Noma

One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had – wasn’t overly ostentatious or overambitious – the food was inventive, the staff was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the money was definitely well spent.
Last month, I was visiting Copenhagen with a handful of friends; on the day we were to leave Denmark, Gin, Noma’s Booking Manager, reached out and asked if I’d still be in town the next day because a reservation had opened up! The obvious decision here was to change my flight, ditch my friends, and extend my stay an extra two days to eat at Noma.
Once our flights were rebooked, there were no regrets, no looking back, and no second-​guessing if we’d be eating here.
On the day of our reservation, upon arrival, it seems as though the entire wait staff, the hostesses, and the chefs were there to greet us. If you weren’t anticipating this much attentiveness (and we weren’t), this part can be a bit overwhelming, though not entirely unwelcome.
Lunch Menu | May 26^th, 2016
1. Rhubarb and seaweed
2. Vegetable Platter: Flatbread & ant paste, pickled quail egg, a black currant berry
3. Radish pie
4. Seasonal herbs and green asparagus with whipped cream
5. Bread and virgin butter
6. Fresh milk curds and the first green garlic shoots
7. Cooked white asparagus with barley and elderberry leaves
8. Sweet lobster, lavender and rose oil
9. Æbleskiver
10. Steamed king crab and egg yolk sauce
11. Charred ramson and scallop paste
12. Turbot grilled on the bone with sweet shrimp
13. Dessert of bitters «Gammel Dansk»
14. Moss cooked in chocolate with egg liqueur
Every dish was absofreakinglutely titillating but my favorite was the Radish Pie. And the Sweet lobster w/​lavender and rose oil. Okay, so two favorites – just try everything you can get your hands on. These dishes were prepped and cooked in such inventive (and delicious) ways and filled with little surprises (the Radish Pie with its wasabi/​seaweed filling, the lobster with the lavender)!
After stuffing our faces for 3.5hrs, it was time to get up and move around. the kitchen. The kitchen tour was so much fun – one of the chefs that prepped your meal will ‘pick you up’ at your table and show you around the prep stations, the gardens, the offices, the employee rest areas.etc. And you can ask them any questions you had/​have during the meal, or just in general. I learned a lot and it made me appreciate Noma even more!
On our way out, we ran into chef/​owner René Redzepi – catching him watering the lawn was an endearing sight – and he took the time to talk to us! He was really friendly and humble.
I’d love to be back again, but who knows when I’ll be in Copenhagen next?

We arrived by cab and were greeted in front of the restaurant by our primary server, by name. He escorted us in, and the owner and head chef, as well as the entire wait staff, was there to greet us by name.
Lunch and dinner are identical 14 course meals, unless they run out of something late in the evening. Everything is grown locally and sustainably produced. They picked the produce for our meal that morning, often after letting it ferment for a year. A bee hive outside our window provides fresh honey.
They have only 12 tables. For those, they have 15 head waiters, 50 chefs, and another 10 – 15 in support.
After a spectacular meal, we were given a tour of the kitchens, BBQ area, fermenting areas, and their business center. The feeling you get is that every employee is passionate about every customer.
They are moving locations at the end of the year, to a farm where they can grow more local food. They also plan to adjust their menu to accommodate the seasons in Scandinavia.
noma met all of our expectations, and then some. It’s hard to get in to (they had a wait list of 200 names the day we went), but worth it.

My 400^th review saved for one of my favorite meals–
Eating at Noma with one of my best friends was definitely the highlight of my trip to Copenhagen. The service, the ambiance and the food was all excellent. It’s not overly pretentious and the food felt fresh, innovative and so damn beautiful. We got to talk to every staff member that brought out a dish and they were from a variety of places from every corner of the world. After the delicious mean we got a 30 minute tour of the kitchen and the fermentation area, the test kitchen ect. and the part of the restaurant that you don’t see takes up 70% of the whole building. They answered endless questions about the fermentation and cooking processes, the food and their recent trip to Japan and everyone was so nice and patient.
It was really an honor to eat here.

Jesus Christ! The staff here are nicer than (just mentioned) Jesus Christ!
The food, yeah good, very good excellent and on point.
But the service here made me moist. Do yo hate that word? You know, that word «moist». Well too fuckin’ bad.
I love love love love love LOVE Noma.

I’m 90 percent sure that the data used on MY phone for a Unilocal checkin cost more than actually dining here. Ending rant of AT and T and mysterious phone goblins.
Noma is highly acclaimed and comes with the loftiest of expectations. Meeting them is near impossible, exceeding them is mind blowing which they easily did.
Noma is not at all pretentious (which I had expected), and offers a culinary vacation that I will not soon (if ever) forget. Not were we served some of the most delicious flavor combinations on the planet, we were also given an education on the art of food.
No words can even come close to tell you just how amazing this restaurant truly is.

