Food trends for 2024: What you’ll be eating and drinking in the new year

The dawn of a new year means another look into the City A.M. crystal ball, where we see all manner of hot food trends for 2024. Whether it’s the rise and rise of mezcal, the growing popularity of offal or the nostalgic appeal of old school desserts, we have you covered.

Offal, offal, offal

Using all parts of the animal has been a trend in London for more than a decade but it’s set to explode in 2024 as sustainability continues to dominate the agenda. Ombra is serving cow udder and borlotti, making use of a part of the cow usually discarded but finding a perfect home in this northern Italian stew. Pierre Koffmann will be serving chicken head at Fowl in the form of his Le Grand Coq Pie centering around a chicken head, an attempt to popularise a part of the animal not usually seen in western cuisine. Brain burger, meanwhile, is a permanent fixture at St John Bread and Wine, where a breaded and fried calf’s brain burger comes with sauce gribiche. Brain has long been eaten in France, India and Turkey but is rarely spotted on menus over here. Definitelt one of the big foood trends of 2024.

Non-alcoholic drink parings

As more people choose to forgo – or at least cut back on – alcohol, we will see an increasing number of restaurants catering to the ‘low and no’ crowd. At Evelyn’s Table, wine director Honey Spencer offers a half and half pairing of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, alongside the tasting menu from head chef James Goodyear. “We expect to see more of this in 2024,” says Spencer. “The number of guests opting to forgo alcohol has spurred me to invest time into finding and making drinks that complete a meal in the same way wine and sake have in the past.”

Mexican food and tequila

High-end Mexican food has had a strong presence in London for some time and that is set to continue in 2024, with the likes of Los Mochis London City bringing this most vibrant of national cuisines to a new audience. New bars including Ixchel and Mezcalito Brompton, meanwhile, continue the push to replace vodka and gin with mezcal and tequila in the hearts, minds and stomachs of Brits. Another big food trend for 2024.

Manchester continues its rise

No longer London’s poor relative in the North, Manchester is having a moment. Hot off the heels of Chanel announcing its winter 2024 show will be held in the city, a flurry of new restaurants are opening there, joining the likes of Treehouse and Soho House Manchester. London restaurant Sexy Fish opened its doors in October, followed by the much anticipated new restaurant Fenix from the homegrown Manchester hospitality group behind Tattu.

Old school desserts

Retro puddings are back on the scene, with the Knickerbocker Glory becoming the latest nostalgia dish sweeping Instagram feeds. The charge is being led by Dovetale, the new restaurant by Tom Sellers in celeb hangout 1 Hotel Mayfair, which offers a modern take on the classic Knickerbocker Glory, made tableside. Expect this to be joined by a growing list of eton messes and jam roly-polys. Our favourite food trend of 2024.

Hyper regional dishes

While local/seasonal has been de rigueur for a decade, this trend is set to get even more hyper local. The ever-popular Hunter Gather Cook sees events sell out in minutes, offering consumers the chance to engage with the provenance of food on dedicated foraging trips, creating menus with produce foraged on the day, while many “restaurants with rooms” have dedicated herb gardens for guests to explore prior to their meals.

90s drinks

Fashion trends reoccur every 30 years so prepare for a wave of 90s nostalgia. The Nest, at Treehouse Hotel London, has introduced The Lilt, a cocktail reminiscent of the well known soft drink. Manzis’, the all-day seafood and fish restaurant in the heart of Soho, has a Sea Breeze Cocktail inspired by one created in NYC that was the summer drink of 1995. Get your baggy trousers out and prepare for a night on the lash.

The demise of small plates

They have been staples of London menus for well over a decade – in large part thanks to the late, great Ressell Norman – but small plates will take a back seat in 2024, with traditional three-course meals now back in vogue. The Wolseley City for instance, which recently opened its doors in London’s Square Mile, favours a three course à la carte offering rather than smaller sharing plates. Other big name chefs are now coming round to the classic French way of serving dinner – a food trend for 2024 that we’re here for.