Food and travel: where to experience 2025’s most fashionable foods
Beautiful Basque cheesecake. Intriguing ramen burgers. Birria tacos.
We all love our classic British comfort food — but the way we discover what to eat next has changed. Social media, travel content, and global street-food culture are bringing “new favourites” to our plates faster than ever. So what’s shaped UK cravings over the last few years, and what’s poised to become the next big thing in 2025?
Let’s dig in.
Travel and food: a match made in heaven
You land in a new city. Drop your bags. Find the nearest place that smells incredible. One bite later, you’re hooked — and suddenly you understand the place a little better.
Food is one of the quickest ways to experience somewhere new. And even when you’re back home, those flavours follow you: in the recipes you recreate, the snacks you hunt for, and the menu items you can’t stop thinking about.
In 2025, we’ll keep travelling with our tastebuds — whether that’s hopping on a flight or just trying the latest global food trend closer to home.
What the last five years say about what we love
Over the past five years, the UK’s “food fashions” have leaned heavily into bold flavours and comfort dishes, especially from across Asia. Some trends have become permanent fixtures — not just viral moments.
Here are a few that have been consistently in demand:
Bubble tea
Ashwagandha
Pho
If the 2020–2024 period was about discovering new staples, 2025 looks like it’ll be about playful mashups, elevated classics, and big regional European and Middle Eastern flavours arriving centre stage.
The top food trends set to grow in 2025
These are the global dishes and ingredients already making noise — and likely to get even bigger in the UK this year.
1) Hot honey
Sweet meets heat, and it works on almost everything. Hot honey is simply honey infused with chilli (flakes, fresh chillies, or hot sauce vibes). Drizzle it over pizza, fried chicken, roasted veg — even ice cream or affogato — and you’ve got instant “why is this so good?” energy.
2) Basque cheesecake
Also known as burnt cheesecake, this crustless beauty is caramelised on the outside and super creamy inside. It’s baked hot and fast for that signature bronzed top. If you’ve been to Spain’s Basque country, you’ll know why people obsess over it.
Foodie fact: Basque cheesecake has no crust, which gives it a mousse-like texture.
3) Pho
The ultimate comfort bowl. Pho is a Vietnamese soup made with aromatic broth, rice noodles, and thinly sliced meat, usually served with herbs, lime, chillies and crunchy extras. It’s warming, fresh, and deeply satisfying — the kind of dish you crave on repeat.
4) Pintxos
Think tapas… but turned up a notch. Pintxos are small, often elaborate bar snacks from Northern Spain, traditionally pinned with a toothpick. Perfect for grazing, sharing, and ordering “just one more.”
5) Ramen burgers
A burger — but with seared ramen noodle “buns.” Crispy outside, chewy inside, and wildly more satisfying than it has any right to be. It’s one of those mashups that sounds like a joke until you try it.
6) Birria tacos
Birria is a Mexican stew (often beef, goat or lamb) marinated in dried chillies, garlic, vinegar and spices, then slow-cooked until rich and tender. Tuck it into a taco, dip it into the broth, and you’ll understand the hype immediately.
7) Pinsa
Often called “cloud-like pizza,” pinsa is lighter than classic pizza, with a bubbly base and airy interior. Oval-shaped and crisp outside, soft inside — it’s a serious texture flex.
8) Banh mi
Vietnam’s iconic sandwich: a crisp baguette packed with grilled meat, pickled veg, herbs, chilli, and a creamy element like mayo. It’s sweet-sour-salty-fresh — and one of the best handheld meals on earth.
9) Pastel de nata
Portugal’s legendary custard tart is having a moment (again). Flaky pastry, creamy custard, often finished with cinnamon. Perfect with coffee. Perfect always.
Where these flavours are coming from
Right now, the UK’s strongest food influences are from East Asia, with drinks and dishes like kombucha, bubble tea, tofu, bao buns and pho continuing to shape mainstream menus.
We’re also heavily influenced by the Americas, with trends like poke bowls, açaí bowls, chia, and birria tacos rising quickly.
And South Asia continues to influence wellness and sweet trends — from ashwagandha to classic desserts and coconut-rich dishes.
The next big wave: Europe and the Middle East
If 2020–2024 was Asia-forward, 2025 looks like a broader sweep.
Western Europe highlights
Gelato (not just ice cream — creamier, milkier, and smoother)
Bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches with big regional variety)
Zeppola (deep-fried Italian dough goodness)
Eastern Europe to watch
Sękacz (spit cake with a dramatic, iconic shape)
Chimney cake (sweet, spiralled, and dangerously snackable)
Burek (flaky pastry filled with savoury goodness)
Middle Eastern favourites rising
Knafeh (sweet, cheesy, syrupy perfection)
Dondurma (stretchy Turkish ice cream)
Kumpir (stuffed baked potatoes, Turkish street food style)
Bringing it back home, Double Puc style
At Double Puc, we love seeing global flavours take root in local food culture — especially when it’s driven by curiosity, travel, and a shared love of great ingredients.
If you’re planning food-led travel in 2025, build your trip around what you want to eat — and if you’re staying closer to home, treat yourself like a tourist in your own city: try something you’ve never ordered before.
Because the best travel memories often start with: “I had this one dish…”
What’s on your 2025 food hit list
Are you team hot honey? Basque cheesecake? Birria tacos?
Drop us a message or tell us next time you’re in — we’re always collecting recommendations.
Thanks to SkyScanner for the basis of this blog