Restaurant in New York City, United States
Aska
1,435ptsTwo stars, 12 courses, book early.
About Aska
Aska holds two Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 88 points for Fredrik Berselius's 12–14 course New Nordic tasting menu in a converted 1860s Williamsburg warehouse. It is one of the most technically assured kitchens in New York, with a seasonal menu built around Northeastern US produce and Scandinavian technique. Booking difficulty is Near Impossible — reserve before you confirm anything else.
Two Michelin stars, a La Liste score of 88 points, and a tasting menu that runs 12–14 courses: Aska is one of the most technically demanding kitchens in New York City, and it earns every bit of that reputation.
If you are considering a $$$$ tasting menu in Brooklyn and wondering whether the borough can compete with Manhattan's flagship dining rooms, the answer here is yes. Fredrik Berselius's cooking at Aska is precise enough to hold two Michelin stars since relocating to its current Williamsburg address, and personal enough to feel like something other than a performance. That combination is harder to find than the star count suggests.
What Aska Does Technically Better Than Its Peers
The kitchen's specific strength is its ability to work within a tight Nordic-meets-Northeast American framework without the results feeling constrained. Where some tasting menus at this price tier lean on luxury ingredients as a shortcut to justify the spend, Aska builds complexity from restraint: sea oak with blue mussel emulsion, grilled langoustine with red gooseberry, live scallop with white turnip and blackcurrant leaf. These are combinations that require genuine technical command to land, and they do. The gooseberry acidity cutting through the richness of the langoustine is not accidental; neither is the mineral character that runs through the seafood courses.
Each course is presented by a member of the kitchen team, and Berselius himself moves through the dining room during service. This is not a pro-forma chef appearance — it is a deliberate part of how the meal is structured. Dishes arrive with context about their creation, which keeps the progression from feeling academic even across 14 courses. The malted barley milk bread with the hake course, topped with aged beluga caviar and a dark beer cream sauce, is a good example: technically layered, but communicated in a way that invites the table to engage rather than observe.
The wine program deserves attention. There is no stand-alone bar at Aska, but the French-forward list spans grand cru Burgundy, grower champagne, cult California pinot noir, and artisanal sake. For guests who want something off-list, classic cocktails are available on request, and the house pours include 70-year-old Cognac and Japanese whisky. At this price point, having serious depth on the list matters — and Aska has it.
The Setting
The restaurant occupies a restored 1860s warehouse under the Williamsburg Bridge in South Williamsburg. The dining room is candlelit, with exposed brick, wooden tables, and black tablecloths framing a rear open kitchen. The kitchen glows as the literal and visual center of the room, which reinforces the cooking-first ethos without being theatrical about it. There is also a seasonal garden patio , relevant if you are planning a visit during warmer months and want to request outdoor seating. The atmosphere leans dark and intimate, which suits the format: this is a long meal in a space designed to make you forget the time.
Current Season and Timing
Tasting menu at Aska tracks Northeastern US seasonality, so what is on the plate in late spring and early summer will differ from autumn. Right now, the menu is built around whatever the current season is offering , if you are visiting during the warmer months, the garden patio is in play and the menu will reflect spring and early summer produce. Hours run Wednesday through Friday from 5–11 pm, with Saturday and Sunday offering both a lunch service (12–3 pm) and dinner (5–11 pm). Monday and Tuesday are closed.
Booking and Access
Booking difficulty is rated Near Impossible. For a two-Michelin-star tasting menu restaurant with limited seats in a candlelit 1860s warehouse, that is not a surprise. Reserve as far in advance as the booking window allows , do not wait until you have confirmed travel plans. There is no walk-in counter option here. If you are visiting New York specifically to eat at Aska, treat the reservation as the first thing you secure, not the last.
Practical Details
| Detail | Aska | Eleven Madison Park | Per Se |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Cuisine | New Nordic / Scandinavian | French / Vegan | French / Contemporary |
| Location | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | Flatiron, Manhattan | Columbus Circle, Manhattan |
| Michelin stars | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Booking difficulty | Near Impossible | Near Impossible | Near Impossible |
| Lunch available | Sat–Sun | No | No |
| Garden / outdoor seating | Seasonal patio | No | No |
| Bar seating | No dedicated bar | No | No |
How It Compares
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Nordic Tasting Menus to Consider Elsewhere
Other US Tasting Menu Destinations
- Alinea in Chicago
- The French Laundry in Napa
- Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg
- Lazy Bear in San Francisco
- Providence in Los Angeles
- Emeril's in New Orleans
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I order at Aska?
