What AI Learned After Analyzing 10,000 Pub Menus Across Britain

Recently, a bartender in Soho passed a platter of Korean style fried chicken across a polished oak bar as a neighbor sipped a traditional steak and ale pie on a gloomy Thursday afternoon. A group of office workers at a nearby table argued over whether or not to share loaded Yorkshire puddings. At that moment, I noticed a slight shift in British pub culture.

Though not exactly the same, the menu initially appeared familiar. About 10,000 pub menus from modest country pubs to hip London gastropubs were recently scraped and examined by a food analytics company in Britain. Pricing trends during the cost of living squeeze were intended to be revealed by the statistics. Something more intriguing, however, was hidden among the spreadsheets: a subtle change in the foods that people in Britain genuinely enjoy with a beer. Certain outcomes were anticipated a few weren’t.

There is, of course, still the old guard. As the unofficial king of pub plates, fish & chips were seen on almost 80% of the menus that were examined. It still feels more like a national rite, more like comfort than food, to watch someone break into a crisp batter next to a pint of bitter. However, the statistics also revealed that pies, which have long been a mainstay of pub culture, are subtly taking over once more.

The most popular pies are still steak and ale, although vegetarian mushroom pies and chicken and leek pies are becoming surprisingly popular. It’s possible that the pie’s honest flavor pastry, gravy, and something warm in the middle is why it works so well during uncertain economic times. There is no pretense. The true tale, however, is hidden in the menu’s margins. For example, chicken wings.

They were occasionally hidden in the “bar snacks” section and served as a side dish ten years ago. These days, they may be found on over half of the menus examined, frequently with foreign variations like sticky honey soy sauce, buffalo sauce, or Korean gochujang glaze. One could argue that wings have evolved into the social currency of the contemporary pub. Chefs can experiment with flavors, it’s affordable to share, and it’s sloppy enough to make you feel at ease.

Then there’s the surprising surge in popularity of heavy comfort foods. Nearly every possible variation was present in the dataset, including loaded Yorkshire puddings, loaded fries, and loaded nachos. A tavern in London served fries with cheese sauce and braised beef brisket on top. Like some holiday culinary dare, another in Manchester heaped shredded turkey, sauce, and stuffing onto a bowl of Yorkshire pudding. Although the numbers imply otherwise, it is easy to write this off as novelty.

Pub fare appears to be trending back toward decadence. Diners may just want something substantial, comforting, and filling after years of meticulous plating and minimalist gastropub design. In contrast, the Sunday roast continues to be the focal point of British pub culture. It appears on around two thirds of menus, albeit the format is changing a little. In addition to roast lamb and beef, roasted celeriac, cauliflower steak, and even vegan Wellington are becoming more popular.

In the past, vegetarian roasts felt like a grudging addition to the menu. These days, they receive a little more attention, and occasionally they even sell out early in the afternoon. It’s unclear if this is due to a real dietary shift or simply a general interest in food. The menus also contain another intriguing clue: the globalization of pub flavor. These days, mezze dishes, wood fired pizzas, and Thai curries are frequently served.

British bars have been experimenting with foreign cuisine for decades, so this isn’t totally new, but the scope is expanding. Nearly a third of menus featured items with Asian influences, according to the analysis. One suspects that practicality is involved. Small kitchens are a good fit for some cuisines. However, it also shows how British preferences have evolved.

The traditional British pub supper is no longer expected. But nostalgia has a strong hold. Approximately 90% of menus still feature the modest burger, making it nearly universal. But evolution is present even here. Fried chicken variants, smoked cheese, caramelized onions, and brioche buns have essentially supplanted the outdated frozen patty cliché of pub grub

Observing this development over the last ten years, one cannot help but believe that the British pub menu has entered an odd midway stage. It’s not quite the refined gastropub trend of the early 2000s, but it’s also not the microwave heavy pub fare of the 1990s. It’s a looser thing instead. More experimenting. occasionally chaotic.

And maybe that’s precisely what the bar has always been. Ultimately, pubs were never intended to serve as dining establishments. Initially, these were meeting spots rooms crowded with chatter, football arguments, intimate drinks, and the odd dubious karaoke session. Later, as a supporting act, food arrived. The same spirit of improvisation is present in today’s cuisine. Korean wings here, a roast meal here, and perhaps a bowl of loaded fries in between.

The statistics makes it very evident that Britain is not at all giving up on its culinary traditions. Just adding more flavors on top of them, like those overstuffed Yorkshire puddings. A mess. consoling. a tad too much. And strangely ideal for a city where a single pint seldom ever concludes the evening. Recently, a bartender in Soho passed a platter of Korean style fried chicken across a polished oak bar as a neighbor sipped a traditional steak and ale pie on a gloomy Thursday afternoon. A group of office workers at a nearby table argued over whether or not to share “loaded Yorkshire puddings.”

