Come, gather round. We’re looking at the tea leaves of 2024 to predict what’s to come in 2025. If the past year was any indication of what’s brewing in the world of dining out, we sure hope you like restaurant celery, deluxe sandwiches with toppings sourced from outside of state lines, and sporks. OK fine, we’ve only seen two sporks, and both were in Miami. Of course, change is slow, especially across an entire country. Utensil hybrids and celery may not be taking over any time soon, but below we’ve outlined the 2024 restaurant trends that have real staying power. By the end of 2025, we predict to see more of these themes in major cities across the US.
The American Diner Is Evolving
There have been reports, many coming out of the diner capital of the world (New Jersey), that American diners are a dying breed. It’s true that retro diners are having a hard time: costs are rising and tastes are changing. But people still want to commune over linoleum, and order breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast. To that end, a new generation of not-so-classic diners is opening, using better ingredients, and mixing up their menus. Toasty Badger in Austin serves biscuits and gravy made with tomato jam and guajillo chilis. At Kellogg’s Diner in NYC, we watched a table of cops eat nachos, skate wing almondine, eggs, and waffles. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s hottest new lunch counter, Pure Quill Superette, is playing a lot of Dolly Parton and serving fried chicken livers side by side with tofu kimchi rice bowls. Haters might call these new spots bougie, but at all of these places, you can still get a combo breakfast, maybe even at an odd hour. And that’s what counts.
Wine Bar Or Restaurant?
For years now, our California and New York constituents have had a running joke: Is it a wine bar or restaurant? They’re talking about places that also happen to be the places to be. Tasteful dens of tiny font and clog-wearers, where groups order either the whole menu or just a bite, and hope to either intimidate or date a nearby table. These businesses—spots like Sam’s Place and Stir Crazy in LA, Bar Jabroni in SF, and Claud in New York—are both wine bars and restaurants, of course. And we’re now starting to see these little thoughtfully lit places with their little delicious menus infiltrating the rest of the country. Bad Idea in Nashville is serving peking duck, scallop mousse, and something they’re calling princess toast. Le Comptoir du Vin in Baltimore has a hard-to-miss front door and a can’t-miss jamon beurre, and our Seattle team describes Lionness as a “prosciutto-wrapped gift.” If a new wine bar opens in any city near you, it might just be the next hot restaurant.
Eastern European Food Is In Full Swing
Maybe it’s the dumplings. Maybe it’s the vodka. Eastern European restaurants are opening left and right and don’t seem to be stopping any time soon. At Anelya in Chicago, a zarusky cart is on the loose. It roves around with appetizers like chicken liver, and trout roe tarts, best enjoyed with a horseradish vodka infusion before eating your weight in chicken halushki. In New York, Sammy’s Roumanian, a storied 1975 steakhouse that serves schmaltz out of pitchers and vodka out of bottles is back open in a new location and as rowdy as always after a worrisome three-year hiatus. Over in Philly, kielbasa is getting the appreciation it deserves at Little Walter’s, where mustard is homemade and the martinis come with a pickle. And Bar Sinizki has brought what might be the first great pierogies to LA.