- There is no à la carte option , Aska runs a single tasting menu of 12–14 courses, so the kitchen decides what you eat. The menu changes with the season, tracking Northeastern US produce and Scandinavian technique. Documented signatures include grilled Norwegian langoustine with red gooseberry, live scallop with white turnip and blackcurrant leaf, and sea oak with blue mussel emulsion. The malted barley milk bread paired with hake and aged beluga caviar is widely noted as a course worth eating slowly. On the drinks side, if you want something beyond the wine list, classic cocktails are available on request and the house keeps 70-year-old Cognac and Japanese whisky for those who want a serious digestif.
What should a first-timer know about Aska?
- Come prepared for a long meal , 12 to 14 courses at a two-Michelin-star level is not a quick dinner. The pace is deliberate, and each course is presented by a kitchen team member, often with context about how the dish was conceived. Berselius himself comes out during service. The room is dark and intimate, candlelit, set in a converted 1860s warehouse under the Williamsburg Bridge , very different from the formal dining room atmosphere you get at Per Se or Le Bernardin. If you are coming from Manhattan, budget time for the trip to South Williamsburg. The price tier is $$$$, consistent with New York's leading tasting menus. Saturday and Sunday lunch (12–3 pm) is a useful option if you prefer to avoid a late finish on a weeknight.
How far ahead should I book Aska?
- Book the moment you know you want to go , booking difficulty is rated Near Impossible, and Aska's two Michelin stars and limited seat count mean the reservation window fills fast. Do not treat this as something to sort out once you have confirmed flights or a hotel. Among New York's $$$$ tasting menu tier, Atomix and Eleven Madison Park operate at similar booking difficulty. If you miss the window at Aska, those two are the closest comparisons for technical ambition at the same price point, though the cuisine styles differ significantly.
Compare Aska
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aska | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 88pts; ★★★ If the notion of New Nordic cuisine brings to mind a humorless, multicourse curriculum of foraged moss, plankton and seagull eggs, it’s time you visited Aska. Fredrik Berselius’s inventive cooking upends the clichés, with a vibrant tasting menu that manages to be playful, soulful and entirely fresh. Many of the courses arrive with a story about their creation, making dishes like langoustine with red gooseberries and quail with morels feel personal and immediate, but never academic. They’re also visually stunning enough to give you a pang when you cut in. Such is Aska’s ode to nature’s beauty: exquisite, ephemeral and delectable. Williamsburg, Brooklyn; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 89.5pts; An elegant tasting menu capturing the untamed beauty of Scandinavian and Northeastern US landscapes The backstory: Stockholm-born chef Fredrik Berselius stumbled into cooking in London before moving to New York, where he trained at some of the city's top kitchens, including Per Se. In 2012, he launched Aska (Swedish for 'ashes') in a modest Williamsburg spot. Within a year, it earned a Michelin star. By 2016, Berselius relocated Aska to a restored 1860s warehouse under the Williamsburg Bridge. The dimly-lit space –with its main dining room and seasonal garden patio – earned a second Michelin star shortly after. What's on the plate: Expect a procession of 12-14 dishes, each expressing the rhythms of Northeastern US seasonality and the purity of Scandinavian terroir. Signature dishes include sea oak with blue mussel emulsion, grilled langoustine with red gooseberry and live scallop with white turnip and blackcurrant leaf. To drink: Aska doesn't have a sit-down bar, however guests can order classic cocktails on demand, or choose from pours of 70-year-old Cognac or a nip of Japanese whisky. The restaurant's French-forward wine list spans from grand cru Burgundy and grower champagne to cult California pinot noir and artisanal sake, highlighting producers which embrace exceptional craftsmanship. The vibe: Set in an intimate, candlelit space of exposed brick and wooden tables draped in black tablecloths, Aska's naturalist aesthetic frames the rear open kitchen, which glows as the creative heart of the dining room.; Chef: Fredrik Berselius document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Aska is an ideal ambassador for its edgy-cool South Williamsburg neighborhood. In a dark, intimate space, Chef Fredrik Berselius and his ace team deliver on the promise of highly accomplished Nordic cuisine. Each course is presented by a personable member of the kitchen team, with the amiable chef himself routinely stopping by to engage with diners. Local products are woven into the seasonal tasting, with local pastured quail dry-aged, seared, and plated with stuffed morel mushrooms, nasturtium and truffle-speckled jus. Grilled Norwegian langoustine tail with gooseberry is sweet and luscious; slow-cooked hake is topped with aged beluga caviar and dressed with a dark beer cream sauce that simply must be sopped up by the accompanying malted barley milk bread.; Michelin 2 Stars (2024) | $$$$ | — |
| Le Bernardin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Masa | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Per Se | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I order at Aska?
