When it comes to the many restaurants and bars across the galaxy in Starfield, you’re bound to come to the many specials available. In these cases, it’s almost impossible to have a reference on hand for which ones are better than which. Because of the fluctuating prices of some dishes compared to others in terms of value, some are just outright worse than others. Subjectively, anything that can be crafted will be better for the player than something that can’t be crafted. It’s because of this that you should really try to maximize the gastronomy perk as quickly as possible to see what you have access to.
The main places where you’ll find the best dishes are in the Astral Lounge, Dawn’s Roost, and Xenofresh stands. In all these places you’ll have access to some of the best dishes that have some of the greatest effects. Unfortunately, because many of these cost a pretty amount of credits, you’ll have to make sure to keep your profits up. You can’t have fine dining on a low budget. That being said the later game you get the more accessible these foods are. If you want your best chances, add perks, and make sure you invest in persuasion and commerce for better prices. This list will consist purely of the best dishes found in taverns, clubs, and restaurants across the settled systems.
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Gazpacho
First, on the list of best tavern food you should collect is Gazpacho. This dish is a type of cold soup made from tomatoes. While the dish has its real-world counterpart, in the game it grants the user 10 HP and 10 percent more oxygen regeneration. This effect will last for ten minutes making collecting this dish especially good for exploring and looting. Gazpacho can be found in Neon City at the Astral Lounge the same way a lot of the dishes on this list will be. Neon City is located on Volii Alpha in the Volii system, and is a great place to stock up on ammunition and food!
Generally, Gazpacho costs 265 credits, which isn’t bad considering the great effects. This dish can only be acquired through the bartender, so you can’t profit from it. With that in mind, gazpacho is great to have on hand if you plan on exploring abandoned facilities due to the increasing need for more stamina. When coupled with other consumables, gazpacho gives the player a great boost over standard enemies and bosses alike.
Bart’s Chili
For something a little stronger at the same price, Bart’s Chili is there for your enjoyment. Located at the Pit Shop in Hometown, located on the planet Polvo. This chili offers the player twelve health points when they consume it, as well as an eleven percent oxygen regeneration for ten minutes. These great bonuses are just a tad bit better than the gazpacho you can find at Neon City, for the same 265 credit price. Because of this, collecting this dish and gazpacho is a great early game method of exploring long distances without needing to take a break. Additionally, their cheap prices make them desirable for the average spacer looking to make a name for themselves.
Gazpacho
It’s the same price range with better effects, but you still have to go out of your way to get it. There’s a specialty version of the regular chili in question, but it’s more of a restaurant’s take. You can easily pass this place off because it’s a hole in the wall, but if you collect Bart’s chili you get a better gazpacho. Unlike other dishes based on real life, this one can’t really be validated without the ingredients. We don’t know what makes this chili special, but whatever it is, it’s definitely worth collecting!
Beer Brat Platter
The next dish on our list can be found in two places and can also be crafted. This Beer Brat Platter is a bratwurst sandwich that’s sure to make your mouth water. Dawn’s Roost and the Underbelly both serve this dish, so both sides love it. Every time the player eats one, they get fifteen health back. Additionally, the player will receive 14 percent more oxygen regeneration for ten minutes making it great for new players. While it costs more than the last two options, Beer Brat Platters prove themselves as the next step up in tavern food collecting!
Being found in two places and being capable of crafting recipes makes this a must for any player. Because of the oxygen boost, you’ll have a much easier time exploring dungeons and killing enemies with melee attacks. The best way to take full advantage of this food is to pair it with something like alcohol which lowers your oxygen boost but adds another perk. In fact, you can eat most of these foods and come out positive when it comes to drinking alcohol for the effects. Just remember that because it’s craftable and worth a couple hundred credits it’s not a bad idea to stock up on them to sell to others.
Beer Brat Platter
Crawler Bisque
Crawler Bisque is a type of soup that is based on a crustacean dish of French origin. It’s available at the Astral Lounge in Neon City or you can make it yourself. Any number of creatures can be crawlers, including casmbass. Because of the dish’s affiliation with Neon City, it could be any number of things, but either way, it holds a few interesting effects. For 350 credits, you get 10 HP and 10 percent oxygen for 10 minutes. Despite being just a slightly more expensive version of a cheaper version, they can be crafted and sold.
Because this dish is capable of being crafted you have a fair amount of options in how you use it. That being said you’ll have to have the max level of gastronomy perk. Added to this is that you won’t be able to sell them at the best price without commerce. What ends up happening is that these end up having less value than the raw components unless you are at a high enough level. If you are able to do it, this can be an immensely profitable way of getting the best items in Starfield that are available.
Dawn’s Roost Strip
The Dawn’s Roost Strip seems to be a strip steak that’s made its way into the galactic market. One of Dawn’s Roost’s specialties, it’s a popular dish around New Atlantis. For 380 credits, this strip steak gives the player 12 health and 11 oxygen for 10 minutes. For new players exploring the planet for the first time, steak’s a great way to get some extra steps in. While being a tavern is special and thus expensive, you aren’t able to craft this dish. Because of this, it tends to fall off compared to some others where its effects are comparable to cheaper options.
