Noma, the fine dining restaurant with three Michelin stars in Copenhagen, has decided to close its doors in 2024. Don’t worry, Noma will be back in 2025 but not as a restaurant. They have planned to reinvent themselves by becoming a giant lab. Here’s all you need to know about what is going to happen at Noma.
The Scandinavian restaurant has been described as a gastronomic mecca, focused on creating world-class dishes. Established about two decades ago in 2003 by the Danish chef Rene Redzepi, Noma has been credited with the invention of the New Nordic Cuisine. The aim of the restaurant is to focus solely on the ingredients available in the Scandinavian region. The menu has showcased ingredients like moss and ants in its dishes, surprising people with its culinary innovation.
The 20-course meal rotates through the seasons, with a focus on vegetables in spring and meats in autumn. A meal at Noma costs DKK 3,500 (USD 505 approx.) per person and the restaurant is usually booked months in advance. However, the Noma as we know it is shutting down. Winter 2024 will be the last season to experience the menu that has been awarded three Michelin stars.
What’s happening to Noma?
In an attempt to reinvent itself, Noma is planning to begin a new chapter in 2025 with Noma 3.0. The restaurant announced on its website that it is transforming into a “pioneering test kitchen dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavours”. Noma has declared that being a restaurant will “no longer define them” and from 2025 they will travel and search for new ways to share their work.
Noma is lauded by food critics for being avante-garde and it is also famous for pioneering culinary innovation. It is not going away completely; it still plans to serve food eventually. But in the long-term, it will stop existing and operating as the restaurant it is today.
Hero image credit: Noma; feature image credit: Thibault Savary/AFP
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