1990s Food: Top Dishes, Restaurants And Eating Trends

Sun-dried tomatoes, Delia and the start of cooking as entertainment.

Below: the dishes people actually ate in the 1990s, what was new at the time, what the kitchen had in it, and honest notes on cooking any of it now.

Useful for a themed party menu, a reminiscence session or working out what to cook for someone's milestone birthday.

Years covered in the 1990s

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990
• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991
• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992
• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993
• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994
• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995
• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996
• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997
• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998
• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999
• That is every 1990s year we have written up so far: 1990 to 1999.

Classic 1990s dishes

• Chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce, and pasta with pesto.
• Fajitas, wraps and things involving a griddle pan.
• Thai green curry and stir fries from a jar.
• Roast vegetables with olive oil, which felt genuinely new.
• Tiramisu, profiteroles and chocolate fondant with a molten middle.
• Ready-made sandwiches, meal deals and the rise of lunch on the go.

Food trends of the 1990s

• Delia's How to Cook (1998) causes runs on eggs and omelette pans.
• Two Fat Ladies, Ready Steady Cook and Gary Rhodes on the BBC.
• Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef arrives in 1999.
• Organic food and farmers' markets start to grow.

What the kitchen looked like (1990-1999)

• Breadmakers, George Foreman grills and the first pasta machines nobody used twice.
• Supermarkets open late and start doing everything.
• Balsamic vinegar on everything, for about five years.
• Cookbooks as gifts, and the start of the celebrity-chef shelf.

Eating out in the 1990s: restaurants, cafes and takeaways

• Gastropubs begin - The Eagle in Farringdon in 1991 is usually credited as the first.
• Pret A Manger and the bought lunch replacing the packed one.
• Starbucks arrives in the UK in 1998; Costa and Caffe Nero expand fast.
• Chicken tikka masala declared a British national dish by Robin Cook in 2001, after a decade of dominance.
• Nando's opens in Britain in 1992; Wagamama opens in 1992 too.
• Celebrity chefs on television send people out to copy what they saw.

Cooking these now: honest notes

• Pesto pasta only works if you loosen the sauce with a spoon of the cooking water.
• Thai green curry: fry the paste in the thick cream off the top of the tin first.
• Delia's method for scrambled eggs is still the correct one - low heat, keep moving.

How to use this

• Themed party: pick three dishes, not ten - one thing to pick at, one main, one pudding everyone remembers.
• Put the 1990s playlist on while you cook and the theme does half the work.
• Reminiscence session: food smells prompt more conversation than photographs do.
• Milestone birthday: cook what they ate at eighteen, not what was around when they were born.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Write the menu on a card and put it on the table - it makes a themed meal feel deliberate.
• Cook one dish nobody has had for thirty years; that is the one people talk about.
• Check for allergies before you build a menu around pastry, nuts or shellfish.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 1990s calendar: year by year
• 1990s trivia: fun facts
• 1990s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1990s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1990s books, films and TV
• 1990s party playlist
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1990s
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What food was popular in the 1990s?

Chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce, and pasta with pesto. The full list above covers the dishes that turned up week in, week out, not just the special-occasion ones.

What were the big food trends of the 1990s?

Delia's How to Cook (1998) causes runs on eggs and omelette pans. The rest are listed above, including what was arriving in the shops for the first time.

Where did people eat out in the 1990s?

Gastropubs begin - The Eagle in Farringdon in 1991 is usually credited as the first. The eating out section above lists the restaurants, cafes and takeaways of the decade.

Can I cook 1990s recipes today?

Yes, with small adjustments. Old recipes assume more time and different kit, so the honest notes section above tells you what to change - mostly seasoning, cooking times and which ingredients are hard to buy now.

Do you sell food or recipe books?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a party or a care-home session.