The new edition of the Nordic Michelin guide will be released on Monday, May 27th, 2024. 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 247 restaurants featured in the Nordic guide, with 31 starred restaurants in Denmark, 18 starred restaurants in Sweden, 17 starred restaurants in Norway, seven starred restaurants in Finland, three starred restaurants in Iceland, and one starred restaurant in the Faroe Islands. This year’s festivities will take place in Helsinki, Finland, where Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guide, will present the new Nordic star restaurants in a ceremony at the historic Savoy Theatre. The event will also be live-streamed from Michelin’s YouTube channel beginning at 18:00 EEST.
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If you want to hear our live updates with all the last-minute rumors, industry secrets, and insights, be sure to join The Hungries! Like every year, we will be having a virtual watch party together and discussing all things Michelin on the Discord forum. #TheHungriesKnowFirst
Predictions: Michelin Guide Nordic 2024
It’s become an annual tradition for us to predict who will get stars in the release of the Nordic Michelin Guide. (See our 2023 predictions here.) So, who do we think will get stars this year? Keep reading to see our 2024 Michelin predictions.
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Denmark
Total listings: 98 Bib Gourmand: 15 Total stars: 31 restaurants, 44 stars ⭐⭐⭐ 2 ⭐⭐ 9 ⭐ 20 🍀 16
In Copenhagen we are crossing our fingers for Sushi Anaba. Mads Battefeld’s omakase counter rivals the top sushi meals we have experienced in Japan and is, without a doubt, a Michelin star candidate. With no noticeable inspections, it sadly appears that Anaba will get snubbed again – but that won’t stop us from singing its praises here year after year. Maybe Michelin will one day discover that you won’t find a better omakase restaurant than this in the Nordics. Another restaurant that’s sprinkling stardust on Copenhagen’s capital is À Terre. Chef Yves Le Lay switched to a tasting menu format last fall and we were really impressed with the combination of French techniques, Danish flavors, and playful storytelling.
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We have no doubt that restaurant Alchemist will one day join the prestigious three-star league, and we hope that this is their year. Alchemist was added to the guide for the first time (with two stars) in 2020, and usually Michelin allows a few years between an upgrade from two to three stars. Noma, for example, had to work a full thirteen years before it got its third. We can attest that four years after entering the guide, chef Rasmus Munk’s food is tastier and more creative than ever, and, in our opinion, completely worthy of Michelin’s top ranking. Alchemist is one of the best restaurants in the world.
Jordnær is another three-star candidate in Copenhagen. Eric Vildgaard’s caviar and truffle-topped dishes are right up Michelin’s alley, and ours as well – one of his decadent bites even landed on our Best Dishes of 2022 list. But Michelin usually likes to spread out the big awards, so we’d be surprised (but happy!) if both Alchemist and Jordnær got upgraded to three stars this year. Our fingers are crossed!
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Outside of Copenhagen in Vejle, one-Michelin-starred restaurant Lyst has been operating at a two-Michelin-star level since it opened. We think this is certainly a spectacular restaurant worth making a detour for – does Michelin agree? Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to travel much elsewhere in Denmark this year, so we don’t have any other strong predictions outside of the capital, but we’re hearing positive rumors for Alimentum in Aalborg.
Norway
Total listings: 44 Bib Gourmand: 2 Total stars: 17 restaurants, 20 stars ⭐⭐⭐ 1 ⭐⭐ 1 ⭐ 15 🍀 5
Oslo’s food scene has flourished in the last year, with many exciting new restaurants opening in what we’ve dubbed the “fun dining” segment. Young chefs have cast aside the traditional fine dining tropes in favor of value-for-money tasting menus, casual dress codes, and loud music. The three stand-out restaurants from our most recent visit were Varemottaket, Betong, and Panu, all of which had a serving that landed on our Best Dishes of 2023 list. However, whether these casual eateries are Michelin’s cup of tea is anyone’s guess. Previously, we wouldn’t have thought it possible for restaurants like this to receive stars, but after Hot Shop and Hyde got stars in 2022, the landscape of the playing field changed drastically. All pre-conceived notions of what a “Michelin-starred restaurant” is flew out the window. So, why not? A star is all about the food and not about fancy service, right? If we had to place a bet, our money would be on Varemottaket, which allegedly had a few inspectors through its door this year. Our fingers are crossed for chefs Halaigh Whelan-McManus and Peder Støylen! The hyper-sustainable restaurant Rest, which uses solely food waste and leftovers to craft a tasting menu, is another candidate we think worthy of a star.
