These Food and Dining Trends Will Dominate 2025
They’re poised to be a *chef’s kiss* in the new year.
After closing the proverbial menu on 2024, many foodies are curious to see what the new year has in store. Well, we hope you come to 2025 hungry because the next 12 months will be a very fun time to dine out.
According to Chef Ethan Stowell, founder of his eponymous restaurant group in Seattle, 2025 is poised to be a year of playful and personable dining experiences. “People are really leaning into the joy of cooking and eating—experimenting, getting creative, and letting their unique tastes shine,” he explains. “It’s less about sticking to strict culinary rules and more about having fun with flavors and presentation.”
Curious to see what’s going to be pipin’ hot on the food scene this year? We asked several West Coast chefs to dish on 2025’s top dining trends. From buzzy ingredients to shifts in service, here’s what you need to know before booking your next reservation.
1. Detailed Dishes
Nowadays, you can get virtually everything with a tap or swipe of a screen—but don’t expect that same automation from the dining scene. “I believe the appreciation of craftsmanship and skills will be the focus of food trends,” Min Park, managing partner of Itria Restaurant Group and Omakase Restaurant Group. “Really appreciating the skills and knowledge learned by some of our culinary leaders and how it can be presented in today’s world.”
Think of your next meal out as the antithesis of the artificial intelligent fad, where handmade pastas and slow-smoked meats are in. “Smoking is always trending,” adds Chef Karl Holl of Brasada Ranch and Wild Rye in Powell Butte, Oregon. “Charring and amber-kissed items are very popular right now.”
2. A Condiment Craze
For years, dips and sauces have played a supporting role to the almighty entrée. But in 2025? Stowell predicts these condiments will get a dash of main-character energy. “These ingredients allow people to personalize their food in a way that’s easy, fun, and delicious,” he explains. “They’re the unsung heroes that can completely transform a meal, and I think they’ll be front and center on menus and in kitchens everywhere.” Keep an eye out for mouth-watering hot sauces, vinegars, and other bespoke add-ons.
In fact, Holl says butter plates are “very in,” adding that, “At Wild Rye, we have a brûléed Brie, which is whipped Brie cheese brûléed with a smokey speck,” he shares.
3. Collaborative Chefs
Contrary to what you see in movies and television shows—where chefs are in ruthless competition with each other—Chef Wes Avila of MXO Steakhouse in Los Angeles says there’s strength in numbers. From coordinating pop-ups with other restaurants or ideating on an innovative TikTok, 2025 will prove that a little bit of collaboration can go a long way for the industry. “It’s a great way to exchange ideas, techniques, and build communities with like-minded chefs,” he says. Translation: Expect 2025 to be like one big crossover episode—only with your favorite culinary talents.
4. Meals for Special Moments
If you ask Adriano Paganini, founder of a San Francisco-based restaurant group called Back of the House, 2025 will create a clearer separation between special occasion destinations and everyday spots. “The restaurants we are seeing in the ‘special’ category may be more expensive, and you may go less frequently, but they have both a more special look and feel, and more unique menus,” he says. “Restaurants that are for everyday use are mostly fast casual or informal with good food and value.”
While Stowell agrees—and even believes that those restaurants that fall somewhere in the middle will fade out of fashion—Chef Ryan Shelton of San Francisco’s Merchant Roots thinks experiential eateries will be on the rise. “It’s central to what we do at Merchant Roots,” he says. “Our menus are heavily theme-driven and immersive, and every three months, we completely transform our service, plateware, menus, and decor to match a new theme.”
5. A Movement for Micro-Cuisines
Many of us have had Mexican, Italian, and Japanese cuisine—but why not enhance our foodie IQ? According to Charles Bililies, founder and CEO of Souvla in San Francisco, the new year might be a fitting time to do so. “I think we’re going to see a continuation of chefs and restaurateurs going deeper into smaller sub-regions and cuisines,” he says.
Chefs will have a laser-focus on very specific regions such as Puglia versus Southern Italy or Istria over Croatia. Bililies’s current fixation? “The cuisine of the nomadic shepherds of Greece, the Vlahas.”
6. Produce-Packed
Nowadays, it seems like you can find a plant-based alternative to virtually any type of protein. Chicken nuggets? Burgers? Caviar? Check, check, and, surprisingly, check. However, Shelton warns that plant-based alternatives can stealthily be more processed than the real deal—and hopes that the industry focuses on sustainability. “I hope diners will continue to embrace fresh, produce-forward dishes and opt for sustainably-raised animal proteins when the craving strikes,” he says.
Of course, Shelton is not the only one who is making a push for sustainability. “The cool thing is eating food fresh from a farmer and it is completely justified over processed food,“ Park adds. If you’re looking to zhuzh up your veggie-centric dish, Shelton predicts mushrooms will continue to excite chefs and diners alike. He says: “They’re hard to commodify, packed with nutrition, naturally beautiful, and magical to cook with, beyond any health fads.”
Source: Sunset.com
