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FOOD NEWS
A lot of Scandinavian restaurants are currently closed for a well-deserved holiday break. We took the time off to reflect on our very best meals of last year, and compiled our annual list of our Top 25 Dishes of 2023. Also new on the blog â our complete guide to the best restaurants in Oahu, Hawaii. (Keep scrolling to read.)
2024 Restaurant Openings
Here's what we're excited about in the food world this year...
In Copenhagen, the restaurant opening we are most excited about in 2024 is Alouette, which held their last service in their original location in December. No opening date has been announced for their new venue yet, but we are crossing our fingers for spring. Is Alouette aiming for the second Michelin star?
We are also curious to see how the last year of Noma will play out in its current iteration. Will René Redzepi really close his new restaurant? Will the Noma team continue to do traveling pop-ups around the world? Head to The Hungries forum to read some of the rumors we've heard.
In Oslo, we've heard that chef Jan Robin Ektvedt is breaking free from the chains of The Golden Chimp to create his own dumpling restaurant! In Los Angeles, chef Aitor Zabala will finally reopen Somni, which he previously opened together with José Andrés. The restaurant closed during the pandemic, but is expected to reopen this spring. The next chapter of Somni will be a solo project from Zabala in a new location in West Hollywood. The experience will still center around a tasting menu at a chef's counter, and the new venue includes the addition of a lounge. Somni was previously our favorite restaurant in L.A., and we can't wait to see Zabala's vision come to life when he completes his dream restaurant.
So, who's moving into that old Somni space at the SLS Beverly Hills? In a funny turn of events, we've heard that famed D.C. restaurants JÎnt and Bresca, will be moving into the venues that formerly housed Somni and the Bazaar by José Andrés. Chef Ian Scaramuzza (formerly of Mélisse) will be head chef at JÎnt's new L.A. outpost. We adore Scaramuzza's cooking, and we've heard great things about these Michelin-starred restaurants, so we are excited for the impact this will bring to L.A.'s food scene.
In other star-studded news, chef Marcus Jernmark (formerly of Frantzén) is pivoting away from his private dining concept, Habitué, and finally opening his own restaurant in Los Angeles. We're not sure if the name or fine dining format will stay the same, but as long-time fans of Jernmark's cooking, we can't wait for this next chapter.
Further abroad, we're eager to watch the next chapter of DiverXO unfold as chef Dabiz Muñoz makes his restaurant dream a reality in a new location in Madrid. The new DiverXO is predicted to open later in 2024. As always, we're also curious to see which restaurant will be crowned the World's Best Restaurant in June. Will the current no. 2, Disfrutar, finally take the crown?
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