This last year was packed with restaurant closures and lockdowns, the world was forced to adapt to what and how they ate. People cooked more, delivered more, and got creative in the kitchen. Frequent take-out and delivery may have been an additional expense, but has come nowhere close to these top 40 meals and ingredients found in various restaurants all over the world that is sure to top your yearly delivery bill... and maybe even your monthly rent. Read on to see just how much people are willing to spend on delicacies or even basic burgers.
1. Fleur burger 5000
We will start this list of easy with a typical burger, something you can find at a fast-food restaurant for $2.99. This specific burger is far from a Big Mac though and is found at the prestigious restaurant Fleur in Las Vegas Mandalay Hotel. Famous French Chef Hubert Keller is the mad man behind this meat.
The burger is made of Wagyu beef, white truffles, and foie gras. It is served with a bottle of fancy champagne. Keep in mind that the burger is served in Las Vegas so the diners either lost all their money in the casinos and have become numb to giving away more money, or are spending all their earnings on their first meal at the Mandalay. PRICE: $5,000
2. Civet Coffee
Civet Coffee sounds like something we would all want to try but after learning about what makes it so expensive, we might rather just pay for an overpriced latte at Starbucks. Although the delicacy is known for its flavor and aroma, the beans must pass through the digestive system of a small mammal called a Civet!
These creatures eat the coffee beans but do not digest the cherries. The remnants of the cherries are then collected from the Civet’s remnants in Southeast Asia and used to make coffee for luxury latte drinkers in New York and London. This coffee is not for PETA, as the Civets are kept in cages year-round to collect their feces. PRICE: $50-$100 per cup
3. Louis XIII Pizza
Renato Viola, a famous pizza chef, will come to your villa in Italy with assistant chefs and prepare this pizza for you. He may need a room in the villa as the dough takes over 72 hours to prepare but if you can afford a villa in Italy and this Pizza, we're sure there are extra rooms in your home.
This pie is made with three types of caviar soaked in champagne, buffalo mozzarella, Australian pink salt, Mediterranean prawns, and Norwegian lobster in a Louis XIII cognac marinade, hence the name. PRICE: $12,000
4. Fence Gate Inn Meat Pie
When we think of Meat Pie, we think of a five-dollar frozen TV dinner that can be popped in the microwave for five minutes. Well microwaving the meat pie at the Fence Gate Inn in Lancashire, UK would be considered a crime. This pie is filled with Wagyu beef, exotic truffles, and mushrooms, and gravy.
This gravy is no normal gravy. It is made from two bottles of wine that cost almost $2,000 a piece. The pie has only been ordered once which is not shocking as you must really, really love meat pie if you're willing to pay for this one. PRICE: $14,260 for the entire pie; $1,781 per slice
5. White Alba Truffles
A majority of the items on this list contain one thing that makes them so expensive and that thing is the White Truffle. These delicacies are incredibly rare and found only in Northern Italy.
The truffles are known to smell musty and are only available during Fall. As a result of changing temperatures, the truffle harvest is becoming more limited and will soon become a thing of the past. These underground fungi were found to be an aphrodisiac by the ancient Greeks and have always been considered a luxury. PRICE: $6,000-$10,000 per pound of truffle
6. Stilt Fishermans Indulgence
This dessert is found in Sri Lanka at the Fortress Resort and spa but we can assure you that few fishermen can actually afford to indulge in this treat. It is also known as an “Italian Cassata with Gold” which is considered to be a round sponge cake with fruit that has been soaked in Irish cream.
This specific rendition is made with Dom Perignon champagne and decorated with handmade chocolate carvings by actual fishermen and a fancy design with 80 karat aquamarine stone. The stone isn't edible but at least this dessert comes with a souvenir! PRICE: $14,500
7. Mirabiles Cannoli
This Cannoli is the most expensive in the world. The Italian treat is prepared by a famous master chef Jasper Mirabile Jr. and based on his grandmother’s recipe. The main difference is the outer wrapping of the gold leaf.
The rest of the Cannoli consists of dark chocolate, whipped ricotta, and candied lemon. We just hope that good ole grandma gets a cut of the Cannoli payments, after all, it is her original recipe. PRICE: $26,010
8. Yubari King Melons
Japanese culture is known for its admiration for rare fruits. Gifting someone a fruit of this kind is a very generous gesture. These melons can be compared to cantaloupes and are only grown in Yubari, Japan.
In 2018 the CEO of a food company paid the price for two of these bad boys. We wonder if he has eaten them yet or just admires them with fondness in his office. PRICE: $29,000 for two. What a steal of a deal!
9. Toak Guayasamín Chocolate
This super-rich chocolate is aged for three years in alder wood barrels for the super-rich. The chocolate is Ecuadorian and is the best quality chocolate in the world. You can order the chocolate online, but shipping is most definitely not included.
