Pop-up street food ideas to spruce up your pub menu

Like it or not, street food is a trend that is here to stay, and incorporating some of the best elements of it into your pub food menu is a great way to boost dry sales.

Whether it involves hiring an external trader for a residency in your kitchen, or serving tasty treats from a pop-up kitchen in your pub garden, the variety of opportunities presented by street food are always growing.

Here are some ideas for street food dishes that will fill your tills and wow your customers.

Mac & cheese​

A humble home-cooked classic, macaroni cheese has been revived by street food traders, who have spiced up the dish with a range of exotic toppings, from chilli con carne to spicy chorizo and smoked pancetta. Easy and cheap to prepare in large portions, mac & cheese is a mouthwatering and nostalgic pop-up dish that’s sure to be a hit with your punters. The Mac Factory,​ based in London, will cater for orders for more than 30 people – perfect for private functions at your pub.

Tacos with a twist​

Lets face it: Mexican food is pretty great. There’s spice, theatre and mojitos aplenty, and tacos are undoubtedly the highlight of the country’s cuisine (sorry burritos).These soft, delightful bites are perfect finger food and command a relatively high price for the cost to make. For a slightly more nautically minded, why not take a leaf out of Breddos Tacos​’ book and try your hand at fish tacos, served with habanero mayonnaise, salsa and shredded cabbage?

Veggie (& vegan) curry​

The days of a chicken tikka masala and a few bottles of lager down the curry house may be seen as somewhat old fashioned by the younger generation. Indian street food is booming, with an array of exotic dishes making their way to the UK and into the mouths of hungry punters. Lots of these dishes, such as chaats, dahls and saags, are vegetarian and vegan friendly, making them appealing to a wide range of customers, and unlikely to break the piggy bank. Looking for inspiration? Leeds and Manchester-based Bundobust​ is the industry leader in this style of cuisine – try its deliciously crispy okra fries or salty paneer and mushroom skewers.

Chinese roast dinner​

Roast dinner might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of street food, but that could be about to change thanks to the folks at Mei Mei’s Street Cart​, currently serving at the Prince in Wood Green, north London. Mei Mei’s Chinese comfort food ranges from crispy wonton nachos to vegetable and pork dumplings, but the highlight of the menu is its unique Chinese Sunday roasts. Options include honey soy-baked chicken, aubergine & crispy tofu or roasted pork belly, all served with potatoes, greens and sesame rice.

Cooking with beer​

With craft beer spreading its tentacles all across the UK, and interest in flavour and provenance never higher, incorporating beer into your food menu is a no brainer, but why not go one further and try using it in your pub food dishes? Malt + Pepper,​ currently in residence at Simon the Tanner, London Bridge, has built its reputation off doing just that, with dishes including chicken wings with blue cheese IPA sauce, and dirty fries loaded with stout chilli & beer cheese sauce. Match plates with beers on your drinks menu to further boost profitability.