The 25 Most Important Restaurant Dishes of the 2000s

Beet and goat-cheese everything

Today, beets paired with goat cheese is as familiar on restaurant menus as a Caesar salad, but there was a time when the earthy-sweet-tangy combination was a revelation. It first popped up during the late 1980s and early ’90s, as restaurants like Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Los Angeles put the root vegetable alongside a new wave of artisanal American chèvre. By the early 2000s, the salad had trickled down from fine dining into bistros and wine bars, and eventually, even the Cheesecake Factory. It became the decade’s most ubiquitous starter. —Regan Stephens

Cupcake craze

Magnolia Bakery opened in New York City in 1996, but it was a 2000 cameo on Sex and the City — Carrie Bradshaw and Miranda gabbing over pink-frosted vanilla cupcakes outside the West Village shop — that transformed the nostalgic treat into a cultural phenomenon. Magnolia became a city landmark, as lines snaked down Bleecker Street for a taste of the pastel-crowned classics. An army of cupcake bakeries followed, from Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, to Georgetown Cupcake in D.C. —Regan Stephens

Froyo fever

When Pinkberry debuted in West Hollywood in 2005, health-minded Angelenos lined up for tangy swirls of frozen yogurt topped with granola and fresh fruit. Billed as a “healthier” alternative to ice cream with probiotics and lower fat, the frozen yogurt craze took off. By 2008, self-serve chains like Red Mango, Yogurtland, and Menchie’s sprung up in cities nationwide. Each offered a weigh-and-pay wall of playful flavors and toppings like cereal and mochi. To pull the handle for your own mountain of froyo was half the fun, though sticker shock often came when it hit the scale at the register. —Regan Stephens

The gospel of nose-to-tail

In 2004, British chef Fergus Henderson published his book The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, a love letter to whole animal cookery that ignited a worldwide phenomenon. The late Anthony Bourdain wrote the introduction, which captures the outsized influence Henderson had on chefs in the U.S. In it he wrote: “Every time you see pork belly or bone marrow, kidneys or trotters (increasingly “hot” offerings) on an American menu — you might well owe a debt of thanks to Fergus, who showed so many of us the way — who allowed chefs who might otherwise have feared to do so to also go against the tide.” 

Following the release of the book and the pilgrimage many American chefs made across the Atlantic to Henderson’s London restaurant St John, roasted bone marrow became the dish de jour, along with plates that incorporated sweetbreads, calves liver, and crispy pig’s ears. From Chris Cosentino’s Incanto in San Francisco to Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune in New York City, nose-to-tail was suddenly one of the most delicious and exciting restaurant movements in the country. —Melanie Hansche

Bacon mania

Most likely found on your breakfast plate curled up next to the scrambled eggs, bacon started to branch out in the 2000s. Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut debuted in 2003 with its buzzy Maple Bacon Bar. Not long after, you could find bacon everywhere: draped over cupcakes, dunked in chocolate, and infused into bourbon and vodka. Burger King even debuted a bacon sundae, with ice cream, hot fudge, and a strip of bacon. Blogs and festivals fanned the flames as bacon transcended breakfast to become a sizzling-hot star. —Regan Stephens

Kale, yeah!

The farmers’ market staple may have more fiber than finesse, but by the early 2010s, kale was finally getting its day in the sun. The sturdy, leafy green held up to dressing without wilting, which made it a natural canvas for ambitious salads. Early champions included Dan Barber at Blue Hill and Jean-Georges Vongerichten at ABC Kitchen. Before long, it was blitzed into smoothies, crisped into chips, swapped with romaine into Caesar riffs, and even starred in bagged salads at your grocery store. —Regan Stephens

Steak tartare 2.0

In 2013, steak tartare was hardly a new dish. French brasseries had served the raw-beef classic since the late 19th century. But by the early 2010s, chefs began to reimagine the Old World standby for a new generation of diners. At New York City’s Spotted Pig, April Bloomfield’s version was hand-chopped and topped with a farm egg. In Chicago, Brendan Sodikoff paired beef with garlic aioli, anchovy, and crunchy toast at Au Cheval. Out west, San Francisco’s Marlowe offers a playful take served with smoked bone marrow and a poached quail egg. It all made tartare less stuffy throwback and more modern comfort. —Regan Stephens

The fancy doughnut boom

In the early 2000s, the doughnut went from nondescript coffee companion to culinary star. No longer satisfied with a simple glaze or chocolate icing, bakers began to treat the ring of fried dough as a canvas for creativity. Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut made irreverent confections topped with cereal or bacon. In New York City, Doughnut Plant used seasonal fruit glazes and top-notch ingredients, while Sidecar, which opened in 2012 in Southern California, fried small-batch rings to order. In 2013, Dominique Ansel unveiled the Cronut, his croissant–doughnut hybrid, which drew predawn lines in SoHo, sparked global copycats, and signaled that peak doughnut had officially arrived. —Regan Stephens

