Told & Snaps - Best Gluten Free Smørrebrød in Copehangen

When travelling, it’s a common compulsion to want to try the region’s local foods and beverages. In Denmark, one of those things is undeniably smørrebrød (smorrebrod written in the English alphabet).

What is smørrebrød, you ask?

It’s a traditional Scandinavian open-faced sandwich generally made on rye-bread, and it can garnished with cheese, spreads, or many different types of cold cut meat or fish.

Now, any gluten free individual such as myself becomes a bit anxious at the mention of the word “rye”. Although it can be quite difficult to eat a country’s local cuisine when one has dietary restrictions, I was determined to try this local dish while abroad. After doing a lot of research and asking around, I discovered Told & Snaps.

Initially weary that it would be an overpriced tourist trap as it was along Nyhavn, I was quite pleased when many locals to which I spoke gave it their seal of approval.

The restaurant itself can be found just off a side-street while walking along Nyhavn. The bridge on which we are standing in this photo is the checkpoint at which to turn to find the restaurant (turn left if you are walking towards the harbour and turn right if you are walking away from the harbour).

As for the food itself, there are a good amount of variety to choose from. Their menu had an option for fish & seafood, herring, meat, and cheese & sweets. There is also a menu that indicates all of their beverages, and naturally, there are tons of snaps from which to choose!

If you are gluten free, you need to inform your waiter so that they will provide gluten free bread for you.

I ordered the Cold Smoked Salmon sandwich (included smoked cheese cream, lime, and dill - 138 Danish Krone), and Joel ordered the Free Range Chicken With Mayonnaise (included bacon, deep-fried parsley and butter toasted bread - 108 Danish Krone). Joel also ordered a Braunstein Valnøddesnaps (75 Danish Krone).

The food itself was very fresh, and tasted very good. I really liked the quality of the gluten free bread; there was also a good fish-to-bread ratio; more fish to bread, woohoo! (I know that sounds silly, but it’s important to me in a sandwich)

Joel really enjoyed his chicken dish, and thought the snaps was fantastic. We did have to pay for water as is per usual in many European/ Scandinavian countries.

The waiters were a bit cold, but not rude. They were attentive, and did check on us a couple of times throughout the meal.

Compared to other places in Copenhagen, the restaurant was definitely on the pricier side for smørrebrød. However, the ambiance was quite lovely and made up for it.

As for the ambiance of restaurant, it was very nice. There were a number of couples and families dining alongside Joel and I.

The restaurant is somewhat nautical-inspired. Joel described it like a “ship you have to enter by going down into the deck”. The wooden beams, and ship-inspired decorations all around definitely played up this theme. It was nice that it was somewhat “underground” as you had a few moments of reprieve from busy but beautiful Nyhavn.

Overall, I really enjoyed Told & Snaps. Although it was on the pricier side of open-faced sandwich shops, it was definitely a very nicely decorated restaurant that specialized in it’s range of dishes. Both the smørrebrød and snaps were delicious, and it’s worth a visit if you value quality and ambiance.

The location was also a bonus as we lost no time when we left from exploring. We took a boat ride right after eating, and we only had to walk across the aforementioned bridge to get to the port. One note: it is quite popular, so come at off-times (not lunch or dinner) if you want to ensure a seat right away!