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Outside of the capital, Speilsalen in Trondheim seems a likely candidate for an upgrade. Our meal here in 2022 was absolutely fantastic and solidified our belief that it is deserving of an additional star. A year ago, executive head chef Christopher Davidsen left Speilsalen in the capable hands of Håkon Solbakk, who has been the head chef of the restaurant for the past five years. The change in head chef could delay the addition of a star, but we’re sure it’s not far off. We also thought chef Heidi Bjerkan’s Credo very worthy of a second star, but now the restaurant is moving to Oslo, so it could be at risk of temporarily losing the star. Any upgrades to two stars will have to wait until Bjerkan establishes herself in the new venue – which we can’t wait to visit.
In Stavanger, we were wowed by our recent meal at Tango. It has always been considered one of the city’s top restaurants, but now with chef Jan-Erik Hauge back at the helm, the food is even more delicious, and definitely star-worthy. Another Michelin candidate is Hermetikken, a wine bar and restaurant from Silje Hanasand and Knut Espen Misje. The atmosphere resembles a cozy living room, but the food here is far from your typical home cooking. We haven’t had the full menu here, but even the few snacks we tried were exceptional – upscale bites like potato terrines with caviar, grilled langoustine with chili mayo, and a lobster roll on a milk bun. We think it’s definitely star potential – and rumor has it that Hermetikken had multiple inspections last year, so let’s see if Michelin agrees!
Two-star restaurant Re-naa is the most obvious choice to upgrade to three stars in Norway – but Michelin might think it’s still too early, considering that the second star came in 2020. But there’s no doubt in our minds that a third star is on the horizon for Sven Erik Renaa and his team.
Further north, we think Kvitnes Gård in Vesterålen is on the path to a star. Have the Michelin inspectors finally made the visit to chef Halvar Ellingsen’s remote farm restaurant? Another potential star contender is BARE by Chef PAK in Bergen. Vladimir Pak previously received a star at his sushi restaurant Omakase Oslo, so it’s likely that Michelin has kept a close eye on his new venture, which combines Nordic and Japanese ingredients and techniques.
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The restaurant opening that made the biggest splash in Norway last year was Iris, an “expedition dining journey” located in a floating orb in the Hardanger fjord, only accessible by boat. (Has anyone watched The Menu?) Chef Anika Madsen’s mission to promote “sustainable seafood in a spectacular setting” has surely caught the inspectors’ eyes. We haven’t made the trip outside of Rosendal to visit Iris ourselves, but it’s certainly aiming for a star, and could very well be a Michelin candidate.
It’s highly likely that the underwater restaurant Under will lose its star after losing head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard and switching to a more casual concept. Björn Svensson’s Michelin-starred restaurant Schlågergarden in Oslo also closed in January, leaving another star-shaped void in Norway’s culinary constellation.
Sweden
Total listings: 70 Bib Gourmand: 11 Total stars: 18 restaurants, 23 stars ⭐⭐⭐ 1 ⭐⭐ 3 ⭐ 14 🍀 7
The fine dining segment in Stockholm was hard hit in the past two years, with the sad closures of Michelin-starred restaurants Oaxen Krog, Gastrologik, and Agrikultur. But there has been a flurry of exciting new openings, including a few new fine dining restaurants. Persona is perhaps the most promising, from founders Louis Cespedes and Jonatan Nyström, who previously worked together at Frantzén. We visited Persona this month and were really impressed by the high level of cooking from this talented and ambitious young team. A restaurant to watch out for in the coming years is Ergo, from chef Petter Johansson (also former Frantzén), which is slated to open in early June.
