Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant Eleven Madison Park is bringing meat and fish back to its menu after four years as a vegan establishment.

In a statement posted on the restaurant’s website, Chef Daniel Humm says the decision to become a plant-based restaurant in 2021 “was a creative leap and a climate imperative.”

“This change, though, felt different,” Humm writes. “The announcement ignited a debate that transcended food, something we hadn’t prepared for. This naïveté proved to be an asset, and without it, I may not have had the courage to forge this path.”

The menu change inspired the restaurant to create an animal-product-free fine dining experience and in 2022 it became the first restaurant with an entirely plant-based menu to earn three Michelin stars.

The change, however, “unintentionally” limited who came to the restaurant — “the opposite of what we believe hospitality to be.”

Starting this fall, the restaurant will now offer plant-based items for every course as well as “select animal products for certain dishes — fish, meat, and yes, our honey-lavender-glazed duck.”

The main dining room is set for dinner at Eleven Madison Park at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District on April 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“Eating together is the essence of who we are, and I’ve learned that for me to truly champion plant-based cooking, I need to create an environment where everyone feels welcome around the table,” Humm concludes.

In a FAQ page about the chain, the restaurant says the prices of the full tasting menu ($365 per guest), 5-course menu ($285) bar tasting menu ($225) and will be the same regardless of what options diners choose.

The decision is drawing criticism from the vegan community.

“So disappointing,” a reply to the restaurant’s Facebook post about the new menu reads. “Not sure we will continue to come. We can’t support the torture and killing of other living beings.”

“So glad we were fortunate enough to go before this happened. Sadly, there will be no return visit after this,” reads another.

“How is it the one of the greatest restaurants in the world is unable to rise to the challenge that small town eateries, food trucks, cafes, bars, and home cooks are able to achieve daily? Inconceivable,” a user replied.

“This wreaks of ‘we were losing money so needed to go back to selling animal flesh and our souls again,’” another cracked.

The new menu debuts October 14.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/13/eleven-madison-park-meat-menu/