Our 2025 Pubs & Bars Menuwatching report is now live on the Trendhub.
In it, we look at all of the flavours, formats and ingredients that are currently making waves within this casual dining (and drinking!) category.
Here are just three of our favourite takeouts:
- Next-level Snacking – with food being a major focus for many modern-day pubs and bars, standards can be extremely high, comparable to restaurants. But where pubs and bars really set themselves apart is in their snack offerings! Made to be enjoyed over a pint at the bar, beside a roaring log fire or as a beer garden pick-me-up, pub classics like Scotch eggs and rarebit or viral devilled eggs and dill pickles receive fun twists that blend familiar favourites with just enough newness to keep things interesting, and provide something for every taste.
- Crossover Shots – food and drink collide in a fun, bar-centric trend that sees a shot of spirit mixed with the remnants of a finished plate before being downed, to great applause, straight from the tableware. This began with the 'bone luge', whereby a bone marrow dish is served and, once eaten, the bone is used to decant a shot of whisky into the diner's mouth. The trend is now spreading among food-focused bars, making use of mezcal, shochu, vodka, and more, which is blended and "downed" with anything from tomato salad to mac 'n' cheese!
- Carousel Catering – taking a cue from restaurants such as Paris' Early June, New York's Fulgurances Laundromat and London's Carousel, all of which feature an ever-changing line-up of guest chefs serving limited-period kitchen residencies, pubs and bars are handing over their own kitchens to pop-up caterers in a bid to keep things fresh for their customers. So we see the likes of Bangkok Diners Club taking over the kitchens at Manchester's Edinburgh Castle pub to great acclaim, and everything from pizza and taco traders to fine dining chefs popping-up at pubs and bars to cause a stir and deliver some seriously tasty fare.
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