Democratic Coffee Bar

Best pastries in Copenhagen, hands down. Grab a home made croissant and you won’t regret it. What I love about this place is that it is in a great location, is filled with super friendly staff and the shop links through to the library. Perfect for the grind (in both senses of the word.)

No need to elaborate about how good the coffee is. It is good, but lacking in consistency. Sometimes it’s just good, sometimes it’s so damn good. The almond croissant though, is so out of this world, insanely good and would make a grown man cry.

This place serves an exquisite cup of Coffee and the best croissant I’ve had in Copenhagen so far. This is a busy coffee-​shop ideal for a quick coffee and croissant before embarking on your day. It’s not a place you wish to linger in, as there are no cozy sofas or dim lights.
I head of the good coffee and the award-​winning croissant and had to try this place out.
I came into a busy coffeeshop, which works also works as a café for the neighboring Public Library. 2 people were at work and they were busy. I cleared the empty plates and cups from the seat I was going to occupy, placed it on the counter and ordered a flat white (6cl espresso 12 cl steamed milk) and a croissant. I paid on order and the croissant was served. A little later, my order was called and I went to collect my coffee. Standard Procedure.
What wasn’t Standard was the level of taste incorporated in both the flat-​white and croissant. The taste of the coffee was complex and based on the consistency the milk was correctly steamed and tempered. The work of a skilled barista.
The Croissant was crunchy on the outside, with the smell of nutty burnt butter, and soft, gooey yet still elastic on the inside. The way a croissant should be. The combination of the two should be the definition of synergy, and I dare not even dream of what adding a cigarette (if I still smoked on a daily basis) could do to heighten the experience.
Even though the place doesn’t invite you to linger, and it isn’t exactly a cozy atmosphere, I stick by my Unilocal mantra and grade it based on TASTE.
I don’t rate a place on MY preferred type of atmosphere. I rate it based on what context the atmosphere is based on. This is a busy café meant for a quick coffee and a croissant. It has not been designed to linger in. That’s not its purpose.
I’m not gonna let the self cleaning part drag this place down either. A restaurant consists of many processes and interactions, several of them which the guest must partake in. My idea of being a helpful guest is also easing and effecitivizing the relationship between my server and I, hereby helping when needed. I don’t expect a red carpet rolled out, and I do believe that a more cooporative and assisting relation with the staff creates a better experience.
Therefore, It deserves the 5 star rating as it operates excellently inside the frame it has created.

Had great chocolate croissant and latte w/​double shot to get me going this morning. Super flavor in the croissant. Right next to the library when you can find a book and sit and read.

Good coffee, but they add sickly-​sweet syrup to the iced lattes. I know it’s a thing in Copenhagen, but most places usually ask first.
Coffee Collective’s iced lattes are leagues beyond.

Heavenly gooey almond croissant.
Nice ginger lemon tea with real ginger. A real flu-​killer.
The coffee and barista side has great inspiration for exceeding expectations.

The croissants in here have ruined me. Don’t think any other spot in town can live up to the standard, so I will be drawn here like a magnet, even if not within walking distance. The coffee is also some of the best you can get. They really make it with the sweetness/​flavor of the bean in tact.

Absolutely fantastic coffee! Also got the famous almond croissant! Now I know why this place is so popular — reasonable prices especially for a student, and the croissant is so so good! Extremely friendly staff too. Will definitely come back here again and again!

From the Mortensen art to the lovely cappuccinos & the fresh and delectable house-​made baked goods, Democratic has it all. My partner ordered an almond croissant filled with a fantastic filling that literally (used correctly) oozed out when bit into. It was a decadent treat. I was keen on having a slightly less calorific snack and ordered what I thought would be an average-​tasting roll with a bit of butter and cheese. The roll, however, was soft, warm and just a bit dense with a sprinkling of poppy seeds throughout & really hit the spot.
Smack dab in the uni district, Demo is housed in one of the many stately buildings found in the area. The shop is long and fairly narrow, with seating only along the large, storefront window. We found it to be a great place to pop into after walking at length through the neighborhood.
Demo is directly adjacent to the Central Library. One is able to order a bevvie, then walk straight into a small seating area of the library reserved for café goers and enjoy it. Patrons of the café use the co-​ed library toilets.
I spent an inordinate amount of time bending the ear of one of the employees. He was nothing but helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly.

I love the central library! Going to study there alone is one of my favorite things to do. And a good coffee kick is needed in between!
This café is at the ground floor of the library and can offer this kick for the book eaters! It’s also a quite classy café. Simple interior, wooden and black colours. The coffee is good, but yeah I am not a real coffee fan so don’t count on that! If you get your coffee to go it’s cheaper than if you stay there! I always take it with me to my study corner.
The staff is always friendly and fast. The fast part is quite unique for Copenhagen and I like that! They also always make a heart to the coffee foam! It’s so cute they put effort to that! :) Details are what make something worth more.
So if you are around, pop in to see the library and have a coffee break. Or tea! They have 5 – 6 different kinds of tea if you’re a tea person. Enjoy!

I just got two words for you: Poppy Seeds. Apparently, practically every single baking good served here is stuffed to the brim with poppy seeds. I’m not saying it’s not bad, its just a peculiar little thing you’ll notice when visiting the joint.
I first saw this little café one morning when walking past the Cph central library and saw their funny little coffee sign outside the store — an arrow pointing into the store with ‘coffee’ and another pointing away from the store with ‘no coffee’. Simple and funny, and the coffee smelled delicious so I popped in… and ended up spending the entire day sitting in their designer furniture, tapping away on my laptop and drinking good coffee.
In the morning, they serve a freshly baked bun with butter and cheese (delicious and full of poppy seeds to get stuck between your teeth) and a large latte for as little as 50 DKK. For lunch, they serve veggie and meaty panini’s (you guessed it, with poppy seeds :-) — but make sure to ask them to heat it through and through as they tend to take it out prematurely. They also serve all day croissants and cookies — no poppy seeds — but I didn’t try these.
For me this is a great place to hang out to get some work done when I have a few things to do but don’t want to stick around at the office. The wifi is free and quite decent, and being located in a library you have any book you might need close by.
I quite fancied it and would go back sometime soon.

Democratic is a must stop if you plan to do Strøget or are nearby doing tourist-​y things. Krystalgade is a nice street with cool shops — a good break from the crowded tourist-​y streets with mainstream outlets nearby. This café offers fantastic coffee (pour-​over if you’re up for it, although when I went the boiler was down and I couldn’t try it), they usually have a lunch combo which consists of a delicious sandwich + drip coffee for around 50 dkk. The staff was kind to explain the broken boiler situation and assured that I would love my coffee + sandwich, which I did.
The only thing I would have to say is that I wish there were more comfortable seating — they only have high chairs which can be uncomfortable if you plan to stay for a few hours.

It’s the combination of helpful staff, great coffee and a cool interior that makes this place so good. If you are there in the morning, try their fresh croissants with a cup of slow coffee. There is no better way to start your day.