This NYC Grilled Cheese Sandwich Costs $214 And Requires A 48-Hour Notice To Order
As delicious as they are, grilled cheese sandwiches are usually thought of as a humble meal rather than an extravagant luxury. In its most basic form, the sandwich requires only white bread, meltable cheese, and butter (or mayo, if you want to switch up your grilled cheese spread). However, there are some dining establishments that reimagine the humble grilled cheese sandwich as a high-end delicacy whether for quality's sake or for pure spectacle.
We all know that restaurant prices, even in the fast food market, have skyrocketed in recent years, but some establishments take pricing much further than others. One such destination is New York City's Serendipity 3, a restaurant with a decidedly maximalist aesthetic and philosophy. The decadent restaurant is responsible for the "Quintessential Grilled Cheese," which, at a whopping $214, holds the Guinness World Record for the world's most expensive sandwich.
The sandwich is a careful study in opulence, featuring French bread made with Dom Perignon Champagne and edible gold flakes, white truffle butter, and Italian caciocavallo podolico cheese. The sandwich is served with a side of South African lobster tomato bisque. Curious diners willing to drop $214 are required to provide notice of their purchase 48 hours in advance.
Serendipity 3 serves many expensive dishes
If the thought of spending $214 on a grilled cheese sandwich makes you balk, how about $295 for a hamburger, $1,000 for a sundae, or $25,000 for frozen hot chocolate? Each of these outrageous items has featured on Serendipity 3's menu at some point, breaking various Guinness World Records. Like the Quintessential Grilled Cheese, Serendipity 3's intentionally outrageous desserts are full of edible gold and premium ingredients and require advanced notice to order. The $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate ice cream sundae includes a gold, diamond-encrusted spoon that can be taken home. (Thanks to this menu item, frozen hot chocolate has since become a cultural phenomenon.) Elsewhere on the menu, Serendipity 3's Golden Opulence Sundae contains caviar and a hand-built orchid that's made from sugar.
The Quintessential Grilled Cheese has been periodically offered at Serendipity 3 from at least as far back as 2014 when it was awarded the Guinness World Record. It was last seen on the restaurant's Instagram in April 2023 as part of a promotion for National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12th. On the restaurant's online menu, the sandwich is still listed as part of the "Guinness World Records" section, suggesting it is available to order.