How much is the French Laundry tasting menu?

From roughly $425 per person in the dining room, with courtyard and private settings priced higher. Confirm current pricing at booking.

Is gratuity included?

Service is commonly included in the prepaid price at tasting-menu restaurants. Confirm when you book.

What should two people budget in total?

Around $1,200–$1,400 with modest wine, or $1,800–$2,200 with full pairings and supplements.

Planning Your Visit

What Dinner at The French Laundry Actually Costs

The headline menu price is the smallest of the numbers you should be planning around. Here is the whole bill, itemised honestly.

By Reservations Research Desk · Published May 20, 2025 · Last updated July 25, 2026 · 9 min read

Both tasting menus are priced per person and charged in full at the moment of booking. Courtyard and private dining settings carry a higher price than the main dining room, reflecting the setting rather than a different kitchen.

Because the ticket is prepaid, the menu cost is settled before you arrive. Everything discussed below is what gets added on the night.

Dining room tasting menu — from around $425 per person
Courtyard and private settings — typically $525–$600 per person
Charged in full at booking, not at the table

Wine, the largest variable

A pairing typically adds a sum comparable to a substantial share of the menu price. Choosing bottles from the list can cost less or vastly more; the cellar runs from sensible Napa bottles to trophy Burgundy.

The most economical serious approach is a glass to open, then one bottle for the table selected with the sommelier once the menu direction is clear.

Supplements

Seasonal truffle, caviar and premium beef supplements are offered at the table. They are individually priced and can add substantially to a bill if taken without thought.

Treat them as a deliberate choice made in advance rather than as an in-service impulse.

Service and taxes

At prepaid tasting-menu restaurants, service is commonly included in the ticket price. Confirm this at booking rather than assuming, since practice varies across the group and over time.

California sales tax applies to the food and beverage components as billed. Wine purchased at the table attracts it in the normal way.

A realistic total

For two people taking the dining-room menu with a modest wine choice and no supplements, budget in the region of $1,200 to $1,400 for the evening including tax.

With full pairings and a supplement each, $1,800 to $2,200 is a more accurate figure. Anyone planning around the menu price alone will be unpleasantly surprised.

Where the money goes

Close to one cook per guest, produce from a dedicated garden, a cellar of thousands of selections and a service team sized for a room of fewer than seventy covers. The cost structure is labour, not luxury goods.

Whether that represents value is a personal judgement. What it is not is arbitrary.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the author

Reservations Research Desk — Booking and availability analysts

The reservations desk tracks release schedules, cancellation patterns and deposit policies across Tock, Resy and OpenTable for high-demand restaurants, and documents what actually works for guests trying to secure a table.

This guide is compiled and checked against our verification process and editorial policy.

Sources

The French Laundry — official website

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A Guide to The French Laundry MenuHow the two nine-course tasting menus are built, which signature dishes recur, how supplements work and what changes daily at The French Laundry.Wine Pairings at The French LaundryHow the pairing tiers work with a nine-course menu, what they cost relative to the food, and when ordering by the bottle makes more sense.Tipping, Service Charges and What Is IncludedWhen service is included in the menu price, when a charge is added, and what additional tipping is appropriate in the United States.How to Get a Reservation at The French LaundryThe exact release schedule, prepayment rules, cancellation windows and practical tactics for booking a table at The French Laundry in Yountville.

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