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If your idea of fine dining is a date at Olive Garden, you’re probably used to menus stating exactly what’s on them. Each dish has a simple name, and its components are clearly listed below. But nowadays, restaurants will use any tactic they can to up their prices, including using a heavy hand to smother their food in fancy buzzwords.
Have you noticed recently how many menus are suddenly featuring hot honey, truffles, and microgreens? These trendy buzzwords don’t only make meals more Instagrammable, they also seem to be a tactic restaurants use to justify their high prices. Threads users have recently been discussing some of the most popular phrases restaurants are haphazardly slapping on menus, so we've compiled a list of them below. Enjoy reading through, and be sure to upvote the ones that make you lose your appetite too!
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#1
A QR code instead of a menu.
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#2
I just hate the word “gastropub.” It sounds like someone farting in the bathtub.
Fungus John 1 day ago
it always makes me think of gastroenteritis. not a good idea to market your restaurant as a place that will give me the s***s
#3
“Seasonal fruit” and it is always cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes, no matter what season it is
Jeremy James 17 hours ago
"Every time there's a fruit salad, cantaloupe thinks it can invite its lame friend, honeydew. You don't get a plus-one, cantaloupe!"
Just like anything else, restaurants have trends that come and go every season. Remember when Dubai chocolate was everywhere? Pistachios are still pretty popular in anything and everything. Tiramisu has also been having a moment on social media recently, as well as matcha.
When it comes to dining out, though, Michelin Guide reports that there are a few big trends coming our way this year. Apparently, char, smoke, and flame are to be expected on every fine dining menu. “Time” is also now considered an ingredient, particularly for components that have been fermented for ages. And we can expect to see creative contemporary spins on traditional cuisines.
#4
Deconstructed. Just say you can't assemble the ingredients together to form a dish.
#5
Appetizers being called “shareables”. Because now they can charge $18 for some beer cheese pretzels.
#6
When every other word is in English, but they throw in a random french word like haricot. shut the hell up with your sysco green beans.
UpupaEpops 22 hours ago
I used to joke while living in Britain, that if it's called "le friand à la saucisse", it's going to be £40 at a poorly lit table, if it's "sausage roll", it's twice the size and costs about £1
As far as what influences how we cook at home, social media plays a major role. There are constantly new food trends popping up on TikTok, such as the viral Biscoff yogurt “cheesecake” trend that started in Japan. And who can forget the mouthwatering Turkish pasta?
But according to Ingredient’s 2025 trend report, a few global cuisines have been influencing home cooking as well. Georgian and African cuisines have become increasingly popular amongst home cooks around the globe. Classic French, Mexican, and Portuguese cuisines are growing in popularity too. And plenty of people have been experimenting with fusion cuisine, putting a twist on traditional flavors.
#8
I once saw "flourless chocolate cake with a dialogue of fruit coulis" on a menu.
A dialogue??? 😂
Nicole Weymann 19 hours ago
Two colourful smears, at a guess: a splash of orange sauce and a splash of raspberry sauce (or whatever).
#9
‘Hand crafted cocktails’ well yeah, what else are you going to do it with? Your feet?
Laserleader 1 day ago
Apparently there is a difference between a mix used for a cocktail (pre-made or store bought) and mixing all the ingredients when ordered. Is that what they mean?
Is this list making you hungry, or are you simply rolling your eyes at all of these buzzwords, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that you’re tired of seeing, and let us know in the comments if you’ve noticed any other trendy words taking over menus. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another article from Bored Panda featuring wild dishes from restaurants, look no further than right here!
#10
Chilean Sea Bass.
There is no such fish. It’s Patagonian tooth fish with a PR team.
Laserleader 1 day ago
In Alaska we have 3 names for each of our 5 species of salmon (bet you didnt know each species taste very different). So who cares if it has multiple names as long as you know what it tastes like?
