Iris restaurant pauses operations as Salmon Eye shifts focus.
The Michelin-starred restaurant Iris, located at the Salmon Eye visitor centre in the Hardangerfjord, will close temporarily, with 13 employees notified of layoffs while the owners prepare a new concept.
The closure was confirmed by Salmon Eye chairman and Eide Fjordbruk owner and chief executive Sondre Eide, according to Norwegian business daily E24. The Salmon Eye experience centre itself will remain open in line with its licence conditions.
The restaurant, which received its first Michelin star in 2024, will suspend operations while work is carried out on a revised concept.
“We are confident that the waiting time will be worth it. The Eide family looks forward to presenting a concept that will not only open people’s eyes, but also contribute concretely to action that increases global commitment to sustainable food from the sea,” Eide wrote in an email to E24.
Iris forms part of the Salmon Eye visitor centre, a floating structure in the Hardangerfjord near Rosendal that opened in 2022 following several years of development. The project has involved investments of more than NOK 50 million.
The restaurant has positioned itself around what it describes as an “expedition dining” concept, combining a fixed tasting menu with a wider narrative around sustainability and future food systems. Iris has received international attention, including being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 best places to visit in 2024.
According to Eide, the decision to pause the restaurant reflects a desire to further develop the concept.
“For the Eide family, it is not ‘enough’ with Michelin. Our ambition is to ensure real global change so that the world’s population eats more sustainable food from the sea,” he wrote.
