Eleven Madison Park Is Reopening with an Entirely Plant-Based Menu

After 15 months, the reimagined NYC restaurant is ready to open its doors.

Eleven Madison Park new interior
Courtesy of Eleven Madison Park
Courtesy of Eleven Madison Park

Like many other legendary New York City restaurants, Eleven Madison Park indefinitely closed its doors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. Well over a year later, and on the heels of an announcement that indoor dining can soon return to 100% capacity, the notable fine-dining establishment has confirmed that it'll finally reopen for guests on Thursday, June 10.

Society has shifted since the final dish was served at Eleven Madison Park, though, so chef Daniel Humm decided that if he was going to revive his beloved Flatiron restaurant, he'd need to do things a little differently this time around. First, the business would be dedicated to supporting food-insecure New Yorkers. Second, the menu would be rebuilt from scratch to eliminate animal products.

"In the midst of last year, when we began to imagine what EMP would be like after the pandemic—when we started to think about food in creative ways again—we realized that not only has the world changed, but that we have changed as well," writes Humm in a public statement. "We have always operated with sensitivity to the impact we have on our surroundings, but it was becoming ever clearer that the current food system is simply not sustainable, in so many ways."

The all-new plant-based menu will push the limits of culinary creativity and show that meat isn't what made Eleven Madison Park special—rather, it's the team's dedication to unearthing rich flavor and texture profiles in every ingredient and settling for nothing short of remarkable.

"I’m not going to lie, at times I’m up in the middle of the night, thinking about the risk we’re taking abandoning dishes that once defined us," says Humm, acknowledging that the restaurant's lavender honey glazed duck and butter poached lobster were one-of-a-kind recipes. "But then I return to the kitchen and see what we’ve created."

Those new creations involve flavorful vegetable broths and stocks; plant-based milks, butters, and creams; and fermentation strategies that make room for fresh takes on meatless dishes.

In addition to supporting sustainable food practices in the kitchen, Humm plans to give back to community members in need via the Eleven Madison Truck, a delivery vehicle operated by EMP staff in partnership with local nonprofit Rethink Food.

"When we reopen Eleven Madison Park on June 10th, every dinner you purchase will allow us to provide five meals to food-insecure New Yorkers," says Humm. "We’ve created a circular ecosystem where our guests, our team, and our suppliers all participate."

Eleven Madison Park may not look the same as you remember, but its eager spirit remains. If you're interested in getting reacquainted with Humm and his team, keep an eye on Tock, where reservations for June will go live on Monday, May 10, at 9 am ET.

MORE: NYC Wants You to Follow These Guidelines if You Choose to Dine Indoors

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Kyler Alvord is a news writer at Thrillist. Find him on Twitter and Instagram. Or don't. It's really up to you.