Noma’s NYC Pop-Up Costs a Casual $2K Per Person

Noma — chef René Redzepi’s fine-dining temple to foraged foods — has finally arrived in the U.S. The Copenhagen-based restaurant is popping up in New York City this weekend, but this pop-up isn’t like Noma’s previous weeks-long international culinary events, Eater NY reports. The series of dinners at Manhattan’s members-only club Spring Place are not open to the public, will cost a jaw-dropping $2,000, and are already sold out.

Noma has hit the road before, but this version of the award-winning restaurant is by far the most expensive. An evening at Noma Australia cost $339 in 2016, while dinner at Noma Mexico this summer cost $600, an eyebrow-raising price in a country where the average daily wage is $15. Redzepi aimed to offset criticism of the steep price tag by feeding culinary students for free and establishing a scholarship fund to allow Mexican students to travel to Noma’s home base in Copenhagen to train at the restaurant.

In New York, $2,000 will buy a lucky few a tasting menu with wine pairings. According to Eater NY, some of the dinners are for Noma partners, like American Express, while Sunday’s event is exclusive to members of Spring Place, who pay $900 per month on top of a $2,000 initiation fee for the privilege of connecting with a community of creative elites.

Noma Copenhagen closed earlier this year to relocate. In the meantime, Redzepi and team have been traveling through the Nordic region in preparation for opening Noma 2.0 later this year and, apparently, hosting this super-secret NYC pop-up.

• Noma Is Serving $2K Invite-Only Dinners in NYC This Weekend [ENY]