Björn Frantzén is the Swedish chef who, as of May 2025, is the only chef in the world currently operating three Michelin three-star restaurants simultaneously. Born in Solna, Stockholm in 1977, Frantzén opened his flagship restaurant Frantzén in Stockholm in 2008 and has since built Frantzén Group into one of the most respected international fine-dining operations, with nine establishments from Stockholm to Marbella.
His three three-star restaurants are Frantzén in Stockholm (three stars since 2018, first in Sweden), Zén in Singapore (three stars since 2021) and FZN in Dubai (three stars since May 2025, awarded less than a year after opening). The total puts Frantzén at nine Michelin stars.
TL;DR
- Swedish chef born 26 January 1977 in Solna, Stockholm
- Former professional footballer for AIK (1992-1996) until a congenital heart condition ended that career at 19
- Chef-owner of Frantzén in Stockholm (three Michelin stars since 2018, first in Sweden)
- Also three stars at Zén, Singapore (2021) and FZN, Dubai (May 2025)
- Only chef currently holding three separate Michelin three-star restaurants simultaneously
Björn Frantzén key facts
| Born | 26 January 1977, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Main restaurant | Frantzén, Klara Norra Kyrkogata 26, Stockholm (opened 2008) |
| Michelin stars | Nine in total: three at Frantzén, three at Zén, three at FZN |
| Style | Nordic cuisine with French technique and Japanese influences |
| Notable rankings | World’s 50 Best No. 6 (2021); No. 1 on La Liste (2023); No. 1 in Europe OAD Top 100 (2020) |
| Other restaurants | Zén (Singapore), FZN (Dubai), Studio Frantzén, Brasserie Astoria, Villa Frantzén, Bobergs Matsal |
Early life and training of Björn Frantzén
Frantzén grew up in Solna, a Stockholm suburb, and spent his early teenage years on the football pitch rather than in a kitchen. He played professionally for AIK, one of Stockholm’s top clubs, between 1992 and 1996, making his debut for the first team as a teenager. A congenital heart condition ended that career at 19. He has often said he had to find a different ambition overnight.
The switch to cooking was rooted in one specific meal: at 12 or 13 he ate a steak frites at a small French brasserie in Stockholm, and later described it as a hallelujah moment. Classic grilled meat, homemade béarnaise, crispy frites, a tomato and red onion salad. He enrolled at culinary school in Stockholm and trained in the classical French tradition, then did the stages that would shape his career. He worked as a chef in the Swedish Army, followed by Chez Nico’s at 90 Park Lane in London under Nico Ladenis, Pied à Terre in London, and L’Arpège in Paris under Alain Passard.
Back in Sweden he did his formative domestic work at Edsbacka Krog, Sweden’s first two-Michelin-star restaurant, under Christer Lingström. When he decided to open his own place in 2008 with pastry chef Daniel Lindeberg, the explicit goal was to become the first Swedish restaurant to hold three Michelin stars.
Björn Frantzén career timeline
- 1992-1996: Plays professional football for AIK in Stockholm
- 1996: Heart condition ends football career at 19; chef in the Swedish Army
- Late 1990s-early 2000s: Stages at Chez Nico’s (London), Pied à Terre (London), L’Arpège (Paris), Edsbacka Krog (Stockholm)
- 2008: Opens Frantzén/Lindeberg with pastry chef Daniel Lindeberg in Gamla Stan, Stockholm
- 2009: First Michelin star
- 2010: Second Michelin star
- 2012: Frantzén/Lindeberg ranked No. 20 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants; No. 12 in 2013
- 2013: Daniel Lindeberg leaves; restaurant renamed Frantzén
- 2016: Frantzén’s Kitchen opens in Hong Kong (first international project)
- 2016: Original Stockholm restaurant closes to relocate
- August 2017: Frantzén reopens on Klara Norra Kyrkogata in Norrmalm, Stockholm, across three floors
- February 2018: Frantzén earns three Michelin stars, the first Swedish restaurant ever to reach three stars
- Late 2018: Zén opens in Singapore in a three-storey shophouse on Bukit Pasoh Road
- 2021: World’s 50 Best Restaurants No. 6; Zén awarded three Michelin stars; Brasserie Astoria opens in Stockholm
- 2023: Frantzén ranked No. 1 on La Liste
- October 2024: FZN opens at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
- May 2025: FZN awarded three Michelin stars; Frantzén becomes the only chef with three three-star restaurants simultaneously
- September 2025: Brasserie Astoria opens at Baccarat Hotel & Residences Maldives
- 2026: Group plans 6-8 openings including Brasserie Astoria London and Emberlin, a new steakhouse concept in Stockholm
Björn Frantzén signature style: Nordic, French and Japanese
Frantzén’s cooking does not sit within the New Nordic movement. He has explicitly said so: he uses Nordic ingredients where they are the best option, but he also sources globally when the quality is better elsewhere (king crab from Norway, wagyu from Hyogo, scallops from wherever happens to be in peak season). The technical backbone is classical French. The structural inspiration is Japanese omakase. He has called the combination “casual elegance”.
