Rich and I sometimes invent words on our travels to describe situations we might get into. We have about a dozen of them that we have picked up over the years that we use regularly. Today we picked up a new one which I hope we will never have to use. The word is Parterre. For us, Parterre now means a place that gave every single indication that it was going to be beyond fantastic and ended up being really not that great.
So let me explain. I did a lot of research of places to go, see and eat while in Copenhagen. There are so many fantastic options, especially for coffee and breakfast. There are gorgeous little coffee shops at almost every corner with terraces and little colourful blankets thrown over the backs of chairs for you to use in case you get cold. Parterre showed up on so many lists put together by both the Copenhagen Tourism Office and other design and food people, all people who obviously know the city and where to go. Parterre was on the list of 10 best places for breakfast and 10 best places for coffee and was the most instagrammed café in Copenhagen last year so we thought there was no way we could be disappointed.
After a long walk across town to get there, it turns out that Parterre looks nothing like the pictures. Nothing at all. I’m still completely confused. Inside it looks like there was a fight and no one won. There were a few pieces of furniture but no tables really. The walls were empty and covered in marks but other than that bare. The bar area was covered in dirty plates and bits of paper and packaging. There were no decorations anywhere. Besides that the service was hilariously bad. They messed up our order, and the orders of the two groups sitting on either side of us. It took over an hour to get breakfast which consisted of 3 pieces of bread with some jam, cheese and apple juice (all very good though and beautifully presented as you can see in the pictures). The waitress kept telling people they were so busy and hence the delay but the places was pretty much empty. She sold 4 croissants to the table next to me and then 30 minutes later came by to tell them she had no croissants. There were no beautiful cakes and pastries as described in reviews. There were no reviews of the hot chocolate so I didn’t go there expecting a great hot chocolate and it really wasn’t anything special. We were expecting an incredible coffee based on the Tourism Office’s rave reviews but Rich said it was over roasted and tasted burnt.
So what happened to Parterre? I’m still completely confused. I was so looking forward to the bright, airy and colourful little neighbourhood café that was described in all of its raving reviews and photos. Where did it all go? All the positive reviews are from summer 2014. Was it sold? Did it change hands?
Our long trek over wasn’t for nothing, as it did give us a chance to visit beautiful Christianshavn, one of the most expensive areas in town. We arrived at breakfast but didn’t leave until lunch so we really saw the area come to life. The canal in front of the café is modeled after the canals in Amsterdam and was lined on both sides with colourful boats of all shapes and sizes. As the day progressed many were filled with families set up for lunch and afternoon beers. Along each side the usual steady stream of cyclists was out enjoying the midday sun. Almost directly across the river from Parterre is Noma, voted the world’s best restaurant 3 or 4 years in a row. A few blocks behind us was the entrance to Christiania, a car free neighbourhood that beats to its own drum. Established in 1971 by a group of hippies and homeless people who claimed the site as their own, they set up a society based on their own rules which is independent of the Danish government. After 40 years of conflicts with the Danish government in 2012 it was given special status and a foundation now owns this area and raises money by selling symbolic Christiania shares. This goes to support five childcare institutions, 100 acres of mixed “green” housing, theatres, cafes, galleries and a range of other collectively run businesses.
Verdict: There has be more to the Parterre story…but I can’t find it anywhere. So while I wouldn’t recommend Parterre, I’m glad we went because it brought us right into the heard of Christianshavn which is definetly worth a stroll. Parterre, Overgaden Oven Vandet 90, Copenhagen, Denmark
