We spent a full day at Noma in Copenhagen… is it really the best restaurant of all time?

Few restaurants need as little introduction as Noma. Often called the best restaurant of all time , it’s the brainchild of chef René Redzepi, who transformed the way the world thinks about foraging, fermentation, and fine dining. With its innovative approach to Nordic ingredients and an ever-evolving seasonal menu, Noma has not only earned three Michelin stars but cemented itself as a cultural phenomenon in global gastronomy. Noma won the #1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021, before graduating to the newly-created Best of the Best list. (Honestly, we’re petty sure Noma is the reason they had to create a separate legends list in the first place.)

We were fortunate to experience Noma through a once-in-a-lifetime full-day event, joining a small group of about 40 guests for a behind-the-scenes immersion into what makes this place unlike any other. Shout out to AmEx and Resy who partnered with Noma for this event!

So, what did we think of Noma? Here are our honest thoughts.

The Full-Day Experience at Noma

This wasn’t just a dinner reservation. We had an all-access pass to Noma’s philosophy, team, and inner workings. The day unfolded as a beautifully curated journey through each element of the Noma ecosystem.

Breakfast

We started with a calm and cozy welcome breakfast in the Noma canteen, which is where the staff eats together every day. Apparently, everyone who works at Noma staff eats the same breakfast everyday: a very specific rice bowl. We ate that very rice bowl and, we must say, we quite enjoyed it. We were a bit skeptical that this is truly what the Noma crew eats so we verified this with an ex-Noma chef and it is indeed true! Although, the full Noma service we experienced alongside the rice bowl is not part of the normal breakfast experience.

Welcome Remarks from Noma’s CEO

The group was then welcomed by Peter Kreiner, Noma’s CEO, who shared the story of Noma’s evolution from a risky Copenhagen startup to one of the most celebrated restaurants in history. The emphasis wasn’t on fame but on culture, craft, and curiosity. This ethos permeated the rest of the day.

Peter Kreiner also shared plans for the evolution of Noma from it’s original 1.0 concept, to the current 2.0 location, and finally to the upcoming 3.0 iteration where Noma goes global with curated at-home products you can buy and traveling experiences around the world. Next up: Noma is headed to LA for a residency starting early 2026!

Test Kitchen

Next, we entered the test kitchen, the real beating heart of Noma. Here, chefs develop and prototype the menu seasons ahead. We saw sketches, journals, and early-stage experiments that may or may not ever reach a plate. The process is slow, deliberate, and wildly creative. The constant innovation and passion to create something new was honestly inspiring.

And we were luckily enough to sample everything from raw ingredients with surprising tastes (think: live ants), to examples of how preparation changes flavors (think: squid cut three ways), to in-the-works dishes that aren’t quite ready for the menu (think: jellyfish amuse bouche).

Our favorite learning was on the philosophy behind Noma. Everyone we talked to had the same mission: first and foremost, they are chefs who want to create a delicious meal for you. The Noma team then wants to push food to its creative limits, and challenge you to still find the experience delicious even if presented in an unfamiliar way. We’ve been to a TON of Michelin restaurants and we do find that sometimes they lose the plot and create dishes that are creative but not all that enjoyable. This is not a problem for noma, who uses creativity purely to enhance the core of the culinary experience.

Fermentation Lab

Noma’s fermentation lab is legendary for a reason. We got a tour of the space that produces dozens of custom misos (acutally “peaso” since Noma makes its miso from peas), garums, vinegars, and koji-based ingredients. We even tasted their homemade kombucha. Each of these innovations is key to Noma’s depth of flavor. If you think fermentation sounds niche, Noma will convince you it’s essential.

Admittedly, it was a bit odd to directly taste molds and vinegars and raw ingredients, but this only enhanced our appreciation to how every single detail at Noma is incredibly intentional.

It was also very cool to see the machinery that helps drive innovation. For example, Noma has a homogenizer machine that vibrates materials at specific frequencies. This allows them to combine ingredients that wouldn’t normally, such as bringing together oil and water.

Lunch

Lunch was more casual but still distinctly Noma. Served again in their staff canteen, the meal featured a multi-course tasting from a Noma alum, chef Rosio Sanchez, who went on to open a series of successful Mexican restaurants in Copenhagen. It was nice to see how the Noma family continues to support each other.

Beverage Tasting

After lunch, we enjoyed a pairing preview with the beverage team. Led by the lead sommelier and the head of the coffee and tea program, we tasted two versions of four beverages head-to-head: two apple juices, two coffees, two teas, and two red wines. Noma doesn’t treat pairings as an afterthought. Each drink is designed to mirror the inventiveness of the food, and many beverages are used directly in the dishes themselves.

After this, we had a two hour break to rest before returning in the early evening…

The Noma Dinner Tasting Menu

And then came the main event: dinner at Noma. We were seated in the gorgeous dining room overlooking the gardens, just past the open kitchen. The dining room is an incredibly serene, warm and inviting space. Nothing feels pretentious, despite the prevalent feeling of excellence in every little detail.

We opted for a mixed pairing and were able to sample juices, wines, champagne and cocktails. Each was absolutely delicious and added to the food experience. But that’s definitely where the focus was centered: the food. The food at Noma exceeded our already high expectations. Every dish arrived with a story, and every course felt alive with fermentation, foraging, and flavor-forward combinations that defied logic but never felt gimmicky.

Although we have to say in full transparency that our appreciation of the dinner was heightened by our experience throughout the day. While every dish was presented beautifully with a clear explanation, the servers never boasted and there are details we could have under-appreciated had we not seen behind the scenes. To be clear, this is not a bad thing! Noma lets the food speak for itself because - as they told us - first and foremost it just needs to be delicious. But we did appreciate tasting the dishes after seeing the intricate knife work that went into the preparation, for example. But overall, the attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and presentation were flawless but never overdone.

So, Does Noma Live Up to the Hype as the Best Restaurant of All Time?

We were skeptical. It’s easy to build expectations too high when a restaurant has been named the best in the world a record number of times. But even with our high expectations, Noma blew us away.

We’ve dined at our fair share of top-tier restaurants (Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Geranium, Frantzen, The Fat Duck, and so many more). But Noma hit differently. It wasn’t just a meal. It was a fully immersive creative experience. And most impressively, even as jaded food lovers, we were surprised and delighted again and again. And, we enjoyed every single dish we served. There were no misses and trust us, we were looking out for them. That’s extremely rare.

But How Much Did It Cost?

The full-day event came at the premium price of $1500 per person, but it included breakfast, lunch, three behind-the-scenes experiences, the full tasting menu with beverage pairing, and exclusive access to the inner workings of Noma. For what we got, it was worth every cent. Especially because these sorts of events are extremely rare, we absolutely thought the price was justified.

Final Thoughts

If you appreciate fine dining and have the chance to attend one of Noma’s global pop-ups or full-day events: go. You’ll walk away inspired not just about food, but about creativity, dedication, and what it means to build something truly world-class.

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