The 19 Most Expensive Restaurant Dishes In America
When looking over the menu at a nice restaurant, most of us cringe when faced with an average entrée price that's more than $30. But in reality, that's just the tip of the iceberg — a certifiable bargain compared to the most expensive restaurant dishes in America.
#19 Lobster, Stuffed Rigatoni, Carrot Purée, and Corn Sabayon, Guy Savoy, Las Vegas: $120
Guy Savoy is at the top of the fine dining mountaintop — his Paris flagship is renowned as one of the world's best. Should you find yourself at his Las Vegas restaurant, in Caesars Palace, you can choose between two prix-fixe menus or an à la carte one, which very well might be the most expensive à la carte menu in America. The priciest entrée on it is a dish of lobster with stuffed rigatoni, carrot purée, and corn sabayon, which clocks in at $120.
#18 "World Wide Wagyu," Michael Mina Stripsteak, Las Vegas: $155
At the Las Vegas outpost of Michael Mina's Stripsteak, one of the standout dishes (and the most expensive on the menu) is the World Wide Wagyu, which partners a Japanese A5 filet mignon, an American rib cap, and Australian short rib all on one plate. It sells for $155.
#17 Quarter Suckling Pig, Bazaar Meat, Las Vegas: $160
Chef Jose Andres' Las Vegas temple to meat has no shortage of pricey steaks (a ribeye from Oregon's Lindsay Ranch will run you $98), but the restaurant's most expensive dish for one is a quarter of a suckling pig that's been "nestled in a Spanish cazuela and roasted in a wood-fired oven." The skin is crispy and the meat is meltingly tender, but if you want to experience it for yourself you'll have to fork over $160. Want to share a whole one with the table? Be prepared to drop $540.
#16 Prime Plus Bone-In Ribeye, CarneVino, Las Vegas: $170
At CarneVino, the Las Vegas steakhouse run by the power duo of Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, the beef is hormone and antibiotic free and "is often beyond regular USDA prime standards for marbling and flavor." The gigantic bistecca Fiorentina, a Florentine porterhouse, is the priciest steak of all, costing $170.
#15 Surf and Turf, American Cut, New York: $175
At Marc Forgione's classy Tribeca steakhouse, two of the most popular items on the menu are the 42-ounce tomahawk ribeye and Forgione's famed chili lobster (made by wok-frying poached lobster and tossing it in a fiery, buttery sriracha-based sauce). It's hard to go wrong by pairing them together on a platter fit for a king. It'll cost you, though: Pairing arguably the two best items on the menu runs $175.
#14 8-Ounce Japanese Wagyu Ribeye, CUT, Los Angeles: $185
Rated the best steakhouse in America by The Daily Meal, Wolfgang Puck's CUT isn't cheap, but it's worth the expense. If you decide to go all-out and order the most expensive item on the menu, an eight-ounce ribeye made with Japanese wagyu, it'll set you back $185.
#13 18-Ounce Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye, Barclay Prime, Philadelphia: $195
Stephen Starr's Philadelphia gem is infamous for its $120 cheesesteak, made with wagyu ribeye, foie gras, and truffled cheese whiz and served with a split of Champagne, but it's not the most expensive item on the menu by a long shot. That distinction is reserved for the 18-ounce Japanese A5 wagyu ribeye, which will cost you $195.
#12 10-Ounce Serving of Kobe Beef, Red the Steakhouse, Miami: $199
There are three locations of Red the Steakhouse (two in Cleveland and one in Miami), but only the Miami location has a Reserve Steak Selections section on the menu. This section is home to a dry-aged tomahawk ribeye as well as the menu's most expensive item, a $199 slab of Miyazaki Japanese kobe beef.
#11 Four Ounces of Kobe Beef, SW Steakhouse, Las Vegas: $220
The Wynn, chef David Walzog's SW Steakhouse, is one of the few restaurants in America that serves real Japanese kobe beef, along with Red and a couple more we'll get to. If you want to sample the real deal, however, be prepared to drop a serious chunk of change. You can take your pick between four ounces of tenderloin, New York strip, ribeye, or rib cap for $220; if you want more than a few bites you can add on extra ounces, $55 at a time.