Ramen renaissance

In Japan, ramen has been a revered culinary art for more than a century, with even more venerable roots in China. In the U.S., though, the noodle soup had long carried the stigma of instant noodles: cheap, salty fuel for late-night cram sessions. That changed with a wave of Japanese imports. Santouka, originally from Hokkaido, brought its shio ramen to West Coast food courts in the early 2000s. Ippudo, which hailed from Fukuoka, Japan, made its New York City debut in 2008. Diners lined up for its rich tonkotsu and delicate tsukemen (dipping noodles). Soon ramen shops from coast to coast saw Americans trade Styrofoam cups for bowls built on craft. —Regan Stephens

Bao bun breakout

in 2004, when David Chang put fluffy Taiwanese-style bao on the menu at Momofuku Noodle Bar, he reimagined a night-market staple for a new audience. His take — pillowy steamed buns stuffed with pork belly, hoisin, and pickled cucumbers — became an instant hit. Eddie Huang followed with BaoHaus in 2009, and by the mid-2010s, bao counters had spread to Chicago, London, Melbourne, and beyond. Fried chicken, soft-shell crab, tofu, and even dessert baos cemented the bun as a global street-food star. —Regan Stephens

Brussels and beyond

The mushy nemesis of a generation of toddlers, Brussels sprouts found redemption in the right kitchens. The cruciferous curmudgeon was reborn when chefs like José Andrés, David Chang, and Dan Barber began to roast them to caramelized perfection, often laced with bacon, maple syrup, or fish sauce. The new darling signaled a broader shift toward plant-centric small plates, where produce, rather than protein, anchored the meal. Cauliflower turned into steaks or fried florets, carrots came roasted and glazed, broccolini arrived charred and vinaigrette-dressed, and simple vegetables stole the spotlight. —Regan Stephens

Shishito pepper palooza

A Japanese import akin to Spain’s padrón pepper, shishitos were on fire in the early 2010s. Mild and grassy with a hint of sweetness, the slim green peppers turned smoky and snacky after a quick sear in a piping-hot, cast-iron pan. But flavor wasn’t the only draw. About one in 10 carries surprising heat, which made the bar snack a game of edible roulette. Salty, blistered shishitos were one of the decade’s most novel small plates. —Regan Stephens

The $30-plus burger

When high-end burgers first hit menus, the sticker shock was real: $25-plus for ground beef, you say? But chefs offered luxe upgrades like dry-aged blends, shaved truffles, or, in Daniel Boulud’s case, a foie gras-stuffed patty wrapped in short ribs for his DB Burger, at DB Bistro Moderne in New York City. In Chicago, Brendan Sodikoff’s Au Cheval made its double-stack with Dijonnaise and a mountain of fries a reservation-worthy draw. Diners’ appetite proved bottomless, and by 2015, the burger had graduated from drive-thru comfort food to splurgy status symbol. —Regan Stephens

Burrata everywhere

When burrata landed on American menus, mozzarella suddenly felt like an understudy. The Italian import was invented in Puglia as a thrifty way to use up scraps of mozzarella and cream, but by the mid-2010s, it had become the ultimate upgrade stateside. At spots like Mozza and Gjelina in Los Angeles, the white orb with a center of fresh cream arrived as a centerpiece, surrounded by a fan of pink prosciutto, plunked down onto pizza, or paired with plump red tomatoes. —Regan Stephens

Avocado toast cashes in

The Aussies can take full credit, as cafés in Sydney and Melbourne sliced and smashed avocado onto toast in the early 1990s. Café Gitane in New York City was among the first to bring the dish stateside, and in the early 2010s, L.A.’s Sqirl made it Instagram famous. Thick-cut sourdough was the blank canvas, with toppings that ranged from avocado with pickled carrots and garlic crème fraîche to jewel-toned jams spooned over fluffy housemade ricotta. By the time it had hit brunch menus nationwide, avocado toast had gone from café staple to lifestyle choice, and Millennials were being accused of forgoing mortgages to maintain their daily habit. —Regan Stephens

Poke bowl bonanza

Lunchtime’s sad desk salads had more competition by the mid-2010s. Joining Sweetgreen’s kale-packed bowls came poke, the longtime Hawaiian lunch staple of cubed, marinated fish tossed with soy, sesame, and seaweed, and scooped over rice. Fast-casual restaurants like Sweetfin in Los Angeles and Pokéworks in New York City opened in 2015. They rode the “better-for-you bowl” wave and turned poke into a customizable, healthy-ish lunchtime standby. —Regan Stephens

