Noma () is a restaurant and food innovation lab founded by chef René Redzepi and Claus Meyer in Copenhagen, Denmark. The name is a syllabic abbreviation of the two Danish words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food). Opened in 2003, the restaurant is known for its focus on foraging, invention and interpretation of New Nordic Cuisine. In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2021 it was ranked as the Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant magazine. In January 2023, Redzepi announced that Noma would transition away from traditional restaurant service, with its final regular dinner service taking place in Kyoto, Japan, in December 2024. Noma continues to operate as a food lab and through periodic pop-up residencies.
History Noma's original location was at Strandgade 93, in an old warehouse on the waterfront of the Inner Harbour in the Christianshavn neighbourhood in central Copenhagen. The building is situated by the Greenlandic Trading Square, which for 200 years was a centre for trade to and from the Faroe Islands, Finnmark, Iceland, and in particular, Greenland. Dry fish, salted herring, whale oil and skins are among the goods that were stored in and around the warehouse before being sold off to European markets. In 2003, the warehouse was turned into North Atlantic House, a centre for the art and culture of the North Atlantic region. Noma was opened at the same time by René Redzepi and Claus Meyer. The restaurant's interior was designed by Space Copenhagen. Between 12 and 16 February 2013, 63 of 435 diners became ill after eating at Noma, according to a Danish Food Administration report. The symptoms were attributed to norovirus, which was believed to have been unintentionally spread by an infected kitchen employee. Redzepi planned to close Noma after 31 December 2016 and reopen it in 2017 as an urban farm near Copenhagen. Noma reopened on 15 February 2018 after a year hiatus. The restaurant itself also moved from its previous Strandgade location, now housing Restaurant Barr, to its current location at Refshalevej 96. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis, Noma re-opened as a wine and burger bar, with takeaway options. It is sometimes referred to as "Noma 3.0" by the food media. Redzepi planned to keep this open for at least a part of the summer 2020. In January 2023, Redzepi announced that Noma would end traditional restaurant service at the end of 2024, citing the financial and emotional toll of the fine-dining model. The restaurant would instead become a food innovation lab focused on developing new products and techniques, while continuing to host periodic pop-up residencies. Noma's final period of regular dinner service was a 10-week residency in Kyoto, Japan, ending on 18 December 2024. In March 2026, through interviews of 35 previous employees, The New York Times published an exposé claiming that Redzepi physically abused his subordinates. Redzepi resigned later that month, stating that "an apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions".
Food
The cuisine of Noma is Nordic/Scandinavian; the restaurant's founders, Redzepi and Meyer, have attempted to redefine this Nordic cuisine. Its cuisine can be considered more an interpretation of Nordic food than classical Nordic food itself, according to Meyer in the book Noma – Nordic Cuisine. Notable dishes include "The Hen and the Egg", a meal cooked by the diners themselves, which consists of potato chips, a wild duck egg, slightly wet hay, salt, herbs, wild forest plants, hay oil, thyme, butter, and wild garlic sauce.
Staff Redzepi formerly worked at restaurants including The French Laundry, El Bulli, Kong Hans Kælder and Le Jardin des Sens. During Noma's final years of regular service, the head chef was Kenneth Foong, who replaced Canadian Benjamin Ing in July 2020. Prior head chefs included Dan Giusti and Matt Orlando.
Labor practices Noma historically relied heavily on unpaid interns, known as stagiaires, a common practice in fine dining. A 2022 Financial Times investigation reported that the restaurant employed approximately 30 unpaid interns alongside 34 paid chefs, with interns working up to 70 hours per week. A 2023 Vice report found that roughly half of Noma's 60-person kitchen staff were unpaid. In October 2022, Noma began paying all of its interns, a change that added an estimated $50,000 to $70,000 per month in labor costs. When Redzepi announced in January 2023 that Noma would transition away from traditional restaurant service, he cited the financial and emotional toll of the model, telling The New York Times: "It's unsustainable. Financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn't work."
Physical abuse allegations In March 2026, The New York Times reported that Redzepi physically abused dozens of employees at Noma. Thirty employees reported that being hit by Redzepi was "routine." When employees broke rules, Redzepi was known to punch them or publicly ridicule them. In his statement to The Times, Redzepi said "Although I don’t recognize all details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behavior reflected in them to understand that my actions were harmful to people who worked with me. To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment, or my anger, I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change."
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