Take a look inside Coachella's VIP dining experience, where a seat at the table will set you back $350 (plus fees)
Callie Ahlgrim,Courteney Larocca
- In Coachella's exclusive Rose Garden, VIPs escape the crowds and enjoy multi-course gourmet meals.
- BI's music team attended one of these dinners in 2023, which typically cost over $350 per person.
Each night at Coachella, a lavish meal for VIP guests is served in the famous Rose Garden.
The table is quietly tucked away inside the Rose Garden, one of several exclusive areas for VIP festivalgoers at Coachella. The event is described on the website as an "off-grid culinary experience."
However, a VIP wristband alone doesn't get you a seat at the table.
It costs $350 per person, plus additional fees. Each night is sold separately.
This year, the roster includes "Top Chef" winner Ilan Hall, "The Taste" winner Gabe Kennedy, and Paris-trained pastry chef Karla Subero Pittol.
In addition to the meal itself, a ticket grants access to the Rose Garden for the entire day — so you don't need a VIP wristband to attend one of the weekend's dinners. (A festival pass is required for entry and, of course, sold separately.)
The dinner is hosted by Outstanding in the Field.
Outstanding in the Field, billed as "a roving restaurant without walls," has hosted the pop-up dining experience at Coachella for the past nine years.
When we attended a dinner in 2023, we were greeted with welcome cocktails.
All beverages are included in the price of the ticket.
As people trickled in, guests were encouraged to drink and mingle.
Entrance for the dinner began at 5:45 p.m. and closed at 6:15 p.m. sharp.
Our gourmet meal was created by Zarah Khan.
Khan joined Rustic Canyon, a critically acclaimed restaurant in Santa Monica, as the executive chef in 2022.
The first course was seeded levain bread from Clark Street Bakery and pickled turnips.
The delicious turnips were garnished with rose and sumac — a stark contrast to the basic hot dogs and french fries we'd eaten earlier that day.
The second course was mushroom labneh, a creamy Middle Eastern-style yogurt.
The labneh was served alongside scallion and lion's mane powder laffa, a kind of Israeli flatbread.
Khan's cooking is focused on vegetables and inspired by Mediterranean influences, as well as her Pakistani heritage, according to a press release.
The third course was a salad with tahini green goddess dressing.
The scrumptious dish also included green radishes, herbs, and edible flowers.
Each course was paired with a new wine.
Just before the fourth dish, we were served a dry, sparkling red blend.
The main course was local halibut with jade rice and snap peas.
The fish was prepared with a green garlic and coriander crust.
We were almost too full for dessert but made room for the Gâteau Basque.
The French treat featured raspberries and beet-rose whipped cream.
After the sun went down, the dinner table was aglow with multicolored lights.
The dinner typically lasts two hours, ending around 8 p.m.
Unfortunately, that required us to skip a ton of artists we were excited to see, including Blink-182, Wet Leg, and Yves Tumor.
Even though we missed some of the festival's best performances, it was well worth it for the mouthwatering food and delightful experience.
Because of its hefty price tag, the luxury experience is only available to a select few festivalgoers. It may even be Coachella's best-kept secret.
But it offered a much-needed respite from the heat and hectic energy of the festival — and it was easily one of the best meals either of us had ever eaten.
Read more of Business Insider's on-the-ground 2023 Coachella coverage here.
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