The National Restaurant Association has released its 2026 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast, a sneak peek into the flavors and food items predicted to hit menus in the new year.
Based on insights from hundreds of culinary professionals surveyed in October 2025, this year’s forecast highlights what the report calls a “quest for comfort, nostalgia, and ‘flavor-escapism’” that “intersects with an ever-present search for healthy options and value, as restaurant operators seek out the dishes that satisfy consumers’ cravings.”
That means “flavors, dishes, and experiences that take us out of the ‘day-to-day’ and transport us somewhere, sometime, or both — without breaking the bank,” as well as the “power trio” of health, wellness and value.”
Here is a look at some of the trends expected to heat up the restaurant scene in 2026:
*Local Sourcing. That can mean visiting local markets and manufacturers, or even growing your own vegetables and herbs.
*Comfort Foods (this includes global comfort foods, the report notes). Think about what that might mean for your customers: a hearty, warm pozole or Sopa de Tortilla (served with warm, made-in-house tortillas) are a few examples.
*Value Menus. This will depend on your concept — but Happy Hours are back in a big way and offer restaurants at all price points a chance to offer the value pricing customers seek.
*Smashed Burgers. Examples from the report include smashed burger tacos and burgers topped with guacamole and caramelized onions
*Low- and No-alcohol Drinks. These are especially popular with Gen Z and Millennial customers “who often expect alternatives, like alcohol-free beers and CBD-infused beverages,” the report notes. One example: a Paloma mocktail with club soda, red grapefruit, lime juice and agave syrup.
*Fermented and gut-friendly beverages. The list includes kombucha, prebiotic sodas, and tepache (a great option for Mexican/Latin restaurants due to its culinary history: the fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of pineapples and sweetened with piloncillo or brown sugar that dates to Pre-Columbian Mexico.
*Spicy pepper-infused sweets. Mexican restaurants are in a perfect position to tap this dessertntrend with end-of-meal offerings flavored with chiles.
Other trends of note: Clear menu labeling; allergen-friendly menus; cleaner Recipes, additive- and dye-free, or less processed menu items; proteins as add-ons; compostable and reusable packaging.
el Restaurante will be covering several of these trends in 2026! Watch for a feature story on non-alcoholic cocktails in our January/February 2026 issue, a story on using chiles in everything from appetizers to desserts in our July/August issue, and a look at how restaurants are using tepache in our November/December issue.
To download the report, click here.