World's Most Expensive Sandwich, world record in New York City

February 17, 2025

New York City, New York, United States--Serendipity 3, a New York restaurant famous for its opulent creations, prepares the Quintessential Grilled Cheese sandwich, a decadent grilled cheese made with Dom Perignon Champagne and 23k edible gold flake that costs a whopping $214, which sets the world record for being the World's Most Expensive Sandwich, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"A New York eatery announced it is bringing back a $214 grilled cheese that was dubbed the world's most expensive sandwich by Guinness World Records. The $214 grilled cheese was dubbed the world's most expensive sandwich by Guinness World Records when it made its debut in 2014," the UPI reports.

"Serendipity 3, a New York restaurant famous for its opulent creations, announced the Quintessential Grilled Cheese will return to the menu for a limited time Wednesday, National Grilled Cheese Day.

"The sandwich, which has to be ordered 48 hours in advance, features French pullman champagne bread, made with Dom Perignon Champagne. The bread is covered in grass-fed white truffle butter before being filled with slices of Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. The sandwich is then toasted until golden and the edges are them gilded in 23-karat edible gold."

"The most expensive sandwich commercially available is the "Quintessential Grilled Cheese" which sells for US $214 (£132.64) at Serendipity 3 in New York, New York, USA, as of 29 October 2014," the Guinness World Records says.

"The Quintessential Grilled Cheese is served on two pieces of French Pullman champagne bread which is made with Dom Perignon champagne and edible gold flakes, with white truffle butter and the very rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. The sandwich is served with South African Lobster Tomato Bisque as a dipping sauce."

"The sandwich is served on made-to-order French bread which is made with Dom Perignon champagne and has edible gold flakes baked into it," the CNBC reports.

"Each sandwich gets roughly a half pound of the rare caciocavallo podolico cheese, which retails for upwards of $50 per pound. That’s because there are only 25,000 cows whose milk is used to make this cheese, and they lactate for only two months a year.

"The bread is slathered with white truffle butter and brushed with white truffle oil — which has gold flakes mixed into it — before being grilled."

"Serendipity 3 prepares the Quintessential Grilled Cheese sandwich by using two thick slices of French Pullman Champagne Bread made with Dom Perignon Champagne and 23k edible gold flakes," the Verdict Food Service says.

The bread gets applied with white truffle butter and filled with slices of rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. This cheese is made from the milk of Podolica cows found in Southern Italy.

"The cows graze on aromatic grasses, including fennel, liquorice, juniper, laurel bay and wilder strawberries, resulting in the aromas getting infused into the milk."

"The sandwich is filled with thick slices of rare Caciocavallo Podolico Cheese, made in Southern Italy from the milk of the Podolica cow, [which grazes] free-range, feeding on strongly aromatic grasses such as fennel, licorice, juniper, laurel bay, and wilder strawberries, infusing the milk with these sweet aromatic perfumes," the restaurant mused about the filling, noting that there are only roughly 25,000 of these cows in the world and they only lactate during the months of May and June," the Entrepreneur reports.

"From there, the sandwich is toasted and dipped in more edible gold, because why not, before being served on a Baccarat crystal plate with a side of South African Lobster Tomato Bisque that's been garnished with truffle oil and crème fraîche.

"Serendipity 3 is a restaurant famously known for its signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. The eclectic spot has been featured in several popular films, including the 1996 George Clooney hit, "One Fine Day" and 2011's, "Serendipity."

"A world record-winning restaurant in New York City is rolling out its famous "world's most expensive sandwich" — a decadent grilled cheese that costs a whopping $214 — for a limited time in honor of National Grilled Cheese Day," the Fox Business reports.

"Since 2014, New York City’s Serendipity3 has laid claim to the Guinness World Records for the most expensive sandwich. The opulent sandwich must be ordered 48 hours in advance for chef's to begin the involved process of making the over-the-top sandwich.

"The Quintessential Grilled Cheese is served on two pieces of French Pullman champagne bread which is made with Dom Perignon champagne, with white truffle butter and the very rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. When the sandwich is ready to be served, it is cut diagonally and each half gets a layer of edible gold flakes."

"Three friends, Calvin Holt, Stephen Bruce, and Patch Carradine, opened the restaurant in 1954. Serendipity 3 is a tribute to both the concept of fortunate discoveries and the three friends who took a chance and built a successful restaurant," the official website says.

"Serendipity 3 quickly became known for its whimsical decor, eclectic menu, celebrity sightings, and over-the-top desserts, particularly the now-famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.

"For the past 70 years, Serendipity 3 has been a place of celebration, delectable treats, and an homage to New York’s rich history."

Photos: Facebook/Serendipity3