#10 Masa Toro with Caviar, Bar Masa and Kappo Masa, New York, Las Vegas: $240
Masa is the most expensive restaurant in America, so it seems obvious that a meal at its à la carte offshoots Bar Masa in New York and Las Vegas (as well as at chef Masa Takayama's other New York spot, Kappo Masa) will also set you back an inordinate amount of money. Should you decide to track down the most expensive menu item at these restaurants, you'll come to the toro roll with caviar, made with the pricey Bluefin tuna belly, or toro. One order will set you back $240.
#9 High Roller Roll, Sushi Roku, Las Vegas: $250
When a Las Vegas sushi restaurant already infamous for its high prices has an off-menu menu item called the High Roller Roll, you know it's going to be expensive. It's made with lobster tail, avocado, asparagus, wagyu beef, tuna, golden Osetra caviar, truffle oil, and gold leaf, and it'll cost you $250. No word on whether all those flavors actually work well together!
#8 Fresh Tagliolini with Butter and White Truffles, Nello, New York: $275
Nello is one of New York's most expensive à la carte restaurants. Its most expensive menu item is a special, announced by the waiter as simply "fresh pasta with white truffle sauce." Many have made the mistake of ordering it without asking the price, which has led to many a case of bill shock, enough to be noticed by the New York Times. The reason? That plate of pasta costs $275. It's insanely opulent and delicious, but is a prime example of why you always need to ask how much a special costs before you order it.
#7 A5 Aragawa Style Wagyu Strip Loin, O Ya, Boston: $280
Chef Tim Cushman's O Ya is one of the finest restaurants in Boston, but it's also very expensive. If you choose to sample the eight-ounce A5 Aragawa-style wagyu strip loin, it'll set you back $280.
#6 10-Ounce Kobe Tenderloin, Empire Steakhouse, New York: $345
One of only two restaurants in New York to serve real Kobe beef, Empire Steakhouse serves two offerings, a 12-ounce ribeye or a 10-ounce tenderloin. Opt for the tenderloin and you'll be ordering the most expensive item on the menu; while the ribeye costs $325, the tenderloin will set you back even further, costing $345.
#5 12-Ounce Japanese Kobe Steak, Old Homestead Steakhouse: $350
The Meatpacking District's Old Homestead Steakhouse also serves true kobe beef. You can sample a six-ounce portion for $175, but if you want to turn it into a full meal order the 12-ounce steak. Just be prepared to pay for it; it costs $350.
#4 777 Burger, Le Burger Brasserie, Las Vegas: $777
It's surprising to encounter a $777 dish on a menu that also includes gravy fries, wings, and a pastrami dig, but that's the way it goes at Le Burger Brasserie in Caesars Palace. The 777 Burger is made with high-grade beef and topped with pancetta, goat cheese, seared foie gras, arugula, Maine lobster, and 100 year-aged balsamic vinegar, and is served with a salad and a bottle of Dom Perignon Rosé.
#3 Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata, Norma's, New York City: $1,000
Norma's is one of New York's most popular breakfast spots, and its Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata is the world's most expensive egg dish. Launched in 2004, the frittata contains six eggs and the meat of a whole lobster, and it's sopped with a whopping 10 ounces of Sevruga caviar. It'll cost you $1,000 (the menu goads customers with "Norma dares you to expense this"), but if you'd like to sample it with just one once of caviar, it'll cost you only $100.
#2 Golden Opulence Sundae, Serendipity 3, New York and Las Vegas: $1,000
Perhaps America's most famous super-expensive dish, Serendipity 3's Golden Opulence Sundae was introduced to celebrate the New York restaurant's 50th anniversary in 2005, and at $1,000 it's listed by Guinness as the world's most expensive sundae. So what's on it? Three scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23-karat gold leaf; chocolate syrup made with Amedei Porcelana, one of the world's most expensive chocolates; chunks of rare Venezuelan Chuao chocolate; candied fruits from Paris; gold-covered almonds; chocolate truffles; marzipan cherries; a small bowl of unsalted caviar infused with passion fruit, orange, and Armagnac; and a whole lot of edible gold leaf.
#1 Fleur Burger 5000, Fleur, Las Vegas, $5,000
Here it is, folks, the most expensive restaurant dish in America, served at Las Vegas' Fleur by Hubert Keller. What exactly does a $5,000 burger look like? It starts with real wagyu beef, and it's topped with foie gras and truffles. To gild the lily, it's served with a bottle of 1995 Chateau Petrus.