[Photo: Michael Reaves]
Many questions swirl around Rory McIlroy’s return to Augusta National in a few weeks’ time. Can he repeat as Masters champion? How’s the back? Is the fire still there? But none more pressing than, “What’s for dinner?” Thankfully we got that answer overnight when McIlroy unveiled the menu for his 2026 Champions Dinner. Read it and salivate.
Served in honor of Mr. Rory McIlroy. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hUp3uaQeNl
— The Masters (@TheMasters) March 18, 2026
McIlroy has gone upscale with his selections, opting for a wagyu filet for his cut of beef and a yellowfin tuna first course inspired by Le Bernandin, chef Eric Ripert’s iconic three-Michelin Star NYC seafood institution.
“It’s a really thin slice of French baguette with a really thin slight of foie gras on top of that and tuna carpaccio. So raw slices of tuna on top of that,” McIlroy explained. “It’s a really simple dish, but every time we go to that restaurant, that’s the one thing that I have to have. I can sort of change up everything else in my order but that tuna carpaccio is the one that stays. They (the Augusta National chefs) went up to the restaurant and worked with the chefs, and made sure – they obviously wanted to get it right for the night, so that’s really cool.”
But McIlroy’s menu is not entirely a white-table-cloth affair. The bacon-wrapped dates are a tribute to those that his mother makes – “thanks to Rosie for that,” McIlory quipped – while the rustic grilled elk sliders represent a bit of a good-luck charm, as McIlroy says he ate elk several times in the build-up to last year’s triumphant Masters.
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But McIlroy’s most-anticipated part of the meal isn’t food at all.
“My favourite part of the menu is you obviously get access to the wonderful wine cellar at Augusta National,” McIlroy said. The wine list for McIlroy’s Champions Dinner will begin with a 2015 Salon Brut Champagne, followed by a 2022 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet, a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild – the wine McIlory drank in celebration of his 2025 victory – and a 1989 Chateau D’Yquem dessert wine in tribute to his birth year.
On the whole, McIlroy’s menu shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers. It has a little something for everyone – a little sweet, a little savoury and sometimes even both at the same time – and according to the 2025 champ, that’s by design.
“I always thought about if I did win the Masters one day, what would I want it to look like? What would I like to serve?” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “I didn’t really want to go with a theme… hopefully this isn’t my last time hosting the dinner, so I felt I wanted to do something that I would enjoy but also all the other champions would enjoy as well. So it wasn’t put together off the top of my head. I tried to be pretty thoughtful with it and tried to incorporate some of the things I like and a few personal touches along the way.”
It’s hard to argue with that. Even Sir Nick Faldo, one of the Champions Dinner’s toughest food critics over the years, shouldn’t have too much to complain about it. Perhaps he’s more of a ribeye guy, but McIlroy’s menu is certainly a big step up from “Chuck E. Cheese’s”.
