Listen, we understand that restaurants have to make a profit and the margins in the industry are notoriously tight. But there is one appetizer whose prices are entering egregious territory lately. We’re sorry (not sorry), but charging upwards of $20 for a bowl of blackened Brussels sprouts is unacceptable.
Blackened Brussels sprouts have been having an extended moment in the sun. They’re often fried or roasted to within an inch of their life, then drizzled with a balsamic reduction, tossed in hot honey, or sprinkled with bacon. But they definitely fall among the top 15 overpriced foods you should never order at restaurants. There are a few reasons for this.
First, when you order blackened Brussels sprouts, you can bet that a few of them are going to be almost too blackened. We like a nice char, but unless you’re eating some very upscale Brussels sprouts, you’ll often get what amounts to crispy burnt leaves scattered around the dish. It’s like eating an autumnal sidewalk, which may sound nice, but it doesn’t taste very good. The second reason is that Brussels sprouts are not very expensive. Comparing the price at popular grocery chains like Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, and Trader Joe’s, we found that as of this writing, a pound of Brussels sprouts will run you around $3.50. Even with a sprinkle of seasoning and an extended dunk in the deep fryer, that’s a far cry from the $20 price tag the appetizer often goes for.
What may justify the high price of Brussels sprouts
Now, never say never. There may be some reasons to pay top dollar for a Brussels sprouts dish. Maybe they’re topped with caviar (what isn’t these days?) or fresh truffles or extremely high-quality Parmigiano Reggiano. In most of those cases, though, you’d be paying for those other ingredients, not the Brussels sprouts themselves.
There is some evidence that the price of Brussels sprouts went up in early 2025. A PRO*ACT report from April stated that there was a “low supply and strong demand pushing prices up” when it came to those bite-sized cabbages. It’s unclear how long that trend continued, but the rising price of Brussels could contribute some to the wild cost of appetizers featuring them.
More likely, restaurants are simply taking advantage of the trend and finding it an easy place on the menu to hike up the price and still be relatively sure that people will still order them. But you don’t have to be those people. Especially not when we’re just handing you all the tips you need for delicious Brussels sprouts at home.
