Michelin is delighted to unveil the new selection of restaurants for The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries 2024. This year’s award winners were announced at a ceremony held at the Savoy Theatre in the City of Helsinki. The Nordic Countries Guide covers restaurants across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
The selection includes a total of 268 restaurants, with the year’s headline announcement being that Denmark’s Jordnær and Norway’s RE-NAA have joined the ranks of Three Michelin Star restaurants. The new awards mean that there are now a record number of 6 Three Star restaurants in the region. There are also 2 new Two Michelin Star restaurants and 9 new One Michelin Stars, alongside 4 new Green Stars and 8 establishments newly awarded a Bib Gourmand.
2 New Three Michelin Star Restaurants
In what is a banner year for Nordic gastronomy, 2 restaurants have been awarded Three Michelin Stars. In Denmark, Jordnær becomes the country’s third establishment to receive the distinction; all three are located in or around Copenhagen, cementing its status as a global gastronomic destination. Chef-Owner Eric Kragh Vildgaard and the whole team are richly deserving of their new status, having wowed the Inspectors with enormously skilful, intelligent and, above all, delicious cooking. Seafood and vegetable produce of the very highest quality is used in technically magnificent dishes that fuse delicate complexity with classical restraint.
Meanwhile, in Norway, RE-NAA has become the first-ever restaurant in Stavanger to be awarded Three Michelin Stars. Headed up by eponymous Chef-Owner Sven Erik Renaa, it serves as a platform for its team’s enormous talents and for outstanding Norwegian produce. The chefs treat these ingredients with an impeccable understanding and a sense of balance, leaving the Michelin Inspectors thoroughly impressed. The way that subtle seafood flavours are paired with stronger accompaniments is particularly adept. The entire experience, from the service to the setting, is superb.
This brings the total number of Three Star restaurants in the Nordic Countries to 6, with Frantzén, Geranium, Maaemo and noma all retaining their distinctions this year.
Learn more about the new Three Star restaurants.
2 New Two Michelin Star Restaurants
The Oslo restaurant scene has continued to strengthen, with the addition of a new Two Star restaurant in the form of Kontrast. Having been open for over 10 years, this distinction represents a huge achievement for Mikael Svensson and his team, who push sustainability to the forefront of their cooking, while using their technical skill to make every dish soar.
In Sweden, the country’s southern Baltic coastline is the home of its latest Two Star triumph. At VYN, Chef-Owner Daniel Berlin has scored another hit with the Michelin Inspectors, having held Two Stars at his previous operation. In a former farmhouse setting, he continues to thrive and produce delicious food that is firmly tied to its surroundings.
With these newly awarded restaurants, The MICHELIN Guide 2024 recommends a total of 13 restaurants with Two Michelin Stars: 7 in Denmark, 1 in Finland, 1 in Norway and 4 in Sweden.
Learn more about the new Two Star restaurants.
9 New One Michelin Star Restaurants
The Nordic selection has also been bolstered this year with the arrival of 9 new One Star restaurants. Interestingly, each one is also a new addition to the Guide, indicating the strength of the recent openings in the region.
Denmark’s new One Michelin Star establishment is found in the capital of Copenhagen. At Restaurant Aure, an 18th Century gunpowder store provides a beautiful setting for the chefs’ supremely refined cooking.
Helsinki is another destination to gain a new Star this year, in the form of the unique and theatrical The ROOM by Kozeen Shiwan, where the eponymous Chef-Owner tells his life story through his creative dishes. Elsewhere in Finland, Tapio in Ruka brings high-level dining to the popular ski resort, with an emphasis on the wonderful natural flavours of the exceptional ingredients.
In Norway, Stavanger continues its impressive year with One Michelin Star for Hermetikken. Here, the Inspectors were impressed by the superbly executed dishes that complement a magnificent, wide-ranging wine list. Not far from Rosendal, Iris is a One Michelin Star restaurant and a real dining destination, with its unusual location in a remarkable floating structure providing something truly special. In the capital, Bar Amour adds to Oslo’s already impressive dining scene with an impeccably run experience that uses excellent produce with a nose-to-tail ethos and subtle Portuguese influences.
Sweden, and Stockholm in particular, has had a fantastic year, with 3 new One Star restaurants added to the selection. At Celeste, chefs work at an open kitchen with great precision, on a generous tasting menu supplemented by a choice of wine, cocktail or soft drink pairing with each course. At the luxury end of the scale, Seafood Gastro sits inside the Grand Hôtel and provides a decadent experience, where the chefs don’t simply rely on the quality of their premium ingredients but enhance them with great technical skill. Finally, Dashi becomes the city’s second Starred Japanese restaurant, thanks to the chefs’ passion and their precise, immaculately constructed dishes.
Learn more about the new One Star restaurants.
Click here for the full list of Michelin Star restaurants in the Nordic Countries.
