British takeaway habits have undergone a culinary revolution over the past two decades, with kebabs and fish and chips now eclipsed by Korean fried chicken and Pad Thai, according to Just Eat.
The takeaway delivery giant has shared its top 10 favourite takeaways to show how tastes have changed since it launched in the UK two decades ago. What began with a modest offering of just seven cuisines – including Italian, Indian, burgers, Chinese, kebabs, fish and chips, and chicken – has now expanded to more than 100 options, with additions including Bangladeshi, Brazilian, Greek and Nepalese food.
Once-dominant dishes from 2006, such as doner kebab, fish and chips and chicken korma, have slipped out of the top 10 takeaway ranking, replaced by Korean fried chicken, loaded fries and Pad Thai. Just Eat said social media trends have been key to driving the most popular choices in recent years, alongside a growing focus on wellness.
TikTok’s influence has sparked a surge in demand for Japanese-inspired matcha products, with orders on Just Eat more than doubling in the last year, up 120 per cent, and 120,000 searches. Another social media favourite, Dubai chocolate, has seen related products rise by a massive 2,684 per cent in 2025.
Leigh Phillipson, commercial director at Just Eat, said social platforms like TikTok “have a real impact on the popularity of orders, with Korean seeing a boom in the last few years off the back of shows like Squid Game and music by Blackpink”. He added: “Items most Brits in 2006 would be confused by, like matcha and fibre drinks, are surging aligned to wellness trends.”
Just Eat said it first introduced sushi in 2008, followed by Thai in 2009, while Korean was only added 10 years ago. Despite the changes, some classics remain popular, with more than 11,000 independent Indian restaurants still on the site. “Despite more choice than ever, great British favourites like Indian, Chinese and fish and chips are as popular as ever,” said Mr Phillipson.
