THE Met Gala is known for its jaw-dropping fashion and A-list guest list, but what many don’t realize is that the rules go far beyond the red carpet. Even the menu is carefully controlled. And yes, there is actually a blacklist of foods that will not be featured near the event.
Anna Wintour bans garlic, onions and chives from Met Gala menu to keep things ‘low risk’
According to previous reports, Anna Wintour banned three specific ingredients from being served at the Met Gala: chives, onions and garlic.
The reasoning is surprisingly simple and entirely in keeping with the hallmark of fashion’s most exclusive evening. All three are known to cause bad breath, which is less than ideal when you’re sitting all evening just inches from celebrities, designers, and industry movers and shakers. But there is also a personal touch behind this decision. “Well, those are three things that I don’t particularly like,” Wintour previously said.
The Met Gala isn’t just a dinner. This is a highly curated experience where every detail is considered, including what guests eat. With haute couture gowns, tailored suits and millions of dollars of fashion in one room, the last thing anyone wants is messy dishes, a lingering smell or a wardrobe disaster. That’s why menus are designed to be clean, sleek and risk-free, so guests can mingle comfortably without worrying about spills or strong odors.
Wintour’s strict Met Gala rule aims to keep the night offline
The food rules go hand in hand with another strict policy: no phones inside the gala. Wintour has long followed the rule of encouraging genuine interaction during social media moments. “It’s often wonderful to hear, after dinner, people say, ‘Oh, we had the most wonderful conversations,'” she said. “So that’s the idea, that life can exist without a photo on your cell phone.” Of course, that hasn’t stopped the occasional rule violation, with bathroom selfies becoming a rebellious Met Gala tradition, but the intention remains the same.
Due to the no-phone policy, fans only get a glimpse of the evening through official photos and red carpet coverage. This means that everything from the menu to the conversations remains largely behind closed doors, adding to the mystery and exclusivity of the event.
For the 2025 Met Gala, the food was just as thoughtful as the sewing on the carpet. Kwame Onwuachi, a James Beard Award-winning chef, was responsible for designing the menu, bringing a deeply personal and cultural approach to the evening’s dining experience.
“I was inspired by black dandyism and the black experience in fashion. It comes from so many different avenues and routes of the diaspora,” he told Vogue at the time. “I wanted to sum it all up, from the hors d’oeuvres to the gala dinner.”
He nevertheless kept one key objective in mind: “We can be as poetic as we want, but it has to be good in the end. »
During happy hour, guests were treated to fancy comfort food, with servers passing around bites like crispy chicken hoecakes, mini cheese shreds, caviar-topped cornbread, and curry chicken patties, a nod to Onwuachi’s signature dishes.
The 2025 Met Gala menu continued to impress with programming celebrating flavors from across the diaspora. The first course featured a piri-piri papaya salad, showcasing bold South African spices, accompanied by cucumbers coated in a vibrant marinade of Caribbean green seasoning.
For the main course, guests were served Creole roast chicken with lemon emulsion, accompanied by rice and peas and a fresh hot sauce which provided extra heat. Sides included barbecue collard greens with bacon and cornbread topped with curry honey butter, blending comfort food with elevated presentation.
Dessert was just as memorable, with a Bodega special cosmic brownie accompanied by a powdered sugar donut mousse, as well as a golden cake served with sweetened honey cream and gooseberries. “Throughout the meal, different aspects of blackness across the world are represented at the highest level,” he said.
As for the 2026 Met Gala, the official menu remains under wraps, but if history is to be believed, it won’t disappoint. With each year’s carefully curated dining experience reflecting the theme, fans can expect a menu every bit as thoughtful and artistic as the looks on the carpet.
And of course, with Anna Wintour still at the helm, one thing is guaranteed: it will be elegant, intentional and, yes, completely free of garlic, onions and chives.