PRICE: $700 for 50 grams (A snickers bar is about 50 grams for comparison).
10. Cavier Tacos
We all love when Taco Bell has specials, but nothing will ever be as special as The Cavier Taco at the Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort in Mexico. The Taco shell is made of gold-flecked and filled with Kobe beef, langoustine lobster, black truffle brie cheese, and Almas caviar - the most expensive caviar in the world.
The resort recommends pairing the taco with a tequila bottle that is $150,000 dollars. We mean, you’ll need something to wash down the gold shell with. PRICE: $25,000
11. Da Hong Pay Tea
Da Hong Pao Tea set a world record in 2002 when it was the most expensive pot of tea ever. Now, the Chinese government set restrictions on how expensive this tea can be, making it slightly more affordable. The reason the tea is so expensive is that there are hardly any of the original trees that make the leaves left. It is known to have a “toasty” flavor.
PRICE: $27,000 for 20 grams of tea leaves
12. Guibert's Chocolate Pudding
This delicious dessert was made by Chef Marc Guibert, head chef at the Lindeth Howe Country House in the UK. The chocolate pudding is created with four different types of Belgian chocolate and champagne and is tipped with gold leaves, caviar, and an edible diamond.
The dessert also comes with a fancy glass of Chateau d'Yquem dessert wine. The pudding is served inside an edible Faberge egg making it a fun activity to eat. Worth it? PRICE: $34,440
13. Yartsa Gunbu
Yartsa is a spore that invades caterpillars and infects them. Eventually, the caterpillar fungus kills the caterpillar from the inside out. This fungus is known in Nepal to have medicinal and aphrodisiac qualities.
Due to these rumors, or possibly facts we are still unsure, the little parasite is the most expensive pest in the world. PRICE: $50,000 per pound
14. Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani
We need a glass of water after digesting the price of this item. This 24 karat gold bottle is not filled with the world’s fanciest champagne, but just plain water. The water is a blend of Fiji, France, and Iceland water but it can’t really be much better than what you get out of your tap, let alone your Brita filter.
We find that it is very hard to justify this outrageous price for one bottle when that money can be used to grant clean water to the millions in the world without it. PRICE: $60,000 a bottle
15. Screaming Eagle Wine
This wine comes from a winery in California known as the Screaming Eagle Winery. It is required that any buyer must be on an approved list to even qualify for a bottle. People wait years on this list to be able to throw away half a million dollars for a bottle of wine.
Tech executives and CEOs from Silicon Valley are known to spend their earning’s on Screaming Eagle Wine. As long as we consume keep upgrading our phones and computers, we are keeping this absurd winery in business. PRICE: $500,000 per bottle
16. Macallan 92-yr-old Scotch
Scotch Whisky is a grain whisky made only in Scotland from malted barley. Besides the fact it is basically just barley, we all know Scotch to be a fancy drink. But do we truly know how fancy this cocktail can be?
In 2018 a 92-year-old bottle of Macallan scotch whiskey was sold for almost two million dollars at an auction. We advise the buyer to sip that baby slowly. PRICE: $1.6 million dollars per bottle
17. Quintessential Grilled Cheese
If there is one thing on this list that we can agree to spend money on, it may be the world’s fanciest grilled cheese. The quintessential grilled cheese is made by the infamous Serendipity 3 in New York City.
The bread is dipped in Dom Perignon and covered in golf before being filled with a rare cheese. The grilled cheese must be ordered two days in advance. That requires a lot of planning so I guess we will just stick to a comforting slice of American yellow in between two pillow-soft wonder bread slices. PRICE: $214 per sammy
18. Jeong Hong Yong Christmas Cake
This cake was made by Japanese pastry chef Jeong Hong-Yong and has yet to be purchased. It is on display in a Tokyo department store. The cake is highly guarded as it contains not only lots of marzipan but also an astounding 223 diamonds.
The cake underneath the glory is a fruitcake. You would have to pay US to eat a fruitcake. PRICE: $1.72 million dollars
19. Le Burger Extravagant
If you decide you are too good for the cheap grilled cheese at Serendipity, you can spend an extra thirty dollars on the Le Burger Extravagant. The burger is made with Wagyu beef, obviously, white truffle butter, of course, and shaved black truffles, duh.
The burger is topped with a tiny quail egg and the beauty is held together with a golden toothpick. Our mouths are watering but our wallet is feeling pretty dry. PRICE: $295 per patty
20. California Capitol Sausuage
This ain't no pigs in a blanket, we can tell you that much. The Capital Sacramento Sausage is loaded with a three-quarter pound of beef topped with french mustard, baby greens, shallots, garlic mayo, more herbs, smoked bacon, peppers, olive oil, basic, dried cranberry cheese, eel cheese, cheese mousse, and most importantly cranberry-pear-coconut flavored balsamic vinaigrette.
