‘The Bear’ Star Lionel Boyce’s 5 Favorite Places in Copenhagen
After work initially brought him to Copenhagen, Lionel Boyce envisioned returning — more specifically, for those vibrant Danish summers he had heard about. Mr. Boyce, who plays the curious and driven pastry chef Marcus Brooks on the hit culinary drama “The Bear,” had only visited the city in the winter.
He wanted to experience the 17 hours of daylight in July and watch locals do cannonballs into the canals for early-evening dips directly after work. When Mr. Boyce, 35, finally came back to Copenhagen for a visit in 2023, he took a rain check on the impromptu canal swim.
“I didn’t see people doing it when I was there, so I wasn’t going to be the only one just to jump in by myself,” Mr. Boyce, a native and resident of Los Angeles, said in a phone interview.
The fifth and final season of “The Bear” debuted June 25 on FX and Hulu. For the popular “Honeydew” episode in Season 2, Marcus traveled to Copenhagen to train under a renowned dessert chef.
“It’s just a person facing their fear,” Mr. Boyce said of the appeal of Marcus’s self-discovery during that episode. “He has a lot of responsibilities at home. It’s a little bit of escapism, but it’s in a grounded way.”
When he wasn’t making quenelles onscreen, Mr. Boyce, who also starred in the recent film “Project Hail Mary,” was at Restaurant Barabba dining on contemporary Italian and at Slurp Ramen (where he suggests ordering karaage, Japanese fried chicken). He marveled at the simplicity and tidiness of the city’s architecture and style.
On his most recent trip, Mr. Boyce popped by HAY House, the Danish design and furniture flagship store on the trendy Ostergade street, where he admired the quirky trinkets and purchased a colorful wall clock.
“Copenhagen is cool, because it’s a city that looks like the idea of form follows function,” he said. “Everything’s intentional, and there’s order without rigidity. People hold each other to a certain standard.”
Here are five of Mr. Boyce’s top spots in Copenhagen:
Mr. Boyce called this seaside gem, 35 miles north of the city, “my favorite museum in the world.” It has expansive greenery, coastal views and a 60-piece sculpture park. The scenic 45-minute train ride is, he said, part of the appeal: “I love the location, I love the experience of getting there, the journey and just everything about it.” The first time Mr. Boyce visited the museum, he took in an Arthur Jafa exhibition that explored the creative power of Black cultural life in contrast with the political landscape. He makes it a point to revisit the museum every time he is in town because it “feels like I’ve transported somewhere so far away from anything that I’ve known,” he said.
While Copenhagen is home to many extraordinary bakeries, Hart Bageri — specifically the original location in the upscale Frederiksberg area — has sentimental value. Before filming Season 2 of “The Bear,” Mr. Boyce completed his own two-week stage at this award-winning kitchen under the creative director Talia Richard-Carvajal. He learned how to make fresh batches of the wildly popular cardamom croissant — which, of course, he would incessantly snack on afterward. “And someone was like, ‘You know how many calories those hold, right?’” he said, joking that he also regrets nothing.
Chicken sandwiches hit different at Poulette, a local favorite in Norrebro, the city’s most culturally diverse neighborhood. “I don’t really get many spicy things in Europe that have that kind of kick to it,” said Mr. Boyce, who once ate three crispy fried chicken sandwiches on a visit. The spare, no-frills space offers no seating. If you are seeking a similar ambience with place to sit, he suggests heading to the airy wine bar next door, Pompette. Both are owned by Martin Ho, a restaurateur and, according to Mr. Boyce, a fascinating gentleman. “He’s really smart, and has a great perspective,” Mr. Boyce said, “and I feel like he’s one of those people who aren’t intentionally philosophical.”
The amusement park Tivoli Gardens, a major inspiration for Walt Disney, who visited in 1951, is home to one of the world’s oldest wooden roller coasters. Since much of the filming occurred at night, Mr. Boyce’s mornings and afternoons were wide open. “So I would start my days over at the Tivoli Gardens, and ride a couple of rides and leave,” he said. Sometimes he would go solo; other times he would corral some of the show’s production team and his co-star Ayo Edebiri (who made the trip despite not appearing in any Copenhagen scenes) to go to the park, which is in the center of town next to Copenhagen Central train Station. Mr. Boyce’s favorite attraction is Villa Vendetta, the year-round haunted house, whose costumed staff get into full character — one might even stroke your hair to heighten the terror. “They would never have a haunted house where you can let the monsters touch you in America, because that just seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen,” he said.
Mr. Boyce never passes up a chance to dine at the Mexican-and-Nordic-inspired Sanchez. “It’s authentic. It’s real Mexican food over in Europe — it’s delicious,” Mr. Boyce said. He recommends the carnitas taco with a cured egg yolk or the sea bass taco with fresh housemade tortillas. For dessert, the sweet potato tart is a must (the owner, Rosio Sánchez, was a pastry chef at Noma, one of Copenhagen’s most famous restaurants.) Because Ms. Sánchez is from Chicago, where “The Bear” is primarily filmed, the two forged a quick friendship during Mr. Boyce’s early visits. And that 2023 trip isn’t likely to be his last visit to Sanchez, or to Copenhagen. We may never see Marcus return to the place that changed his path as a pastry chef, but Mr. Boyce already has plans to come back.
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