29 Michelin-Starred Meals Under $55 You Can Order Right Now

America’s restaurant industry is nothing if not innovative. Over the last six weeks, restaurants have pivoted time and time again, adapting to public health guidelines and governmental directives changing by the day. And some of the country’s most storied restaurants have proved the most nimble.

Michelin-starred establishments have been reading the room, cutting prices on offerings as much as 92%. Still, despite the attractive price tag on to-go meals, eating at all is still a challenge for many in this country right now, who are lining up at food banks or coping with unemployment. If you can afford the meals on this list—which, by the way, only covers the American cities covered by the Michelin Guides—we encourage you to also consider donating even a couple dollars to the hardworking staff. Many restaurants have donation options on their websites.

Chicago

Alinea, Three Stars

In what seems like a previous life, it would have been unthinkable to order anything at Alinea for $34.50, let alone a full meal. But we’re not in Kansas anymore, and Grant Achatz and team are offering a three-Michelin-starred meal—one of the very few on this list—for under $55. On this week's menu: slow-braised veal shanks in a tomato-y sauce, with saffron-stewed risotto studded with spring peas. Baby crostini accompany the meal, topped with olive tapenades, artichokes, other snackable things. And yes, dessert—tiramisu—is included. Order for one or for eight.

Acadia, Two Stars

Acadia is chef Ryan McCaskey’s love letter to Maine, and as you’d expect, there’s lobster everywhere. Lobster rolls are $18 a pop, served with chives, lemon, pickle, and drawn butter. There's also lobster pappardelle ($22), and crab toast ($16). For those who shirk seafood for earthier fare, there's wild boar ragout with fried polenta ($18), and a vegetarian maitake mushroom risotto ($14). The entire offering is à la carte, and it's curbside pickup only (no need to get out of your car). Order here.

EL Ideas, One Star

For only $24, you can get a prix-fixe menu of potato leek soup, cassoulet with bone marrow bread crumbs, and housemade ice cream with crispy matchstick potatoes. A vegetarian option of wild mushroom cassoulet and a pescatarian option of bouillabaisse is also available. Order directly at the website for curbside pickup.

Next, One Star

Just like its sister Alinea, Next is also the brainchild of Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, showcasing a different cuisine every few months. Currently, the restaurant has two meals on offer encompassing the spirit of Mexico City: pork belly mole with Mexican corn, or chicken enchiladas with pasilla chile, with a starter of chorizo queso. Both meals are $24.95 per person, and can be ordered for one person or for eight. Order for pickup here.

Omakase Yume, One Star

While pre-pandemic offerings centered a 17-course, $125 sushi-centric tasting menu, chef SangTae Park—born in Korea, raised in the school of Japanese cuisine—is offering $55 omakase sets, served with miso and sushi rice. Check the restaurant’s Instagram for up-to-date menus, and call the restaurant directly to order.

Los Angeles

Dialogue, One Star

Food & Wine 2014 Best New Chef Dave Beran continues to churn out forward-thinking fare at Dialogue, with an extra heaping of comfort. For $49 per person, you can get beef Wellington, with red wine-braised short rib and mushrooms ensconced in a buttery puff pastry crust. On the side is gooey fennel gratin, with a side of grain and herb salad to slightly cut the fat. For dessert, Basque cheesecake. Or skip the meat, and opt for mushroom Wellington, given gravity with roasted broccolini and onion. Unlike some other places on our list, which are booked days or even weeks in advance (some things haven’t changed), same-day dinners at Dialogue are still available as of this writing. Order here.

n/naka, Two Stars

When kaiseki chef Niki Nakayama won two stars last year, all of the city cheered. n/naka is a notoriously hard place to snag reservations, and justifiably so. Even when you can get in, the tasting menu starts at $225—a pretty penny, but worth it, of course. Still, for those who have income to spare during these times, $38 at n/naka is perhaps the best way to spend your restaurant/entertainment budget. It's a modest sum to get a bounty of offerings: currently on the menu is grilled miso black cod with sunchoke purée, A5 wagyu, sashimi salad, potato salad, sushi rolls, and cucumber and seaweed salad. Although the current reservation is sold out until April 26, keep checking back, and order here.