This was a once in a lifetime experience that my husband made happen. I went online to try to book a reservation as soon as it opened and it was all booked up. It was booked up even 3 months away. Are you kidding me? I was super super sad. I put us on the waitlist and told them the times we would be in Denmark and that they can call me anytime and we would show up. I was hopeful they would call once the time got closer but still no call when we took off to Copenhagen, Paris, Venice, and then back to Copenhagen. My husband called them from Denmark and started to speak to them in Danish but they only spoke to him in English. Shoots I figured since my husband is Danish from Denmark he would be able to connect and get us a seat. I know shameless but who cares if I can get a table.
It actually paid off to call them. My husband was told that they didn’t have any tables available but could get us a seat on the shared table. My husband asked me if that was ok. OK? OF COURSE!!! we got a seat at NOMA!!!
We were not the first to arrive but were there about ½ an hour early. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by all the folks at the front desk. Some of the servers that were serving other guests, stopped and took the time to greet us and gave a welcoming smile. Wow! We felt like a celebrity or super star. These folks certainly rolled out the red carpet for us and everyone of their guests.
We got to our table there were 3 other couples at our table so we got to meet everyone. Wow! they were from different parts of the world. MIT professor and his wife who is in finance, he did not look older than 30. We met a French chef and his wife who owns a sushi restaurant in Lyon, France. A French guy who is a sushi chef. And the 3^rd couple was a restauranteur who came with her son. She has own restaurants in Germany and now California. The company was amazing. Great conversation with everyone at our table. I would not trade this experience for a private table with just my husband.
I think we had several servers who worked together to bring our food and explain to us the food that was presented to us. I think it was a total of 20 dishes that were brought to our table and was a wonderful 3 hour experience. I didn’t love every dish but enjoyed my time there.
20 dishes sound like a lot but they were small so we were not stuffed when we were done. We felt satisfied. I’m only listing a few of my favorites;
4. clams on a bed of rocks– local clam from Denmark’s ocean that is about 100 years old
6. beef tartar with citrus ants– sweet, sour, and so soft
7. bed of uni with fresh almond shavings– wow far away to find my sea urchin but it was good.
9. charred whole round onions– perfectly charred on the outside but the inside was so deliciously sweet.
15. beef bone marrow– love this, wanted to lick it and throw all manners out the door
It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will not forget. The bill came out to be approximately $ 400 per person. I think this was the cheap version as my husband and I do not drink alcohol and had homemade juices instead.
My husband help me check this off of my bucket list. He did great!

Staff were welcoming and wonderful. You can feel the passion and care in the food. All the plates were works of art. Beautiful, innovative and tasty. The restaurant itself if beautiful and it was a treat that we could see the fireworks on NYE that night. I loved the fermented black garlic leaves with wood ants, the crisped cabbage and samphire, the butternut squash with caviar and my ultimate favorite was the greens in scallop sauce. The desserts were all so amazing and tasty. The thing I loved the most is that I have never eaten anything like this, tasted anything like this or will never have these combinations of ingredients again. Noma was an incredible experience.

It was my dream to come here and an experience I will never forget. Waking up at 2am on a work night with fingers crossed to get that reservation and it was all worth it. Meeting Rene, eating this food that is so beautiful and perfect it’s art, the attention to detail, it was perfect from start to finish and will forever be an amazing memory. I feel very lucky to have experienced this magical place.

Noma live up to their reputation, providing the most entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable meal imaginable. The 21 courses, complete with expertly paired wines throughout, were spectacular and totally unique, and came with an explanation of the ingredients and process from the chefs themselves.
A truly special place, well worth the three month waitlist and astronomical prices.

Noma. The restaurant that revolutionized fine dining and turned it upside down. It’s considered one of the hardest restaurants to get reservations and it’s definitely holds true. Trust me. I waited online until 4 AM PST in the morning until I got my reservations. I had to be at work in 4 hours but I didn’t give a f*ck. This was one bucket list item that no one could stop me from achieving and the only reason I went to Copenhagen. I didn’t get just one set of reservations but TWO sets of reservations. No lie. I know. I’m pretty bad a$$. Noma’s accolades:
1) 2 Michelin star in 2014
2) 2 Michelin star in 2015
3) #1 on the San Pellegrino 2014 World’s Best Restaurants
4) #3 on the San Pellegrino 2015 World’s Best Restaurants
The service was a lot better than a few of the 3 star Michelin restaurants I’ve dined at. You are greeted by the whole kitchen staff when you enter the restaurant. The wait staff all spoke English and did a fantastic job in explaining the dishes. They went into great detail of each dish, the origin and how it was prepared. Now, the food. Noma only serves a tasting menu and a lot of their dishes are fermented. I’m talking about 3 – 4 years of fermentation so that means 3 – 4 years of rotting in a container with mold and bacteria growing on it.
Overall, I would have to say Noma ranks in my top 7 dining experiences of all time. The way they think of food and how to prepare food was amazing. It’s definitely one of the most creative and innovative dining experiences I’ve had in my life. There was other restaurants that did a wonderful job with presentation like Alinea but Noma definitely takes creativity and innovation to another level.
Noma is one of those restaurants where I could be totally pretentious and an a$$ about cause I can say «Oh that restaurant? That’s cute, son!» Noma is definitely my foodie trump card.
US 2015 Michelin 3 Stars Count: 12 Down. 0 More.
2015 Michelin Rated Restaurant Count: 43
San Pellegrino 2014 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 30
San Pellegrino 2015 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 33