#11
The possessive on French menus. The equivalent of “Glazed pork loin with its assortment of fire-roasted root vegatabkes,” or “pan-seared Brussels sprouts with their lardons served under a cloche of maple smoke.”
#12
I got a salad that featured “lettuce flakes”
#13
Mocktail. It’s $15 juice. Actually, I love a mocktail but the price enrages me. You’re literally not giving me alcohol but I don’t get a discount? Stop it.
ghtqbmfs5q 23 hours ago
Yep, juice in a fancy glass with a ridiculous price tag. Tasty though…
#14
Encrusted when referring to fried food.
#15
I remember once seeing "potato puree" on the menu and I asked, "So like, loose mashed potatoes?" The server laughed and was like, "Yeah pretty much" lol
#17
Best one I’ve encountered was “freshly-dug potatoes.”
Barbara Wilcock 1 day ago
Disagree a little. Our local shop sells fresh dug vegetables from local farmers. You can tell from the smell and dirt
#18
“Market Price” Just tell me hmtf it costs, if I wanted to play games of chance I’d go to a GD casino…
#20
Not keen on “slaw” instead of coleslaw
#21
Crudité. You mean an overpriced veggie tray I could get at the deli in my local grocery store for 1/3 of the cost?!
#23
“Compote” I don’t need to be overcharged for jam
UpupaEpops 22 hours ago
Compote are whole fruits slowly simmered in a sugar syrup. It's not a jam. In Eastern Europe it's the traditional way to preserve fruits for the winter.
#26
Micro greens
#27
Hand cut, surely there was a knife involved
UpupaEpops 22 hours ago
As opposed to pre-cut, out of a vacuum pack. Mind you, I think they do have their place. When I lived alone, I could never finish my vegetables fast enough, a salad pack would give me two portions and no waste.
#28
This is a restaurant, not a freaking museum. "Curated" is some ridiculously pretentious nonsense.
#29
Foraged and heritage anything, especially “foraged”. Like the sous chef was out in the woods yesterday. 😏
Laserleader 1 day ago
Actually that is an important distinction. Foraged means it came from the wild and not grown on a farm. But you gotta be careful that it is not a subsistence food that is illegal to sell.
#30
Farm to table. Everything came from a farm and ended up on a table. It’s about the in between.
(I own an organic farm with a restaurant onsite and don’t even use that stupid saying)
Roxy222uk 18 hours ago
I have always taken farm to table to mean there is chain of production that can be followed from start to finish. Yes, all chicken came from a ‘farm’ but try asking your local Delicious Fried Chicken franchise which farm exactly your chicken pieces came from. This matters for people concerned about things like animal welfare.
#34
Queso cheese & naan bread. Just say cheese dip & bread, and stop charging me $20 for it.
turk 1 day ago
Queso implies that there it is a Mexican-style cheese dip, with spices or peppers. Naan is a specific type of Indian flatbread. If I ordered these and got cheese dip and bread, I'd think it was false advertising. Some of these comments are just people being proud of their ignorance.
#36
“Grandma’s (whatever food)”
Der Kommissar 11 hours ago (edited)
Other red flags; Home style, deli style, home made. My friend's dad, when told something was homemade, would always ask " In whose home ? "
#37
Haricot verts— green beans!
Multa Nocte (she/her/86 47) 16 hours ago
This must be an American or British poster because this is just what they are here in France.
#38
I very dislike, a QR code, please seat me with a proper menu. Also when you walk in at a restaurant and there are several tables open and they ask you if you have a reservation 🙈🤣
#39
Charcuterie. Pretty sure it’s meat and cheese on a platter that we’ve been eating forever
#40
Wedge Salad
Nikki Sevven 7 hours ago
My issue with restaurant salads is that they never cut the veg small enough. If you're serving it to me in a bowl, I shouldn't need a knife.
#41
Crudo. I speak Spanish so it’s just so jarring (and pretentious) to see the word raw. Just say what it is.
