Salmon Eye chef’s sustainability vision awarded top dining honours
The restaurant located at the innovative Salmon Eye centre in the Hardanger fjord has won the Best Dining Experience 2025 award at the Best Chef Awards in Milan.
Danish chef Anika Madsen has run the sustainability-focused restaurant, named Iris, since it opened in 2023, creating “a whole universe below the surface”, as she said when she moved to Norway from Copenhagen to take on the challenge.
“I am incredibly proud of this award. We run a restaurant that can only be reached by boat, right in the middle of the fjord,” said Madsen yesterday.
Travel far
“The fact that our guests travel far to experience this with us means a lot. This award is recognition of our entire team.”
Since its opening, the restaurant has distinguished itself as a unique dining venue, known for its spectacular location on the floating installation Salmon Eye.
With a weight of 1,256 tonnes, a diameter of 25 metres, and an area of 1,000.6 m² divided over four levels, one of which is underwater, Salmon Eye is the invention of Sondre Eide, CEO of salmon farmer Eide Fjordbruk.
Future of aquaculture
He launched the unique structure with the vision of “setting the standard for the future of aquaculture”.
Iris can accommodate 24 diners, who are ferried to the restaurant by electric boats and then served an 18-course dinner in a dining room with a panoramic view over the fjord, glaciers, and mountains.
This year's Best Chef Awards brought together 783 renowned chefs from 69 countries, with more than 970 industry professionals on the jury.
In addition to the main prize, which went to Rasmus Munk at Alchemist in Copenhagen, special awards were presented for outstanding achievements, with Iris and Madsen receiving the award for best dining experience.