I enjoy flying around the world for dinner. So, i’m a big fan getting challenging dinner reservations, then making the trip happen around it. At three months, this is the furthest out i’ve had to book. At 4am (my time)/10am (Copenhagen time), I logged into Noma’s website. I was 550^th in line. It took a little patience during the 45 minute wait, but I was easily able to secure a time/​date once my turn arrived.
The day of, we ran around Copenhagen, boating, eating, drinking, and exploring the anarcho freetown –within the town– Christiania. As our reservation time drew near, we made the short walk over to Noma in Christianshavn. Upon arrival, our party of eight were greeted by almost the entire staff, all lined up at the entryway. They greeted us by name, shook our hands, and guided us to our table/​dining room.
The service was absolute perfection. With no sense of stuffiness, or what I call the «John Hughes Effect» of mythic ‘80s fine dining pretentiousness. Everyone was down-​to-​earth, and very professional. There’s a staff member in charge of each table. They anticipate needs, making everyone comfortable, while explaining each plate as they’re served.
Anyone needing to visit the restroom, is escorted by a staff member. Casual conversation follows while en route. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it was comfortable at all times.
I won’t exhaustively describe the food. All eighteen or so, courses. Rather, i’ll let the pictures tell the story. There’s just too much unique and ridiculous deliciousness to adequately articulate, without sounding like a overly long-​winded, silly, run-​on sentence loving, son of a bitch.
Our dinner lasted about three hours, followed by Coffee & Aquavit in the bar for an hour, then a full tour of the facility. Including the kitchen proper, the fermentation labs, and test kitchen, ending with the prep area. To start each day, the interns (which match the number of paid employees), prepare a meal for the entire staff. This kind of trial by fire should ensure that a chef’s ego from a life previous to Noma, is nullified.
All told, this is probably the best five hours of dining one could ever spend. It’s been called the best restaurant in the world, and you’ll hear no objection from me. I do think it’s silly that it’s only 2 Michelin starred. It really doesn’t get better than this.
Noma is also very mobile. In early 2015, they packed up the staff and moved to Japan for a couple of months, only utilizing foods found in the new locale. They ran into several challenges with procuring Japanese work visas for the entire staff, but were ultimately victorious. The next move will occur in early 2016, taking them to Australia for approximately 10 weeks.
A new offshoot of Noma, a pop up restaurant in Copenhagen called 108, will be opening in 2016. Featuring a much lower price point, and actual walk-​in availability.
Additionally, Noma will be permanently moving to a new building in 2017, which will include a farm and a full-​time farmer.
Exciting things to come, for sure.

Somehow got the hookups for a NOMA rezzie during my time here in Copenhagen and was beyond excited to dine at the worlds best. Upon arrival, we were the first guests and the entire kitchen crew of over 20 greeted us at the door welcoming us and taking our jackets. If you ever get the chance to eat here I suggest being the first to arrive — the special greeting was quite the treat and set the mood. The food is on a set 18 course menu with wine pairings and I opted for the vegetarian substitutions but went ahead and ate the Danish ants seasoning a few of the courses.
All of the courses were deceptively simple but really brought some unique and exquisite flavors. During the meal we were served by almost all of the chefs from various parts of the world so it was great to interact with them all when they presented their dish. The service was obviously top notch, almost no glitches and it really set apart the meal as the best dining experience of my life. I love food but I’m not a professional food critique and let’s be real I would have to be pretty douchey to give this place anything but 5 stars.
The experience in total was about 4 hours by the time we had tea in the lounge and received a tour of the kitchens and experiment rooms (so cool!!). Can’t say if I’ll ever be lucky enough to return but definitely a night I will never forget.

There is a reason why Noma is crowned the best restaurant in the world. I don’t think words or photos can do it justice. You have to visit Noma to experience their food and understand their concept. A lot of people criticize it for just being a hype and not worthy of the price, but these guys put in months of effort to create the menu you are tasting and specialized staff sourcing the ingredients and experimenting with food. If you do not appreciate gastronomy then don’t visit Noma.
Like most people, I think the food was extraordinary and the staff were an awesome crew from all over the world. The service was around 4 hours and we get a kitchen tour at the end. It was definitely worth the time and the price and I wish the crew best of luck in Australia in 2016!

Noma was an experience of a lifetime. It differs from all of the other highly regarded Michelin Star restaurants I have visited. The cuisine was extremely unique and the ambiance and service could not be beat. Being greeted as you walked into Noma by many Chefs and Rene was original and made you feel special, especially after coming all the way from Boston and waiting many anxious months to receive a reservation confirmation.
Our seats were lined with some a fur shawl which gave it such the Nordic feel. Our utensils were made of wood and one dish was served with a tree branch as a fork. We started the lunch pairing with a glass of champagne and a berry soup. The soup was a huge indicator of what the meal would be like: fresh, light, local and foraged ingredients. The light and fresh feel should not be mistaken with flavorless or unimpressive taste. I would compare the pumpkin, rose and caviar dish to the same flavor intensity and satisfaction as freshly seared foie gras.
Other highlighted dishes would be the lobster and nasturtium. Being a native New Englander, I know my lobster, these were smaller which gave them a more tender and succulent taste. The sweet shrimps wrapped in nasturtium was a beautiful dish. The shrimp were delicate yet so flavorful. The nasturtium being used quite frequently is a great experience and very different from what you get in the states.
The tour after our lunch was quite the educational, eye-​opening and special experience. They took time to show us all the fermenting and aging rooms (in shipping containers?); offices and grilling stations; and of course all the sciencey liquid nitrogen (I tried frozen bee larva) and horticulture set-​ups.
I am excited to visit again when Chef Redzepi finishes his new project in Christiania.

AHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh!
My most anticipated reservation ever. I was so excited on the way, my heart was pounding!
The welcome was one of the most overwhelmingly, fantastic things about the meal. It was amazing!
The restaurant space is rustic and refreshing. Woods and homey. I will say that towards the end of the meal, it was stuffy in the restaurant. Being an American that is used to high pumping AC, I was not used to that.
The food
Apples and lemon Thyme-​Fantastic. I thought… wow, this is going to be an amazing meal. It was light, crisp and refreshing with so many notes
Bread and butter-​again fantastic and made there. YUM
Cabbage leaves and white currants-​fantastic light dish, everything worked except the plating. I found it difficult to eat in the bowl and I couldnt get all the soupy liquid with every bite
Green Shoots-​this was an aesthetically visual dish with a great taste to boot. The flavor in the greens was fantastic. The smokey taste was fantastic for me and unexpected.
Fresh milk curd, greens and samphire-​this dish didnt have much flavor for me. It was missing something
Grilled onion-​I was expecting more from this little dish. I again was missing flavor
Grilled corn with egg yolk-​just tasted like baby corn. it was good, but I wanted more
Danish potatoes were excellent with a horseradish sauce
Squid and kelp was fantastic
Sea urchin and hazelnut-​the food was great. I love uni BUT the texture of this dish was a little much for me
Monkfish liver-​FANTASTIC, but fishy… if you dont like fish, you wont like this dish
Pumpkin, beechnuts and barley-​lot of flavors on a simple presentation
Vegetable flower-​this was interesting… like a high end fruit roll up with a little hint of salt… but it was good.
Roasted wild duck-​FANTASTIC presentation and flavor… they brought it out twice. Great idea :)
Berries and greens-​berries had a hint of salt… but it was welcomed. The greens were interestingly pickled
Gammel Dansk dessert was light, airy, delicious.
Chocolate forest flavors-​YUM! Chocolate covered moss was great.
The service was impeccable.
Overall, I found the food interesting. Lots of Japanese inspired flavors mixed with lots of greens. I didnt love the food to be honest, but it was definitely worth it to go and see.

Noma fully embraces its status as not just one of the best restaurants in the world, but as without a doubt the best culinary experience ever.
The food was amazing. However depending on your taste there may be one or two dishes that offend your palate or your textural sensibilities. The presentation and thoughtfulness that go into the dishes is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. The ingredients, as you know are seasonal and hyper local, are very carefully arranged to ensure that each one has a chance to shine.
We really enjoyed the personal service, being able to get to know everyone who came to our table, where they were from, and why they were there. The only thing more interesting than the food are the people preparing it and serving it to you. We also appreciated that they gave us a full blown tour (at our request) and plied us with many, many drinks in the lounge after dinner.
Yes it is expensive. So save up for it. This is not a place to have dinner on a whim. And the roughly 5 hours we spent there were more than worth the price of admission.
On a final note. Summer eggnog. It was one of the most unexpected dishes and easily one of the best things I’ve ever drank. Seriously magical.

Really unique meal. Highly recommend.
We arrived as a group of 7 for dinner, and we were greeted by what seemed like the entire staff, which was a bit overwhelming but quite entertaining and charming. We were seated at a table in one of the back corners which was probably meant for larger parties like ours, and it lent to a nice feeling of having your own quiet area but yet still part of the main dining area.
All the dishes we had were quite unique, the particularly memorable ones for me being the bone marrow (one of the best bone marrow dishes I’ve ever had), a dish with ant paste that had an interesting texture and spice, and the frozen monkfish liver. I guess in general, I would have preferred a little more meat as part of my meal, but everything was unique and extremely interesting. The meal was very memorable, and while you pay up for the experience, it’s definitely an enjoyable one that you won’t have elsewhere.

The food at Noma is inventive Nordic cuisine. I was extremely impressed with the use of the ingredients that were local, foraged, and inspired. The Noma team recently returned from Japan and used ingredients sourced during their trip and incorporated it into the menu. Each plate was inspired and imaginative.
I can’t say that Noma was the most delicious meal/​experience but it was impressive. The service was top-​notch. We were given a tour of the kitchen and the rest of their facility where they brainstorm and test new menu items.
It was a great and memorable experience.

Do you really need my review of its food? If you want to live without regrets, come here at least once in your lifetime.
Coming to Noma is an experience that will help you to become a better person — you will learn how to treat customers right, how to treat staff right, and how to treat the environment right.
Rene contributes so much to the culinary industry, and he helps so many good chefs to become great chefs.

Everything you expect — top notch service, innovative new-​Nordic cuisine, and relaxed but upscale atmosphere. I’m just going to ignore price since you can’t go to the «best restaurant in the world» which is 2 star Michelin and expect some terrific bargain, but let’s just say this place isn’t cheap but never feels cheap either.
The menu we had ranged had some beautiful greens, unlike anything we’ve ever had and prepared in a very different way. Nothing was conventional. Even the lobster was done beautifully different with a dish made of lobster stock but in a very clear broth basically. There was an amazing bone marrow entrée (I’ve only ever seen it as an appetizer).
They also did a good job with the juice pairing and it’s cool to do 1 wine, 1 juice pairing.
The staff comes from all around the world and are all just amazing at service — tempo, friendliness, and helpfulness (and generous pouring).
Certainly an experience worth trying at least once.