#46
"homemade" - it's a restaurant! How can it be homemade?
"fresh" vegetables/fruit/salad/anything... Were you thinking of serving stale food?
#48
Any place of business, including restaurants, that boast that their product is “world famous.”
#49
Not roll my eyes but I’m grossed out when I see bone marrow on a menu. I donated bone marrow - so … ewww
#50
Wagyu
Laserleader 1 day ago
A specific description of how the animal is raised and treated, like the word Kosher.
#51
Tableside tiramisu makes me livid
Roxy222uk 18 hours ago
Oooh, I’d love to know more about this. Thankfully I can’t afford, and don’t want, to eat at places that serve deconstructed anything, but that has never appealed to me. People have spent hundreds of years making apple crumble the way they do because it works the best; not because it never occurred to them to cook the topping and filling separately and dollop them next to each other on the plate.
#52
Mouth feel.
Just give me my wine.
#53
Pommes frites
#54
Aguachile. Idk why. Lol.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 19 hours ago
That's actually the name of an actual dish in Mexican cuisine, though. It's not some pretentious nonsense word. It's basically a type of ceviche - raw shrimp and fish marinated in lime juice and different chili peppers. My great-grandma used to make it.
#59
"Lobster" when you know damn well it's Langostino. Which is a lobster but stop playing in my face
Ace 16 hours ago
Different words have different meanings in different languages and even different parts of the same country, so it's important to know exactly what it does or does not mean in any given place. In some parts of the UK, for instance, the terms lobster, rock lobster, crayfish, langoustine and prawn all have some overlap, where a Skye Langoustine could be exactly the same as a Cornish Prawn (made-up examples, CBA to look up the real overlaps).
#61
“Catch of the Day” 🐟
Roman Arendt 20 hours ago
Well, especially in areas by/near the sea or big lakes, there still are restaurants whose chefs go to the harbour and buy what the fishermen caught. They cannot always rely on a specific fish for each day.
#62
Head to tail
I’m sorry but I’m a vegetarian and that phrase makes me nauseous
Barbara Wilcock 1 day ago
If you k**l an animal, don't waste anything. How do guys think you get sausage and pepperoni
#65
Gremolata and EVOO
cecilia kilian 10 hours ago
Gremolata, a mixture of garlic and citrus zest, as well as other ingredients ( there different versions) adds a fresh note to meat dishes. I have a South American slow cooked pork roast recipe that calls for orange rind and juice.
#66
Brussels Sprouts anything.
#71
Maybe not fancy, but there's no such thing as a Philly Cheesesteak.
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What do you think ?
MoMcB 1 day ago
A lot of this, towards the end, was people showing their ignorance on food terms and why they’re used.
Magnell 16 hours ago
yeah the whole page went from objecting to usage of certain words "enhance" their product to... I don't know... hating on everything you don't understand, have tried or know anything about....
Load More Replies... UpupaEpops 22 hours ago
A lot of these complaints were coming from people who's entire culinary experience is McDonald's...
Roman Arendt 20 hours ago
I hate the trend that menus only mention the main ingredients of a dish without any further information. Sea bass. What? Grilled? Poached? Steamed? I want to know what I'll get and I don't want to pay to let the cook express his creativity depending on his mood that day.
MoMcB 1 day ago
A lot of this, towards the end, was people showing their ignorance on food terms and why they’re used.
Magnell 16 hours ago
yeah the whole page went from objecting to usage of certain words "enhance" their product to... I don't know... hating on everything you don't understand, have tried or know anything about....
Load More Replies... UpupaEpops 22 hours ago
A lot of these complaints were coming from people who's entire culinary experience is McDonald's...
Roman Arendt 20 hours ago
I hate the trend that menus only mention the main ingredients of a dish without any further information. Sea bass. What? Grilled? Poached? Steamed? I want to know what I'll get and I don't want to pay to let the cook express his creativity depending on his mood that day.
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