Café Øieblikket

The café is located inside the Royal Library with a great view of the water and close to a public ferry stop, which is how we ended up there. No matter what you might think of the food, the gorgeous vista that surrounds you more than makes up for any perceived lack of quality, although I for one, was not complaining about the food at all. I had a vegetarian sandwich and it was filling and fresh. The prices were higher than normal but oh well, once again — the view. It was clean, had a friendly staff and a free, self-​serve drinking water section at the counter, which was a rare thing in this city. The ambiance was quiet enough and I could see people studying or reading. The toilets were clean and belonged to the library. There were tables that had electrical outlets to plug in your devices, ample bike parking and a bus stop right outside the entrance.

Yeh, I wouldn’t probably come back here to have lunch nor a snack. Not even a coffee.
Café Øieblikket got to feed me last week at lunch while I was studying at the Library, and I must admit it was neither fish nor fowl.
I can’t help thinking the sandwich I took (grilled eggplant, red sauce and hummus — 50kr.) wasn’t that special.
The cashier was nice and she asked me if I preferred it cold or toasted, if I wanted something to drink as well and if I’d eat inside or outside.
The wait, on the other hand, was too long. Ten minutes to re-​heat a sandwich without anyone queing seems too much to me.
Once it was ready, they put it on the counter just next to cash box (Hygiene, where are you??!) and hand it over to me. No table service.
Ate it inside and left with — metaphorical — bitter taste in my mouth. The sandwich was nice but it didn’t really impress me. It was just blank.
Nah.

Sunbeds a stone’s throw away from the canal — check
Coffee — check
What more do you need during a study break? Café Øieblikket at the Royal Library can offer all this. And did I mention that you are allowed to eat your homemade lunch at the café’s tables? As a student in Copenhagen I am a big fan of the Royal Library: A mix of modern and old, and both quiet reading rooms and seating areas where you can talk. When you are obligated to read, why don’t you make it a bit more cozy session? An open café makes my excitement for the Royal Library even stronger.
The café has — at least as I experienced — a nice and welcoming staff, and offers both warm and cold dishes, such as sandwiches, salads, soups etc., as well as an assortment of cakes, cookies and ice creams to satisfy your sweet tooth. When it comes to beverages, Café Øieblikket offers a variety of coffees, teas, and soft drinks. A plus to the café for offering cold water with slices of lemon, free of charge. It’s even possible to buy a glass of wine, if you’re in the right mood. You may say that there’s nothing out of the ordinary about that, but as a Norwegian, where the sale and consumption of alcohol is quite restricted, a library café offering this kind of beverages, is quite exotic.
I ordered a cappuccino, with nothing on the side, so the café’s assortment of sweet and salty remains to be tried out. 35 DKK for the cappuccino, is what I have experienced as a normal prize here in Copenhagen, but having considered the café being a library café, serving in a great deal hard-​working students, I would have appreciated the coffee to be a little bit cheaper. — Or what about a student discount?
It may be questioned if I would have visited the café if it wasn’t for the fact that it is placed in the Royal Library. — Maybe not, but I am glad the library has this facility, and that Café Øieblikket is placed where it is.