There were many chances but stupidly I didn’t even try to get a reservation here until recently because I didn’t want to eat ants. I’d like to think of myself as an adventurous eater, but I draw the line at insects. Why? I don’t even have a good reason, I just think they’re gross. However, René and his team know what they’re doing (believe it or not, one of the best restaurants in the world has a hold on things) and you should trust that this dining experience will probably be one of the best in your life. So I finally stopped being a weenie and went for it.
We were met at the entrance by quite a few of the chefs who cheerfully greeted us even though I’m sure they were already exhausted from prep. This level of service was kept up until the end of our meal, no, until we left the restaurant. Although the restaurant was full, our host was there to refresh our drinks and explain (or re-​explain) dishes to us throughout. If she wasn’t around, one of her colleagues would be ready to check on us even before we looked up from our plates. Not everyone was smiley but all were efficient and polite; you don’t have to fake a smile to do a good job. It is definitely not an uptight place; the vibe is very relaxed and our host didn’t look down on me when I sheepishly asked for a beer menu instead of wine. Of course we got to see René Redzepi and he seemed very down to earth, even taking the time to have a few words with us. After the meal, a tour of the kitchen was offered. Why would you turn that down? Chef Luke took us around and described their processes, showed us the fermentation closets, the Weber grill (yeah!), and answered our questions. When we came back to the dining area, my bag was thoughtfully put away in the wardrobe and the bill was ready for us.
Ok, enough about that, what about the food?! Obviously the bread and butter were perfect; crispy crust and chewy crumb with well-​seasoned whipper butter. I tried not to say yes when a host asked if we wanted more bread but the heart wants what it wants. The first dish (fresh berries with lemon thyme) was actually not. that. interesting. It wasn’t bad at all, just not what I expected to be at noma’s level. It tasted like berries in salad dressing and looked a bit like pondwater with the leaves and submerged berries. I guess the first three or so dishes are appetizers that are usually more experimental than the rest of the menu. Luckily after the first dish, the bar kept being raised again and again with each plate. But a word of warning to you who plan to eat here: keep an open mind and don’t expect meat! We did get some seafood dishes but the only ‘meat’ came in the form of perfectly prepared bone marrow. Which I ate with great relish and of course I wiped the bone with bread to get every drop of goodness.
Inspiration from their time in Japan could definitely be seen and tasted in several dishes, such as the sweet peas with milk curd (prepared as tofu) and kelp. One of my favourite dishes was sweet raw shrimp sealed between two nasturtium leaves to form a sort of ravioli. Another dish looked very unassuming, a single slice of pumpkin with rose petals in what seemed to be milk (it was intensely flavoured barley butter). But the flavours in that and the rest of the meal are so new and bold and the textures are so well done. Everything was served with wooden utensils, which I really appreciated, or we were expected to eat with our hands, which I love. We were served a plate painted with scallop marinade and dotted with «green shoots of the season,» which I savoured with my hands and of course ended up licking my fingers and wiping up the rest of the scallop «fudge» with the lovely bread like a barbarian again. What can I say; I’m not classy and things taste better when eaten with your hands. Eventually, my dreaded ants showed themselves under a «leaf» of black garlic dried into a sheet with the consistency of a fruit roll-​up and folded beautifully. Thankfully the ants were crushed and out of sight, but they tasted a bit like lightning! Zesty stuff. I definitely wouldn’t mind eating ants again. (;
It feels somewhat pointless to describe more dishes here since you will probably not experience the same ones due to the ever-​evolving menu. Just expect that you will be treated to an inventive, delicious, labor-​intensive meal with perfect service that you won’t soon forget.
Update: Woohoo, I’ve nabbed noma’s 100^th review! (:

I always try to save something special for my even 100s reviews so for number 600 I went for Noma. I have had the privilige of dining at Noma twice and of course it is an experience. The mist recent time I was lucky enough to not have to go through any of the hassle of trying to find reservations as one of my lovely friends A. was kind enough to offer me a seat when he secured a reservation. I was debating a lot with myself whether they deserve a five star review or not but in the end I feel they do deserve five stars. That does not mean it is the best place I ever been to, actually they probably would not even make my top 10 list.
The really stand-​out part of the experience was the service, from the welcome (a large part of the staff welcoming us, they knowing we had visited before), throughout the dinner, the offer to walk around the full restaurant after the meal as well as the sommelier taking a lot of time to answer our questions in the bar afterwards was just stellar.
The food was innovative and a lot of surprising combinations. The full menu is very extensive and not all dishes were perfect but there were no poor dishes (a few less memorable) but a lot of great dishes. Among the favorites was the onion, the scallop as well as the lemon thyme and leaves. A word of warning though, if you are after traditional fine food (foie gras, meat and heavier dishes) this is not the place for you.
The wine pairing is in my view well worth getting, it is perhaps not cheap but the meal itself isn’t either and I felt that there were some interesting wines and we also went for champagne before. Generous refills so we ended up a bit tipsy and interesting enough we also received additional complimentary refills after the tour of the restaurant when seated at the bar. The wines are carefully selected and go nicely with the food. A lot of ecological and biodynamic wines but above all good wines. What Noma have also done is to focus on the coffee and they have worked together with coffee great Tim Wendelboe so for once it was possible to have good coffee to end a nice meal.
Would I come again? Perhaps but not too soon, it was a few years between my visits and I don’t think I will feel a need to visit again for a while but will probably be back at one point.

