New York City Restaurants Prepare To Say Goodbye To The MetroCard

It’s the end of an era in New York City. The beloved flimsy yellow MetroCard, a pass to nearly 500 subway stops across all five boroughs, plus bus lines, will no longer be sold as of January 1, 2026. Instead, MTA riders can tap their phones, credit cards, or OMNY cards to pay the new $3.00 fare per ride.

Used since 1994, The MetroCard replaced the subway token, and will soon be a historic object of bygone transit days. Naturally, New Yorkers are nostalgic at the loss of an iconic daily object, and if New Yorkers know how to do anything, it’s how to have a good time. Several local restaurants are offering going away specials for the MetroCard, allowing diners to swipe their cards for the last few times and enjoy a memorable bite in its honor.

“We’re sending the MetroCard off in style with a farewell campaign that is worthy of an icon by partnering with some of the City’s most celebrated food vendors,” said Janno Lieber, MTA Chair and CEO “MetroCard has served us well, but we’re excited for the future of tap-and-ride.”

Restaurant specials celebrating the MetroCard are inspired by the object itself, and what it represents across New York

Italian sandwich shop Alidoro is addinh a special MetroCard-themed sandwich to its menu starting Monday, November 3 for National Sandwich Day. La Tessera sandwich (which means “the card” in Italian) will feature a crispy chicken cutlet, sweet soppressata, fresh mozzarella, Calabrian chili vodka sauce and garlic pesto cream on a toasted semolina baguette.

“We’re extremely honored to be included in our second MTA campaign, this time in celebration of the decades-long run and sunsetting of the iconic MetroCard,” said Alidoro Owner Jon Streep. “In true Alidoro form, we’re paying homage to the old and the new, partnering with NY legend, Chef Wylie DuFresne and his own Stretch Pizza to turn out both a sandwich and a pizza spin on the classic NY Chicken Parm.”

Chef Wylie Dufresne’s Stretch Pizza is offering a limited-edition Metro Pizza through the end of the year. Available for $7 per slice or $40 per pizza, the pie is a take on a classic red sauce joint’s chicken parm with vodka sauce, fior di latte, chicken cutlet, spicy Calabrian chili, garlic pesto cream, and grated parmesan.

Golden Krust will honor the MetroCard by offering free Jamaican coco bread, made from a Hawthorne family recipe dating back to 1949, with the purchase of a signature patty.

Gong cha is adding a new “M Tea A Drink:” inspired by Milk Foam Green Tea, combining green tea, pearls, blue milk foam made with butterfly pea flower, and a chocolate powder MTA logo.

And on the Upper West Side at Zabar’s, shoppers can find MetroCard and Cardvaark cookies.

“For generations, the MetroCard has helped New Yorkers get where they need to go—including straight to Zabar’s. It’s as much a part of city life as a good cup of coffee and a fresh bagel with lox,” said Annie Zabar, Assistant Vice President at Zabar’s. “We’re honored to celebrate its farewell the way we know best: with something delicious, a little nostalgic, and unmistakably Zabar’s.”