Björn Frantzén, One of the World’s Most Awarded Chefs, Is Opening a Restaurant in Sydney
Words by Nick Connellan · Updated on 20 Jul 2026 · Published on 20 Jul 2026
Stockholm, Singapore, Dubai and, soon, Sydney. Swedish chef Björn Frantzén has been at the helm of his eponymous fine-dining restaurant since 2013 and opened international offshoots FZN and Zén in 2018 and 2024. All three restaurants hold three Michelin stars – a rare achievement.
Next year, he’ll extend his portfolio to Barangaroo, opening Én by Björn Frantzén inside Crown Towers. The restaurant will offer “majestic” vistas of Sydney Harbour alongside Frantzén’s signature blend of Nordic, Japanese and French flavours and ideas. A more casual counterpart, Brasserie Astoria, is also coming to Crown Perth.
Tasting and degustation menus are already close cousins of Japan’s omakase and kaiseki formats. Frantzén’s restaurants further bridge the gap, displaying the day’s seafood catch to diners before the meal, then spinning it into dishes such as fried langoustine (scampi) tail with koshihikari and tomato butter; grilled scallops with a truffle-and-goose-egg custard; and Norwegian cod with razor clams, peas and “piso” (miso made from peas instead of soybeans).
Other creations are more explicitly French, like a high-concept onion soup featuring caramelised brown onion puree, almond milk and raw liquorice. Another is a savoury French toast stuffed with caramelised onion and topped with shaved truffle and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar. A very early menu featured a provocative dish nicknamed “Swedish sushi”, using thinly sliced horse (a traditional meat) in place of fish.
As these examples may hint, Frantzén’s restaurants are more consciously luxurious than regional peers like Noma and Geranium, which have touted their local, sustainable credentials with practices like foraging and preservation. Frantzén is more invested in getting the best ingredients available, even if they come from further afield. In saying that, he’s excited about the possibilities here.
“Australia has long been on my radar for its incredible produce and vibrant food culture,” he said in a statement. “Crown Sydney and Crown Perth offer the perfect stage to bring our vision to life, and I’m excited to share our culinary philosophy with a new audience.”
Details on the menu and specific concept are yet to be revealed, but it’s clear the restaurant will offer something substantially different to Crown’s existing line-up, which includes Nobu, Woodcut, a’Mare and Golden Century.
Én by Björn Frantzén opens at Crown in 2027.
About the author
Nick Connellan is Broadsheet’s Australia editor and oversees all stories produced across the country. He’s been with the company since 2015.
