Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities on the planet (I did spend a summer living there after all!) so when I saw that Marcus was flown out to live on a houseboat in Season 2 of “The Bear”, I screamed.
I recognized almost every single spot featured on the screen. So, after visiting Copenhagen again this past spring for Eurovision, I decided to spend an afternoon taking a long walk around the city and visit The Bear Copenhagen filming spots… which also doubled as a mild food tour since hey, this is The Bear, after all.
Most of The Bear Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are all filmed in Chicago. But Marcus needed some extra love /inspiration / a good kick in the butt, so Carmen sent him to NOMA, a 3 Michelin Star restaurant in Copenhagen that is one of the best fine dining restaurants in the world.
The “Honeydew,” Episode follows Marcus ( Lionel Boyce ) on his Denmark trip where he trains under a pastry chef at Noma and explores Copenhagen in his free time. We see him feeding an invisible cat in his houseboat, try new culinary delights, feel out of place in the NOMA kitchens but find his way again.
It’s a great episode. And, I can attest that the Danes love a good pastry, so this was the perfect city to send Marcus to for inspiration.
Marcus’ House Boat
Located on Frederiksholms Kanal between BLOX and the National Museum of Denmark is the houseboat that Marcus rents. It’s something I immediately recognized as I spent a lot of time boating or kayaking this exact stretch of canal.
The houseboat is not just a random houseboat – it’s actually an Airbnb you book if you want to stay in the same place, an invisible cat and all! We were staying in another part of Copenhagen, so we just viewed the houseboat from afar.
It’s white with a Danish flag flying on the end – you can’t miss it!
PS book the Airbnb houseboat with this link!
NOMA
Noma is one of the best restaurants in the world. Having earned 3 three-Michelin-star and run by chef René Redzepi, it’s famous. In The Bear, Carmen worked at Noma for a while (along with The restaurant Daniel, and The French Laundry, the latter of which is the bougiest restaurant in Napa Valley).
Carmen still has contacts at Noma, so when we decided Marcus needed to get whipped into shape, he sent him to Denmark. The whole story of shadowing a pastry chef at Noma kitchens was fantastic and I loved every second.
Noma is located on Refshaleøen, which is one of my favorite areas of the whole city. It’s a unique place with tons of trees, canal swim spots, hip businesses in renovated warehouses, and Raffen, a large street market by the water.
Tucked next to greenhouses and a field is the Noma restaurant. The number 2 bus actually drives right by it, which for some reason makes me giggle. We visited on a day they were closed and got to look at the gardens from afar.
On your visit, I recommend going towards the afternoon and then heading to Reffen or Copenhot afterwards!
PS Noma is closing down at the end of 2024. I checked their website literally every day for a reservation for our 2 weeks in Copenhagen and never got a table… *sobs in peasant* It’s clearly the most coveted reservation of all the Copenhagen dinner spots and if you are lucky to grab a table, send me photos.
Hart Bageri
We know from earlier episodes that Marcus has a photo of baker Richard Hart so it makes sense he wants to visit Hart Bageri, the real bakery in Copenhagen that Richard Hart created.
There’s a few locations of Hart Bageri in the city, but I recommend the Holmen location that’s near the opera house as it’s about a 20 minutes away from Noma and it’s a very lovely walk over. Plus, it’s the one they actually filmed at in The Bear.
It overlooks the canal and the downtown Copenhagen skyline, so grab a few bites and enjoy the view!
This Danish pastry shop is heavenly. We grabbed a rhubarb pastry but I honestly wish we got a whole box. I can see why this place inspired Marcus so much!!
Nyhavn
The most Instagramable place in the city is Nyhavn, hands down. It’s the colorful row of houses along the canal and it’s just so stinking cute.
You seriously can’t take a bad photo here, though it’s best to visit in the mornings or evening to avoid tourist crowds. You can also catch a canal tour here, I like the one best that’s on the side of the canal vs the end as it’s about half the price and the same thing.
Poulette’s Juicy Chicken Sandwich
We were too stuffed from hot dogs and pastries to also stop by Poulette’s, but this is the shop that Marcus has a chicken sandwich from! There’s a shop in Nørrebro, which is where they filmed a few quick scenes for The Bear.
But there is also Poulette also has pop-up locations in Pumpehusets Byhave and Broens Gadekøkken (and you will be passing by Broens on your way as it’s really close to Hart Bageri).
Kongens Nytorv Hot Dog Stand
Danish hot dogs – aka pølsevogn – are a THING. They’ve been around for over 100 years and there’s tons of hot dog stands all over the city. (Honestly, very similar to the way Berliners love their currywurst, the Danes love their classic hot dogs.)
In the show, Marcus grabs a hot dog at Joan’s Pølser at Kongens Nytorv (the plaza near Nyhavn) but we couldn’t find that stand out on the plaza when we went, so we just grabbed dogs at another stall. They are all basically the same.
Hot dogs are the most affordable of all the Copenhagen lunch spots but they aren’t simple. You can get them in all sorts of flavors and toppings (spicy, regular, cheesy, etc).
Kongens Have
Located outside Rosenborg, Kongens Have is the oldest royal garden in Denmark, dating back to the 1600s. It’s a large garden with flowers, shaded paths, and little cafes. Totally one of my favorite places to take a stroll around during our visits to Copenhagen!
We love it so much, Robin and I actually did some cute photos there!
In The Bear, Marcus is seen taking a break and going on a walk around Kongens Have one day, walking down the main path, past the little cafes that are more lively in the summer, and around the little corners.
The Circle Line
Lastly, Marcus uses public transportation in Copenhagen and is seen riding The Circle Line at the start of the episode. I’ll tell anyone who will listen that I adore the Copenhagen train system, it’s one of the best in all of Europe, but I didn’t feel like it was pretty enough to take a photo of for this article – hehe.
I hope this helps you find fun Copenhagen The Bear filming spots!!!
I love this city so much, and I really love the show The Bear, so it makes me happy these two worlds could collide.
