New York’s most famous vegan restaurant is reintroducing meat after four years of exclusively plant-based dining. Eleven Madison Park (EMP), acclaimed for its innovation and environmental stance, announced it will serve select animal products again from October 14, 2025. Chef-Owner Daniel Humm confirmed that while a fully vegan menu will remain available, diners will now have the choice of fish and meat, including the restaurant’s once-iconic honey-lavender-glazed duck. The decision marks a shift from EMP’s 2021 reopening, when it became the first vegan restaurant to earn three Michelin stars in 2022. Humm reflected, “When we reopened Eleven Madison Park in 2021, emerging from lockdown, we vowed to rebuild differently: craft a meal every bit as transporting as before without a single animal product. The decision was a creative leap and a climate imperative.” EMP will continue to offer a seven- to nine-course menu priced at $365.
Humm admitted that the plant-based exclusivity, while meaningful, had unintended effects. “It became clear that while we had built something meaningful, we had also unintentionally kept people out. This is the opposite of what we believe hospitality to be,” he said. Reports indicate financial pressures also influenced the decision, as private event bookings and wine sales declined since the vegan switch. Despite mixed reviews and challenges faced by other vegan restaurants in New York and London, Humm stated, “The best way to continue to champion plant-based cooking to champion plant-based cooking is to let everyone participate around the table.”