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From Goan to Korean: India’s food choices scale from 2x to 17x, reveals Swiggy
India’s food services market is set to hit $125B by 2030, driven by rising culinary exploration—20% more cuisines, 30% more restaurants, booming late-night and health meals, and rapid growth in both regional (2–8x) and global cuisines like Korean (17x).
One of the clearest trends emerging from the report is India’s increasing culinary curiosity. Swiggy reports a 20% rise in unique cuisines ordered per customer, along with a 30% increase in the number of restaurants consumers explore.
Swiggy has released the 2025 edition of its annual food trends report, How India Eats, in partnership with global consultancy Kearney. Now in its second year, the report maps the evolving eating habits of Indian consumers and forecasts a massive shift in the country’s food services landscape.
According to the study, India’s food services market is poised to cross US$ 125 billion by 2030, with the organized segment growing twice as fast as the unorganized sector. The organized sector is expected to drive over 60% of the industry’s total growth in the coming years. Despite being one of the fastest-growing markets globally, India's food services industry currently contributes 1.9% to the national GDP, significantly lower than China (5%) and Brazil (6%), signaling strong headroom for expansion.
One of the clearest trends emerging from the report is India’s increasing culinary curiosity. Swiggy reports a 20% rise in unique cuisines ordered per customer, along with a 30% increase in the number of restaurants consumers explore.
This experimentation spans both indulgence and health-focused choices as the late-night orders have grown nearly 3x faster than dinner orders, with pizzas, cakes and soft drinks leading demand post 11 PM.
Simultaneously, health-forward meals are expanding at 2.3x the pace of overall orders, driven by interest in protein-rich dishes, calorie tracking and low-sugar options.
The report highlights two powerful and parallel shifts: a revival of regional Indian cuisine and a growing appetite for global flavors.
1. Rediscovering Regional India
Hyper-regional Indian cuisines such as Goan, Bihari and Pahari are gaining popularity, growing 2–8x faster than mainstream categories.
Traditional beverages like buttermilk and sharbat are witnessing 4–6x growth, prompting global QSRs to localise their menus with India-specific innovations—from Starbucks’ Kala Khatta Cold Brew to McDonald’s Chilli Guava beverage.
Even everyday rituals like tea breaks are going digital, with tea ordering surging at 3x the overall beverage category.
2. A Global Food Palette Goes Mainstream
Indian diners are embracing international cuisines like never before:
- Korean cuisine is expanding at a staggering 17x
- Vietnamese at 6x
- Mexican at 3.7x
Niche cultures too are entering the mainstream, with Peruvian and Ethiopian cuisines making their India debut.
Search interest reflects the same momentum. Boba Tea queries have jumped 11x, while Matcha Tea searches have grown 4x over the past five years. For India’s social media-savvy, well-travelled urban consumers, dishes like sushi, tacos and Korean BBQ are rapidly becoming everyday staples.
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