13 Priciest Restaurants in New York Where Dining Is a True Splurge

New York City is home to some of the world’s most extraordinary dining experiences, where culinary artistry meets luxury. These high-end restaurants offer more than just meals – they create unforgettable memories through exceptional service, rare ingredients, and masterful techniques. If you’re ready to open your wallet wide for a truly spectacular dining adventure, these 13 establishments represent the pinnacle of NYC’s gastronomic splurges.

1. Per Se

Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-starred masterpiece sits perched above Columbus Circle with stunning Central Park views. The $355 tasting menu changes daily, showcasing the finest seasonal ingredients prepared with French techniques and meticulous precision.

Every detail at Per Se feels purposeful – from the salmon cornets that begin your meal to the famous “coffee and doughnuts” dessert. The service moves with balletic grace, and the wine pairings can easily double your bill.

A meal here isn’t just dinner; it’s a four-hour culinary journey through roughly nine courses, each more impressive than the last.

2. Masa

Chef Masa Takayama’s temple to sushi holds the title of America’s most expensive restaurant experience. At $750 per person before drinks, tax or tip, this omakase-only establishment eliminates menus entirely, placing your culinary fate in the master’s hands.

The minimalist counter seats just 10 guests who watch as pristine fish, much of it flown in daily from Japan’s Tsukiji market, transforms into edible art. The rice arrives at body temperature, the wasabi is freshly grated, and even the plates are warmed precisely.

A dining experience measured not in courses but in transcendent moments of flavor purity.

3. Le Bernardin

Eric Ripert’s seafood sanctuary has maintained four New York Times stars for longer than any restaurant in history. The $298 Chef’s Tasting Menu celebrates the ocean’s bounty through barely-touched preparations that honor each fish’s natural flavor.

The dining room exudes understated elegance with its wood paneling and nautical art. Servers move with quiet confidence, describing each creation with reverence. Signature dishes like the barely-cooked scallop with brown butter dashi reveal why this institution holds three Michelin stars.

For seafood lovers, no expense feels too great for cooking that finds the perfect balance between technical mastery and restraint.

4. Eleven Madison Park

After its bold reinvention as a plant-based restaurant, Daniel Humm’s iconic dining room continues commanding $335 for its tasting menu. The grandeur begins with the soaring Art Deco space overlooking Madison Square Park, where every table feels like the best in the house.

Now vegetables receive the star treatment once reserved for luxury ingredients. Sunflower becomes the center of a multi-part preparation. Beets undergo days of aging like fine steaks. The famous carrot tartare gets prepared tableside with theatrical flair.

Despite the absence of animal products, the experience remains one of New York’s most lavish culinary adventures.

5. Daniel

Daniel Boulud’s flagship restaurant embodies old-world French luxury with a distinctly New York sensibility. The $275 tasting menu unfolds in a neoclassical dining room where jackets are required and service approaches performance art.

Seasonal ingredients receive classical French treatment with modern touches – perhaps duck roasted to perfection with summer cherries or sea scallops with black truffle and cauliflower. The bread service alone features multiple varieties, each more tempting than the last.

Wine pairings from the 15,000-bottle cellar, overseen by a team of sommeliers, can easily elevate your bill into four-figure territory for two diners.

6. Jean-Georges

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame Central Park views at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s three-Michelin-starred flagship. The $258 tasting menu blends French technique with Asian influences and American ingredients in dishes that appear deceptively simple yet deliver explosive flavor combinations.

The pristine white dining room creates the perfect canvas for colorful creations like egg caviar or the famous warm chocolate cake that inspired countless imitations. Service strikes the perfect balance between formal and friendly, with synchronized plate presentations that never feel stuffy.

A meal here demonstrates why Vongerichten remains one of America’s most influential chefs even after building a global restaurant empire.

7. Gabriel Kreuther

Alsatian-born chef Gabriel Kreuther brings his unique culinary heritage to this two-Michelin-starred gem across from Bryant Park. The $295 tasting menu weaves Alsatian comfort with New York luxury in a space that feels both rustic and refined.

