Predictions: Michelin Guide Nordic 2022 Who Will Get Stars in Scandinavia?

The new edition of the Nordic Michelin guide will be released on Monday, July 4th, 2022. Stars and special awards will be handed out to the top restaurants in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and the Faroe Islands. Currently, there are a total of 208 restaurants featured in the Nordic guide, with 27 starred restaurants in Denmark, 19 starred restaurants in Sweden, 11 starred restaurants in Norway, 7 starred restaurants in Finland, and 1 starred restaurant in Iceland. Due to the pandemic, last year’s edition of the guide was revealed in a digital event – did you see us surprise Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen with the news about their second star? This year marks the first in-person ceremony since 2020, and the festivities will take place in Stavanger, Norway. Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guide, will present the new Nordic star restaurants from the Stavanger Concert Hall. The event will also be live-streamed from Michelin’s YouTube channel beginning at 18:00 CEST.

Of course, we will be present at the ceremony, so follow us on Instagram (@carnivorr and @andershusa) for a behind-the-scenes look at the festivities. If you want to hear our live updates from the concert hall with all the last-minute rumors, industry secrets, and insights, be sure to join The Hungries! Like last year, we will be having a virtual watch party together and discussing all things Michelin on the forum. #TheHungriesKnowFirst

Predictions: Michelin Guide Nordic 2022

This year, Michelin began revealing some of the new additions to the guide in advance of the official star revelation. They began dropping some clues in a series of blog posts on their website, which they have called “Live Additions.” These blog posts highlight “some of the Michelin Inspectors’ favourite new additions” to the Nordic Guide. After reading these four blog posts, we know that the following restaurants have been added to the guide with no distinctions – yet. Denmark: ARO, Bjørnekælderen, Connection by Alan Bates, Jatak, Lieffroy, Molen, MOTA, Plin, ROKS, Villa Vest. Sweden: Boo Natur, Brasserie Astoria, Nour, Human, Knystaforsen, Koizen, Oxenstiernan, Ruths, Villa Dagmar, vRÅ. Norway: Avalon, Boen Gård, Code, Hyde, Jossa Mat & Drikke, Moon, Sabi Enso, Villa Heftye, Xef. Finland: Boulevard, Shelter. On July 4th, we will know if they have received a Michelin star, a Bib Gourmand, or a green star.

It’s become an annual tradition for us to predict who will get stars in the release of the Nordic Michelin Guide. (See our 2021 predictions here.) So, who do we think will get stars this year? Keep reading to see our 2022 Michelin predictions.

Denmark

Total listings: 99
Bib Gourmand: 15
Total stars: 27 restaurants, 38 stars
⭐⭐⭐ 2
⭐⭐ 7
⭐ 18
🍀 15

In Copenhagen, we are crossing our fingers for Sushi Anaba. Mads Battefeld’s omakase counter rivals the top sushi meals we experienced in Japan and is, without a doubt, a Michelin star candidate. You won’t find a better omakase restaurant than this in the Nordics. Although it only opened a few months ago, Jatak is another possible star contender. Michelin loves to award chefs who have previously been featured in the guide, and chef Jonathan Tam had one when he was head chef of restaurant Relæ. The intimate, ten-seat restaurant Connection by Alan Bates is another restaurant with a lot of buzz, especially since they were another one of the restaurants highlighted in Michelin’s “Live Editions” blog post. Connection is owned by the same people who own the Michelin-starred restaurants Kong Hans Kælder and Henne Kirkeby Kro, so it makes sense that the French guide would be interested in it. Restaurant Lieffroy in Nyborg is another hyped candidate, and it was also highlighted as a new addition to the guide – will Fyn finally have a Michelin-starred restaurant?

We have no doubt that restaurant Alchemist will one day join the prestigious three-star league, but we are unsure whether Michelin will give chef Rasmus Munk his third star already this year. Alchemist was added to the guide (with two stars) for the first time in 2020, and usually Michelin allows a few more years between two and three stars. Noma, for example, had to work a full thirteen years before it got its third. At the same time, increased attention to other culinary guides such as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Opinionated About Dining (OAD) may force the French guide to act faster than before to keep up with competitors. There is a lot of talk about Jordnær as a three-star candidate, but we have not been there enough times ourselves to be able to guess. Here, too, a third star would surprise us since Jordnær received two stars the same year as Alchemist.

Last year, we said that restaurant Lyst in Vejle was operating at a two Michelin star level, but we predicted that Michelin would add them to the guide with one star that year – and they did! After our recent visit this spring, we believe they are closer than ever to being a two Michelin star restaurant, but we still think Michelin will wait a few years to upgrade them. We also think of Amass as a solid one-star restaurant. However, for some reason, it’s one of those places that never crosses Michelin’s radar. Regardless, chef Matt Orlando makes some of the tastiest and most sustainable food in Copenhagen – Michelin is missing out!