The format at Frantzén reflects this directly. A single tasting menu is served at both lunch and dinner for 23 guests, spread across three floors of a 19th-century Norrmalm townhouse. Guests begin in a top-floor lounge, move through an ingredient presentation, dine at a counter overlooking the kitchen, then return to the lounge for coffee and petits fours. The kitchen runs an open fire section, exceptional à la minute cooking, and extensive ageing of fish and meat. Signature flavour pairings (white onion, liquorice and almond) have been used in different forms since the restaurant opened.
The international restaurants use the same philosophical framework but adapt to local produce and service culture. Zén in Singapore occupies a similar multi-storey shophouse concept; FZN at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai runs a living-room-plus-dining-room-plus-after-dinner format with executive chef Torsten Vildgaard at the stove.
Notable dishes at Frantzén
Several Frantzén courses have become reference points. The Råraka (a Swedish grated-potato cylinder filled with vendace roe, beetroot and pickled onions) is a signature starter that appears at every Frantzén Group outpost. The French Toast with maitake mushroom, five spices, Hyogo wagyu, ponzu, chive emulsion and Japanese mustard is the restaurant’s most photographed snack. Miso madeleines are served at the end of every Frantzén Group meal. The quail from the Loire Valley, served with the white onion, liquorice and almond signature flavour combination, has been the main course reference since the restaurant moved to Norrmalm. And the chawanmushi of aged pork broth with razor clams and ramson illustrates the Japanese structural influence applied to Nordic ingredients.
Björn Frantzén awards and recognition
- 2009: First Michelin star at Frantzén/Lindeberg
- 2010: Second Michelin star
- 2018: Three Michelin stars at Frantzén (first in Sweden); The White Guide Restaurant of the Year
- 2019: Best Chef Award Top 100 (The Best Chef Awards)
- 2020: Frantzén ranked No. 1 in Europe on OAD Top 100
- 2021: World’s 50 Best Restaurants No. 6; Zén awarded three Michelin stars; Kockarnas Kock at the Swedish Gastronomy Prize
- 2023: Frantzén ranked No. 1 on La Liste
- 2025: FZN awarded three Michelin stars; Frantzén becomes the only chef with three three-star restaurants simultaneously; FZN Gault&Millau UAE International Brand of the Year
Björn Frantzén impact on Nordic fine dining
Frantzén’s most concrete contribution is the 2018 third Michelin star, which made Frantzén the first Swedish restaurant ever to reach three stars and put Stockholm into the same fine-dining conversation as Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki. Before February 2018, Sweden had never had a three-star restaurant; seven years later, the Frantzén Group is one of the largest fine-dining operations in the world.
The second impact is organisational. By building Frantzén Group with backers including Swedish billionaire Antonia Ax:son Johnson and Altor founder Harald Mix, Frantzén has demonstrated how a Nordic fine-dining chef can scale internationally without diluting the flagship. The FZN model (local executive chef trained inside the group, Frantzén overseeing concept and standards, three-star outcome within a year of opening) has become a template that other chefs are studying.
His position in the current Nordic generation places him alongside Rasmus Munk at Alchemist in Copenhagen and, historically, René Redzepi at Noma, though his cooking deliberately avoids the New Nordic manifesto in favour of a more internationalist position. The French-and-Japanese base also puts him in indirect conversation with chefs like Corey Lee at Benu in San Francisco, another three-star operation built on the intersection of Asian technique and Western fine dining.
Björn Frantzén FAQ
How many Michelin stars does Björn Frantzén have?
Nine Michelin stars in total: three at Frantzén in Stockholm (since 2018), three at Zén in Singapore (since 2021), and three at FZN in Dubai (since May 2025). He is the only chef in the world currently operating three separate three-star restaurants at the same time.
Was Björn Frantzén really a footballer?
Yes. He played professionally for AIK in Stockholm between 1992 and 1996, making his debut as a teenager for the first team. A congenital heart condition forced him to end that career at 19, which is when he turned to cooking.
What is FZN in Dubai?
FZN by Björn Frantzén is a 27-cover fine-dining restaurant at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai, opened in October 2024. It is Frantzén’s first restaurant in the Middle East and earned three Michelin stars in May 2025, less than a year after opening. Executive chef Torsten Vildgaard leads the kitchen.
Is Frantzén a New Nordic restaurant?
No. Frantzén has explicitly said his cooking is not part of the New Nordic movement. He uses Nordic ingredients where they are the best, but sources globally when needed and builds the kitchen on classical French technique with Japanese influences.
What is next for the Frantzén Group?
The group plans to open six to eight restaurants in 2026, including a Brasserie Astoria outpost in London and Emberlin, a new Frantzén steakhouse concept in Stockholm scheduled to open in late summer with global expansion ambitions.
What is next for Björn Frantzén
Following the 2025 milestone of three three-star restaurants, the Frantzén Group is scaling further with the planned Emberlin steakhouse in Stockholm and Brasserie Astoria outposts across London, the Maldives and beyond. Frantzén has said he wants to continue building the company “slow and steady” while protecting family time. His public Instagram (@bjornfrantzen) is the best source for group updates and current projects.
