The Summer Food Trends You Need To Know About

Butter is having a full renaissance – whipped, cultured, salted and, most notably, browned.

The classic French technique – Beurre noisette or browned butter – involves slowly cooking butter until the milk solids caramelise, creating a rich, nutty flavour that chefs are now using in everything from pasta sauces to desserts.

Part of the appeal comes from the wider move away from ultra-processed foods and towards simple, ingredient-led cooking. Restaurants are increasingly using browned butter as a flavour in its own right – spooned over fish, folded through mashed potatoes or used to finish steaks and roasted vegetables. Notably, Shoreditch's new spot Tavern has a brown butter cake on its dessert menu. Plus, the seasonal tortellini dishes at Manteca often let brown butter be the driving force of the dish.

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The internet’s favourite entertaining trend shows no signs of slowing down. Crisp boards – essentially a more chaotic, playful version of a charcuterie spread – have become the ultimate low-effort hosting flex.

The trend exploded after TikTok creator Kaelahe’s viral “chippy boys” videos, where crisps were topped with grilled cheese, balsamic glaze and endless combinations of dips and toppings. Soon, entire snack tables followed: kettle chips piled high next to whipped feta, pickles, anchovies, tinned fish and mountains of cured meat. You can find iterations of this as permanent fixtures in wine bars and counter dining spots across London. Notably, Dan’s in Dalston does a ready-salted crisp dish, piled high with prosciutto. 

Now, the summer version is getting lighter and fresher. It’s maximalist snacking with minimal effort – crab dip with salted crisps, whipped ricotta with lemon zest, smoked trout pâté, chilled rosé and bowls of cornichons scattered across the table. 

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Quietly, the British bistro has become the restaurant format everyone wants to eat in right now. Less formal than fine dining but more polished than your average neighbourhood spot, these restaurants are built around seasonal produce, comforting classics and excellent wine lists.

Menus are filled with anchovy toast, roast chicken, crab tartlets and perfect chips, while interiors lean softly lit, nostalgic and intentionally unfussy. There’s a subtle Parisian influence running through it all – but translated through a distinctly British lens. Look to East London’s Tavern, Soho’s Sussex British Bistro and Mount Street.

After years of maximalist dining concepts and viral openings, diners seem to be gravitating back towards places that prioritise atmosphere, consistency and genuinely good food. 

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Al fresco season is officially moving upwards. This summer, it’s less country picnic, more rooftop spritz culture – with restaurants leaning hard into Riviera-inspired dining.

Across London, terraces and rooftops are embracing striped umbrellas, chilled seafood towers, tiny sunglasses and aperitivo-style menus designed for long evenings that turn into late nights. At Seabird, it’s oysters and crisp rosé against skyline views, while Forza Wine at the National Theatre has become a go-to for relaxed small plates and natural wine at golden hour.

Elsewhere, Los Mochis London City is bringing NYC-meets-Tulum energy with Japanese-Mexican dishes and cocktails, while Madison continues to deliver classic rooftop glamour with St Paul’s views and sunset dinners. For something more intimate, The Culpeper Rooftop offers space for close-knit gatherings for the extra special few. 

Even at home, people are recreating the aesthetic with portable lamps, oversized platters and Mediterranean-style dishes served family-style on balconies and roof terraces. The goal? Making an ordinary Tuesday night feel vaguely like you’re in Sicily.

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Last year belonged to hot honey and chilli crisp. This year, it’s all about ‘fricy’ flavours – the sweet-meets-spicy combinations inspired by cuisines across Latin America and Southeast Asia. Think mango with Tajín, pineapple with chilli salt, chamoy-drizzled fruit cups and citrus-heavy sauces with real heat behind them. The flavour profile taps into the growing appetite for contrast: cooling fruit paired with acidity, spice and salt.

Retailers are already seeing demand surge. Sous Chef has reported rising sales of Mexican chamoy and Japanese yuzu kosho, while Tajín continues to dominate cocktail rims and summer snack recipes online.

Drinks are getting involved too, with spicy-sour cocktails – sometimes referred to as “spour” serves – appearing on menus everywhere from casual bars to ready-to-drink canned cocktails. Expect plenty of fiery margaritas all summer long.

Open-fire cooking is still everywhere but it’s becoming more ingredient-led and restrained. Rather than heavy barbecue sauces and oversized cuts of meat, chefs are using smoke and char more delicately – treating fire as seasoning rather than spectacle. In London, that ethos shows up at places like Brat, where turbot is kissed by open flames, or Kiln, where the grill is used to deliver punchy Thai flavours with restraint rather than excess. At Fallow, vegetables are treated with real reverence, often cooked over fire until just blistered and smoky rather than heavily dressed.

Vegetables are increasingly taking centre stage: charred courgettes with ricotta salata, grilled lettuces with anchovy dressing and sweetcorn slathered in chilli butter are appearing across restaurant menus – echoing dishes seen at spots like Berenjak, where grilled skewers are balanced with fresh herbs and sharp salads, and Akoko, where West African grilling brings depth without heaviness.

Fruit is also getting the flame treatment. Charred peaches, grilled apricots and smoke-kissed pineapple are turning up in both savoury dishes and desserts, often paired with mascarpone, burrata or cured meats – a style of cooking that feels right at home at Smokestak, where smoke leads everything from meat to unexpected sweet elements.

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Sweet cocktails are quietly stepping aside in favour of brinier, sharper serves. Across bars and restaurants, savoury cocktails are dominating drinks menus – from dirty martinis and pickle margaritas to herb-heavy gin cocktails finished with olive oil or cracked pepper.

The appeal is obvious: they feel more grown-up, less sugary and far more suited to food-led evenings. These are cocktails designed to sit alongside crisps, oysters and salty snacks rather than overpower them.

Pickle flavours in particular are having a huge moment, appearing in martinis, margaritas and even chilled shots. Expect plenty of ice-cold coupes garnished with cornichons this summer. Where to get one? Go to the cool-girl spot Three Sheets for the Earth Martini – made with Belvedere vodka, beetroot, olive oil and dry vermouth, with olive oil-washed vodka and beetroot eau de vie – or LPM for its famous Tomatini. 

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