Brain food, plant-based, functional coffees, smashed everything and Dubai chocolate were some of the top foodie trends of 2025, so what’s in store for the coming year? We’ve spoken to some of the UK’s hottest chefs to get their food and drink predictions for 2026 so you can get ahead of the trend when it comes to eating and drinking out or at home.
Communal & Late-Night Dining
Forget your cosy table for two, Carlo Scotto – Chef Patron at BEAR by Carlo Scotto thinks we should be embrace the wider crowd when we eat out: “In a world of technology, people are seeking meaningful connection, so communal dining is quietly
finding its way back into restaurants. Strangers sharing the same table and experiencing the same dish together breaks down walls: what better way to bond than over food?”
Benjamin Ferra Y Castell is Executive Chef at the Michelin starred Pavyllon London and thinks it’s all about the late night vibes in 2026. “Late-night dining is making a comeback, opening up the city’s after-dark scene, with some incredible offerings and special menus post 9pm.”
Popular Cuisines & Flavours
So we’re eating later and getting more sociable in the new year, but what about the most popular cuisines and flavours?
Brian Hennessy – Head Chef at Winter Garden Restaurant at The Landmark London has been adding the finishing touches to his menus for 2026. “French-inspired dishes and ingredients are firmly on the menu. Pâté en croûte is seeing a revival, while classic offal dishes like pig’s trotter, calves’ liver and tripe are being reimagined with finesse.”
For Tim Dela Cruz – Head Chef at Smiths of Smithfield, last years’ trend for Asian cuisine is still on the up: ““Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines will continue to increase in popularity, with ingredients like ube, pandan and tamarind showing up on menus. The nostalgia trend will see forgotten flavours and dishes, such as suet pies and school cakes with custard, returning to menus with a more elevated approach.”
Traditional Cooking & Farming
For Luca Mastrontoni who is Head Chef at Ekstedt at the Yard, he thinks we’ll continue to see a focus on slow, hands-on cooking methods – “especially those using open flames and ancient techniques that involve curing and preserving. There’s a growing appreciation for time, care and craftsmanship in the kitchen.”
Meanwhile Eliot Day who is the Co-Founded of FieldGoods believes that the focus will be on regenerative agriculture, in particular, “looking at how we cultivated land centuries ago and utilising those methods in farming practices today. It’s always been essential to farm in a way that works in harmony with nature, and it’s something consumers are beginning to prioritise.”
Street Food
It seems that we’re still all as crazy about the street food trend as ever with a firm upturn in popularity rising higher and higher over the past few years. Kerth Gumbs who is the Chef De Cuisine at Fenchurch agrees: “I think street food will step up as diners increasingly crave theatre and craft from their casual dining. I expect we’ll see chefs pairing accessible, affordable ingredients with playful presentation and layered flavours, letting each dish tell its own story.”
Protein Loading
Social media platforms have definitely fuelled health-conscious eating and awareness and as a result, we’re seeing this transferred to eating out habits. “Next year people will focus on eating with intention, with a big focus on protein-rich plates that fuel the Body” says Robert Pearce – Executive Head Chef of Down Hall Hotel, Spa & Estate.
He continues “With more than half of the UK looking more at their protein intake, every element should earn its place feeding the gut, strengthening the body and connecting diners to how their food is grown.”
Waste Elimination
Sustainability has never been more important as we cruise into 2026 and Vivek Singh – Founder & Executive Chef of The Cinnamon Collection thinks zero waste trends will be big. “We will see more examples of dishes using every part of an ingredient and reducing waste. For example, I think we will see more chefs using offcuts to make preserves, pickles and ferments to complement their dishes and eliminate waste.”
Natalie Coleman who is Head Chef at The Garrison, agrees. “Zero-waste cooking is growing in UK restaurants, with chefs like Adam Handling creating world-class dishes from ingredients that would normally be discarded. From a cost-of-living perspective, it’s a smart move too, as using every part of an ingredient helps boost margins while supporting sustainability.”