Kitchen at RE-NAA

Food tours

Forget everything you think you know about Norwegian food. This hidden gem of the culinary world is redefining what it means to eat well, with flavors as pure and breathtaking as the landscapes themselves.

Norwegian cuisine has moved from international obscurity to Michelin recognition in a single generation. The country now holds multiple three-star restaurants, a Green Star for sustainability, and enough two-star establishments to establish Norway as a serious culinary destination. This transformation happened not through abandoning Norwegian traditions but by rediscovering them through contemporary technique.

Our Food tours in Norway center on these Michelin experiences, but they're fundamentally about access. Restaurants like RE-NAA in Stavanger book months ahead. Kontrast in Oslo fills immediately. Statholdergaarden maintains waitlists that extend through seasons. Our food tour packages guarantee tables at restaurants where independent booking often proves impossible.

The next big thing in food is already here. All that’s left is for you to taste it. Experience Norway's culinary peak - Michelin tours curated by Fjord Travel Norway

Reserved for you – Complete Michelin restaurant experiences

The transformation of Norwegian cuisine

Norwegian cooking spent most of the 20th century apologizing for itself. Brown cheese, dried fish, and preserved meats don't photograph well or translate easily to international menus. The New Nordic movement changed this by treating preservation techniques and local ingredients as assets rather than limitations.

Chefs began working with what Norway provides abundantly: Arctic seafood, mountain game, coastal shellfish, and ingredients that thrive in short growing seasons. They applied French technique to Norwegian products and Japanese precision to Nordic simplicity. The result isn't fusion but rediscovery – finding sophistication in traditions that had been dismissed as rustic.

RE-NAA in Stavanger represents this approach at its highest level. Chef Sven Erik Renaa built three Michelin stars on Rogaland ingredients – seafood from local waters, vegetables from nearby farms, techniques learned from regional preservation methods. The restaurant serves recognizably Norwegian food that happens to meet the world's most exacting culinary standards.

This isn't isolated. Kontrast in Oslo earned two Michelin stars plus a Green Star for sustainability by sourcing ingredients from Norwegian producers within tight geographic radius. Statholdergaarden maintains Michelin status since 1998 by evolving Norwegian classics through contemporary understanding. These restaurants prove Norwegian cuisine works at the highest level when treated with appropriate seriousness.

Why guaranteed reservations matter

Michelin restaurants in Norway face different booking dynamics than those in larger culinary capitals. Oslo has roughly 700,000 residents. Stavanger has 150,000. When a restaurant earns three Michelin stars in cities this size, local demand alone can fill months of reservations.

Add international food tourists specifically visiting for these restaurants, and booking becomes competitive. RE-NAA's three stars place it among 148 restaurants worldwide at that level. Food enthusiasts travel to Stavanger specifically for this experience, knowing they may not return soon. This creates booking pressure that independent travelers struggle to navigate.

Our food tour packages solve this through advance restaurant partnerships. We secure tables months ahead, guaranteeing access that individual booking rarely achieves. This isn't concierge service; it's solving a practical obstacle that prevents travelers from experiencing restaurants they came specifically to visit.

RE-NAA -
Norway's three-star Michelin treasure

RE-NAA stands as a testament to culinary excellence in the heart of Stavanger, earning the coveted three Michelin stars in 2024, as the second restaurant in Norway to achieve this honor. This remarkable achievement places RE-NAA among the world's culinary elite.

The restaurant's journey to excellence began with its first Michelin star in 2016, making it the first Nordic establishment outside a capital city to receive this honor at its first opportunity. By 2020, RE-NAA had earned its second star, setting the stage for its groundbreaking third star in 2024. This progression represents more than just accolades – it reflects a relentless pursuit of perfection in every detail.

At RE-NAA, each dining experience is a carefully orchestrated journey through Norwegian cuisine at its finest. The intimate 20-seat restaurant offers an atmosphere where culinary artistry meets warm hospitality.

Everything included: Stay, dine, explore – Your complete Michelin journey starts here.

