You Could Easily Drop $750 At This Swanky New York Restaurant

Most things in New York City fall into two economic categories: expensive and unspeakably expensive. And, wouldn't you know it, a surprisingly high number of local restaurants fall into that latter Shakespearean column. They're also typically top-rated (you do, sometimes, get what you pay for), a bit easier to get into (thanks to those prohibitive dollar signs), and prone to a little controversy (as unspeakably expensive things tend to be). Manhattan's Eleven Madison Park, which is also, paradoxically, the birthplace of Shake Shack, checks each of those boxes.

EMP, as it is also known, has an average check total of $750, according to an estimate by the trade publication Restaurant Business. That uncomfortable sum, plus EMP's prestige — an uncommon three Michelin stars, previous sparklers in The New York Times, and repeated recognition by the James Beard Foundation (which Julia Child helped shape) — has made it the ne plus ultra of fine dining worldwide for the better part of its quarter century-plus in operation. Not to mention its scandal. EMP's proprietor and head chef Daniel Humm made waves colder than a vichyssoise when he flipped the menu to an entirely plant-based format in 2021. Then, almost unbelievably, he drew foodie ire once again when it was revealed that the restaurant was still serving meat in an even more exclusive private dining room that very same year. Truly moments "The Menu" was made for.

This is — cue sad trombone — subjective. When accounting for two, what you actually get for around that amount of cash is nine or 10 plant-based courses for $365 per person. There is also a $285 five-course version, and a $225 bar tasting menu consisting of four or five courses. This is all before drinks, tax, and tip. The lineup is dynamic, but previous items have included a trio of onion and leek preparations, mushrooms a half-dozen ways, and roasted butternut squash with hazelnut stuffing.

So, if you are a billionaire with a strictly plant-based diet and enough free time to spend two or more hours at dinner, have we got news for you! Eleven Madison Park is still an exceptionally notable destination for restaurant collectors as well. But, for the somewhat more down-to-earth diners with some multi-course money to burn, eh, New York City is a competitive market, even in these upper-echelon reaches of the restaurant landscape. Farther downtown and up on the 63rd floor of a landmark Art Deco building, Saga is objectively more beautiful, for example. Midtown's Le Bernardin is one of those other few three Michelin star restaurants in the U.S. And, over at Columbus Circle, Per Se's yet another rarity in this regard. And they can also all accommodate plant-based menu requests, without issuing a press release.