David Beckham was “blown away” by “spectacular food” during his recent visit to Eleven Madison Park, New York City’s prestigious plant-based Michelin Star restaurant. The former soccer player, who enjoyed the meal with his wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, posted about the meal several times on Instagram.
Under a selfie of himself and Victoria at the restaurant, David Beckham wrote, “Wow, full vegan and spectacular with obviously great wine and even better company,” before adding another “wow.”
The athlete also documented his meals in a series of Instagram stories. “Never been blown away by a meal like this before,” the athlete wrote in one such post. He also posted a photo with the restaurant’s chef-owner, Daniel Humm, and captioned it with: “Thank you chef. No words can describe this experience. Pure genius.”
David Beckham
David often shows his appreciation for plant-based foods on Instagram, primarily due to his love of gardening. Earlier this year, for example, he showed off some of his freshly harvested spring onions.
The Beckhams are not vegan, but they have spoken about reducing their meat intake in the past. In 2020, for example, David Beckham spoke about cutting out meat and replacing it with smoked watermelon, while Victoria Beckham, spoke about taking plant-based supplements. Since then, however, the former Spice Girl has also spoken about eating fresh fish daily. Plants, too, are an abundant part of her diet. In 2024, she told fashion brand Net-A-Porter that she eats lots of “fresh vegetables and salads, as well as seeds and nuts.” She added that she loves fruit, avocados, and red wine, too.
David Beckham
What did the Beckhams eat at Eleven Madison Park?
Eleven Madison Park hasn’t always been plant-based. In 2021, amid pandemic-driven closures, Humm decided to reopen the popular restaurant with a vegan menu.
“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,” Humm said in a statement at the time.
“It was clear that after everything we all experienced this past year, we couldn’t open the same restaurant,” he continued. “With that in mind, I’m excited to share that we’ve made the decision to serve a plant-based menu in which we do not use any animal products—every dish is made from vegetables, both from the earth and the sea, as well as fruits, legumes, fungi, grains, and so much more.”
The move was a hit. The restaurant retained its three Michelin stars, and it’s still as popular as ever. Today, it offers three different plant-based menus. There’s a 5-course menu priced at $285, a Bar Tasting menu for $225, and a dining room tasting menu offered for $365 that consists of eight to nine courses.
The Beckhams opted for the full-tasting menu option. According to David Beckham’s Instagram stories, they had dishes like stuffed avocado; rice with onion and Thai basil leaves; silken tofu with leeks, pine nuts, and black onions; mushrooms prepared six ways; bok choy with white truffle; and grape mochi. And for dessert, the Beckhams finished their multi-course meal with a honey and apple shaved ice.
After indulging in the extensive tasting menu experience, which according to Eleven Madison Park, can take up to three hours, the couple headed upstairs to check out Clemente Bar, a new bar concept by Humm and Italian artist Francesco Clemente.
Jason Varney | Clemente Bar
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The newly-opened bar serves globally-inspired drinks, as well as plant-based snacks like triple-fried potato.
“We saw the bar as an opportunity to connect with these guests in a more relaxed setting,” Humm previously told VegNews. “We wanted to create a place where they could experience this level of plant-based cooking and incredible cocktails in an environment that also felt cool and very personal.”
He added: “It seemed right that the new space would live right above [the restaurant] as a hidden gem. We want Clemente Bar to be a part of the Eleven Madison Park family yet stand apart in its own right.”
According to Page Six, the Beckhams “insisted” on going up to visit the bar “in a very nice way,” even though it was hosting a corporate private event at the time.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
