What’s the most expensive meal you’ve paid at a restaurant that was just for yourself, at a time you were alone (or just paying for yourself)?
Picasso at the Bellagio, Las Vegas. My reason for going was mainly to just sit and enjoy a meal while gazing at the amazing artwork. But in fact, the food was on a near-equal level artistically. Delicious and beautiful, plate after plate. I think that’s the only meal I’ve ever eaten when I didn’t want to reach for the salt. Price memory is vague, but I think it was about $100 for the Prix Fixe, and the supplement for the Wagyu more than doubled it. I don’t drink alcohol, so some savings there. Worth every penny!
What’s the most expensive meal you’ve paid at a restaurant that was for more than one person (like with a significant other or group of friends)?
The Whitney, Detroit. My Dad, his girlfriend and I went out for diner the night I first met her. I don’t recall everything we had, but I remember that the escargot was tender and delicious, the Irish salmon made me want to cry it was so good, and bananas foster for dessert. We ordered all courses and they had wine, so I’m gonna say it was about $350. $125 each for them and $100ish for me.
3. What’s the most expensive meal you’ve EVER had at a restaurant, period, regardless of who was paying?
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I don’t know for sure what it cost, but here’s my guess. And I don’t remember the name of the restaurant either, but it was in the Michigan suburbs NW of Detroit (West Bloomfield or thereabouts). Anyway, we have a family tradition of eating lobsters for Christmas Eve dinner. One year my Dad made reservations for about eight or nine of us, and pre-ordered 4.5-5 pound lobsters for each of us. The saddle alone could have been a meal. We gorged, that’s all I can say. Only time in my life that I’ve ever left a bite of lobster on my plate. It was epic. I’m sure he must have spent at least $600 and maybe $1000. But I don’t really know.
We’ve had some long, leisurely dinners with two or three bottles of wine and after dinner drinks. One that stands out was at Lotterie Farm in St Martin. Around $500.
Regardless of who was paying? I would have no idea, as I wouldn’t see the check. I’ve been the guest at a place without prices on the menu, I assume the total was outrageous.
For myself, probably room service at a nice hotel. Even a burger and a beer can exceed $30. I don’t typically go out anywhere nice by myself.
For a group, I spent over $500 last night for a group of six. That’s not the most, per person, I’ve ever spent, but certainly the most recent. I recall some meals over $500 for a party of four. (including wine)
I was taken out to a steak house in Las Vegas by a person who was trying to get our business. Dinner for three. I’m sure we exceeded $800. Seemed like a lot, but he blew 3 to 4 times that amount at the after-dinner blackjack.
For just myself, maybe $80. Rarely more than $40. The most we’ve ever spent as a couple was maybe $400, which include cocktails but excluded wine at a very nice Vegas steakhouse. Most expensive ever was in the same ballpark at another Vegas restaurant, but comped.
I’m not quite sure of the actual most expensive but the one that stands out as most overpriced was a $50 bill (including tip) for French toast, a single egg, bacon, and orange juice. I was interviewing for a job in another city. The company paid for the airfare and hotel but meals were on me. It was about a hundred degrees and humid outside and I was in a suit so I didn’t want to leave the hotel. I also didn’t want to go to the interview hungry. At least it was pretty good French toast.
Around $800 for dinner out to celebrate my wife’s birthday with maybe eight or ten of her friends. It was a nice restaurant and I hadn’t told any of the people I invited that I was paying so nobody held back on ordering drinks or dessert.
I’m not sure of the actual biggest, but I remember the first big one. At an old job, my group had a very good year so management told all the staff to celebrate with a big lunch, no managers invited. It was a group of about 12 people who went to a nice steakhouse where everything was a la carte. Even though it was the middle of the day, everyone had at least a drink or two. The total came to at least $1200 total, but I think it was closer to $1600. I was the one of the youngest attendees but the only one who volunteered to cover the tab. I didn’t know at the time how many of my colleagues had large credit card balances; they probably lacked the credit limit to cover the bill and certainly didn’t want to pay the finance charges until they got reimbursed. I know I’ve exceeded that bill on other client lunches since (and usually with much smaller groups) but it’s still one of the biggest tabs I’ve ever paid (excluding my wedding).
For myself, probably around $30 on rare occasions where I’ve gotten a steak on my lonesome. But that’s just a Lone Star style steak, not going to a real steak house.
As a couple, I’m guessing in the $125 range. I once spent closer to $225 but I had some (gifted) gift cards making up most of that so it doesn’t really count – I wasn’t paying for it really out of pocket.
I’ve never singularly paid for an expensive meal for a group larger than my immediate household. [edit: well, reading below, excluding my wedding, kids’ baptisms or other events ]
I don’t think being part of a large party should count as “most expensive.” By that standard I could count a couple of weddings I’ve been to where I’m sure the restaurant bill ran $10K. But I personally didn’t eat $10K worth of food.
