Chris Wahl
Let’s face it, food is life. We all need it, we all love it, and we’re constantly on the hunt for the next delicious bite. But not all that glitters is gold in the culinary world. Sometimes, the most hyped-up and expensive dishes leave us scratching our heads (and our wallets). Ever tried something that everyone raved about, only to wonder what the big deal was?
Today’s list is all about those fancy foods that just don’t live up to their price tags. From caviar that tastes like saltwater bubbles to truffle oil that’s basically overpriced grease, we’re diving into the world of overrated eats. With the help of the subreddit question from u/WallStreetDoesntBet let’s break down the dishes that are more about status than satisfaction. Because honestly, some of these gourmet delicacies are just not worth the hype.
1. Gold flake. It tastes like nothing and is just to flex you have money to waste.
2. Lobster rolls. $22-28 for two to three ounces of lobster meat slathered in mayonnaise and put in a hot dog bun.
3. Caviar. First of all, you can get ikura/fish eggs at Japanese restaurants for next to nothing. You can get the big ones wrapped in seaweed for a couple bucks, and when I was a kid I really liked the tiny orange roe, and would ask the servers for a side of them, and they’d give them to me for free. Caviar is just a fancier version of those, and often is a lot saltier. Too expensive for what you get.
4. Starbucks. Their coffee is awful, which is why they have to load it with milk and whipped cream and sprinkles.
5. Those overloaded, tall, “Instagrammable” hipster burgers. So many “upscale casual” restaurants seem to think the pinnacle of dining is a burger that costs $15-$25, is loaded with pointless ingredients meant to sound high-end (like truffle aioli and wagyu beef), and requires you to unhinge your jaw like a fucking snake to take a bite. Not to mention the fact that they are usually an absolute mess and are usually okay-at-best in taste.
6. Shark fin soup. (I had some at an Asian wedding back in the mid-1990’s before I learned about the ethics of the industry). It’s disgusting – you’re eating cartilage. Gordon Ramsay did a video on it and he tried one of the highest rated ones – he said the broth was very good but you could put anything in there, chicken, beef, sausage, etc, but the shark fin part wasn’t good at all. I would agree with him, the soup / broth was good, but the shark-fin was disgusting. They could have made the broth into a traditional fish soup and it would have been a lot better.
7. Anyone who asks for a restaurant’s “most expensive wine”. You’re just showing off your money to the people around you and clearly telling the staff you have no idea what you’re ordering. You’ll usually get a mediocre wine with an expensive price tag.
8. Oysters. Just ashtrays full of snot.
9. Avocado toast. I’d be able to afford a house in a good neighborhood and support a family of five on a single income if I hadn’t eaten that in my 20s.
10. Airport food.
11. Anything where a single plate is over $100. I feel like flavor peaks around $40-$50 and everything beyond that just tastes weirder to seem fancy.
12. Honestly, wagyu beef. I had it just to say I’ve had it. I paid a premium price for a little thing that probably wouldn’t even be considered an appetizer. It was okay.
13. Macaroons, I can’t understand why they are so expensive.
14. Anything from Panera Bread. I heard it described best a few years ago: “overpriced hospital food.”
15. Himalayan pink salt – the reddish color comes from iron oxide, same shit as rust. in tibet it is considered low grade salt and they use it to salt the animal feeds cuz it has more minerals.
16. Avocado. It’s fine. It’s just fine. They are expensive as hell because they aren’t really native to anywhere outside of California and the Baja peninsula of Mexico, every influencer thinks they made a recipe by sticking avocado on something and posting it to Instagram, and you seemingly can’t avoid hearing people opinions about it. “Have you tried the Mexican food here? It’s so authentic.” Shut up, Becky. Everyone knows about avocados now. It’s not some secret fruit that only foodies know about.
17. Lobster. I say this as a new englander, that s**t is overrated! I mean, it’s good. But it’s not *that* good, you know?
18. Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Fight me.
19. The first time younger me tried some almond milk, I concluded: “This is just a sad, sad substance that rich people drink.” My opinion has changed since.
20. Buffalo Wild Wings. Wings are simply overpriced as hell.
21. Fast food. It used to be the cheaper option. Now I could go have a nice family dinner at a sit down restaurant for what fast food is costing.
22. Olive Garden.
23. Ribs. It was originally discarded as waste, then we discovered BBQ sauce. Now they’re more than steak.
24. Overly fancy cakes. Like ones that are realistic pigeons or some other stupid confection. It’s a cake it’s going to taste like a cake and come out the same as any cake. No one needs to spend hundreds on a cake. Also wedding cakes are overpriced and taste like s**t. Top tip if you are getting married don’t tell the cake folk that. Just ask for a cake you say the word wedding a big standard cake suddenly is 50 times the price for no other reason than to over charge.
25. Chilean sea bass. I love most fish, but this just has the most horrible after taste, like black cod also has. (Also, caught by trawler, so not great for the environment.).
26. Anything salt bae serves.
27. Edamame. It’s f*****g soy beans with salt. And i like it.
