NYC restaurant charges $28 for a single chicken nugget — with this very luxe twist

Jeanette Settembre
·4 min read
21

The bougiest bite in New York is a $28 single chicken nugget.

But it comes with a luxe twist: it’s loaded with a spoonful of golden daurenki caviar.

“It literally tastes like an upscale McDonald’s nugget,” said Simon Wool, a 30-year-old who has had the nugget on multiple occasions. Each is topped with around two ounces of caviar. courtesy of Simon Wool
“It literally tastes like an upscale McDonald’s nugget,” said Simon Wool, a 30-year-old who has had the nugget on multiple occasions. Each is topped with around two ounces of caviar. courtesy of Simon Wool

The nugget is the most talked-about menu item at Coqodaq, a new fried chicken spot in the Flatiron from Michelin-starred restaurateur Simon Kim.

“It literally tastes like an upscale McDonald’s nugget – the caviar adds a good salinity without being too salty. It’s a good texture, good mouthful – perfect texture,” said Simon Wool, a 30-year-old who has had the nugget on multiple occasions.

“It made my eyes roll back into my head and my toes curl.”

But he was initially skeptical.

“I thought it was really gimmicky and that this was their TikTok thing – I was more in it for the Korean-fried chicken,” said Wool, a growth marketing consultant from Williamsburg.

Many diners aren’t stopping at a single nugget and are ordering enough for everyone at the table — along with Champagne to wash down the nuggets, at up to $48 a glass.

Simon Wool, pictured here, told The Post of the $28 Golden Daurenki caviar-topped chicken nugget: “It made my eyes roll back into my head and my toes curl.” courtesy of Simon Wool
Simon Wool, pictured here, told The Post of the $28 Golden Daurenki caviar-topped chicken nugget: “It made my eyes roll back into my head and my toes curl.” courtesy of Simon Wool
Coqodaq’s signature KFC-style bucket includes chicken consommé, the assorted pickled vegetables and salads known as ban chan, two styles of fried chicken and dipping sauces, chilled noodles and frozen yogurt — all for $38. Evan Sung/COQODAQ
Coqodaq’s signature KFC-style bucket includes chicken consommé, the assorted pickled vegetables and salads known as ban chan, two styles of fried chicken and dipping sauces, chilled noodles and frozen yogurt — all for $38. Evan Sung/COQODAQ

Chelsea-based Ella Kahan, 27, who dined at the restaurant in February, also had to try the nugget for herself, but she was less impressed.

“At the end of the day it’s just a chicken nugget and the caviar is delicious of course, but $28 a piece is insane,” she said.

“You’re paying for the spectacle. When you’re sitting in a super luxurious and beautiful restaurant it makes you want to go all out and order Champagne, caviar — since the chicken itself is pretty reasonably priced.”

The caviar nugget is the latest menu item in the city to mix high-price fish eggs with everyday food.

The caviar craze is spreading across the city. At Sartiano’s in Soho, a plate of four tiny cannoli filled with whipped mascarpone, Ossetra and chives come in at $48. EMMY PARK
The caviar craze is spreading across the city. At Sartiano’s in Soho, a plate of four tiny cannoli filled with whipped mascarpone, Ossetra and chives come in at $48. EMMY PARK

At the newly opened cocktail bar Sip & Guzzle in the West Village, chef Mike Bagale adds tea-smoked golden Ostera caviar to light as-air chips made of puffed chicken skin coated in koji butter. The price is a cool $165.

And at Soho Italian Sartiano’s, the caviar cannoli appetizer — four morsels filled with whipped mascarpone cheese and Ossetra caviar — is $48.

Golden ossetra caviar is the star of the silken tofu and coddled egg dish which is the first course on the $188 tasting menu at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Park Avenue crown jewel 425 Park.

Pringles partnered with The Caviar Co. to serve up $140 “crisp and caviar” flights, while parents have boasted to The Post about mother-of-pearl spoon-feeding the fish eggs to kids as young as 18 months.

The elevated dining room at Coqodaq sets the scene for the high-low menu items. There’s a Champagne list that features 100 Champagnes priced under $100 Jason Varney for Rockwell Group
The elevated dining room at Coqodaq sets the scene for the high-low menu items. There’s a Champagne list that features 100 Champagnes priced under $100 Jason Varney for Rockwell Group

Coqodaq is making a point of mixing fried chicken with ultra-luxe, offering its own KFC-style bucket for $38 but recommending pairing it with Champagne.

The restaurant has some 400 varieties of bubbles to go with the fried chicken, one of the largest Champagne collections in the city.

Among them are labels such as Jacques Selosse, 1985 KRUG, and a Leclerc Briant Cuvée Abyss aged beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s a bottle that is aged underneath the Atlantic Ocean imitating the Titanic wines of the past,” sommelier Victoria James, who began curating the wine cellar and list in 2020, told The Post.

Coqodaq has around 600 varieties of bubbles, one of the largest Champagne collections in the city. They include some aged beneath the Atlantic, “imitating the Titanic wines of the past,” sommelier Victoria James told The Post. Evan Sung/COQODAQ
Coqodaq has around 600 varieties of bubbles, one of the largest Champagne collections in the city. They include some aged beneath the Atlantic, “imitating the Titanic wines of the past,” sommelier Victoria James told The Post. Evan Sung/COQODAQ

As for Wool, he’s had the nugget on two occasions but doesn’t plan to order it in the future.

“It’s good for the picture,” he said. “I don’t have to get it again.”