The revered Copenhagen-based restaurant announced that it is going in a new direction. Here’s the run-down
It’s a choice spot for many visiting celebrities (including Maude Apatow and Scandiphile Lily Collins), so news that the three Michelin-starred restaurant, Noma, will be closing its doors to diners from 2024 will undoubtedly disappoint many food-enthusiasts.
The recent announcement came via the eatery's Instagram account, stating that: “To continue being noma, we must change”. They continued: “Winter 2024 will be the last season of noma as we know it. We are beginning a new chapter; noma 3.0.”
Photo: Instagram/lilyjcollins
Maude Apatow enjoying a visit to fine-dining Noma. Photo: Instagram/maudeapatow
Photo: Instagram/lilyjcollins
The Copenhagen-based restaurant, which has claimed the number one spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012, and again in 2021, will cease the front-facing portion of its work, instead opting to focus on development, with an aim to become a ‘giant lab’ test kitchen where recipes and flavours will be developed. A change which, they say, will “share the fruits of our efforts more widely than ever before.”
“In 2025, our restaurant is transforming into a giant lab—a pioneering test kitchen dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavours, one that will share the fruits of our efforts more widely than ever before,” reads a statement on their website.
Photo: Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard
It has long been heralded a leader in Nordic cuisine, known for decadent and innovative dishes such as Reindeer Heart Tartare and Moldy Egg Tart, but now its head chef and founder, René Redzepi, 45, has explained that the current contemporary fine-dining model isn’t work and is proving just too challenging – both emotionally and financially. Although guests do pay top prices for the food and wine pairings, making financial ends meet was still tough.
So what does the future look like for the world-renowned Noma? From the looks of it, new pop-ups and even a season in Copenhagen, once the team has gathered fresh and exciting new ideas to launch. “Serving guests will still be a part of who we are, but being a restaurant will no longer define us.”