Redzepi partners with Schmidt to open restaurant Barr on old Noma site

René Redzepi, chef of Noma, is partnering with Thorsten Schmidt, dubbed the Nordic Alchemist to open a new restaurant Barr on 5th July inside the old home of noma on the city’s iconic waterfront.

“For years, I have been talking with René about creating a new kind of restaurant in Copenhagen. We have been holding out for the perfect space – and we finally found it,” Thorsten said.

Barr will not be another Nordic restaurant. Rather, it will draw from the eating and drinking traditions of the North Sea; an area that spans Scandinavia, Benelux and the British Isles. The name Barr is an old Irish word for “crops” and an old Nordic word for “barley,” a staple throughout this stretch of Europe, and, of course, one of the foundations of beer. Barr will celebrate this diverse region’s cold-country cooking, its breweries, and its shared devotion to conviviality.

Schmidt said that the cooking of this region has always fascinated him – from classic dishes like the humble frikadeller (Danish meatballs) and schnitzel, to the use of marmite in cooking in Britain. “At Barr, we will serve familiar foods in the best way we can, building on the last decade’s gastronomic development in Copenhagen. We want to carry on the spirit of experimentation and knowledge, serving our versions of traditional dishes, along with a great selection of beers and aquavit from this extraordinary area.We want Barr to be welcoming, comfortable, and delicious, a place you’ll visit regularly with your family and friends,” he said.

The menu will be a la carte and will change with the seasons. There will also be a special Sunday lunch menu designed to share, bringing families and friends together. The restaurant seats 60, with an additional 30 seat bar.

Barr will be open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and lunch Friday to Sunday and walk-ins are welcomed.

Reservations are now open at the Barr website: restaurantbarr.com.

Thorsten Schmidt is considered a rebellious chef whose kitchen is always experimental and unpredictable. His curiosity and innovative thinking means he continuously breaks the rules of what is possible -and that his creative cuisine speaks to all the senses.