Bread and butter as course zero

Dinner’s kickoff bread basket, once just an obligatory filler, became a flex. (Sometimes, it even came with an additional fee.) By the late 2010s, gone were cold slices and foil-wrapped pats. Restaurants served warm sourdough made from house-milled grains alongside tangy, cultured butters — some whipped with inventive additions like seaweed or chili. From Saison in San Francisco to Lilia in Brooklyn, bread and butter became “course zero,” a show of craft and ambition before the meal really even began. —Regan Stephens

Cacio e pepe catches on

Made with just sharp pecorino, cracked black pepper, and pasta water, cacio e pepe was arguably America’s favorite pasta by the late 2010s. Restaurants from New York City to Los Angeles twirled out their own versions of the simple Roman classic, and the fervor spilled beyond pasta bowls. Chefs and bartenders borrowed the combination for everything from soft scrambled eggs and salads to pizzas and novelty cocktails. —Regan Stephens

Charred cabbage, the new cauliflower

In the late 2010s, chefs had a new vegetable muse. At restaurants like Maydan in Washington, D.C., and the Progress in San Francisco, blackened wedges of cabbage arrived from the hearth and looked as dramatic as a rib eye. Smoky, sweet, and flavored with sauces and spices, the once-humble brassica finally got its glory. Following cauliflower’s steak-esque makeover, cabbage proved that just the right char could elevate even the most modest produce. —Regan Stephens

Seafood tower resurgence

Once the calling card of French brasseries and old-school steakhouses, the seafood tower staged a glamorous comeback during the late 2010s and early 2020s. At the Ordinary in Charleston, Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn, and glittering Las Vegas restaurants like Bavette’s, icy, tiered platters were stacked with oysters, lobster tails, colossal shrimp, and delicate crudo. Beyond just a lofty first course, the towers were a spectacle that signaled abundance and embodied post-recession luxury. —Regan Stephens

Regional pizza goes mainstream

When comfort food cravings hit during lockdown, square pies rose to the occasion. Detroit-style pizza, baked in rectangular steel pans and trimmed with caramelized cheese, suddenly popped up from Brooklyn to L.A. Grandma slices in New York City and tavern pies in the Midwest joined the wave as diners embraced regional riffs. Pop-ups and delivery kitchens churned out pies. By 2020, America’s torrid love affair with pizza had changed shape from circles and triangles to squares. —Regan Stephens

Birria’s viral takeover

Birria, the slow-simmered, chile-infused stew from Jalisco, Mexico, was served traditionally in a bowl with consommé and a side of warm corn tortillas. But its U.S. breakout came in taco form. Folded tortillas with meat and sometimes cheese, fried on a sizzling griddle, then dunked into crimson broth had saturated TikTok and Instagram. During the first two months of 2021, #birria had racked up more than 148 million views, as cheese pulls and broth dips fueled nationwide cravings. In New York City, food truck Birria-Landia became a cult hit. In Los Angeles, Birrieria Gonzalez and Teddy’s Red Tacos led the charge. Soon, birria tacos were everywhere, from taquerias and trucks to drive-thrus and pop-ups from coast to coast. —Regan Stephens

Patty remix

Two handheld icons hit the spotlight at once. In Queens, New York, Datz Deli’s Mac Patty consists of Jamaican beef patties stuffed with oxtail and mac and cheese, a new spin on the Caribbean island’s staple flaky, curry-spiced crusts. Around the same time, we also flipped for smash burgers, thin patties pressed hard onto a hot griddle for lacy, crispy edges topped with melted cheddar or American. Both patties played perfectly to Instagram’s appetite for oozy cheese pulls. By 2021, these two indulgent patties were social media stars. —Regan Stephens

Luxe snack flex

After years of pared-down dining after the pandemic, excess returned in the form of fancy snacks that included caviar. Blinis and potato chips were passé, though. The new approach spooned the salty roe straight to the back of your hand. For around $10 a hit, bars from New York City’s Temple Bar to L.A. wine haunts offered “bumps” of caviar served on mother-of-pearl spoons, or no spoons at all. The ritual was pure theater: lick, chase with Champagne, and post the proof. A showy luxury flex, caviar bumps turned a centuries-old delicacy into nightlife’s cheekiest new snack. —Regan Stephens

Soup dumpling expansion

Before the early 2020s, if you wanted a feast of New York City’s best xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, you took the 7 train straight to Chinatown in Queens. In 2022, longtime Flushing favorite Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao opened its second outpost, which brought its delicate, molten broth-filled wrappers to Midtown Manhattan. Since then, the restaurant that specializes in Southern Chinese cuisine has expanded rapidly, as it opened shops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with more to come. Bay Area mini-chains, meanwhile, have similarly multiplied, as restaurants like Dumpling Home and Dumpling Time serve stacks of bamboo baskets inside city dining rooms and suburban malls. —Regan Stephens