Chapter 02 — Timeline
History & Origins
From a small opening in Gamla Stan to the first three-star restaurant in Swedish history — the documented timeline.
HistoryCompiled from public sources·Updated June 2025
The restaurant now known simply as Frantzén opened in 2008 in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town, under the name Frantzén/Lindeberg — a partnership between chef Björn Frantzén and pastry chef Daniel Lindeberg. Recognition came quickly: a first Michelin star in 2009, a second in 2010. When Lindeberg departed in 2013, the restaurant was renamed Frantzén and retained its two stars.
The defining decision came in 2016. Rather than continue in the confined Gamla Stan space, Frantzén closed the original restaurant entirely and invested a reported 75 million Swedish kronor in converting a three-floor townhouse on Klara Norra Kyrkogata. The gamble was structural: the new building allowed open-fire cooking, a counter-centred dining room, and the multi-floor guest journey that now defines the experience. The reopened restaurant received Sweden’s first-ever third Michelin star in 2018.
The complete timeline
2008
Frantzén/Lindeberg opens in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town, as a partnership between Björn Frantzén and pastry chef Daniel Lindeberg.
2009
First Michelin star, awarded one year after opening.
2010
Second Michelin star. Consecutive-year progression places the restaurant among Europe’s fastest risers.
2013
Daniel Lindeberg departs. The restaurant is renamed Frantzén and retains two stars.
2016
The original location closes. A reported 75 million SEK is invested in converting a 19th-century townhouse on Klara Norra Kyrkogata into a three-floor restaurant.
2017
The new Frantzén opens and enters The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
2018
Third Michelin star — the first three-star rating ever awarded to a Swedish restaurant.
2020
Ranked No. 1 in Europe by OAD (Opinionated About Dining).
2021
No. 6 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants — the highest placement ever for a Swedish restaurant. The group’s Singapore restaurant Zén also receives three stars.
2023
No. 1 on La Liste, the aggregate world restaurant ranking.
2025
The Dubai venue receives three Michelin stars, making Björn Frantzén the only chef to hold three three-star ratings simultaneously across three countries.
2026
Three stars retained in the Michelin Guide Sweden 2026.
The man behind the timeline
A footballer’s career cut short, an army kitchen, and Paris’s greatest vegetable cook.