Last Updated on April 6, 2026
Boutique hotel in a trendy neighbourhood
On a recent trip to Copenhagen, I was intrigued to explore some of the city’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods. Since this capital city is very walkable, the area called Vestebro, home to Coco Hotel, is easily accessible on foot from the museums and major sights that visitors will be keen to visit. Moreover, it is where the central train station is located, making it a perfect place to arrive or depart from the airport, as well as to set off on day trips by train. Vestebro was once Copenhagen’s red-light district, but nowadays it is a neighbourhood popular with young families and creatives. It reminded me of Shoreditch – trendy, edgy and sometimes a bit gritty. It is packed with vintage clothing stores, boutiques selling indie fashion, coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants from small ethic eateries to Michelin-starred dining rooms. We took full advantage of exploring this slice of Copenhagen when we were hosted by Visit Denmark and invited to review Coco Hotel, located on Vesterbrogade, one of the major streets running through this dynamic neighbourhood.
Coco Hotel is a four-star, boutique hotel with 89 rooms housed in a building with good bones. It is owned by Danish restaurant group Copenhagen Food Collective (COFOCO), a collective of 19 restaurants in the city. Hotel guests receive a 15% discount at all these restaurants. Olise restaurant is located alongside Coco Hotel and shares a gorgeous courtyard.
The hotel was completing a refurbishment of the rooms, from a formerly Parisian flair meets Danish design to an Italianate aesthetic that recalls the Baroque. The beds have headboards covered in an ochre-coloured crushed-velvet fabric, while the curtains are a similar light-blue fabric. A large rug matched the bed’s colour. The colours put me in mind of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Rooms range from single to small, double or superior doubles. There are also family or junior suites, making Coco Hotel suitable for solo travellers, couples, or families.
Our double room was simply decorated. I loved the light streaming in from the large windows overlooking the inner courtyard, while at night, the lighting is rather dim. There was a small wardrobe with a minibar selection of soft drinks and a few snacks. The room did not have items you tend to find in four-star hotel rooms, such as a bathrobe, slippers, a safe, and tea /coffee making facilities, although a kettle was provided when I asked for one. I assume this helps to keep the pricing of the rooms reasonable, considering the central location of the hotel. The compact bathroom had good bath products, although the shower was rather small for comfort. I did appreciate the underfloor heating in the bathroom, especially after I managed to get my shoes soaked while visiting a subterranean art gallery.
The common parts of Coco Hotel were aesthetically pleasing. The corridors are painted in the same light blue as the room curtains, and look jolly with a jaunty, bright red and white patterned carpet. The tiny lift (reminiscent of Paris) is painted red and blue and opens on each floor to a landing that shows off the original features of this lovely building. Each corridor is accessed through mirrored, double doors, wooden with beautiful corbelling. The building boasts a striking wooden bannister with white lattice work which snakes up the staircase, the risers painted red and grey. It is very elegant, and on every half landing is a huge arch-topped window with blue, stained glass which overlooks the inner courtyard.
This courtyard is a beautiful space which must be fabulous in the warmer months for drinks, dinner and music. While in Copenhagen, I was struck by the number of people seated outside restaurants in icy weather. At Coco Hotel, the planted courtyard is furnished with plenty of seating areas and large umbrellas and feels like a green oasis in the middle of the city.
Coming from the UK, I huddle inside in cold weather, and Coco Hotel has an inviting, low-lit café and wine bar in which one can relax all day. The front section overlooks a busy road, and one can sit on barstools with a coffee and have a prime position for people watching. Further back is a bar where one can order coffee, drinks and light meals to eat at café tables in the low-lit café, which also has plenty of comfy sofas, an eclectic collection of art, books and board games. It is clearly a popular spot and was usually full of guests or people popping in for a drink.
A buffet breakfast is served in the café, and we found everything that we needed to set us up for the day ahead – cereals, chia pudding, yoghurt and compote, rye breads, boiled eggs, a small selection of cheese and charcuterie, avocado segments, hummus, and fresh fruit. The pastries were particularly excellent.
