Asian Food Will Take Over American Dining in 2025
More Americans are trying Asian foods that go beyond their usual favorites like pad thai and California rolls. Most U.S. counties (over 70%) now have at least one Asian restaurant, according to the National Restaurant Association's (NRA) 2025 trends report. Restaurantji research backs this up, showing there are 19,618 Japanese restaurants and about 36,000 Chinese restaurants across the country.
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Korean food is becoming especially popular, thanks to Korean TV shows and cooking competitions. "Korean- or K-dramas have a distinctive niche in global entertainment," the NRA report says. This popularity is helping Korean restaurants grow - the chain Bonchon plans to have twice as many U.S. locations by 2028. Our data shows there are already 6,294 Korean restaurants in America.
Another new food trend is the dosa, a crepe-like dish from southern India made from fermented rice and lentils, according to Nation's Restaurant News. "You see it bubbling. It's so amazing, like there's life in there," says Jay Kumar, who owns Lore restaurant in Brooklyn. While dosas are only on 1% of menus now, they've grown 15% more popular as appetizers in the past year.
Fermented foods are big everywhere, not just in Asian dishes. The NRA report says people love fermented foods like kimchi, and sweet-spicy combinations like hot honey or spicy maple will stay popular in 2025.
"Consumers are digging into the unique ingredients/flavor profiles, potential wellness benefits, and serving styles of cuisines throughout Asia," the NRA report states. People also care more about sustainable food options going into 2025. Restaurantji's nationwide restaurant database reveals that unique, authentic cuisines often get better customer ratings, like Ukrainian and Venezuelan food.
This means both challenges and opportunities for restaurants and food makers. As Americans want to try more new foods, successful restaurants will need to serve authentic Asian flavors in convenient ways. Restaurantji's article on US cuisines shows Japanese, Chinese, and Korean foods are already among the top 10 most common restaurant types in America, which suggests Asian food will keep growing in popularity.
