What food, drink and hospitality trends will be heating up restaurants in the year ahead?
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) wondered, too, and asked JBF-recognized chefs and restaurant owners to weigh in on 2026 trends. The following list includes some of the flavors, ingredients, and ways of doing business the report highlighted; we’re sharing those particularly applicable for Mexican/Latin restaurants
Terroir-Driven Storytelling. “When ingredient storytelling is done authentically, it can help foster a more meaningful dining experience for diners curious about ingredients and cultural origins,” the forecast says. That means turning to “ingredients that tell a story of place, especially those grown regeneratively or stewarded by Indigenous or local producers,” says Codi Bates, owner/operator of Bates Co., the hospitality group behind Lawrence, Kansas including Taco Zone.
For example, James Beard Award semifinalist Sayat Ozyilmaz, co-chef/co-owner of San Francisco’s Dalida, has seen restaurants “honoring Indigenous farming traditions” such as milpas (where corn, squash, and beans are planted together), and heirloom bean cultivation “not as nostalgia but as viable, sustainable systems that shape the plate.”
Shrinking Menus. In today’s economic climate, “every dish and drink must deliver,” the report stresses. Says Jhonny Reyes, chef/owner of Lenox, an Afro Latin soul restaurant in Seattle: “We’re seeing smaller menus that change more often, built around what’s fresh, what’s local, and what feels right for the season.”
Soul-Satisfying Large Plates. Small plates are great. But not every customer wants to share what they’ve ordered — and they might not feel small portions are filling enough to make a meal, the report notes. Corrie Wang, Fall 2024 Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership alum and co-owner/operator of Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ in North Charleston, South Carolina, thinks dishes that “veer homey and saucy and big!” will appeal to diners who (like most of us) “are looking for food that feeds the soul right now.”
Savory and Culinary-Driven Cocktails. Chefs and operators predict that bartenders will continue taking inspiration from the kitchen. Things like ferments and shrubs that contribute to "savory profiles that feel more connected to agriculture than to the bar cart” are two ingredients Ozyilmaz mentions.
Craft Cocktails Sans Booze. Consumers are moderating their alcohol consumption (and that’s not only true in Dry January) — so restaurants and bars “are crafting top-notch cocktails without booze,” according to the forecast. On the low-alcohol vs. no-alcohol front, drinks, bars are turning to fermented components like tepache, kombucha reductions, lacto-fermented fruit brines, and koji to build acidity, texture, and complexity, Alba Huerta, winter 2024 WEL alum and owner of Julep, a James Beard Award–winning cocktail bar in Houston.
Collaboration Over Competition. For Reyes, that means “restaurants showing up for each other, building community, and creating together…More unity, more shared wins, more love. There’s room for everybody at the table, and the more we work together, the stronger the scene gets."
For Bates, it includes “shared dining formats, chef-led storytelling, or partnerships with local artists, farmers, and makers — all pointing to “the incredible power independent restaurants have within their communities that extends beyond the plate,” she says.
Real Moments Vs. Instagram Bait. As the forecast notes, in today’s “the phone eats first” social media era, authentic dining experiences have taken a back seat to Instagrammable ones. Chefs are hoping that that will change. “We love seeing people share their experience, but it shouldn’t come before actually enjoying it. Let’s get back to real hospitality, real food, real moments,” Reyes says.
For a full list of the trends, click here.