Honestly, sounds way too cheesy and flavorful, and we're fine just sticking with Hebrew national. PRICE: $145.49 per delicate dog
21. Golden Opulence Sundae
Serendipity’s third appearance on this list takes the cake as the most expensive dessert on earth. The sundae requires 48 hours' notice so don’t forget to add it to the reservation with the grilled cheese. It comes in a 350 dollar goblet which you can keep as a memento.
Anyways, it is made with vanilla from Tahiti, the most expensive chocolate from Madagascar, exotic fruits from patis, and desert caviar all covered in, you guessed it, gold! PRICE: $1,000 dollars
22. Billion Dollar Popcorn
Although it’s not actually a billion dollars, it’s not such a hyperbole when it comes to this frequent movie snack. The popcorn is covered in gold and mixed with Vermont butter, bourbon vanilla, and salt from Laeso. Laeso is a Danish Island is known to be where the gods of Norse mythology let loose and party.
This popcorn should be served at parties with a very special guest like Zeus or while watching an incredible golden globe nominated movie - nothing less but the best for this incredible corn. PRICE: $500 for two gallons of popcorn
23. Buddha Soup Jumps Over The Wall
We would jump over the wall if we paid that much for a bowl of soup filled with non-other than… mushrooms. Mayfair Kai, a restaurant located in London, sells this special soup. The soup is made with special Japanese flower mushrooms, sea cucumber, chicken, dried oysters, pork, shark fin, ginseng, and best of all, sea snails.
If one wants the soup they must order it a full five days in advance. Hey, at least it gives you time to work up an appetite for such a concoction! PRICE: 190.18 per buddha bowl
24. Moose Cheese
Bored with your job? Want a career change? Become one of the handful of individuals in the world who are Moose Milker’s and you will never be fired! The industry is quite dangerous, we must warn you. The cheese is compared to creamier feta but comes at a risk of being trampled to death by a moose.
Those who choose this profession seem to love it as one moose milker claimed that the creatures enjoyed being milked! Ha! In Russia, moose milk is even used to treat burns. Who knew moose had so much to offer? PRICE: $1,000 per kilo of cheese
25. Platinum Club Sandwich
We all love ourselves a traditional club sandwich with bacon, turkey, avocado, and lettuce. It is simple, but it hits the spot. This club sandwich punches through bank accounts and is anything but simple.
The sandwich is served at the Cleveland House Hotel in London and is a stack of Iberian pork, quail eggs, chicken, half-dried Italian tomatoes, and white truffle light bread. Thanks, but we’ll stick to our full dried sun-dried tomatoes on some basic wheat. PRICE: $197.00 per sandwich
26. Pogo
Pogo, otherwise known as pufferfish, is a very common but possibly deadly dish in Japan. If the fish is not properly prepared, it is toxic and can kill the person eating it.
Special training is required of chefs in order to prepare this fatal fish. If it is not very expensive, then trust us, it is not worth getting. This meal, the more it costs, the less of a risk it is to eat. PRICE: $280
27. Zillion Dollar Frittata
The Norma, a famous brunch place in New York City, is in charge of this one. Although it is not actually a zillion dollars, it is made of 300 grams of specialty caviar and a pound of lobster.
The actual frittata is rather simple and just eggs, chives, and cream. The caviar is Sevruga and comes from an endangered sturgeon fish, hence the price. This all sounds fun and fancy but we think we’ll settle for the bagel and lox, please! It is New York after all. PRICE: $200 for the small, $2,000 for the whole frittata
28. Birds Nest Soup
Yet another expensive bowl of Soup. This soup is a Chinese delight and it is made from a stolen birds' nest. The swiftlet birds make their home using their own saliva and that is preciously what is used to form this soup.
The nests are on top of tall trees and high cliffs and are very hard to procure, making this soup so expensive. The soup is supposed to be sweet and spitty. PRICE: $1,000 per bowl of spit
29. Luxury Pizza
This Manhattan eatery serves the most expensive slice of pizza. If you can afford the slice, you might as well get the whole pie at Nino Bellissima. The pizza is topped with six different types of caviar as well as lobster, whipped cream, and chives.
The dough is thin and crunchy, just like any New York pizza should be. Those who want the precious pie must order 24 hours in advance. PRICE: $1,000 per pie, $125 per slice
30. Golden Phoenix Cupcake
This seemingly innocent little cupcake is offered at Bloomsbury’s, a boutique cafe in Dubai. It is made out of Ugandan vanilla, expensive chocolate, and is covered in a sheet of 24-carat gold.