His signature sturgeon and sauerkraut tart with caviar exemplifies this high-low approach. The dining room features hand-hewn wooden beams transported from Alsatian farms alongside contemporary art and plush seating. Each table receives freshly baked kougelhopf bread with cultured butter.

The adjacent chocolate shop offers the perfect takeaway after your meal – handcrafted bonbons that continue the Alsatian story with modern twists.

8. Atera

Hidden behind an unmarked door in Tribeca, this two-Michelin-starred restaurant offers one of New York’s most immersive dining experiences. The $298 tasting menu unfolds around a horseshoe-shaped counter where just 18 guests watch chefs prepare roughly 20 avant-garde courses.

Executive chef Ronny Emborg creates dishes that play with temperature, texture and expectation. A seemingly simple beet might arrive smoking with liquid nitrogen or a familiar flavor might be transformed into an unrecognizable form. The Nordic-influenced cuisine emphasizes foraged ingredients and preservation techniques.

Wine pairings veer toward the natural and biodynamic, often featuring small producers you won’t find elsewhere.

9. Marea

Michael White’s coastal Italian palace on Central Park South transforms seafood into high art. The $175 four-course prix fixe feels almost reasonable compared to others on this list, but add caviar service, rare Italian wines, and supplemental courses, and your bill quickly escalates.

The signature fusilli with red wine-braised octopus and bone marrow exemplifies White’s approach – traditional Italian foundations elevated through luxury ingredients and perfect technique. The marble-clad dining room attracts power players from nearby corporate headquarters and well-heeled tourists alike.

The crudo selection alone features nearly a dozen preparations of raw fish, each more creative than the last.

10. Sushi Nakazawa

Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, who apprenticed under sushi legend Jiro Ono, creates a $180 omakase experience that represents the purest expression of traditional Edomae sushi. The 20-piece progression at the coveted counter seats unfolds with mathematical precision and artistic sensitivity.

Each piece arrives individually, served directly from the chef’s hand to yours, with specific instructions on how to eat it. No soy sauce, no extra wasabi – just perfectly seasoned rice at body temperature and fish that’s been aged, marinated, or prepared precisely for its optimal flavor.

The sake pairings introduce rare bottles that complement rather than compete with the delicate fish.

11. The Grill

Occupying the historic Four Seasons space, The Grill resurrects mid-century New York dining with theatrical flair. Prime rib trolleys, champagne on ice, and tableside preparations create dinner and a show that starts at $178 for three courses before supplements.

The restored Philip Johnson interior provides the perfect backdrop for power dining, with its burnished brass, walnut paneling, and rippling curtains. Signature dishes like the $92 prime rib or $145 Dover sole get filleted tableside by captains in Tom Ford tuxedos.

The martini cart arrives first, setting the tone for an evening where excess feels not just permitted but encouraged.

12. COTE Korean Steakhouse

This Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse combines the precision of Japanese beef culture with Korean BBQ’s conviviality. The $185 Steak Omakase progresses through increasingly marbled cuts of rare American and Japanese beef, cooked on tabletop grills by attentive servers.

Wagyu arrives with theatrical presentation – perhaps A5 Miyazaki with gold flakes or 150-day dry-aged ribeye. The sleek, dark interior with red accents creates the perfect backdrop for meat that quite literally glows. Banchan (traditional Korean side dishes) receive the same attention as the premium beef.

The sophisticated cocktail program and impressive wine list featuring rare vintages can quickly double your investment.

13. JoJo by Jean-Georges

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first New York restaurant offers a slightly more accessible entry point to his culinary world. The $158 tasting menu unfolds in a townhouse setting that feels like dining in a chic friend’s Upper East Side home – if that friend happened to be a culinary genius.

The menu revisits Vongerichten classics like black truffle and fontina pizza and warm valrhona chocolate cake. The recently renovated space features pale blue walls, velvet banquettes, and a relaxed elegance that stands in contrast to the formality of his flagship restaurant.

While not as astronomically priced as others on this list, JoJo still delivers a splurge-worthy experience.