Atze Peng

Enghavevej 56 used to house a coffee- and beer-bar for lesbians. Today you’ll find a cocktail bar for locals with a unique personality. In 2014 Anže Pihler, Slovenian of birth, opened Atze Peng. “Atze Peng” is 19th century Berlin slang and means good friend. And good friends are what this bar is all about. Anže wanted to make a bar for locals with a high level of service that could be the place for people having a good time in great company.

Atze Peng feels a lot like Berlin with its sparse raw decor, concrete floor and walls and East German industrial lamp above the bar. Add to that a musical ambience of electronica/ dance/ techno-house and you feel like you’re South of the border. This is all very deliberate as Anže lived in Berlin for quite some time and it’s the city where he feels most culturally stimulated. There, among other things, he earned his money distributing blocks of ice for a friend of his. When he opened Atze Peng, he wanted to bring the vibe of Berlin to Vesterbro and he brought the ice as well. Atze Peng is the only place in the Copenhagen where all the ice you’re served with your drinks, whether shaved, crushed or cubed, will be hand chipped from one big block of ice. Anže seriously knows how to handle his ice!

You’ll find a decent beer selection. Everything is cut to the core, with the highest context of reference being good quality. If you ask Anže which kind of cocktails he serves, the immediate and short answer is “any kind!”. Atze Peng doesn’t make rocket science out of bartending. Anže works the bar because he loves it and since “any drink can be good if you make it right”, if customers order a Tequila Sunrise or Pina Colada he’ll make it. But he will be using his own good products and he does make a darn good Pina Colada. The best in town some say.

On the menu however you find quite a few high ball drinks and Anže himself does have a personal preference for spirits like rum, tequila and mezcal. He’s not tripping over the recent classic revival trend serving few ingredients clear and stirred. Rather he enjoys making good use of all the fantastic ingredients that are availabe today.

Atze Peng is build by Anže from scratch and that makes it a very personal cocktail bar. It’s a charming little place where every citrus fruit is freshly squeezed, the ice is always hand chipped, chopped and carved, and there is time for excellent service. This a place where you can share honest opinions and you’re guaranteed an good conversation. This is probably why you will find a clientele that is a mixed crowd and reflects the diversity of outer Vesterbro, and probably also why a lot of that clientelle is regulars, primarily in their mid twenties or thirties. So, when you go, make sure you have time – it’s one of those places where just “grabbing a quick drink” is very hard.

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