typically split into three parts/courses – fish, cold meat and cheese. The rugbrød (a dark rye bread) is loaded up with various local delicacies, and most restaurants will offer a ‘platter’ of up to 5 toppings for your Smørrebrød, or serve them in a sort of buffet, allowing you to create your own topping combinations.
Among the typical toppings you will find are Medister Pølse (a thick, spiced pork sausage eaten with sweet and sour pickled red cabbage), Rullepølsemad (thinly sliced of rolled pork belly seasoned with herbs, topped with horseradish and cress), and Spegepølsemad (slices of salami topped with rémoulade (mayonnaise with pickles and capers) served with roasted onions).
Main Drinking Areas
Jomfru Ane Gade, or ‘Gaden’ (above) is the main drinking area in Aalborg. The main street is littered with cafés, bars and restaurants. Many of the smaller cafés turn into late night bars after the food trade has finished. We imagine that most fans will be heading here to find a bit of action, as this is the heart of Aalborg’s nightlife.
If you’re looking for somewhere cheap as chips, the Studenterhuset (Student’s Union) may well be a good choice. The beer’s cheaper than you’ll find just about anywhere else in town. Oh, and one of our Danish contacts we spoke to when compiling this guide said of the university that it was a 'good provider of impressionable blondes'. Make of that what you will!
Expect prices of around £2/15-20Dkr for a bottle of beer in smaller local bars, up to around £5/6 for a pint in the British style bars. A McDonalds will set you back up to 75Dkr (up to £9), but a two-course meal in local restaurants can cost as little as 100Dkr.
The police set up fan-zones in/around Jomfru Ane Gade for the recent visits of Manchester United and Celtic.
Irish & English Pubs
The imaginatively named The Irish House can be found at Østerågade 25. With reasonable food prices (bangers and mash for around 6 quid) it’s well worth popping along. Check out their website for more info. The John Bull Pub is located just across the road from the Irish House, and we've also had The London Pub (400 yards or so from Jomfru Ane Gade) recommended to us for its authenticity, and the fact that it still allows smoking on the premises.
Found at Borgergade 16, and closer to the stadium than those mentioned above, is The Wharf. With its range of 30-40 cask ales, including a good selection from the UK, it comes very highly recommended indeed.
Alternatively, you could try the Old Games Pub on Ved Stranden. With a good range of draft beers and also a decent selection of whiskies, it’s also worth a shout.
