At Absalon, food is just one of the many ways in which people are encouraged to interact. Aside from fællesspisning, you can get intimate with your fellow human beings over ping-pong, bingo, running, singing, board games, life drawing, morning dance, acro yoga, backgammon, or just by lounging on one of the funky sofas, sending out ‘talk to me’ vibes.
Fællesspisning happens every evening at 6 pm. An hour before, a small crowd loiters outside the church, beginning to arrange itself into a queue. When dinner is frequently is sold out, it’s prudent to be early! When you get inside, you’re led to a seat by the host. There’s not a seating plan as such, but the host’s job is to place people optimally for conversation. If you arrive on your own, for example, you might get seated next to people he knows to be friendly, or with others who also come alone.
Vegetarian nights are on Monday and Wednesday and then there’s Friday Night Delight which includes a two-course meal and live music. When the weather's good, the tables are moved outside to the grassy strip through the center of Sønder Boulevard. Tickets to Absalon’s fællesspisning can be purchased ahead online or bought at the door if there’s space.
Sønder Boulevard 73
Kafa X is a community kitchen that holds fællesspisning every Tuesday at 7 pm. The food is vegan (sometimes vegetarian) and most of the ingredients are things that would usually go to waste—donated by local grocery stores and bakeries in the area at the end of the day and collected by volunteers.
It’s the cheapest in the city at just 20 DKK per person, and if you come early to help with the cooking or cleaning, you can eat for free. Diners serve themselves buffet-style and after the meal, everyone is expected to wash their dishes. BYOB is encouraged.
Korsgade 19
Send Flere Kydderier is primarily located in Nørrebrohallen and their café is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, they hold fællesspisning between 5 pm and 8 pm. The food is always different, as the organization is run by women from all sorts of cultural and culinary backgrounds. One day you might be eating Morrocan, the next Lebanese, the next Korean, and so on.
The name, "Send More Spices" is inspired by the women who migrated to Denmark in the 80s and 90s who would always ask their families to send more spices to Denmark. And it's in this spirit that the organization was founded in 2013, for and by ethnic minority women—who are often overlooked in the Danish labor market. They created a place where women can work and share their native cuisine with Copenhageners.
Nørrebrogade 208