Top 10 Worst Food Trends of 2026

Ramen, poke, salad, curry — restaurants discovered that putting anything inside a hollowed sourdough boule gets engagement, regardless of whether it makes sense.

Paying twenty dollars for a deconstructed BLT that is literally just bacon, lettuce, and tomato placed separately on a wooden board.

Viral hot sauce challenges using extract-based sauces that cause genuine medical emergencies, turning capsaicin from flavor into a dangerous stunt.

Activated charcoal in lattes, ice cream, and croissants for the aesthetic black color, despite potentially interfering with medication absorption.

Cereal-flavored milkshakes, cereal-crusted chicken, and cereal-infused cocktails pandering to millennial childhood memories with sugar-bomb results.

Every restaurant now claims to serve smash burgers, diluting the technique into a meaningless buzzword slapped on any thin patty.

Glitter lattes, glitter pizza, glitter sushi — adding sparkle dust to food for social media clout while contributing absolutely nothing to flavor.

The twentieth iteration of overpackaged ingredients with recipe cards, now with influencer branding and higher prices for the same wilting produce.

Towering burgers, mile-high milkshakes, and skyscraper sundaes designed to be photographed rather than eaten by any human with a normal-sized mouth.

Ramen, poke, salad, curry — restaurants discovered that putting anything inside a hollowed sourdough boule gets engagement, regardless of whether it makes sense.

Paying twenty dollars for a deconstructed BLT that is literally just bacon, lettuce, and tomato placed separately on a wooden board.

Viral hot sauce challenges using extract-based sauces that cause genuine medical emergencies, turning capsaicin from flavor into a dangerous stunt.

Activated charcoal in lattes, ice cream, and croissants for the aesthetic black color, despite potentially interfering with medication absorption.

Cereal-flavored milkshakes, cereal-crusted chicken, and cereal-infused cocktails pandering to millennial childhood memories with sugar-bomb results.

Every restaurant now claims to serve smash burgers, diluting the technique into a meaningless buzzword slapped on any thin patty.

Glitter lattes, glitter pizza, glitter sushi — adding sparkle dust to food for social media clout while contributing absolutely nothing to flavor.

The twentieth iteration of overpackaged ingredients with recipe cards, now with influencer branding and higher prices for the same wilting produce.

Towering burgers, mile-high milkshakes, and skyscraper sundaes designed to be photographed rather than eaten by any human with a normal-sized mouth.