Vespertine, Two Stars

Vespertine is nothing if not controversial—from its trippy architecture to its $1200 tab for two. Regardless of whether you think the hype is justified, the $49 per person takeout offering is a way to test the waters, at a cookie crumble of the price. No, the food isn’t nearly as otherworldly or experimental, but you’re still getting food cooked by the same Michelin-lauded chefs. When we were writing this article, the menu was $49 per person, but as of this edit, this week’s dinner is at $65. Still, we’re including it in case future dinners are priced under $55. Order here.

New York City

Contra, One Star

Unlike most other restaurants on this list, Contra is available on Caviar and Doordash, although you’re encouraged to call the restaurant directly due to price gouge-y delivery app fees. For $17, get a rib-sticking bowl of jerk chicken over purple rice, accompanied with collard greens and squash. Add two biscuits with umeboshi butter for $8, and think about adding the crab congee (with Old Bay-seasoned wontons!) for breakfast for $14.

Cote, One Star

KBBQ to go? Definitely. Chalk it up to the Ikea effect: the Korean steak institution is offering raw, marinated kalbi and aged ribeye for you to grill at home. But never fear, they have ready-to-eat grilled meats and bowls too. The Cote Feast, with four cuts of steak, two stews, and banchan to boot, is $84 and should easily feed two hungry people. Cote is also offering their à la carte menu, with a DIY ssam kit being $16, and their rice bowls starting at $18. Order here. (Delivery orders are currently on pause to give the staff a break, but will resume on May 5.)

Kajitsu, One Star

Available for pickup and delivery, this vegetable-forward restaurant—rooted in the Japanese Buddhist philosophy of Shojin cuisine, which is historically vegan—offers both plant-based and meat options at the hands of chef Hiroki Abe. At $38, his vegan bento box is a garden of a feast, packed with lotus root, umeboshi, wilted greens, all given gravity with a side of pea-studded rice. Because shojin cuisine prioritizes seasonality, know that your bento box might vary. An alternative option features shaved and braised beef. If you’re craving something of the sea, order their $18 saba sandwich: cured mackerel and shiso leaf, on mayo-slathered grill toast. Order here.

Kanoyama, One Star

Order from the very reasonably priced à la carte menu, with rotating daily specials. Recent offerings include red snapper sashimi from Japan for $7, steamed broccoli with garlic sauce for $5, and fresh raw scallop for $9. Rolls—ranging from five to nine pieces—hover in the high-20 and mid-30 dollar range, although, given that this is a Michelin-starred restaurant, there are higher ticket items. Still, sashimi for two rings in at $80, which is a bargain to experience chef Nobuyuki Shikanai’s skill. Order directly from the restaurant’s website here.

Marea, One Star

Patronized by Madonna and Thomas Keller—who reports he ate his single best dish of the year there—Marea has kept its shortlist of Italian-y seafood hits, to go. You can order $36 octopus fusilli, enriched with bone marrow, add a $12 negroni, and call it a meal. Alternatively, there's Sunday supper for two: the current menu includes veal milanese lightened with arugula, and an expansive plate of pasta in vodka sauce. For dessert, tiramisu. The $95 meal comes out to $47.50 per person. Order here.

Sushi Noz, One Star

Although takeout does not do justice to the meticulous architecture of Sushi Noz, crafted almost entirely of cedar and in the design of a Kyoto temple, it is transportive by itself. Chef Nozomu Abe and his team continue to offer squid karaage, tuna rolls, and salmon rolls. The most economical order might be the $55 namo futomaki, which is a vegetable- and seafood-stuffed sushi roll which the menu says serves two. Order here.

Uncle Boons, One Star

Offering delivery through Caviar and Seamless, as well as takeout, Uncle Boons offers Thai comfort food for which rainy spring days are made. There are all the classics: khao soi, that Chiang Mai specialty; meng kum, a sweet-and-salty appetizer of betel leaf and dried shrimp, still relatively underrepresented stateside. Khao soi will set you back $25, Massaman curry $31, and a whole charcoal grilled dorade, $31. Start here.