I love sushi and was in LA on business and noticed that what was considered one of the top sushi joints in the state (if not the country) was near my hotel. So I went in, went straight to the bar where the famous sushi chef was working, and just said: “Give me whatever you want”. As plain and simple or as weird and exotic as he wanted. His one rule was: No soy sauce. Done.
About 10-12 courses (and $200) later, I walked away very happy and very impressed. Delicious.
I’m not sure what he meant there. I didn’t think about the weddings or other large events like that. I’ve been at meals that ran over $10K in that regard.
I doubt I’ve ever spent more than $40 on a meal by myself. Usually under $20.
My wife and I went to the Gramercy Tavern in NYC maybe 15 years ago. One drink for me, none for her, the bill was roughly $250 (and worth every penny). Don’t know what the same thing would cost now.
1. What’s the most expensive meal you’ve paid at a restaurant that was just for yourself, at a time you were alone (or just paying for yourself)?
Maybe $50, if I’m alone I’ll usually cook. I find eating alone in a restaurant very depressing.
2. What’s the most expensive meal you’ve paid at a restaurant that was for more than one person (like with a significant other or group of friends)?
I went with my (then) SO to Vegas… I was in a tux and she was in a bridal gown, after the ceremony we took a limo to the airport, a helicopter to Lake Mead, a speed boat across the lake to a hotel, had a fantastic meal and then back the same route, with a tour of Vegas at night.
What’s the most expensive meal you’ve EVER had at a restaurant, period, regardless of who was paying?
Probably the above, although the divorce wasn’t as expensive as it could’ve been - we’re still on good terms. The most expensive, relatively, meal was at Christmas with my other western colleague, in China, paid for by the school, and we ate plenty of steak and lobster in a revolving restaurant. For the locals it was hugely expensive, maybe two year’s salary for the average wage there.
When on a family outing we took my parents out to a Michelin-starred restaurant a couple of years ago and it was about $2000, I and my brother just split it without caring what the bill was, it might have been less or more but we were having too much fun to care. We knew the restaurant was good but not crazy-extravagant, so we could order what we liked, drink a lot of wine, and still not be worrying over the bill at the end.
I don’t tend to splurge on just myself unless I’m working the company expense account, but I did recently order pheasant in a very tony restaurant. I only ordered one side (everything was a la carte), and didn’t order wine, and the total still was $70.
The most expensive meal I’ve ever bought for others was when I took my older son and his (then) new fiancee out for dinner to celebrate their engagement. We went to an exclusive steakhouse that had one of those menus without prices, so I knew it was going to be somewhere in the stratosphere. We didn’t hold back, we had 2 apps to split and a nice bottle of wine. The final bill was between $300-$400 (I don’t remember the exact amount). After I reattached my jaw following its preciptious drop to the floor, I tried very hard NOT to calculate how many nice steaks I could have grilled at home for that price. lol
I’ve spent £100 a couple of times. However, it’s the free meals that are the most expensive: I get regular invites to banquets and events in London, so to take them up I have to pay for travel there and back and hotel bills, all of which which typically amounts to several hundred pounds. I try to limit myself to twice a year.
The most expensive for me was probably $70 including entree, appetizer and beverages.
The most expensive for a group was a company Christmas dinner that came to about $350 for six people. (But I bought 4 $100 gift cards, which gave me 4 $25 coupons to use in Jan-Feb. So I got some really nice lunches out of the deal. )
I’ve never had anyone buy me something more expensive than that. Not unless you count the dinner-theater birthday party a family member invited me to. I think the per-person ticket price (meal included) was $125 and there were 10 people.
My most expensive meals for me alone were usually business related, so I was reimbursed. Otherwise, I was usually with my wife. I doubt I ever paid as much as $20 for a single meal on my own.
Hard to say, but I paid around $60 for an anniversary dinner with my wife.
That’s easy. Back around 2000, I went to a business conference in Toronto (it was also my one and only dopefest). The college had money, so most of our department went. On the last day, we all got together – 20 or so of us – went to a fancy steak restaurant. They gave us our own banquet room, and we ordered whatever they wanted. The minimum entree was $25 (Canadian), and that included no sides. A baked potato was $8. The group had at least eight bottles of wine, plus some had shrimp cocktail, and most of us had dessert. I had prime rib – which was one of the least expensive things on the menu.
We were dining with the college’s VP of finance. When the check came, my boss went to get it, but the VP took it first. He turned white. I estimated it was well over $1200 (Cdn) and probably over $1000 overall.
Those menus were generally intended for nonpaying guests (traditionally the woman if a couple was eating out) - as the host of party they should have given you one with prices.
For a business group entertaining people from another firm, there were probably 10 of us and I think we spend around $1200. My boss actually chided me for not spending more.
Most expensive I have paid for was at the Fat Duck (one time ‘best restaurant in the world’).
The total bill for four people came to £1600 ($2437 US), and we split the bill in half. Tip included. It’s also an hour outside London, so we had to foot the bill for a hotel too.
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