The Best Food and Dining Trends of 2025, According to Eater Editors

"I'm thrilled about the return of steakhouses - or at least the renewed cultural obsession with them. I love settling into a red leather booth with a martini and a blue-cheese-smothered wedge salad before sawing into a medium-rare ribeye. Give me pâté, scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach... this is what life is about. Steakhouses never truly went away, but the appreciation for them again brings a tear to my eye."

"I've never been a huge burger person, but I'm loving that the thick tavern-style burger is having its moment. There are still smashburger spots everywhere, but plenty of bars have gone back to making thick patties that pair well with a well-made martini. It feels opulent despite literally being a burger in a bar, and these thicker burgers are also being made with higher-quality (sometimes even locally sourced) beef."

"In a year full of $22+ cocktails and $50+ entrees, I appreciate that many chefs clearly made efforts toward approachability. In New York City, one-Michelin-star Corima opened Vato, a daytime tortilleria. Chef Alan Delgado, formerly of the high-end Oxomoco, opened Los Burritos Juarez, with a streamlined menu of burritos, none of them over $11. Bánh Anh Em opened as a destination for ambitious Vietnamese food, and while tables remained hard to get, the restaurant's take-out-friendly $15 bánh mì proved an excellent and significantly easier way to get a taste. The folks behind the still-buzzy Semm"

Restaurant and bar scenes across the United States regained excitement, driven by indulgent pastries, creative third-culture coffee shops, and elevated casual snacks. Steakhouses experienced a cultural resurgence, bringing classic menu elements like martinis, wedge salads, medium-rare ribeyes, pâté, scalloped potatoes, and creamed spinach back into favor. Thick tavern-style burgers reemerged alongside smashburgers, often made with higher-quality or locally sourced beef and paired with well-made cocktails. Many chefs pursued approachability by opening lower-priced daytime concepts and takeout-friendly options amid ongoing high-end pricing. Examples include Vato, Los Burritos Juarez with burritos under $11, and Bánh Anh Em's $15 bánh mì.

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