At that moment, I noticed a slight shift in British pub culture. Though not exactly the same, the menu initially appeared familiar. About 10,000 pub menus from modest country pubs to hip London gastropubs were recently scraped and examined by a food analytics company in Britain. Pricing trends during the cost of living squeeze were intended to be revealed by the statistics.

Something more intriguing, however, was hidden among the spreadsheets a subtle change in the foods that people in Britain genuinely enjoy with a beer. Certain outcomes were anticipated. A few weren’t There is, of course, still the old guard. As the unofficial king of pub plates, fish & chips were seen on almost 80% of the menus that were examined. It still feels more like a national rite, more like comfort than food, to watch someone break into a crisp batter next to a pint of bitter.

The statistics also revealed that pies, which have long been a mainstay of pub culture, are subtly taking over once more. The most popular pies are still steak and ale, although vegetarian mushroom pies and chicken and leek pies are becoming surprisingly popular. It’s possible that the pie’s honest flavor pastry, gravy, and something warm in the middle is why it works so well during uncertain economic times. There is no pretense.

The true tale, however, is hidden in the menus’ margins. For example, chicken wings. They were occasionally hidden in the “bar snacks” section and served as a side dish ten years ago. These days, they may be found on over half of the menus examined, frequently with foreign variations like sticky honey soy sauce, buffalo sauce, or Korean gochujang glaze.

One could argue that wings have evolved into the social currency of the contemporary pub. Chefs can experiment with flavors, it’s affordable to share, and it’s sloppy enough to make you feel at ease. Then there’s the surprising surge in popularity of heavy comfort foods.

Nearly every possible variation was present in the dataset, including loaded Yorkshire puddings, loaded fries, and loaded nachos. A tavern in London served fries with cheese sauce and braised beef brisket on top. Like some holiday culinary dare, another in Manchester heaped shredded turkey, sauce, and stuffing onto a bowl of Yorkshire pudding.

Although the numbers imply otherwise, it is easy to write this off as novelty. Pub fare appears to be trending back toward decadence. Diners may just want something substantial, comforting, and filling after years of meticulous plating and minimalist gastropub design. In contrast, the Sunday roast continues to be the focal point of British pub culture. It appears on around two thirds of menus, albeit the format is changing a little. In addition to roast lamb and beef, roasted celeriac, cauliflower steak, and even vegan Wellington are becoming more popular

In the past, vegetarian roasts felt like a grudging addition to the menu. These days, they receive a little more attention, and occasionally they even sell out early in the afternoon. It’s unclear if this is due to a real dietary shift or simply a general interest in food. The menus also contain another intriguing clue: the globalization of pub flavor.

These days, mezze dishes, wood fired pizzas, and Thai curries are frequently served. British bars have been experimenting with foreign cuisine for decades, so this isn’t totally new, but the scope is expanding. Nearly a third of menus featured items with Asian influences, according to the analysis. One suspects that practicality is involved. Small kitchens are a good fit for some cuisines. However, it also shows how British preferences have evolved. The traditional British pub supper is no longer expected.

But nostalgia has a strong hold. Approximately 90% of menus still feature the modest burger, making it nearly universal. But evolution is present even here. Fried chicken variants, smoked cheese, caramelized onions, and brioche buns have essentially supplanted the outdated frozen patty cliché of pub grub.

Observing this development over the last ten years, one cannot help but believe that the British pub menu has entered an odd midway stage. It’s not quite the refined gastropub trend of the early 2000s, but it’s also not the microwave heavy pub fare of the 1990s. It’s a looser thing instead.

More experimenting. occasionally chaotic. And maybe that’s precisely what the bar has always been. Ultimately, pubs were never intended to serve as dining establishments. Initially, these were meeting spots rooms crowded with chatter, football arguments, intimate drinks, and the odd dubious karaoke session. Later, as a supporting act, food arrived.

The same spirit of improvisation is present in today’s cuisine. Korean wings here, a roast meal here, and perhaps a bowl of loaded fries in between. The statistics makes it very evident that Britain is not at all giving up on its culinary traditions. Just adding more flavors on top of them, like those overstuffed Yorkshire puddings. A mess. consoling. a tad too much. And strangely ideal for a city where a single pint seldom ever concludes the evening.

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/london-dead-pubs-jimmy-mac-publfuencer-brand-collabs/
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/the-devonshire-oisin-rogers-interview-2025