4 New Michelin Green Star Restaurants
The Michelin Green Star is The MICHELIN Guide’s method of recognising restaurants that lead the way when it comes to their sustainable practices. Their outstanding eco-friendly commitments are a source of inspiration to both keen foodies and the restaurant community as a whole. This year, there are 4 new recipients of the Michelin Green Star, bringing the total number of role model restaurants to 36 and underlining the prominence of the Nordic region when it comes to making eco-friendly progress within the industry.
Alimentum in Aalborg, Denmark works in constant dialogue with the land, utilising seasonal produce from the team’s own farm, Lille Østergaard.
Tri in Agger, Denmark takes a nose-to-tail approach to cooking, so that the whole animal is used and minimal food waste is produced.
Nokka in Helsinki, Finland really feels like a Green Star, with the team doing a great job of explaining the origins of the local, seasonal produce.
Kontrast in Oslo, Norway uses state-of-the-art preserving techniques to lower waste and produce garums, vinegars and more.
Learn more about the new Green Star restaurants.
8 New Bib Gourmands
In addition to the new Stars and Green Stars, 8 new Bib Gourmands have been announced for the Nordic region. Named after Bibendum, the official name of the Michelin Man, the Bib Gourmand is an award for restaurants that offer great quality, great value cooking.
It has been a bumper year for Copenhagen’s ‘Bibs’, with 4 restaurants receiving the distinction. At Paesàno, the colourful Italian dishes take their cue from the ‘cucina povera’ tradition; Gabrielle brings traditional French cuisine to Copenhagen’s diners with appealing prices and impressive classical cooking; celebrity chef Bo Bech is behind the extensive menu of quality produce at Bobe; and no.2 is a pared-back sibling to a|o|c that offers satisfying, carefully prepared ‘Nordic bistro’ dishes.
In Helsinki, the restaurant scene continues to develop with Bib Gourmands for plein and 305. The former is a fabulous neighbourhood spot where the chefs show great generosity in their set menu of well-crafted and carefully composed dishes. 305, meanwhile, provides a relaxed environment in which to enjoy the kitchen’s rustic cooking with bold, hearty flavours.
Oslo also boasts a pair of new Bib Gourmands for 2024. Frances, housed inside the former US Embassy, offers Mediterranean-influenced sharing plates that have a wonderful vibrancy in both appearance and flavour. At The Little Pickle, the straightforward dishes and big, satisfying flavours take their cue from British gastronomy.
Learn more about the new Bib Gourmand restaurants.
Special Award Winners
This year, 3 Special Awards have also been presented. These highlight the exceptional dedication and skill of individuals and teams who have particularly impressed the Michelin Inspectors over the past year.
Michelin Young Chef Award: Anika Madsen from Iris (Rosendal, Norway) & Nicky Arentsen from Restaurant Aure (Copenhagen, Denmark)
This year’s Young Chef Award goes to not one, but two, incredible cooks who work at very different restaurants but are both mightily impressive and have also received One Michelin Star this year.
At Iris, Anika Madsen is the captain of a rather idiosyncratic ship, yet manages to make her cooking stand out against the attention-grabbing backdrop of a ‘floating restaurant’. Using seafood produce from Norwegian waters, including unglamorous ingredients like lumpsucker fish, she crafts original dishes that demonstrate great technical precision, strong command of flavours and a healthy dose of ingenuity.
This year’s other winner is Nicky Arentsen, whose brave move to open his own restaurant has paid off in spades. Though he may be young, the chef has worked at some of Denmark’s top restaurants and that experience is evident on the plate. He produces seasonal dishes that highlight superb ingredients, combined in thoughtful, well-balanced ways. Equally adept at handling strong or subtle flavours, he is a chef with great skill and understanding.
Michelin Service Award: The team from LYST (Vejle, Denmark) This award reflects not just Tobias Nilsson's talents, but those of the entire team at LYST. Each and every staff member knows their role inside out and is impeccably well-rehearsed. Together, they deliver outstanding service in every way, ensuring each detail is perfectly in place for things to run as smoothly as possible. They also inject a welcome dose of personality into their work, explaining dishes with enthusiasm and engaging with their diners, as well as pulling off the theatrical aspects of the meal with aplomb.
Michelin Sommelier Award: Damiano Alberti from Enomania (Copenhagen, Denmark)
For the oenophiles and wine industry professionals of Scandinavia, Enomania has become something of a must-visit. That’s down to its Sommelier-Owner Damiano Alberti, who has curated a magnificent list and offers service to match. Hailing from Piedmont, he has been in Denmark for over 30 years, but ensures that northwestern Italy is always well-represented in his cellar, along with a frankly remarkable collection of burgundies that is sure to impress even the most discerning of drinkers. Damiano is always happy to open a bottle for you to taste and emanates passion as he discusses the wines.
Click here for all this year’s additions to The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries.
The restaurants in The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries are joined by the hotel selection, which is available free of charge on The MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection showcases unique destinations both across the Nordics and throughout the world. Every hotel has been chosen by The MICHELIN Guide experts for its extraordinary style, service and personality, and they can all be booked directly via The MICHELIN Guide website and app.
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