Copenhagen Suma Hot Dogs コペンハーゲン is an iconic eatery in Kobe serving arguably the best hot dogs in Japan. The shop celebrated its 10th year in May 2018 at the convenient location, just in front of JR Suma Station.
Copenhagen’s owner Hansen (and his famous smile!) has a much longer history in the restaurant business and his skill in the kitchen and choice of only the highest quality ingredients come through in every mouth watering bite of his original hot dogs.
Hansen first learnt to make hot dogs back in Denmark in 1964 at the age of 15. He moved to Japan in 1981 and started his own restaurant in Tsuyama, Okayama in 1984. He then set out on one of his biggest challenges, building a large scale restaurant in Tsuyama using all materials (wood, nails, everything!) imported from Denmark. Ask to see his old photo albums and he will be happy to show you and talk about his experiences. Hansen closed this restaurant in 2004. Lucky for us he has called Kobe home since 2008.
But let’s get back to the food! Copenhagen sells a variety of hot dogs ranging from 320 yen (US$3.00) for its basic Copenhagen Dog to 500 yen (US$4.60) for its popular Mexican Spicy Dog. All sausages are imported from Denmark and contain no GMOs and no trans fats.
Besides hot dogs, Copenhagen Suma offers some unique bites including the fried fish dog, spicy chicken dog, the Hansen original burger and a range of sandwiches including his latest T-Birkis sandwich which uses the crispy Danish pastry-bread. There are vegetarian options and if has the ingredients in stock he is happy to accommodate requests.
Finally, there is a sweets menu and a range of mini Danish pastries. The drinks menu includes Carlsberg beer and hot wine in the winter months. Most food is available to go (including a pack of 10 jumbo sausages so you can make your own hot dogs at home) but you should eat in to get the full Copenhagen experience. You’ll leave feeling satisfied with a smile on your face.
Check out our 360-degree image of inside the shop.
HyogoJapan.com Recommendation!
Head up to Suma-dera temple in the morning and enjoy walking around the temple grounds (45 min ~ 1 hour) and on your return pop into Copenhagen Suma for lunch. In the Summer (from mid-July to the end of August) enjoy a hot dog and then head to the Suma beach houses to join in with the famous Suma beach party.