It is basically made for the rich tourist or oil mogul. Some like to eat cupcakes like sandwiches and put the bottom half on top of the icing but we’re thinking this one shouldn’t be deconstructed. PRICE: $1,000 per cupcake, AKA $500 per bite
31. Westin Hotel Bagel
What's the only thing cheaper and more present than pizza in NYC? Bagels! This particular Bagel at New York City’s Westin Hotel is not a typical NYC bagel. It is made for the elite that lives on the upper west side in Pent Houses. You basically need Blaire's and Serena's Gossip Girl trust funds to afford it.
The notoriously pricey bread with a hole in the middle is topped with white truffle cream, goji-berry riesling marmalade, and edible gold. Is anyone else sick of edible gold? PRICE: $1,000 per bagel
32. Glam Burger
We can fly to London to eat at the American-style bar Honky Tonk and get a New Zealand lamb burger. How international! The glam burger is made with 280 grams of Wagyu Kobe beef, New Zealand lamb spiced with pink Himalayan salt, black truffle berry cheese, saffron lobster, maple syrup striped bacon, bluagu caviar, and smoked duck eggs covered in, yes again, gold leaves. The bun is also coated with gold leaves and Japanese matcha ground green tea cream. The bombastic burger comes with champagne and mango juice. That is a lot of different tastes for a human being's palate. T
The good news is the mini Glam Burger is also on the menu for only $24.99. Not only is that absurdly cheaper, but it honestly sounds like the perfect amount of everything we just described. PRICE: $1,770 per glam
33. 24k Pizza
We already know the story behind the name of this one. Industry Kitchen makes this pie topped with truffles, caviar, stilton, foie gras, and a heaping amount of layered gold- 24 karat gold. We were wondering why the crust is black. Well, it's made with squid ink to make the gold really pop.
PRICE: starts at 2K per pie
34. Pizza Not For The Poor
We know we are all sick of the ridiculously expensive pizzas, but this one is a personal favorite pie. This pizza is not for the poor but it does go to the poor! At the beautiful Island of Malta at charitable Margo’s pizzeria, you can find a specialty pie where all proceeds go to philanthropic causes.
The pizza is covered with white truffles and golden leaves and needs to be ordered a full week in advance. If you happen to get an advance on your paycheck and want to eat for a good cause, consider buying a ticket to Malta and boarding the plane with an elevated appetite. PRICE: $2,400 for a pie
35. Ultra Premier Hot Dog
This one hotdog made by Tokyo Dog basically puts the top most expensive ingredients on top of a hot dog. The sausage is topped with Wagyu beef, Bavarian sausage, black truffles, foie gras, and caviar.
The only thing that's missing is the iconic gold leaves. The good news is that all of the proceeds from this lavish lunch go to the Red Cross. PRICE: $2,300 per dog
36. Samundri Khazana
Would you believe us if we told you this is just a curry dish? Well, it is and you can get it at the Bombay Brasserie in London. The dish is known to contain all the riches of the seas such as crab, caviar, gold platted lobster, white truffle, and quail eggs. All of this is mixed with curry sauce.
It truly is possible to make something that is supposed to be simple, comforting food becomes something almost nobody can afford. Remarkable. PRICE: $3,200 per dish
37. Dansuka Black Watermelon
These rare black beauties are found only in the Hokkaido area in Japan. The first crop of the year is usually auctioned off for very high prices. If you want to find them for cheaper, they are available in Toronto during certain seasons.
They are crisp and juicy with red flesh and a sweet flavor. Sounds just like a typical watermelon. PRICE: Between $3,000 - $6,000 per Watermelon
38. Prestigious Pie
The name says it all ladies and gentlemen. This is the world's most prestigious pie. The creation of this dish was intending to be one of the world’s most expensive dishes The pie, also known as Push Pie, is located at the Lord Dudley Hotel in the land down under. It is the most expensive surf and turf meal in all of Sydney and is made with deluxe beef, Australian lobster rock, and the infamous black winter truffles.
The dish is also served with several bottles of Penfolds Grange Reserve so you get all the bang for your buck! PRICE: $9,484 dollars per pompous pie
39. Matsutake Mushrooms
You would think this fun alliterated mushroom would be a hallucinogen for its monstrous price. They have no mental effect and taste just like some normal mushrooms one can find in a stroganoff. The shrooms are so pricey because they grow in the roots of red pine forests and their habitats have been shrinking year after year.
The mushrooms were designated as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature so you pay a hefty price both financially and environmentally when you consume them. PRICE: $1,000 per pound of shrooms
40. National Gay Wedding Show Cake
This cake tops the list with 4,000 diamonds that decorate the eight-tiered tower. The cake was created by a bakery in Chester, England to celebrate national gay weddings. The best part is the cake wasn't even at a real wedding!
The Wedding cake is outrageously priced but we don’t think you can put a price on love, let alone progress. PRICE: $52 million dollars!