#1980s-appetizers

#1980s-appetizers

In the latest issue of Bon Appétit magazine, we're traveling far and wide. To Mexico City in search of the best gorditas, to Hong Kong to explore cha chaan tengs, and to a truck stop in Wyoming that's turning out first-rate blistered naan, biryani, and more.

Temple Bar is going full throwback this April with a two-night '90s takeover that leans all the way into downtown nostalgia, transforming into a 'living time capsule' with low lighting and oversized martini glasses.

In 1924, Lionel Sternberger, at just 16 years old, first put cheese on a hamburger and served it to a customer at the Rite Spot in Pasadena. This simple act changed the course of American food history, leading to the creation of the cheeseburger, a dish that billions of people have enjoyed since.

Burger Chef was a long lost competitor in the fast food industry, founded in the 1950s and known for its Big Shef burger and fixings bar.

Iceboxes were large lined, insulated wooden cupboards built to store ice, food, and drinks. The ice would usually be placed on the upper shelf, with the food and drinks below, and the cool air from the melting ice would help to keep everything nice and chilled.

The cake utilizes a technique called reverse creaming to make the crumb exceptionally tender. Usually it's done with a stand mixer, but in this recipe, you use your hands-kind of like you would making pie crust.

This design trend involves pops of color such as purples, pinks, teals, yellows - those bright, eye-catching colors thrown all around the dining room, the same way you would see them when you walked into fast food restaurants in the '90s. Retro lamps on the bar, wallpaper borders along the wall, or even vibrant painted cabinets are just a few of the things making a scene in the current dining room decorating space.

This isn't a traditional sandwich that is made on two pieces of bread stacked on top of each other with a filling in between. It's more of an open-faced sandwich that features a paste-like spread added to "circles of hot buttered toast." To make this vintage sandwich no one remembers anymore, you're instructed to grind two cups of fresh popcorn in a meat chopper (use a food processor for a modernized version),

When you're cooking with meat, it's hard to go wrong with ground beef. The versatility of ground beef allows it to be used in far more dishes than steak, chicken breast, pork chop, or shrimp. Once it's ground up, the texture and the flavor lend themselves to countless applications. It may not be the perfect ingredient, but it's certainly in the running.

Not unlike pot roast, another Boomer generation classic, beef stroganoff transforms an unglamorous combination of stew meat and mushrooms into an elevated, rich, stick-to-your-ribs, Russian culinary institution. In fact, beef stroganoff's old-school, vintage feel was already centuries old by the time it became a Boomer favorite. The dish is named for the eponymous Stroganov family, nobility tracing back to 15th-century Imperial Russia who served as the viceroys of Siberia as contemporaries of the heralded Romanov family ("Anastasia" Broadway musical fans, rise up).

Foodies, have you heard of 'grandma-core dining' or 'nonna-stalgia' yet? Well, according to Yelp's 2026 top 100 U.S. restaurants report, grandma-core is one of the hot new food trends you can expect to see in 2026. This particular trend entails restaurants embracing nostalgia and comfort. That means you, as the diner, would experience old-fashioned and traditional recipes, often made with simpler ingredients. You'll find these homey meals served in a cozy, whimsical setting.