Aska runs a single tasting menu format — 12 to 14 courses — so there is no à la carte ordering. Based on documented signature dishes, the grilled Norwegian langoustine with gooseberry and the slow-cooked hake with aged beluga caviar and dark beer cream sauce are the courses most frequently cited. The malted barley milk bread is worth finishing entirely.
What should a first-timer know about Aska?
Come committed to the format: this is a full tasting menu in a candlelit, 1860s warehouse under the Williamsburg Bridge, with courses presented by kitchen staff and Chef Fredrik Berselius known to stop by tables. At $$$$ per head with two Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 88 points, it is pitched at the same level as Manhattan's top tasting rooms — but the South Williamsburg setting makes it feel more intimate than Per Se or Eleven Madison Park. There is no standalone bar, though cocktails, aged Cognac, and Japanese whisky are available on request.
How far ahead should I book Aska?
Booking difficulty is rated Near Impossible, which for a 12-seat-scale, two-Michelin-star tasting menu is accurate — plan for at least four to six weeks in advance, and more for Friday and Saturday evenings. Saturday and Sunday lunch services offer a marginally more accessible window if your schedule is flexible. If Aska is unavailable, Atomix in Manhattan operates at a comparable level and is worth checking in parallel.
What is Aska known for?
Aska is primarily known for New Nordic, Scandinavian in New York City.
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- 5–11 pm
- Thursday
- 5–11 pm
- Friday
- 5–11 pm
- Saturday
- 12–3 pm, 5–11 pm
- Sunday
- 12–3 pm, 5–11 pm
Recognized By
More restaurants in New York City
- Le BernardinLe Bernardin is one of the most consistently awarded seafood restaurants in the world — three Michelin stars, 99.5 points from La Liste, and four New York Times stars held for over 30 years. At $157 for four courses at dinner ($225 for the tasting menu), it is the right call for a formal occasion or a serious seafood meal in Midtown Manhattan, provided you book well in advance.
- AtomixAtomix is the No. 1 restaurant in North America (50 Best, 2025) and one of the hardest reservations in New York: 14 seats, one seating per night, three Michelin stars. Junghyun and Ellia Park's Korean tasting menu pairs precision-sourced ingredients with Korean culinary heritage, explained course by course through hand-designed cards. Book months ahead or plan around a cancellation.
- Eleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park is the definitive case for plant-based fine dining in New York City: three Michelin stars, a 22,000-bottle wine cellar, and an eight-to-ten course tasting menu in a landmark Art Deco room. Book it for a special occasion with a plant-forward appetite and three hours to spare. Reservations open on the 1st of each month and go within hours.
- Jungsik New YorkJungsik is the restaurant that put progressive Korean fine dining on the New York map, and over a decade in, it still holds that position. With two Michelin stars, a 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, and a seasonally rotating nine-course tasting menu in a quietly formal Tribeca room, it earns its $$$$ price point for special occasions and serious dining. Book well in advance.
- DanielDaniel is the benchmark for classic French fine dining in New York: three Michelin stars, a 10,000-bottle cellar, and formal Upper East Side service that has stayed consistent for over 30 years. Book four to six weeks out minimum. At $$$$, it is a genuine special-occasion restaurant, but the wine program alone — 2,000 selections with particular depth in Burgundy and Bordeaux — makes it the strongest wine-and-food pairing destination in its category.
- Per SePer Se is one of New York's two or three most complete special-occasion restaurants: three Michelin stars, Central Park views, and two nine-course tasting menus that change daily at $425 per person. Book exactly one month out — the window fills fast. The salon accepts walk-ins for à la carte if you miss the main dining room.
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