Brutalisten is another buzzy Stockholm spot – an experimental restaurant from artist Carsten Höller with a focus on one-ingredient cooking. The former head chef of Geranium, Coen Dieleman, has joined the Brutalisten team as co-head chef alongside Stefan Eriksson. We have been long-time fans of Dieleman’s cooking and are eagerly anticipating our visit to Brutalisten next month. Could this unique dining concept be something that piques Michelin’s interest?
Our top bet for new stars in Sweden is an upgrade for Operakällaren, which has one star and is incredibly deserving of two. We have had a few fantastic meals at Operakällaren over the past few years, and believe that this is one of the most luxurious eateries in Scandinavia. Chef Viktor Westerlind is exceptionally talented, serving food at an extremely high level in a spectacular venue – it’s not a question of if it will get upgraded, but when.
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Further south, Daniel Berlin returned to the fine dining scene with his stunning new restaurant, Vyn. Berlin previously held two stars at his former restaurant, so we think it’s highly likely he could jump right to two in his new space. We haven’t had the chance to visit yet, but after seeing photos and knowing the high level of his cooking, we’re confident there will be two stars showering down on Skåne this year. Speaking of Skåne, it’s rumored that chef Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken) will soon be taking over the hotel and restaurant Pensionat Hjorten, so there could be more stars on the horizon for the region next year.
Another Swedish restaurant we think should soon get a second star is ÄNG in Tvååker. The restaurant received its first star in 2021, and moved into a breathtaking new venue in 2022. Now, the setting matches the high level of food that chef Filip Gemzell and his team are serving, and we feel that the experience is closer to two stars than one. In fact, the restaurant itself has the bones of a three-star restaurant, soaring into our top restaurant spaces of all time.
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Finland
Total listings: 25 Bib Gourmand: 2 Total stars: 7 restaurants, 8 stars ⭐⭐⭐ 0 ⭐⭐ 1 ⭐ 6 🍀 4
Anders and I finally visited Helsinki together for the first time last year. Of course, we did our best to visit all the best restaurants in Finland’s capital, and made a guide highlighting our favorite spots. We visited Palace, which got upgraded to two stars in 2022, and also restaurant Grön, which we think is the next two-star candidate in Helsinki. Chef Toni Kostian and his team are serving some of the tastiest and most interesting bites in the Nordics, and we are crossing our fingers they get their second star at the awards this year.
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Another buzzy newcomer in the Finnish food scene is The Room, “an intimate 14-seat immersive sensory dining experience based around the life of chef Kozeen Shiwan”. Our sources have revealed that this new spot is high on Michelin’s radar, and that chef Shiwan will be in attendance at the gala. Despite being only open for a few months, it’s looking like a potentially star-studded start for The Room. We look forward to returning to Helsinki later this year to try the restaurant ourselves!
Iceland
Total listings: 7 Bib Gourmand: 0 Total stars: 3 restaurants, 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ 0 ⭐⭐ 0 ⭐ 3 🍀 1
Last year, restaurant Moss at the Blue Lagoon joined Dill and ÓX as the third Michelin-starred restaurant in Iceland. We will be visiting Iceland later this year to explore restaurants outside the capital of Reykjavík – Slippurinn in the Westman Islands is one we are especially excited about. Could it be another potential Michelin candidate?
Who do you think will get stars this year? Let us know in a comment below.
I would say that Raest in Torshavn is a one star restaurant, even with the Scandinavian harsh standards.
Thanks for these predictions! They seem spot on and if Michelin doesn’t agree they may be the ones who are misinformed.