eleven madison park review (2026) - is a $400 tasting menu worth it
honest review of 11 madison park, nyc's 3 michelin star restaurant. 8 courses, $400, what's great and what misses. no sugar-coating.
tldr: 11 madison park is 8 courses for $400 in new york city. the duck (14-day aged, honey lavender, best duck i’ve ever had), the lobster (poached, with pear and bisque), and the citrus shaved ice dessert (one of the best desserts on any tasting menu, period) are genuinely world-class. the radish salad, the broth, and the onion dumpling are genuine misses. for $400 with only 8 courses, having that many misses is a problem. the service and kitchen tour are beautiful. but if you have $400 for one meal in nyc, jungsik is better food for the same money.
i’ve wanted to eat at eleven madison park since i lived in new york city. even in my basement-apartment-living days, i heard about this place. it was on the bucket list for years. i couldn’t afford it, and then when i could, the whole menu went vegan. a few months ago, they brought back meat and seafood, and i managed to snag a 9:30pm reservation.
the result: some of the most extraordinary individual dishes i’ve ever eaten, alongside some of the most disappointing dishes i’ve ever had at this price point. that combination is both impressive and frustrating.
no dress code at a 3-michelin-star restaurant, by the way. people in casual t-shirts. probably the only 3-star spot in the world where that’s the case.
if you’re looking for places to visit in new york city, i’ve got a comprehensive guide for that.
the awards (my personal picks)
- best dish: honey lavender duck. 14-day aged. skin like barbecue. peppercorn with numbing flavour. best duck i’ve ever eaten.
- best surprise: citrus shaved ice dessert. kumquat, mandarin, four types of citrus, mochi, vanilla cream, jasmine water spray. the greatest way to eat fruit.
- best seafood: poached lobster with pear and lobster bisque. sweet, tender, and the bisque is a power punch of flavour.
- biggest miss: the radish and fennel salad. overly salted. nothing remarkable. a total miss.
- best service moment: kitchen tour where they make you a maple candy. french canadian tradition. most restaurants don’t do this.
- best potato dish: yukon gold potato with truffle, potato puree, and smoked potato consomme. this is how millionaires eat potatoes.
- best bread: the croissant-roll with onion butter and jam. i ran out of bread before i ran out of butter. criminal.
the full review
eleven madison park
madison park, manhattan / $400 per person / 7.5/10
the restaurant is huge, warm, and somehow intimate despite its size. the staff is immediately welcoming. no pretension. they genuinely want you to have a good time.
course 1: herbed broth
a warm broth with what felt like a dozen different herbs. honestly, it tastes like a saltier version of tom yum. not bad, not remarkable. just okay. 6/10.
course 2: bread and butter
the bread is more like a croissant-roll hybrid. super flaky, incredibly light. the butter is onion butter with a jam of toasted sunflower seeds and confited garlic in the middle. the onion butter is genuinely wonderful. rich, creamy, savoury. i ran out of bread before i ran out of butter, which at a 3-michelin-star restaurant feels like a design flaw. 8.5/10.
course 3: radish salad with rice dumpling
different types of radish, some pickled, some raw, with a little rice dumpling wrapped in onion. the salad was overly salted. the dumpling was a little savory, a little sweet, bits of heat. nothing remarkable. this was a genuine miss. 5/10.
course 4: scallop wrapped in radish and kohlrabi
now things improve. the scallop is as tender and sweet as scallop can possibly be. the veggie wrap on the outside is extremely crispy. the roasted scallop broth is citrusy and nutty with hazelnut. extreme contrasting textures in every spoonful. 8/10.
course 5: cauliflower couscous with tamburi and pita
the most innovative vegetable course. tamburi seeds look like caviar (they call it “land caviar”). cauliflower couscous on the bottom. the lightest, airiest pita bread. the cauliflower and sumac cream is rich and savoury with tons of umami. this fills you up in a way the other veggie courses don’t. probably the best thing i had so far at this point. 8.5/10.
mid-course: kitchen tour and maple candy
they take you through the kitchen and make you a fresh maple candy using the french canadian tradition of pouring maple syrup onto snow. it becomes a little lollipop. this is the kind of touch that separates great restaurants from good ones. i wish more restaurants did this.
course 6: poached lobster with pear and bisque
the lobster is super tender with a sweetness that pairs beautifully with the pear. i’ve never had lobster with a sweet element before, and it works because both the pear and the lobster are naturally sweet. the crunchy cabbage contrasts the tender lobster. the lobster bisque sauce is a power punch of flavour. this is the best course so far. 9.5/10.
course 7: yukon gold potato with truffle
the fanciest potato dish i’ve ever had. yukon gold potato with potato puree and potato gnocchi, all sitting in smoked potato consomme with shaved truffle. you’d think it would be too potato-heavy. you’d be wrong. this is how millionaires eat potatoes. earthy truffle, wonderful umami from the broth. the gnocchi is beautifully chewy. a standalone-worthy dish. 9/10.
course 8: honey lavender duck
the final savoury course. 14-day aged duck. a thin layer of toasty skin, a thicker layer of fat underneath, juicy meat. glistening with honey and lavender duck jus. peppercorn on top.
this might be the most magical duck dish in the food kingdom.
the skin is incredible. toasty and fatty, tastes like barbecue duck cooked over open fire. the spices are perfect. tiny bit of numbing flavour from the peppercorn. the meat is intensely juicy. the duck jus is pure magic. the beet salad on the side complements everything with acidity.
unlike any duck dish i’ve ever had. easily in my top 5 meat courses at any restaurant, anywhere. 10/10.
dessert: citrus shaved ice
inside the citrus ice: kumquat, mandarin, four different types of citrus, citrus ice cream, vanilla cream, mochi, and shaved ice. they spray jasmine water on top.
this is the greatest thing. the greatest way to eat fruit. it tastes like a shaved ice/mochi/orchard combined. buttery, citrusy, creamy, with pops of bitterness from citrus peel. i might like this more than the lobster. one of the best desserts i’ve ever had on a tasting menu. 10/10.
take-home gifts: a menu card, a jar of granola, a sesame pretzel, and a pouch. most elaborate parting gift from any michelin restaurant.
the honest verdict
the highs are extraordinary. the duck is a 10/10 dish. the lobster is a 9.5/10. the citrus dessert is a 10/10. the potato is a 9/10. the service is flawless. the kitchen tour is a beautiful touch.
the lows are hard to forgive at this price. the radish salad is a 5/10. the broth is a 6/10. out of 8 courses for $400, having 2-3 genuine misses is a problem. that’s $100-150 worth of courses that didn’t deliver.
the comparison that matters. jungsik, the only 3-michelin-star korean restaurant in america, is roughly the same price. every single course there hits. there are no misses. if i had to repeat a 3-star experience for $400, i’m going to jungsik 100% of the time.
eleven madison park is a bucket list experience. you should go once if you can afford it. but the food inconsistency means it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, not a regular destination.
my rating: 7.5/10. extraordinary peaks, frustrating valleys.
eleven madison park tips
- book months in advance. reservations go extremely fast.
- no dress code. wear whatever you’re comfortable in. this is genuine, not a test.
- the kitchen tour happens between courses 5 and 6. it’s a highlight. pay attention.
- the duck and lobster are the clear stars. if you could somehow request extra of those and skip the radish salad, you’d have a perfect meal.
- dinner can run until 1am if you have a late reservation. check train schedules if you’re taking public transit.
- total with tip and a drink: budget $500-550 per person.
- if you want the best 3-star experience in nyc for the money, look at jungsik instead.
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