THE ANNUAL TASTE OF LONDON FOOD REPORT

Londoners are eating out more than ever, with nearly half (42%) choosing restaurants over food delivery apps or cooking at home (28%)
Over a third of respondents (34%) admitted to trying 12 new restaurants a year, despite it being a turbulent time for restaurateurs
Adventurous dishes soar in popularity, with favourites including Japanese Sandos and Sri Lankan Hoppers

NOVEMBER 2019: A new annual report by Taste of London has shone a spotlight on the city’s eating habits and revealed a shift in the way Londoners are thinking about food. The report has been unveiled following Taste of London’s festive edition, which ran at the iconic Tobacco Dock.

The report surveyed previous Taste of London attendees, newsletter subscribers and social media fans, to uncover the dining habits of one of the most culinary diverse cities in the world. Findings highlighted the restaurants and cuisines that dominated the food scene in 2019 and trends set to soar in 2020.

Restaurants reign supreme

2019 was a mammoth year for food halls, with new communal dining concepts such as Market Halls, KERB and Arcade Food Theatre landing in the city within the space of a few months. While some may argue that these new concepts have changed the face of the London dining scene, the report has shown that traditional restaurants still reign supreme, with over 40% of those surveyed citing restaurants as their favourite way to eat, over using food delivery apps (11%) and cooking at home (28.56%).

The city’s desire for trying new food is still as insatiable as ever, with over one third (33.55%) of the 500 people surveyed admitting that they try a new restaurant at least once a month. Almost 10% (9.37%) of those surveyed admit that they will aim to try somewhere new at least once a week, totalling a colossal 52 visits to new restaurants a year. The positive news comes as restaurateurs have faced one of the most turbulent years for restaurants yet, with many nationwide chains facing mass closures, including Jamie’s Italian and Carluccio’s.

A taste for the unusual…

Taste of London’s report has highlighted the city’s favourite cuisines and dishes from 2019 are those that were unheard of in years gone by, with top dishes including tacos, hoppers and ‘Cacio e Pepe’ pasta showing a more refined taste in food than ever before.

Quirky menu items such as the Japanese Katsu Sando also dominated the Instagram accounts of foodies over the last twelve months, with over 11,000 hashtags for #katsusando trending on Instagram.

Despite this desire for unusual dishes, Italian food has had a resurgence in London, with almost a third of the city (30.94%) citing it is their favourite cuisine, and one in ten Londoners (14.16%) naming cacio e pepe pasta as their favourite dish of 2019. This comes as London has welcomed an influx of artisanal pasta restaurants over the past year, with the capital now more hosting more fresh pasta outlets than ever, with long-queues lining the streets of eateries such as Padella, Pastaio and Lina Stores.

Other classic dishes have also stood the test of time including fried chicken, with almost a quarter (22.45%) of Londoners claiming it as their favourite dish of the year. Retro classics have made a comeback too, with crumpets edging their way back into the food scene with 15 of the 500 (3.27%) surveyed claiming it as their favourite food.

2020 Trends

Moving into the new year, the survey asked savvy Londoners to reveal their predictions for culinary trends for 2020. Almost a quarter of Londoners surveyed (22.4%) predicted the revival of fine dining as a leading trend, whereas plant-based cuisine is also set to continue dominating the restaurant scene, with almost a quarter of respondents (22%) noting the growth of going meat-free. Taking the lead following the Rugby World Cup in Japan, a whopping 35.29% of the public have tipped Japenese cuisine as the foodie trend for 2020. The festive edition Taste of London at Tobacco Dock will nod to this, with offerings from Japanese favourites including TOU, Zela and Flesh & Buns.

Hot tips for 2020

Taste of London’s restaurant experts have also outlined their six hotly tipped chefs to watch out for in 2020, with many names including those who have made headlines over the past year with new restaurant openings, such as Santiago Lastra and Anais Van Manen, both of whom debuted new concepts this year.