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Everybody wants the kids menu

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25.04.2026

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Everybody wants the kids menu

What caviar chicken nuggets and gourmet pizza pockets say about how American adults are coping right now

Published April 25, 2026 10:30AM (EDT)

Lines wrap around the block for The Corner Store, where reservations are as elusive as they are coveted. Inside, the menu reads like a mix of city chic and childhood favorites. Lobster and caviar rolls sit next to five-cheese pizza rolls. For dessert? Soft serve with sprinkles. Or maybe even an ice cream sundae. It’s familiar, nostalgic and just refined enough to justify the price point.

At the U.S. Open last August, $100 caviar-topped chicken nuggets made just as many headlines as the matches themselves. The highfalutin nuggets were courtesy of Coqodaq, a high-end New York City joint known for its Korean fried chicken, and securing a box at this year’s tennis tournament was almost as coveted as tickets to the event itself. An eyebrow-raising detail, when the U.S. Open’s other dining options include offerings from multiple Michelin-starred chefs and restaurants.

Across fast-casual chains and buzzy dining rooms alike, the aesthetic is unmistakable: mac and cheese cosplaying as cacio e pepe, menus flaunt croquetas and hand pies that are really just mozzarella sticks and overpriced pizza pockets, caesar salad everything.

The hottest tables in America are serving what suspiciously looks a lot like the kids menu — but with an adult price tag.

I’m sure you can think of at least half a dozen restaurants that have followed this pattern recently: Beyond Coqodaq and The Corner Store, there’s Bad Roman, C as in Charlie, Pearl Box, need I go on? That’s not to say that these restaurants are child-like or “for children,” sometimes it’s just one dish or gimmick that evokes these feelings, but you can’t deny that they are leaning into playful, nostalgic formats — building entire concepts around food that feels........

© Salon