Amid yet another complicated year, there were, indeed, many high points too. The restaurant and bar scene across the United States felt legitimately exciting once again. It was a great year to enjoy a little treat, whether in the form of an over-the-top savory croissant or a fancy drink from a third-culture coffee shop. These are the trends we loved this year (and that we wouldn’t mind seeing continue into next year too).
“I’m thrilled about the return of steakhouses — or at least the renewed cultural obsession with them. I love settling into a red leather booth with a martini and a blue-cheese-smothered wedge salad before sawing into a medium-rare ribeye. Give me pâté, scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach… this is what life is about. Steakhouses never truly went away, but the appreciation for them again brings a tear to my eye.” —Hilary Pollack, deputy editor
“I’ve never been a huge burger person, but I’m loving that the thick tavern-style burger is having its moment. There are still smashburger spots everywhere, but plenty of bars have gone back to making thick patties that pair well with a well-made martini. It feels opulent despite literally being a burger in a bar, and these thicker burgers are also being made with higher-quality (sometimes even locally sourced) beef.” —Emily Venezky, editorial associate
“In a year full of $22+ cocktails and $50+ entrees, I appreciate that many chefs clearly made efforts toward approachability. In New York City, one-Michelin-star Corima opened Vato, a daytime tortilleria. Chef Alan Delgado, formerly of the high-end Oxomoco, opened Los Burritos Juarez, with a streamlined menu of burritos, none of them over $11. Bánh Anh Em opened as a destination for ambitious Vietnamese food, and while tables remained hard to get, the restaurant’s take-out-friendly $15 bánh mì proved an excellent and significantly easier way to get a taste. The folks behind the still-buzzy Semma opened the stop-by-anytime stall Kebabwala in a food hall. These chefs were clearly considering ways to share their food with more people. After all, everyone really should get a chance to try that stellar Corima tortilla.” —Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter
“I’m a huge matcha fan and all the pop-ups and influencers promoting it have really forced most cafes to adopt it into their menu these days, which is amazing for me. It’s a great caffeinated drink option if you’re not an espresso or chai person.” —Jillian Beck, editorial coordinator
New-school Indian fine dining
“I love the creative turn that Indian restaurants have taken of late, especially in the Southwest, where swanky Indian fine dining is booming. I started seeing this trend turn with Kahani in Dana Point, California; it’s led by talented chef Sanjay Rawat, who transformed the stodgy Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel’s steakhouse into a dimly lit, Indian fine-dining restaurant with New American-style plating and polished curries. Then I checked out Tamba in Las Vegas, a sleek restaurant tucked into an urban shopping mall that’s serving thoughtful, colorful takes on pan-regional Indian favorites. Finally, there was Indibar in Scottsdale, a jewelry-box dining room where they serve top-notch tandoor meats and inventive Indian-inflected cocktails, also in a strip mall.” —Matthew Kang, correspondent
Bar food that feels intentional
“I love nice restaurants that design specific dishes and experiences for the bar. This isn’t entirely new, of course, but I love that cool spots like Firstborn in Los Angeles have snack-focused bar menus and fantastic cocktails. Kato has been doing this for a while too, and is probably the best example in the city, but so does Meteora, and now, Baby Bistro is doing something similar with its front patio. Bar 109 is the natural extension of the idea, a standalone snacks-and-drinks offshoot right next door to the high-end Corridor 109.” —Ben Mesirow, associate editor, travel
Wine bars with good, not-Eurocentric food
“One of my favorite trends of the year was a shift in wine bar food. More specifically, I’ve been really into the wave of new spots putting a focus on cuisines outside of sad, predictable Eurocentric cheese plates. I love to have banchan with a Beaujolais, and I also welcome more exciting versions of typical wine bar fare like charcuterie; at Lei, the jinhua ham and fresh fruit (recently, figs) is a delight.” —Mary Anne Porto, senior editor at Punch
