When it comes to Nordic cuisine, Copenhagen may have ushered the genre into the 21st century, but, happily, more Scandinavian cities are beginning to follow suit—and giving travelers a whole new reason to explore lesser-known locales. 

Case in point: Trondheim, Norway. Situated along the coast of central Norway, on the shores of a fjord that bears the same name, Trondheim is a city of 200,000 whose new crop of chef-owned restaurants is giving the Danish capital a run for its money (and, lately, its Michelin stars, too). 

From succulent seafood caught straight from Trondheim Fjord to vibrant vegetables grown on local farms, whatever you want to eat in Trondheim, you’re sure to find it—along with plenty of pleasant surprises. Here are six standout dining experiences in Trondheim that give Copenhagen a run for its lunch money. 

The Best Restaurants in Trondheim, Norway

Credo

In 2019, Trondheim earned its first-ever Michelin stars. One was awarded to chef and Trondheim native Heidi Bjerkan’s Credo, which highlights hyperlocal ingredients from land and sea—including gardens growing in the restaurant’s dining room. (Even cocktails feature infusions made from herbs and berries grown on-site.)

Freshness and quality dictate what’s on the 20- to 25-course set menu, which changes daily. Credo also received the 2019 Michelin Nordic Guide Sustainability Award for its ecologically minded approach and its use of social media to promote sustainable land use practices.

Fagn

Trondheim’s other 2019 Michelin star went to Fagn, where, from Tuesday through Saturday, chef and Alinea alum Jonas Andre Nåvik dreams up 10- and 20-course tasting menus designed to evoke scenes, scents, memories, and flavors of nature.

With traditional Norwegian cuisine serving as his muse, Nåvik and his team add influences from their respective experiences cooking in restaurants abroad. And the plating? It’s exquisite, ranging from minimalist arrangements to sculptural show-stoppers. Dining at Fagn is about more than just food, so come prepared to stay a while.

Speilsalen 

In April 2019, Trondheim’s Britannia Hotel reopened after a three-year renovation, bringing with it a new fine dining venue, Speilsalen. Chef and 2017 Bocuse d’Or silver medalist Christopher Davidsen helms the restaurant, which is already generating whispers of a Michelin star—or maybe two—in 2020.

Dining here is a highly (and enjoyably) choreographed experience: Tuxedoed servers glide gracefully around the dining room, and dishes are plated to painstaking perfection on tableware designed by Norwegian industrial designer Katinka von der Lippe specifically to show each one off. Champion Norwegian sommelier Henrik Dahl Jahnsen presides over Speilsalen’s wine program.

To Rom og Kjøkken

Owners Roar Hildonen and Alexander Skjefte lay their deep love of food, wine, and cocktails—and their appreciation for local producers—bare at their restaurant, To Rom og Kjøkken (translation: Two Rooms and a Kitchen), which puts a Mediterranean spin on ingredients sourced from central Norway.

The restaurant’s chefs work their magic equally on vegetables, meat, fish, and seafood, though their buttery scallops had several friends around our table practically fighting back tears. The restaurant’s wine list features some 600 labels, with a pairing option available. A non-alcoholic pairing option features juices from Mikkelhaug Farm in nearby Levanger.

Bula

At her two-year-old “neobistro,” Bula, Norway Top Chef 2016 winner and cookbook author Renee Fagerhøi serves an eclectic mix of dishes inspired by her youth on a Norwegian farm.

Fagerhøi’s multi-course menus feature everything from succulent cuts of local fish to fork-tender vegetables—often plated atop a pool of flavorful herbed oils and blended sauces that meld everything together. Her white garlic soup is one of the tastiest dishes we’ve ever tried. Second only to Fagerhøi’s cooking is the restaurant’s quirky decor, which includes palm-print wallpaper and a bathtub brimming with chilling bottles of wine.

The Oyrekka Islands with Crazy Coyote

The most unique dining experience is one you won’t find in town at all, but rather across the Trondheim Fjord, in the sleepy Oyrekka Islands. Companies like Crazy Coyote Events zip passengers by boat across the fjord to the tiny islands, where cozy restaurants like Terna Brygge (on Sula) and Ansnes Brygger (on Hitra) serve langoustine, scallops, and other local delicacies alongside Norwegian beer.

On the island of Sula, the innkeeper and guide, Tom Kjærås, and his wife, Evelyn, welcome visitors into their boathouse for homemade beverages, bread, and flavorful edible plants foraged from their own yard.