Photo by Henriette Heimdal

Three Michelin stars
RE-NAA logo
Grilled suckling lamb made at RE-NAA in Stavanger

Torill and Sven Erik Renaa – the couple behind RE-NAA in Stavanger

Meet Torill and Sven Erik Renaa, the visionary couple who transformed Stavanger into an unexpected culinary capital. Since opening their first restaurant in 2009, they've achieved what many thought impossible: bringing three Michelin stars to a city of 150,000 people.

Sven Erik, the youngest head judge in Culinary Olympics history, brings an encyclopedic knowledge of cuisine and a "no fuss" philosophy that celebrates local Norwegian ingredients. As he explains: "Our flavor DNA is rooted in pickling, fermenting, curing, drying–these elements are the backbone of almost every dish we serve."

Torill, an accomplished sommelier and service expert, complements the culinary excellence with her warm, sophisticated approach to hospitality. As maître d' at the European Bocuse d'Or finals and a Food Culture Award winner, she's renowned for crafting unforgettable dining experiences that balance precision with charm.

Together, they've created more than just a restaurant – they've built a temple to Norwegian cuisine where every team member, from the dishwasher to the chef, plays a vital role in delivering excellence.

Photo by Henriette Heimdal

Sven Erik and Torill Renaa

Kontrast
Where sustainability meets flavor

Kontrast distinguishes itself through innovative gastronomy and unwavering sustainability commitments. Beyond its two Michelin stars, the restaurant holds the prestigious MICHELIN Green Star, awarded for exceptional eco-conscious practices in fine dining.

The menu evolves with Norway's seasons, featuring wild-caught seafood and organic produce from carefully selected local partners.

Oslo's unique positioning, nestled among fjords, forests, and farmland, provides Kontrast with direct access to Norway's finest ingredients. This proximity to pristine natural resources enables the restaurant to maintain its commitment to local sourcing while creating distinctive dining experiences that change with each visit.

Everything arranged, everything included – Start your seamless journey.

Photo by Kontrast

Two Michelin starts with one green sustainable
Food made with tweezers at Kontrast in Oslo

The creative force behind Kontrast

With roots in Sweden's countryside, renowned Nordic Chef Mikael Svensson developed an appreciation for pristine ingredients before mastering his craft in Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe.

When establishing Kontrast in Oslo, he envisioned a restaurant that would challenge culinary conventions while championing Norwegian produce through sustainable, seasonal cuisine. This vision has earned Kontrast two Michelin stars, validating its commitment to gastronomic excellence.

Photo by Kontrast

Statholdergaarden
Blending historical grandeur with seasonal fine dining

Statholdergaarden is set in one of Oslo’s most iconic buildings – a beautifully preserved 17th-century mansion with serious character.

Step inside, and you’re met with an atmosphere that blends timeless elegance and quiet grandeur. Full of intricate woodwork, soft candlelight, and Norway’s finest stucco ceilings – lovingly restored and full of stories.

This sense of heritage flows naturally into the food. The menu changes with the seasons, always built around the best ingredients Norway has to offer. Every dish is thoughtfully composed by a team that knows how to honor local traditions – while also letting global inspiration shine through. The result? A dining experience rooted in history, but never standing still.

Full experience included: Where you'll stay, what you'll eat, what you'll discover.

Photo by Statholdergaarden

One michelin star
Fine dining at Statholdergaarden.

The vision of Bent Stiansen

At the heart of Statholdergaarden is chef and founder Bent Stiansen – a true trailblazer in Norwegian cuisine. His passion for flavour, people and precision is the soul of the restaurant.

Stiansen started his food journey back in 1980, and in 1993 he made history by becoming the first Norwegian (and Scandinavian!) to win Bocuse d’Or – the culinary world’s equivalent of Olympic gold.

The year after, he opened Statholdergaarden with his family in a beautiful historic building in Oslo. Today, the restaurant is run by Bent and his daughter Natascha, and it’s held on to its Michelin star since 1998.

Photo by Statholdergaarden

Tabel set for dining at Statholdergaarden.

Table tales: Stavanger

Sven Erik Renaa has made it his life's work to serve Stavanger on a plate together with his wife Torill. Visit Norway joined him on a culinary tour through Stavanger and picked up some great ideas for a short break in this city packed with urban adventures as well as a broad selection of Norwegian restaurants.

Video by TrueStories / Bleed / Visit Norway. Music by Carl Louis

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