Coco Hotel, as part of the COFOCO collective, is committed to sustainability. The energy for the hotel comes from the COFOCO solar park in Jutland, and the food served is organic, as is the bed linen. It was good to see no sign of plastic water bottles in the rooms, and there was a sign in the bathroom encouraging guests to drink the local water.
Coco Hotel offers guests a Wellness Package, with discounted spa and beauty treatments, gym workouts, and Pilates classes available at local businesses in partnership with the hotel. Readers of Travel+Leisure voted Coco Hotel Best Hotel in Scandinavia in 2023.
We had an excellent meal at Olise, a bistro next door to Coco Hotel. Opened in October 2025, this is the latest addition to the stable of COFOCO restaurants dotted around the city. The large room manages to feel cosy, with red marble tables, comfy, stylish chairs, burnt orange banquettes along the walls, and large French doors onto the verdant courtyard. The warm and welcoming staff completed the feel-good factor of the restaurant. Good crockery and glasses looked elegant, and the table was simply adorned with a candle in a silver and glass holder. The restaurant is open – and was packed – on a Sunday night, which is a time that many restaurants close.
Olise is known for its extensive wine list, which runs to some 450 options, and our waiter, Emil, helped us choose between a variety of whites and reds. I had a deliciously buttery L’Arpèle Aligoté 2022, while my husband enjoyed a Pouilly-Fumé ’Terres Blanches’ 2023, Domaine du Bouchot. While Olise offers two tasting menus, we ordered from the à la carte menu, which offered a well-curated selection of options.
A very good sourdough with butter was served along with snacks, which looked enticing, served on small white plinths. Karaage slider with chilli mayo, shiso and pickles transported me straight to Japan, while gougères with truffle and red crystal cheese were a lovely fusion of a French classic with Danish cheese, Gammel Knas, which is a gourmet cheese with distinctive crystals. I have eaten many gougères in France, and these would give French bakers some stiff competition.
I enjoyed the special starter, which was the first white asparagus of the season with hollandaise. This is an eternally satisfying dish, and this version had a satisfyingly light sauce. My husband had fried scallops with vegetable sauce nage, which gave the nod once again to the French influence in the Olise kitchen. There was a good sear on the sweet scallops, and the vegetables, poached in a wine-and-butter sauce, were crispy.
The main courses were generously portioned. Pan-fried cod was served with potato purée, Tuscan kale, spinach and beurre blanc. I am a bit fatigued by the ubiquitous purée potato served in restaurants these days, so I was pleased to find the potato had the heft of a good mash. The beurre blanc sauce was not only delicious but also featured a generous helping of trout roe, which added colour and a delightful popping texture. My husband’s steak au poivre of tenderloin with pommes frites was perfectly cooked to order and very tender. The sauce was rich and redolent with the satisfying heat of Madagascan peppercorns.
For dessert, my husband tried the special of the day, crème brûlée, while I found the pavlova impossible to resist. This one was served with an excellent cherry sorbet and vanilla cream.
Coco Hotel is a short walk from one of the hippest areas of Copenhagen. In Kødbyens, the old meatpacking district, we found small galleries, large and tiny restaurants, and bakeries. Old warehouse spaces have been roughly transformed into popular eateries. Here you will find fabulous tacos in a bijoux eaterie set up by a former NOMA chef, and an outlet of the popular HART bakery where the cardamom buns are worth looking out for. We came in search of Kødbyens Fiskebar, a fish and shellfish restaurant with British chef Jamie Lee at the helm. We had booked ahead for a Saturday night and had one of the best nights out in a restaurant in some time – the food was fabulous and the atmosphere electric. We enjoyed it so much that we popped in for a quick lunch a couple of days later en route to the airport.
Coco Hotel is located in a dynamic part of Copenhagen, within walking distance of tourist sights and in the midst of places frequented by locals. Whether you love great food, vintage shopping, or late-night clubbing, Vesterbro has it all, and Coco Hotel is in the centre of the action.
Coco Hotel, Vetserbrogade 41, 1620 Copenhagen
Olise, Vesterbrogade 41, 1620 Copenhagen
For more about Copenhagen, check our features on 48 hours in Denmark’s Capital City, Copenhagen.
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