Noma — Restaurant in Copenhagen Municipality

Totally overrated restaurant!

Unfortunately, both my family and I were very disappointed with Noma. We are a family that loves to enjoy good restaurants and we have visited many Michelin star restaurants, in different countries, and Noma is not even in our top 5.

The negative experience starts right at the entrance when all the employees are forced to stop what they are doing just to say 'Hello". I understand staff being polite and creating a connection with guests, but completely unnecessary and outdated behaviour of standing still waiting for guests to pass.

Next, no menu was offered to us at the beginning of dinner, which makes it impossible to know the prices of drinks, and juice and wine tastings. I informed the server that we were thinking of ordering juice tasting and he put the drinks straight away without even offering a menu with the prices. Luckily we can pay, but I think of those who have a more restricted budget and just want to have a special dinner, I think how they will be surprised with the bill at the end of the experience.

The server takes LIVE seafood to every table, with the excuse of 'presenting' what we are going to eat. A cruel attitude towards the animals, which are out of the tank for a long time, without air and suffering, I felt like I was in a zoo. Cruel and inappropriate attitude.

-The first course was a soup presented inside the crab, but full of rubber bands. Terrible presentation and terrible taste of dead fish.

As for the other dishes, they were all very well made, correct, well presented and delicious. However, there was no surprise, just common dishes that can be found in any starred restaurant. The main course, a lagostim with beurre blanc, that the French restaurant next to my house does exactly the same thing.

Escalopes were served ALIVE. Another completely unnecessary and cruel attitude towards the animal.

We ordered bread and more than one server came to ask us why we were asking for bread, while almost all dishes had sauces. When the bread finally arrived, after we had to explain why we wanted it, a slice of bread came for each couple. That's right, ONE slice for two! I even thought that the bread was only for the employees, but when I went to the toilet, I saw that the cook was cutting other pieces of bread and all of them were huge. So there was no shortage of bread, just inconvenience.

Dessert could have been served as a mise en bouche, as it was salty ice cream and without any sweet touch. The second dessert was pleasant, but also nothing special. A pannacotta wrapped in seaweed sheets.

-Before leaving, we receive the menu of the 15 dishes we had. Totally unnecessary, to offer it after the tasting as they all went to waste. It would be much more sustainable to put the menus on the table at the beginning of dinner and offer them to those who wanted to take them home.

We were invited to take a tour of the restaurant and we really appreciate the attitude as well as the tour.

In conclusion, Noma is not worth the price it costs. Unpleasant and old-fashioned service. Average food, no big surprises. The place is very beautiful, as well as all the tableware. None of us left satisfied and we all agree that we wouldn't recommend Noma to anyone. Many other restaurants offer superior experiences at fair and honest prices, and...

Noma Dining at Noma is an experience that is very difficult to even find the words to describe. Your experience begins by traveling to this very remote area of Copenhagen only to be greeted by the beautiful and low key entrance filled with beautiful gardens. The greenhouses and the small inconspicuous sign next to the water are the only possible clues that one of the greatest restaurants of all time is on location. Next we were able to walk the greenhouses examining the very eccentric Nordic ingredients that we would find on our plates very soon while drinking tea, cider or beer brewed on site. When you are taken to be seated the dozens of staff working furiously to plate the ornate and complex dishes all look up and give a cheerful and enthusiastic greeting thanking you for joining them for dinner. Next your tables server and wine sommelier greets you and explains to you all the ins and outs of dining at Noma and additionally answers any questions you might have. Then the flurry of courses begins. The first dish we received was a beautiful butterfly made up of edible flowers and pollen over a toasted malt cracker. In the tradition of Noma this seemingly unappetizing dish was truly incredible in every way. The amount of research, trial and error and pure scientific and creative genius that goes into the food at Noma is truly inconceivable. Just to put into perspective the level of innovation displayed during the 18 timely and well explained courses, I ate 3 different types of mold, 4 different types of pine cone and 2 different preparations of ants all tasting incredibly delicious. Every course at Noma is a new adventure where new boundaries are pushed and every bite packs a flavorful and exotic punch that leaves you questioning. Noma is just as much feeding your senses as it is your stomach. Every bite left me awestruck and amazed at the level of complexity during the constant bombardment of intense flavor. I was left amazed at the time and energy put into every dish to produce such incredible flavor from such strange ingredients all originating from within Scandinavia. Noma was additionally the most incredible service experience I have ever received anywhere before. My water glass was never empty and every time I or anyone else left to use the bathroom someone was waiting to pull their chair out for them. Sebastian our server additionally took us on a tour of the impressive grounds as well as the numerous prep and test kitchens filled with as much scientific as traditional kitchen equipment. What Rene and the staff at Noma are able to do every year with such a limited growing season and geographic range of ingredients is truly incredible. You can see throughout the entire food culture of Copenhagen the way Rene and Noma have almost single handedly created Modern Nordic cuisine and made Copenhagen a food destination. Every good restaurant in the city is trying to take advantage of the same strategies Rene developed (fermentation, seasonality, emphasis on local ingredients) and it shines through the entire food culture. Noma is not a restaurant but a display of art, science, cultivation and creativity blended into one...

We flew to Denmark just for this! Having eaten at Mirazur, Geranium, and Osteria Francescana within the past 5 months, I wasn’t sure how Noma would measure up. I consider it the most famous restaurant on the World’s 50 Best list (of which we are almost done making our way through), but I’ve learned from the others that hype and rank don’t necessarily guarantee an incredible menu.

We had the vegetable menu, wherein the flavors are more subtle. The concepts were definitely creative and engaging, especially the mold section of the menu, consisting of several dishes that focused on mold. I can’t say I’ve ever eaten that before anywhere else!

Like the current #5 spot on the list, Geranium, (and Maaemo in Oslo), many dishes included flowers. Who doesn’t love eating flowers. Presentation was top-notch: a cracker made of floral petals in the shape of a butterfly; a potato dish served out of a plant pot; an onion consommé eaten out of an actual onion, and more.

The only true disappointment I had was not getting a Royal Treatment like I’m used to at many of the other Worlds 50 Best spots. While they don’t all do it, it’s become common to get a walking tour of the kitchen or grounds or wine cellar after your meal. Furthermore, if Chef is present, he/she will come out for a quick greeting. We’ve always really appreciated when they take the time to come out and say hello to the diners — after all, everyone spends A LOT of money to be here. We saw Chef Rene walking around several times, but he never once stopped by any of the tables except for 1-2, where he probably knew the patrons. I felt snubbed. It’s not a big restaurant so it wouldn’t have taken much out of his time to acknowledge and thank diners for coming. In Tokyo and Paris, some top chefs will literally walk you out at the end of your meal! Lastly, we didn’t get any parting gifts aside from a menu which js standard. Osteria Francescana gave us homemade vinegar, where others have sent us home with artisan chocolates, hazelnut oil, illustrations, books, cookies, etc. Noma was missing all these special touches. I can’t say that they go any extra mile to make their guests feel special and appreciated. So I’ve docked one star for that.

Otherwise, service from the rest of the staff was wonderful. Everyone in the kitchen greeted us with a warm welcome when we first walked in!

The atmosphere is minimalistic & relaxed (very hygge) with a touch of understated elegance, so there’s no need to dress up too much. You can leave the suit jackets and gowns at home. The property is very bucolic and natural, similar to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in NYC.

So was Noma worth the trip? Yes! But was it the best we’ve ever had in terms of hospitality and food? No. But the food part could be because I’ve found that in general vegetable menus are a tad weaker. So I’d love to try their seafood menu next, but that’s an even harder...