Industry Experts Share What Trends They Expect to See in 2018

Year after year, food trends come and go. To think to the future, Eater asked a group of local Chicago critics and writers about their year in restaurants and bars. The nine questions varied from their favorite dining neighborhoods to what we can expect for headlines in 2018. Here are their answers — copied and pasted, totally unadulterated — for what trends they expect to see in 2018.

Chandra Ram, Plate: How about good food and good service? Can we just have that? But I’m fine with whatever, as long as it doesn’t involve unicorns again.

Matt Kirouac, Zagat: Hopefully more ambitious restaurants opening outside of the West Loop, River North and Logan Square. Similar to Daisies, Entente, Temporis, S.K.Y., Kitsune, etc.

Morgan Olsen, Time Out Chicago: Affordable tasting menus, caviar-topped everything, more pastry chefs in the spotlight.

Mike Sula, Chicago Reader: Rationing. Then pets. Then cannibalism.

Michael Gebert, Fooditor: More Asian! Some doesn't work—I could care less about poké—but I love seeing people like Andrew Zimmerman and Iliana Regan wanting to play with those flavors and making their own thing (we have the only Japanese-Nordic-Indiana restaurant in the world, how cool is that?)

Michael Nagrant, RedEye: If I knew the answer to this question I’d be a rich restaurateur.

Carrie Schedler, Chicago magazine: I'm expecting to see the restaurant bubble start to burst. I'm hoping it doesn't happen.