Norway

Total listings: 53
Bib Gourmand: 2
Stars: 11 restaurants, 14 stars
⭐⭐⭐ 1
⭐⭐ 1
⭐ 9
🍀 6

For the past two years, we have hoped that À L’aise and Rest would each get awarded a star, but the Michelin Guide had other plans. Here’s hoping that this year the inspectors will finally get it right – these restaurants are more than deserving. Schlägergården is another potential candidate – the stars seem to follow Björn Svensson wherever he goes, and his charming new farmhouse restaurant should be no exception. We don’t expect any new two or three-star restaurants in Norway this year, but if Michelin were to upgrade anyone from one to two, it would probably be Speilsalen in Trondheim. The two-star restaurant Re-naa in Stavanger is the most obvious choice to upgrade to three stars, but this also seems too soon considering that the second star came in 2020.

Avalon is one of the new additions that was revealed ahead of the guide, which is not surprising since it’s run by chef Mikael Svensson of the Michelin-starred restaurant Kontrast. Since Kontrast only has one star, however, we’d find it surprising if Michelin awarded their casual restaurant the same distinction. Also, after recently eating there, we don’t think it’s even aiming to be a star restaurant. Another potential future star candidate is the new French restaurant from chef Esben Holmboe Bang (of three-Michelin-starred Maaemo), Mon Oncle. Our recent meal there was fantastic, and they should definitely get a star in the near future. Considering that they’ve only been open for two months, though, it’s unlikely that the inspectors have had enough time to review it.

Outside of Oslo, we think Kvitnes Gård in northern Norway is on the path to a star – although it might still be too soon. Have the Michelin inspectors visited chef Halvar Ellingsen’s remote farm restaurant yet? While we absolutely loved our meal at Lofoten Food Studio in Ballstad, we wonder if Michelin could ever award Roy Magne Berglund’s one-man show with a star. In the past, they’ve been a bit traditional, so we doubt that this private dining/backyard restaurant concept would be up their alley. (But that shouldn’t stop you from going!) We also think that Ronny Kolvik’s chef’s counter tasting menu at Bro in Ålesund is worthy of a star, but since it’s only available for two people per night and not the sole concept of the restaurant (the rest of the diners can choose à la carte options), the Michelin inspectors probably won’t consider it.

We have not had time to eat at all the Norwegian restaurants that Michelin has included in the new guide, but based on what we have heard and seen, we do not believe that any of them are star candidates. Sabi Enso in Stavanger may be an exception since chef Roger Asakil Joya seems to have moved on from the flagship Sabi Omakase (which has one star). But with several concepts under one roof, it can be challenging for Michelin inspectors to assess the quality.

Sweden

Total listings: 77
Bib Gourmand: 11
Total stars: 19 restaurants, 25 stars
⭐⭐⭐ 1
⭐⭐ 4
⭐ 14
🍀 10

In Stockholm, we think both AIRA and Operakällaren are deserving of two stars. We had fantastic meals at both of these restaurants this spring, and firmly believe that they are two of the most exciting eateries in Scandinavia. However, AIRA just received its first star last fall, and chef Viktor Westerlind only took over the kitchen at Operakällaren last year, so, knowing Michelin, they will likely have to prove their worth for another year or two before getting promoted. Brasserie Astoria could also get a star this year – the Michelin Guide loves Björn Frantzén’s restaurants as much as we do, and lately, the inspectors have been happily handing out stars to casual eateries of Michelin-starred chefs (i.e. Torno Subito from Massimo Bottura in Dubai). But the Michelin Guide is anything but consistent, and it’s always been harder to earn a star in Scandinavia than in other regions – so let’s see! With that in mind, Villa Dagmar, run by the chefs of two-Michelin-starred Aloë, is another possibility (especially since it was another new addition that was highlighted in the “Live Additions” blog post). However, from what we’ve seen, it looks a bit too casual to get a star.

Now that Adam/Albin has renovated their restaurant, maybe they will finally get their much-deserved attention from the French guide? Their food is easily at a one-star level. We’ve also heard that Nour is another deserving candidate, but we haven’t had the chance to test it yet. Chef Sayan Isaksson previously had a star at his restaurant Esperanto, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he received another one at his new spot. Our sources in Stockholm also believe that Petri and La Tour are star candidates, but we haven’t tried those spots ourselves. In Gothenburg, The Hungries are also raving about restaurant Human. Could Gothenburg be getting another starred restaurant?

Iceland

Total listings: 5
Bib Gourmand: 0
Total stars: 1 restaurant, 1 star
⭐⭐⭐ 0
⭐⭐ 0
⭐ 1
🍀 0

After a recent trip to Iceland, our next guess for a star in Reykjavík would be the speakeasy chef’s counter restaurant ÓX. We had an incredible tasting menu here led by chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson, and we think it certainly should be promoted from a plate to a one-star restaurant. Let’s see if Michelin agrees!

Finland

Total listings: 27
Bib Gourmand: 2
Total stars: 7 restaurants, 7 stars
⭐⭐⭐ 0
⭐⭐ 0
⭐ 7
🍀 3

Our Hungry members in Helsinki are informing us that Palace is operating at a two-star level, and Savoy is deserving of one star. We haven’t been to either restaurant ourselves yet, but we always trust The Hungries to give us the best intel when we travel. Michelin also added Boulevard to the guide as one of the “Live Additions,” and since it is run by a former Palace chef, this could be another star candidate – although they only opened in November.

Who do you think will get stars this year? Let us know in a comment below.