Sushi Yasuda, One Star

Sushi Yasuda continues to offer its entire menu for both takeout and delivery, with the prix-fixe menu starting at $29.50 per person. That includes sea salt-grilled Atlantic salmon (teriyaki sauce optional), served with a side salad. If you're craving sushi, that prix fixe offering starts at $33.50 for five pieces of sushi and two rolls, also served with a side salad. À la carte items continue to be offered, with blue fin tuna sushi starting at $6.50 per piece, and shinshu miso—boiled with bone stock—at $5.75. Call the restaurant directly for all orders, and view the menu here.

San Francisco

Atelier Crenn, Three Stars

Dominique Crenn, the very first American female head chef of a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, continues to show her innovation in her capacity to pivot. For $38, you can get a Crenn Kit of vegetable soup, sourced with produce from Crenn's own Bleu Belle Farm, accompanied with stuffed cabbage drizzled in béchamel, sliced brioche, and a pastry of the day. Order for one or for six, pickup only. Order here.

Farmhouse Inn, One Star

Offering curbside pickup meals Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m., this Michelin-starred restaurant has spring garlic asparagus soup—fresh-caught local Dungeness crab just $7 extra—and crispy chicken thighs in fermented chili barbecue sauce for the taking. Rabbit pot pie promises to keep you cozy, and at $28, it’s the most expensive item on the menu. Most dishes are under $20; à la carte only. Tack on a bottle of Sonoma’s Small Vines rosé or pinot to wash it all down. Check out the menu and call 707-520-0269 to order.

Gap Year at Nico, One Star

Gap Year at Nico is familiar with the pivot. When chef-owner Nicolas Delaroque and his wife, Andrea, wanted to spend a year in France with their young daughter, they decided to hand over the restaurant for a year—hence the name. Now chef Jordan Guevera is at the helm for 2020, drawing upon his experience at Michelin-starred restaurant Coi to lead the charge. Guevera is serving up “comfort kits” for $49 per person, ranging from stew-y lamb with root vegetables and herb salad, to a soft-cooked egg with barley, and watercress—all to-go. Order for one to ten people here.

Harbor House Inn, One Star

2019 Food & Wine Best New Chef Matt Kammerer makes his own salt at Harbor House Inn, which conveniently sits right above the sea. Located three-ish hours north of San Francisco, this North Coast restaurant continues to offer its signature seaweed sourdough for pickup, at $8 per loaf. For takeout, Kammerer and his team are churning out elemental plates of panzanella salad, roasted broccoli with Pennyroyal goat cheese, and lasagna with pork bolognese (vegetarian option available), all for as low as $18 per person. You can order just for one, or for up to four people; pickup only; the meal requires reheating. Order here.

Lord Stanley, One Star

Husband-and-wife team Carrie and Rupert Blease continue to serve French and British classics for takeout, true to their training in England. (Rupert is from Britain; Carrie is from Los Angeles; both have worked at French restaurants across the pond.) The couple is serving up Sunday supper classics like cassoulet with duck from nearby Liberty Farms, and roast chicken with Caesar salad, all for $33 per person. Pickup only—except for their $150 per person Sunday Supper, which includes delivery—and you can order for one to four people. Order here.

Madcap, One Star

French Laundry alum and 1999 Food & Wine Best New Chef Ron Siegel continues to craft Japanese-inflected dishes, carefully packaged to-go. Siegel, the first-ever American chef to win Iron Chef Japan, has not compromised his execution for takeout. A meal of salmon, dashi, and sushi rice includes lemongrass soup and shiitake mushrooms, all for just $45 per person. It comes with dinner rolls and dessert. You can order for one or 10—just be sure to email in your order ahead. Check out the menu here.

