Danish restaurant Noma in Copenhagen — widely considered to be the best restaurant in the world — has announced that it will close at the end of next year, The New York Times has reported.
"To continue being Noma, we must change," said a statement published on the restaurant's official website. "Winter 2024 will be the last season of Noma as we know it. We are beginning a new chapter; Noma 3.0."
Noma added that, from 2025, it will transform "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."
Founded by chef René Redzepi in 2003, the restaurant's name derives from the Danish words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food). In 2021, it topped the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants list for a record-breaking fifth time. It is famous for its unorthodox interpretation of traditional Nordic cuisine, which includes dishes involving insects, duck brains, and reindeer penises.
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In the face of significant public criticism, in October Noma — which charges around $500 for its multicourse tasting menu — reversed its previous policy of not paying its interns, thereby adding $50,000 to its monthly costs.
"We have to completely rethink the industry," Redzepi told The New York Times. "This is simply too hard, and we have to work in a different way. Financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn't work."
