SAN FRANCISCO — The season’s top food and drink trends, according to restaurant review hub Yelp, include, unsurprisingly, pumpkin spice lattes and apple cider donuts. A breakout star on the platform, with searches up 6,218% over last year, is suadero tacos.
An authentic Mexican street food, tacos de suadero feature a specific cut of shredded, fatty beef and were the subject of an episode of Netflix’s “Taco Chronicles.” Searches for the dish surged in Illinois, Texas, Arizona and California, according to Yelp.
The data were captured during the week of Sept. 21 and compared to the year-ago period.
Pumpkin spice lattes continue to gain steam, up 72% from last year, while pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake climbed 66% and 242%, respectively. Searches for apple cider donuts grew 117%, and interest in apple picking increased 55% from last year. Brown sugar boba, a milk tea made with tapioca pearls, generated 200% more searches this year, and interest in mochi is up 96%.
“At Yelp, we’re seeing people return to the comforting flavors of apple, brown sugar and pumpkin this fall, opting to enjoy the flavors in their favorite drinks and desserts,” said Tara Lewis, Yelp trend expert. “Whether they’re dining in or out, people are also eager to try suadero tacos, a delicious beef taco, making waves this season.”
Searches for patio restaurants, outdoor coffee shops and drive-thru coffee are up significantly — 1,396%, 593%, and 141%, respectively — as consumers continue to navigate dining out during the pandemic. Meanwhile, searches for Japanese barbecue, seafood buffet and Mongolian grill are down 92%, 67%, and 87%, respectively, from last year.
Searches for beer types and breweries also are declining from last year, but searches for craft beer stores are up 26%, suggesting consumers plan to celebrate Oktoberfest at home.