Norre Bodega

Copenhagen, Denmark

Field Rating

6

out of 10

It’s a place to drink. And that’s it.

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The Basics

Nørrebrogade 152
2200 København, Denmark

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In Short

Along one of the main roads through Copenhagen’s Norrebro, Norre Bodega commands a neighborhood corner with a visual style that feels more like coffeeshop than dive bar. Norre Bodega’s visually minimalist exterior is mirrored by its equally stark interior, a dive bar meant for the sole purpose of drinking beer at below average prices.

Field Note

Copenhagen’s patchwork of neighborhoods features no shortage of dive bar options, from the ex-meat packing district in Vesterbro to the home of Norre Bodega, Norrebro, today known as home to an eclectic mix of arts and culture. Like Copenhagen’s other neighborhoods, Norrebro features a handful of main corridors strung together with residential buildings. Norre Bodega occupies a corner on one such corridor, the neighborhood dive bar.

At first glance, Norre Bodega looks a lot like a local coffee spot, the rounded-off exterior and dominating white sign over the door resembling some kind of Danish coffeehouse. The seating outside only extends that visual comparison, a collection of black wicker chairs surrounding light metal tables. The large posters proclaiming beer specials that frame the front door really offer the only hit that there is a dive bar to be had here, and one with affordable beer as well (no small accomplishment in Copenhagen).

Bench seating rings the space and if there were more amenities, I’d name them, but that about takes care of describing what Norre Bodega offers.

The starkly painted exterior to Norre Bodega extends inside, wood paneling running halfway up the walls before giving way to green paint in line with the bar’s exterior walls. The space is made up of a single room with identical low tables and short stools filling in the bar’s footprint. Bench seating rings the space and if there were more amenities, I’d name them, but that about takes care of describing what Norre Bodega offers.

A small number of permanent wooden booths line the back wall, just under one of the bar’s only attempts at visual appeal, zig zag wallpaper behind a lone television.

A small bar area at the end of the room features enough seating for maybe five to six drinkers, a line of taps extending from one end of the bar, a small collection of liquor bottles flanking the other. A small number of permanent wooden booths line the back wall, just under one of the bar’s only attempts at visual appeal, zig zag wallpaper behind a lone television.

And if all of that wasn’t minimalist enough, Norre Bodega is somehow a dive bar with almost nothing on its walls, a stark contrast from some of the other Copenhagen dive bar offerings. Green paint, wood paneling, a little bit of wallpaper and that’s it. Visually, Norre Bodega plays one note and plays it consistently. Inside and out, the space is minimalist, plain and built really for drinking lower-than-Copenhagen-prices beer and not much else.