1. Overview
Explore the rich flavors of Danish cuisine in Solvang, California, where local restaurants serve mouthwatering pastries and distinct meat dishes. Learn where to eat and the must-try specialties.
In Solvang, California, local restaurants have been introducing Danish food to Americans for four generations or more. You’ll find lots of flaky, buttery pastries to go with your cup of coffee, but that’s not all. Danish specialties also include some meat-based dishes, especially sausages. Here’s what to know before you go.
You can sample many of Solvang’s Danish foods during the annual Solvang Danish Days in September.
If you’re a vegetarian, your Danish food adventure will be limited to the pastries. However, local bakeries may use butter and don’t provide vegan or gluten-free options. Don’t let that keep you from visiting Solvang, though. You can explore charming buildings and find plenty of restaurants that cater to your dietary needs.
Most of the Danish restaurants in Solvang are concentrated within the four-block shopping area south of Mission Drive between Alisal Road and 5th Street.
Bring your appetite and an abundance of patience. Solvang is akin to many other tourist towns, where service can be lackluster. However, you may have luck finding a knowledgeable and friendly server.
2. Foods to Look For in Solvang
The best Danish foods to eat in Solvang are the flaky pastries. If the first thing that comes to your mind is the typical “Danish” pastries with a filled center, it’s time to forget that stereotype. Viennese chefs began making delicate, flaky pastry in Denmark during the 1840s, resulting in an astonishing variety of Danish creations.
Some of the Danish pastry specialties you may encounter in Solvang include:
- Kringle: A pretzel-shaped pastry featured on the Food Network’s Kid in a Candy Store show.
- Waffle Crisp: A cigar-shaped pastry filled with whipped cream and raspberry jam.
- Butter Rings: A pastry ring containing almond paste and custard filling, topped with icing; also known as Seven Sisters Cake.
- Danish Waffles: These don’t resemble traditional waffles. In Solvang, they are a baked puff pastry rolled in sugar and filled with raspberry jam and buttercream frosting.
The list doesn’t stop there; you may also discover strudels, palm leaves, and cookies shaped like Napoleon’s hat, a clam, or an owl’s eye.
Danish meat items served in Solvang have mixed reviews, so it’s advisable to read up on individual restaurants before you decide where to dine.
To simplify your choices, here are some common meat dishes served in Solvang restaurants:
- Frikadeller: Unspiced Danish meatballs made from ground pork, beef, or veal, typically served with a light brown gravy and boiled potatoes, or as open-faced sandwiches on rye bread.
- Medisterpølse: A boiled sausage often referred to as Spiced Danish Pork Sausage. Traditional spices include nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, though these may be subtle to suit tourists’ tastes.
- Hakkebøf: A hamburger steak served with onions, potatoes, and brown sauce.
- Rullepolse: A seasoned pork cold cut, rolled and filled with herbs, often served in an open-faced sandwich.
- Side Dishes: Common accompaniments include pickled red cabbage, cucumber salad, and potatoes.
Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery
Olsen’s is a fourth-generation Danish bakery with deep roots in Denmark. Known for having the most extensive selection of pastries, cookies, cakes, and other treats, they are particularly famous for their pretzel-shaped Kringle pastry.
Place your order at the counter and enjoy your treat at one of the tables in their spacious seating area.
While the Scandinavian dark limpa bread, flavored with caraway seeds and orange zest, is a delectable offering, it is available only by special order.
The bakery also provides the traditional Kransekage, a tower of stacked pastry rings up to 16 layers tall, but these are not available in-store.
Mortensen’s Danish Bakery
This bakery, founded by Danish native Ove Mortensen from Copenhagen, is still run by his descendants. You can place your order at the counter and enjoy sweets at one of their tables.
Among their specialties are Napoleon hat cookies, small almond cookies shaped like the famous French hat and then dipped in chocolate. Their extensive selection provides enough variety to give you a delightful sugar rush.
Solvang Restaurant: Aebleskiver and Meat Dishes
One of Solvang’s most famous sweet treats isn’t found in bakeries but in restaurants serving breakfast. Known as Aebleskiver, this dish is a variation of a traditional pancake.
Some locals may refer to Aebleskiver as “delicious goodies,” but essentially, they are pancakes. Cooked in a pan with hemispherical indentations, they take on a spherical shape about the size of a tennis ball, leaving room for filling, though in Solvang, they are typically served unfilled with raspberry sauce.
Aebleskiver can be found at several locations in town, but Solvang Restaurant claims to produce over 3,000 of them daily. One order is generally enough for up to six people to enjoy a taste.
For those in a hurry, the restaurant also offers Aebleskiver from its sidewalk takeout window.
Owner Jeff Paaske recommends pairing Aebleskiver with medisterpolse sausage or any of the Danish meat dishes for a delightful meal.
The restaurant also features cooking supplies, Aebleskiver pans, and mixes, perfect for those wishing to create this delicacy at home.
Bit O’Demark
Bit o’Denmark’s minimalist website may lack a menu, but their food offerings are anything but skimpy.
Located in the city’s original church building, it is recognized by Fodor’s as one of the most authentic eateries in town.
They serve a variation of the traditional buffet-style smorgasbord. If you find it difficult to decide on a dish, consider ordering one of their platters of assorted dishes to share.
