The standout dish of 2025 is already known… and a study has crowned it

The verdict is in: according to a recent study conducted by Deliveroo, the bagel has emerged as the runaway favorite at the table in 2025. This round bread with a hole in the middle—modest in looks but with universal appeal—has won over food lovers across the globe. Balancing tradition and creativity, it has dethroned some unexpected past fads, like the gold‑covered chocolate that arrived from Dubai a few years ago.

The celebrated Deliveroo 100, a global ranking of crowd‑favorite dishes, puts the bagel in first place, well ahead of classics like burgers or sushi bowls. Its popularity clearly transcends borders, thanks both to its flavor and to its knack for reinventing itself across cultures. But what’s driving such excitement?

The bagel is much more than a simple bread. This iconic product is extremely versatile: it can be filled with ingredients as varied as smoked salmon and cream cheese—a staple in its New York version—or with local and more exotic creations.

This flexibility of flavor has powered its rise. Sitting somewhere between a sandwich and a burger, the bagel fits every craving. And it doesn’t stop there: vegetarian or sweet bagels showcase its adaptability even more. Its success across different countries shows that this simple food can settle into everyday eating habits while reflecting the specific tastes of local diners.

In France, chains like Bagelstein embody this trend and are helping to popularize a dish long seen as foreign. Here too, demand is booming, driven by a growing taste for food that blends authenticity with modernity.

The bagel didn’t rise to the top overnight. This culinary symbol has a surprisingly rich history. Born in Poland in the 17th century, the bagel is said to have been created in honor of King John III Sobieski after his victory over the Ottoman Empire. Quickly adopted by the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, it became a cornerstone of popular cuisine.

Its real boom came later, during the great migrations to the United States. In New York, the bagel became so rooted in the culinary landscape that it turned into an unmistakable emblem of the city. Even today, simply evoking Everything Bagels or Pumpernickels brings to mind the buzz of New York bakeries. It was only in the early 2000s that the phenomenon spread to other continents, cementing its status as a global icon.

With its history‑laden heritage and boundless ability to adapt, the bagel seems destined for an equally radiant future. The spectrum of flavors it offers, from the very classic to the delightfully unexpected, continues to win over an ever‑wider audience.

And if the bagel has become the star dish of 2025, who knows what turn it will take next? After all, it has never stopped traveling and evolving, crossing eras and borders. It’s a food that, in its own way, brings people together. Perhaps that’s exactly what we needed to kick off this new year.