Dined June, 2015
It all started at 4am on a Wednesday… Four laptops, two cellphones and an Ipad, all logged on and waiting in the que to see if we could get tickets to Noma. We already planned our trip to Europe, going to London and Barcelona, where we would be visiting the Ledbury and El Celler de Can Roca. I was greedy. I wanted Noma. I wanted to add it to my trip more than anything. As the screens all gave me ticket numbers at once, I glanced around — feeling my hurt flutter when seeing numbers in the 2,000s and 3,000s. Ah, but wait, alas! 958!!! Hopefully this would seal my fate… And it did. After waiting two more months from the reservation date, the eve of our reservation was finally upon us.
Our last night in Copenhagen and the city had already won our hearts. Everyone would ask why you are here and almost give a shocked look and response when you informed them you actually had reservations at Noma. We got dropped out front by our Über driver (us Americans) and walked up to one of the most photographed restaurant fronts in the world. We took our touristy picture and were greeted by a waiter.
As we walked in, the entire staff was there to greet us. They knew who we were without asking and escorted us to our table. From this moment on, we were in a different world. We had dined at Eleven Madison Park in December and truly felt no one could beat the service they gave us that night. Noma though, was beyond. It wasn’t stuffy, white linens with them scurrying to pick up the crumbs you dropped on the table type service — it was friendly, kind, attentive, personable. Like you knew them, like they knew you, like they were happy to see you again because it had been ages. We started with some champagne to go with the little bites that started the meal. We were worried about the wine pairings as many others have mentioned they were not palatable since they are younger, organic or biodynamic wines. We loved every single wine and I highly recommend getting them. Do not let anyone dismay you. (If you weren’t keen on one anyways, they would, Im sure, replace it with something you liked right away).
As we sipped our champagne, we received different little bits. All were fabulous. They come quick, but not so quick that they walk over each other. This restaurant anticipates more than any other I have been to — more than the three Michelins we have been to — where you are at in your meal and what you need. We tend to take our time, we take our pictures, discuss what we are eating, look at it and just take in the moment. We like to sip our wine, relax and make the evening an entire event. They saw that and would watch to fire the next course at just the perfect time. If we were low on a drink, they would refill it with just enough to get us through the course it was paired with. Bread and virgin butter? Limitless. You may not even want more or ask for it, but they notice and bring it.
When looking at Noma before I went I was apprehensive that I wouldn’t like some of the food. I was worried that since they didn’t really serve a lot of meat that my omnivore husband wouldn’t be pleased or we would walk away feeling like our pockets just stabbed us in the back. I was completely wrong on both. I never even noticed that there was not a lot of meat or protein. Every dish was so unique that you were almost mesmerized with what was going on in your mouth. Every dish was something new — a new flavor, texture or ingredient that you have never experienced before. Of the 21 dishes we had, I only wasn’t a fan of 1 — the little crustacean broth that was served. Otherwise every dish was very good and many were unforgettable and amazing.
Chocolate covered moss and eggnog– wow! Roasted bone marrow with cabbage leaves that you make into tacos — Oh my, please give me more. The first shoots of spring with scallop paste at the bottom — what the heck this is great!
I will not go over every dish in detail, because it will change with the seasons and times, as it should. All you need to know is this is an experience. An investment. An investment into a memory that will last with you a lifetime. Go, don’t make restrictions. Get the wine. Let them just serve you what they do best. Be part of the simple, elegant masterpiece that is the best restaurant in the world.
Noma will forever be in my heart and memories as the most wonderful meal and evening.

I don’t want to be a hater, but the food at Noma is not the best I’ve ever had. I view it as a sort of food theater, where the dishes are supposed to challenge your preconceptions about what can be eaten and how it can be combined.
The ups:
— The warm welcome at the door: both fun and awkward, so I loved it.
— Dish of the night: an assortment of raw and charred flowers, shoots and leaves in scallop sauce. Every bite tasted like a delicious steak. It’s hard to explain, but that is the truth.
— The wine pairing: this is not your usual Pinot Noir pairing, so be prepared for exotic wines and tastes. Also, be prepared to get really drunk, there is a lot of wine.
— The crew is SO enthusiastic and knowledgable about what they do and you are welcome to ask any questions you might have.
— A waiter actually took me all the way to the toilet, including opening the door. How sweet is that?
The downs:
— Five or so easily forgettable, bland dishes.
— The worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth happened to be at Noma: The crew just came back from a stay in Japan and obviously the menu was inspired by the flavors, which I usually am a big fan of. The dessert was deep fried moss sprayed with chocolate (yes, please!). On top of it was the abomination: a chocolate filled with either chrysanthemum juice or fish sauce, I am still not sure. Everyone absolutely loathed it. You could just see the facial expressions turning from «I am so happy tonight» to «Oh my god, can I please spit this out, even though this is such a fancy restaurant…».
I would recommend anyone going here for the experience, but please lower your expectations about the deliciousness of the food! With so many dishes served (20+) there are bound to be some stinkers and so&sos. I am expecting a high level of consistency from the world’s best restaurant and we unfortunately did not get it this time around.

What East Bay kid dined at NOMA? Me! I am by no means a foodie but having a business in the food world, you do get curious on what it means to have the #1 restaurant in the world. What makes NOMA so special? Is it the plants and ants, the über hipster but humble staff, or the legend in the making owner/​chef? I would say all three of the aforementioned facts make NOMA quite unique, and special.
I don’t want to go over every dish we ate, but it would be suffice to say eating at NOMA is an experience that should not be missed. The food is a fresh take on Nordic cuisine, and the whole experience of eating at NOMA turns «fine» dining on its head.
Honestly, I am still processing all the different flavors/​textures that my palette has never encountered, and I am also still remembering the seamless service coupled with the intuitive connection the staff has with you. Much thanks to the staff for being so generous in giving us an awesome tour of the restaurant. Thank you to Rene Redzepi for taking time to talk to us, and for making us feel like VIP’s.
So NOMA is not only about the 20 course menu that challenges, and liberates your palette, but its about a food movement that I can relate to. Rene Redzepi is our generation’s Alice Waters. He is humble, talented, and curious. NOMA’s food, and service is a direct reflection of these qualities.
So yes, I highly recommend NOMA for the exquisite Nordic cuisine, and for the meaningful intuitive service. Along with NOMA, you have to try all the restaurants that are offshoots of former NOMA staff who Rene groomed, and still supports.

