World most famous -Michelin-star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen to close next year and turn as a giant lab

One of world's most famous restaurant, Noma in Copenhagen is set to close its doors next year. Started by Chef René Redzepi two decades back, the restaurant is credited with inventing new Nordic cuisine. The restaurant also topped the list of World's 50 Best Restaurants five times, most recently in 2021.

Some of the most special dishes served at the eatery are Reindeer Brain Custard with Bee Pollen, Quince and Fermented Rice Ice Cream with an Oyster Caramel by Chef Redzepi. The three-Michelin-star venture will close at the end of 2024. This may be disheartening for many but the kirchen will be reborn as a giant lab dubbed Noma 3.0.

“It will be a pioneering test kitchen dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavors, one that will share the fruits of our efforts more widely than ever before,” the restaurant said in a statement on its website.

"Our goal is to create a lasting organization dedicated to groundbreaking work in food, but also to redefine the foundation for a restaurant team, a place where you can learn, you can take risks, and you can grow!" it added.

The Danish restaurant post closing will still welcome guests at the occasional pop-up or season. Noma 3.0 has been in the planning stage for the past two years, a period during which many in the industry have been  hit hard due to the pandemic.

"If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's how fragile our dreams can be, how incredibly grueling and difficult this industry can be," Redzepi said after receiving the World's Best Restaurant award in 2021. Hinting at Noma's change in direction then, he said the team had "spent the last year and a half dreaming of something. We're going to go build it now."