Crawler Bisque
It’s a tough sell when you’re trying to save your credits because of the price and lack of crafting. However, if you can afford them, they usually give you a decent bonus, especially when you’re just starting out. When you hit Neon City for the first time, Dawn’s Roost Strip tends to fall off. Either way, it’s a good idea to collect it for the bunch in case you run out of med packs.
Xenofresh Paella
Next on our list is a massive corporation’s take on one of Spain’s most famous dishes. Xenofresh Paella is one of the better tavern dishes you can collect given its price and effects. Paella is a rice dish from Valencia that’s considered part of the city’s heart. There’s a good chance you’re eating a casmbass byproduct in this seafood variety. Found in Neon City at the Xenofresh market, this specialty dish grants a few unique bonuses. For one it’ll heal you for ten points as well as add 75 energy resistance for five minutes. This makes the fish worth every credit to the value of 350. These bonuses make this dish incredibly valuable to any player getting ready for a conflict.
It’s no surprise that given what this tavern food can do it’s incredibly valuable to collect. Useful for any spacer conflict or running in dangerous environments, Xenofresh Paella is sure to keep you going. Unfortunately, it’s unable to be crafted and can only be found at the Xenofresh stands. This mega-corporation is responsible for multiple medical stimulants and produces Aurora legally. Because of this, the byproduct is a great way for the company to make as much capital as possible off of their process.
Melon Caviar
Melon Caviar
Once again go back to Neon City, and enter the Astral Lounge. You’ll have access to the next item on our list. Melon Caviar is one of those more expensive tavern foods that can fortunately be crafted on your own ship. After obtaining the gastronomy perk and getting it to the max this recipe can make you a quick profit. Being worth around 1055 credits at the lounge, you’ll get ten hp and 75 energy resistance for five minutes. Being incredibly similar to our last option, the only thing that makes it better is the ability to craft it. Otherwise, this could be one of the pricier tavern foods with no greater value than the cheaper option.
Because of how pricey this dish can be, there’s really no point in getting it unless you’re able to craft it. Once craftable, it turns some of the better-produced items into hot ticket items. Astral Lounge specializes in it, so you’ll find better recipes there at a similar price. Keep in mind that even once crafted, you’ll need a high commerce perk to get a good price. If you want to make a profit with crafting and social perks, you’ll have to grind them out.
Jemison Wellington
Jemison Wellington is the U.C. take on the classic beef Wellington dish. As one of the better choices to pick up in your travels, you’ll be treated to an additional four carrying capacity. On top of the twelve health you get back, this makes the dish incredibly valuable in terms of tavern food. Because of this, you’ll be paying a 1055 credit price tag which unlike our last option is worth it. These effects will last for about five minutes which is the standard norm for most of these high-level foods. By collecting a good deal of them you can mix them with other consumables to stack your carry weight gains.
Jemison Wellington
Making this dish and any other that carry weight are some of the best things you can acquire. Still, there’s better out there. For the Jemison Wellington, you’ll have to visit the planet of its name and dine at Dawn’s Roost. Because of this late in the game you may be less inclined to stop in and acquire this unique tavern food. Despite that, it can make a great early-game bonus if you’re struggling with your carry weight. Unfortunately, it’s still not on par with the legendary Battle Meal Multipack.
Lounge Special
The last spot on our list for the Astral Lounge goes to the Lounge Special. This dish is named after the place and gives the player the most sentiments to their image. The Lounge Special gives you 10% oxygen recovery for ten minutes and 15 HP back. This isn’t the best in terms of bonuses, but you can get the recipe by doing a side quest. After you do that, you can craft the dish that costs 1160, which is by far the most expensive food item. For only .5 mass, this is worth a lot of credits, and like all foods, it’s a great investment.
The downside to this dish is that both the ingredients to make it, as well as the price of the dish itself are expensive. The idea is to make it seem like fine dining is out of reach. For tavern food, you’re better off just collecting it to sell. Anything that can be crafted is better than anything that can’t. However, the Lounge Special is near and dear to the heart of the Astral Lounge when it comes to hospitality. Being a seared steak with all the fixings, it’s a dish worthy of any space-faring adventurer.
-source: StarbusterGames
Xenoyaki
Finally, on our list of absolutely mouth-watering tavern foods we have Xenoyaki, the Xenofresh take on Takoyaki. It’s pretty obvious what they’re made of once you start the quest line. A corporation created Xenoyaki to maximize profits, like Paella. However, this dish comes with a 2 percent experience boost for a half hour, which is one of the best effects in the entire game. This means you’ll be able to gain extra experience for a good play session without having to worry about it. Other items can grant an experience bonus but with nowhere near the amount of time this grants you.
Surprisingly, Xenoyaki only costs 295 credits which means you should definitely stock up on it. The only downside to Xenoyaki is that you aren’t able to craft it yourself. No matter what, you’ll always have to pay for another experience booster. Take a sunrise coffee with this tavern food for a maximum 4% experience.
Xenoyaki offers the player an experience boost for 30 minutes which makes it one of the best tavern foods to collect!