It’s rare that I find myself at a loss of words in a review, but that’s where I am trying to figure out where to start this review of Noma. Let’s start with expectations… when you’re eating at the «Best Restaurant in the World» they’re high. Let’s just say Noma surpassed everything I could have expected in terms of taste, presentation, and service.
The FOOD: I could write up a review of all 21 courses we ate, but that would just be overwhelming. Instead I’ll highlight a few courses, 3 apps, 1 main, and a dessert and post the photos of them.
–Fresh berries and lemon thyme: The first dish which sounds rather simple was utterly divine. Fresh berries in a slightly sweet and savory herbal sauce were incredibly refreshing. What especially stood out was the grilled lemon thyme leaves sprinkled throughout the dish. We knew we were off to a good start.
–Beef tartar with ants: I knew this dish was coming, and I expected it to be a gimmick. The whole reason they serve it is that beef tartar needs some acid and there’s no citrus that grows natively in Scandinavia… that’s where the ants come in with their formic acid. Completely in opposition to what the reasoning side of my brain was telling me, I absolutely loved the ants. They were these little bursts of intense flavor. We all decided that if people could get past the idea of eating ants that this would be the world’s favorite snack food.
–Burnt onion and walnuts: A large spring onion is grilled at very high heat until the outside is charred. Inside includes a stunning walnut oil drizzled over the onion… of course completely house made.
–Squid and fennel: First off, this is served in a stunning bowl made completely of ice. Beautifully pure fresh, raw squid is served with fennel in a delightfully complex broth.
–Rhubarb crème fraiche and sorrel: Doesn’t that sound simple? Nope! The rhubarb is crafted in a process that takes 8 – 10 minutes per portion into a beautiful rose. The flavors are both beautifully pure and perfectly meld. By the way, the presentation throughout the entire meal was absolutely flawless.
I loved the crazy dishes from Æbleskiver that incorporated a grasshopper glaze to peas and radishes in which the peas tasted more «pea-​like» than I could have ever imagined a pea tasting. One or two dishes weren’t exactly to my palate… the frozen cod liver did little for me and I didn’t love the cooking of a potato in one dish; however, others found them delightful. When you’re pushing the edge, you might not love everything.
The SERVICE: Absolutely flawless. The perfect balance of attention with a casual delivery. Everyone knew everything about the food and much of the food was delivered by the chefs that actually had just cooked it. Our primary server was this awesome Austrian woman… we would have taken her with us if we had our own restaurant. The pacing was relatively fast for the first 11 «tastes» as they put it and then much more slow paced for the main courses. An Australian guy, who I presume was the sommelier knew his stuff.
Speaking of the WINES… we went with the expensive, but oh-​so-​worth-​it wine pairing. Every wine except for the last dessert rose pairing was white… most from lesser known producers in the Savoie, the Loire, and Austria. Many of these fascinating wines had a spontaneous fermentation which led to an interesting complexity… sometimes with the slight sourness and brett flavor one finds in Belgian beers. The wine pairing really made the meal. Pours were generous and refills happened for favorites. The pregnant member of our group did the JUICE pairing. We loved the spruce tips and apple juice, but I personally didn’t find the juice pairing worth the cost.
The ATMOSPHERE is incredible. We were genuinely warmly welcomed by something like 15 of the staff as we walked in. The beautiful dark wood table was warm and inviting with a view of the canal. My seat had a lambskin on it… very luxe.
After dinner we were taken on a very cool tour of the kitchen… well 3 or 4 kitchens actually. Something like 60 chefs were involved in preparing the food. I really enjoyed meeting the Ph. D chemist who’s heading their new fermentation lab. The test kitchen looks fun… especially the white board with all the ideas they’re throwing around for new dishes.
OVERALL, if you can score a reservation Noma is absolutely worth it. Once you experience the Copenhagen prices for everything else (basically double North American prices), it’s not even all that outrageous. All four of us left incredibly satisfied, full, and ready to make our friends jealous with the photos of our crazy culinary experience.

Waren diesen Sommer dort: toll, ganz toll. Sauteuer natürlich auch, vor allem, weil man, wenn man schon mal da ist, sich nicht lumpen lassen sollte und zum Essen gleich die Weinbegleitung nehmen. Eine umwerfende Erfahrung, wenn sich ein eigenständiges Gericht mit einem ziemlich ruppigen Naturwein zu einem ganz neuen, großartigen Akkord vermählt! Zurück in der Heimat braucht man allerdings starke Nerven: 800 Euro waren nach dem Abend vom Konto runter. Nicht für sechs Personen und nicht für vier. Für zwei. Trotzdem: Wem es gelingt, einen Tisch zu ergattern, der sollte unbedingt hin!

Isst man in Dänemark im besten Restaurant der Welt?

Das Noma setzt auf das beste der nordischen Küche und der Name verpflichtet in diesem
Kulinarischen Fall tatsächlich, Noma ist die Kurzform des dänischen «nordisk mad», zu Deutsch: nordische Gerichte.
Die Jury des britischen «Restaurant Magazin» kürte das Kopenhagener Noma 2010 in London zum Besten seiner Art.
Auch dieses Restaurant hat seinen Erfolg vor allem einen Fernsehkoch, nämlich dem dänischen Fernsehkoch Claus Meyer und seinen vierzig Mitarbeitern zu verdanken.
Bei den Rezepten wird hier vor allen auf lokale und regionale Zutaten gesetzt. Besonders alte Originalrezepte werden den aktuellen Trends angepasst und nach internationalen Maßstäben verfeinert.
So einfach anlässlich eines Dänemarkbesuchs mal eben schnell in das Norma nach Kopenhagen geht gar nicht. Ihr werdet leider keinen Tisch bekommen– es sei denn ihr habt bereits Monate vorher nach Mitternacht im Internett reserviert.
Der heutige, 32-​jährige Noma-​Chef René Redzepi, hat auch seinen Mitarbeitern durchaus vermittelt, dass sie großen Anteil an den Auszeichnungen haben.
Bereits im Vorjahr belegte das Noma bereits Platz drei bevor es nun an der Spitze der jährlich prämierten «World s 50 Best Restaurants» gelangte. (
.)
Mit eigenen Erfahrungen kann ich hier leider nicht aufwarten, aber einige Freunde waren dort und lobten die Küche in höchsten Tönen.