Single Thread, Three Stars

As of this writing, dinner for four—prepaid, for pickup—hovers between $135 and $150, dipping as low as $95. That’s $23.75 per person from a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. The meal: endive salad with Meyer lemons, fava beans, olives, and Humboldt Fog cheese, accompanied by warm guanciale-punctuated braised leeks. For the main course: chef Suzanne Goin’s beloved Devil’s Chicken Thighs, roasted to a crisp with tarragon, parsley, breadcrumb, and shallot. This particular dinner will be served Wednesday, April 29, and is an homage to Goin’s soon-to-be-closed Los Angeles restaurant Lucques. Keep checking back, as the ambitious chef-farmer team of Kyle and Katina Connaughton continue to serve incredible produce from their greenhouse, fruit orchards, beehives, chicken coops, and olive trees, all on the banks of the Russian River. Order here.

Saison Smokehouse, Two Stars

Despite having a rocky past year—being involved in an employee lawsuit and losing its head chef, along with its third Michelin star—Saison Smokehouse has pivoted quite seamlessly to delivery, offering the titular barbecue for which it’s so well known. Meals are offered à la carte, for two ($36 per person), or for four ($33.75 per person), although the first two options are currently sold out. Family meals for four include half of a brined and smoked chicken, half of a rack of spice-rubbed pork ribs, half of a pound of pastrami brisket, biscuits with honey butter and pickles, and more sides and sauces to boot. Caramel frostys included. Order here.

Sons and Daughters, One Star

Chef Teague Moriarty continues to plate up enviable fare, at a third of the cost of a normal tasting menu at Sons and Daughters. For $50 per person—order for one, or for 20—this week’s menu includes choices of romaine hearts with gribiche, France's answer to egg salad; white bean cassoulet; and for a main, braised lamb shank or breadcrumbed maitake mushrooms. Order here.

Washington D.C.

Bresca, One Star

Ryan Ratino’s first restaurant, Bresca, is more than the sum of its parts. Like all the restaurants listed here, it seems a shame to take away the food from the carefully crafted surroundings. But, with a four-course meal at $45 per person, those losses are made easier to swallow. Order foie gras tartine as an amuse bouche and start with lamb pastrami, before moving on to brioche-stuffed chicken. For dessert, chocolate tart with passion fruit, vanilla, and meringue. This is just one option for the set menu. Order prepaid pickup for 1-8 people, here.

The Dabney, One Star

One might not think of Washington D.C. as the South—it’s, like, a whole argument—but the answer is inconsequential when you taste chef Jeremiah Langhorne's chicken and dumplings, apple crumble, and bourbon-laced ice cream. That’s not to say it’s a Southern restaurant, per se; it revolves around its wood-fire hearth, even though dishes that escape the heat are also not to be missed (see: the crudo). In suiting up a to-go operation, Langhorne's team has assembled a shortlist of comfort classics, including goat cheese-salted greens with dates and walnuts, sweet potato rolls, white bean soup with ham and kale, and duck confit with wild ramp risotto. These are just some of the offerings for this week, for $45 per person prix fixe, pickup. All ordering is done day of for that evening’s dinner; order here.

Komi, One Star

Komi is known for its experimental dining—even for boundary-pushing Michelin-starred restaurants—and Happy Gyro is no exception. The pop-up, previously launched last October, is back as a to-go concept, and, confusingly, it features no gyros. In fact, the whole thing is vegetarian (featuring eggs and dairy, although a few options, like the $14 meatball sub, appear to be vegan). There's a $32 white pizza with fava beans, asparagus, and garlic cream, which the menu says probably feeds two. There are black walnut tacos for $13, which leave us wanting to know more. We could go on, but suffice it to say you could rack up quite a few items here, for a very, very decent price. Order online here.

Maydan, One Star

Yet another live-fire kitchen concept, Georgian-inflected Maydan is currently offering pickup five days a week. offering à la carte offerings of charred chicken shish kebabs ($45), roasted whole chicken with paprika potatoes ($65), and a buffet of labneh and hummus ($22). If ordering for two people, you could order the kebabs with a side of vegetables ($35), which includes tomato-y stewed green beans, tahini-dressed cauliflower, and Arabic rice. Those two dishes, split, would be $40 per person. Order here.