Mir fehlen die Worte, war im Frühjahr dort. Also mehr geht nicht .Ein einmaliges Erlebnis für den Geschmack!!!
Reservierung erforderlich

Einen Tisch zu bekommen ist in der heutigen Zeit nicht so einfach, aber es hat dann doch geklappt. Ich bin sehr froh das ein mal erlebt zu haben hier essen zu dürfen. Die Ideen und die Umsetzung waren überagend. Aber auch nicht alles fand ich gut, die lebenden Garnelen habe ich zwar gegessen (da ich mir sicher war das sich das Küchenteam etwas dabei gedacht hat, vieleicht lachen die sich aber auch nur über jeden Gast kaputt der die in den Mund schiebt) Einige Gerichte waren ausgezeichnet und einfach perfekt dargeboten, andere wiederum waren etwas fragwürdig, wie z.B. die gestockte Milch mit Beeren, oder die Garnele. Rundum ein spannender Tag der mir sehr viel freude bereitet hat und meinen Horizont sehr erweitert hat. Ein tolles Konzept was in allen Bereichen sehr stimmig funktioniert.

War im Dezember 2011 dort, zum heulen, vor allem Die Art und Weise des Drumherums. Redzepi ist eben nicht nur ein Meister seiner Küchen, sonder vor allem ein begnadeter Manager mit Konzeptionellen Fähigeiten.
Was hier passiert ist absolut eigenständig und authentisch, und kein Abklatsch von Bulli und co. Ich habe in noch keinem anderen Restaurant so ein tolles Gesamterlebnis gehabt, und so lang sich das nicht ändert sage auch ich: Bestes Restaurant der Welt.

Ahhhh Noma, Noma, Noma, Noma…
Un sacré périple cette histoire.
Bön pour vous situer un peu le truc, ce restaurant n’est pas moins que le meilleur du monde pour la 3e année consécutive. Hey ouais coco ! Bön alors pour faire taire les sceptiques, il s’agit avant tout d’un classement qui dénote d’une tendance établie par des «jurés» de chefs, journalistes et autres grosses têtes de la gastronomie. Décrié ou adulé, toujours est-​il qu’il fait la pluie et le beau temps sur un restaurant.
Pour vous situer encore un peu plus le truc, je suis du genre accro à la bouffe. Faire des km pour un resto né me fait pas peur. Alors ce n’est pas un a/​r à Copenhague qui allait me décourager.
Le problème c’est que Noma, tu n’y vas pas comme ça ! Bah ouais ! Les résas c’est juste du délire. Je né me souviens plus du nombre mais je crois que les jours où ils ouvrent les résas y’a genre 10 000 – 20 000 appels/​jour (ouais un chiffre délirant). Les gens viennent du monde entier, juste pour… manger !
Pourquoi un tel buzz? Parce que le René (le chef) c’est un espèce d’allumé des fourneaux qui propose des trucs un peu guedins. Et puis c’est aussi parce que les pays Nordiques n’ont pas une culture culinaire «ancestrale» comme peuvent l’avoir les pays latins. Ils se sont donc fait leur petit terroir eux mêmes les Danois !
Bref, nous voilà donc (des amis et moi) avec une lubie en tête: aller à Noma.
1er os: impossible d’avoir une résa. Après moult tentatives, les échecs sont tous aussi cuisant les uns que les autres. 2è os: pas de 2è os en fait: p
Et puiiiiis, le destin a décidé de nous faire une fleur et avec un coup de piston, nous décrochons la fameuse réservation.
Hopla c’est partiiiiiii. Je vous passé sur l’excitation générale à l’idée de se rendre là-​bas. (pour des accros de bouffe c’est un vrai pèlerinage)
Entrons dans le vif du sujet. 3 étoiles… oui 3 étoiles «pas mal» ! La chose est délicate… J’ai toujours du mal à me faire une idée sur cette expérience. Car aller manger là-​bas c’est avant tout une expérience.
Difficile de dire que je n’ai pas aimé. Nous avons été reçus comme des pachas, visite des cuisines par le chef himself, nous avons assisté à des dégustations privées avec toute la brigade… Bref, compliqué de faire la fine bouche.
Niveau cuisine, ça serait trop long de vous donner tous les détails mais tout est TRES scénarisé. Pas de nappe, service décontracté. Les cuisiniers viennent apporter leurs plats avec leurs bras tous tatoués. Assez inhabituel !
Dans l’assiette on vous envoie un festival de bouchées portion «tapas»: le bouquet sur la table se mange, crevettes vivantes (à manger… vivantes), oeuf sur le plat à faire cuire soi-​même, carotte pourrie et j’en passé.
J’ai même une amie qui a mangé des fourmis.
Donc bon c’est fun, ce n’est pas mauvais mais de là à dire que c’est bon et gourmand… Non :(
Toujours est-​il que j’en garde un fabuleux souvenir, ça reste une «chance» d’être allée là-​bas. Une vraie belle expérience !

Spannend, locker und gutob es die No. Uno weltweit ist, wage ich zu bezweifeln Das El Bulli war sicherlich komplexer und wesentlich abwechlungsreicher. Hier überwogen leichte Gerichte, alle mit Kräutern wunderschön angerichtetleichte Wiederholungen, so dass das Hauptgericht eher wie ein Zusammenfassung der vorherigen Gänge wirkte. Wie ich den Gag mit den lebend zu essenden Garnelen bewerten möchte, weiss ich heute noch nicht so recht. Die quiekende Blondine am Nachbarstisch, als das Kleintier in der Hand zuckte, wird mir eher im Hirn bleiben, als der eigene, vermeintlich mutige, Biss in meine diesbezügliche Probantengarnele die Idee, dass die Köche die Gänge selber servieren und erklären, finde ich schlussendlich sehr gutzumal die zahllosen Jungs und wenigen Mädels unisono einfach klasse drauf waren gerne wieder Rene