This article was produced and shared by Pacific West

As the last of the Christmas party bookings are served and the festive menus come down, most operators will be glad of a moment to draw breath. The busiest trading weeks of the year have a way of revealing what really works in a kitchen: the dishes that sold, the ones that moved smoothly from pass to table, and the ones that looked the part without slowing service. It’s also the natural moment to look forward, because the menus that will perform in 2027 are being shaped right now, in the quieter weeks of January when there’s finally time to think.

If there’s one format that has earned a place in that planning conversation, it’s the taco.

The Numbers Behind the Boom

Tacos have quietly become one of the biggest growth stories in UK foodservice. According to Restaurant Online, searches for tacos in London alone are up 261% year on year. Taco Bell UK’s profits climbed to £2.52m in 2024, up from £2.22m the year before, and the brand now trades from more than 160 UK sites. At the independent end of the market, taquerias are clustering in East London, established names such as Wahaca and Madre continue to expand, and 2026 has seen a wave of new arrivals including Coyo Taco, Acme Taco, a fourth site for Two Twins Tacos and partnerships from Trejo’s Tacos.

Perhaps most telling for 2027 is where the growth goes next. Restaurant Online points to regional expansion as the next chapter, with cities such as Manchester flagged as underdeveloped taco markets. For operators outside the capital, that’s a clear signal: the demand is building, and there is still plenty of room to get ahead of it.

Why Tacos Work, and Why Seafood Works in Tacos

The appeal is easy to understand. Tacos travel well, photograph well and let a kitchen show off flavour and craft within a genuinely simple build. At heart, a taco is a vehicle: a warm tortilla, something crisp or flaked at its centre, a slaw or pickle for crunch and a sauce to tie it all together. That structure makes it one of the most forgiving formats on any menu, and one of the easiest to adapt without retraining staff, adding equipment or overhauling prep.

Seafood is a natural partner. Fish and shellfish bring exactly the contrast a great taco needs: a crisp coating against a soft, sweet centre, brightened with lime and lifted with a little heat. It also answers a broader shift in how people eat, with pescatarian and flexitarian diners looking for dishes that feel indulgent without defaulting to meat. As operators plan for 2027, four directions stand out.

1. Scampi: Nostalgia With a Twist

Nostalgia has become one of the defining currents in UK dining, with diners embracing the dishes they grew up with, provided they’re given a fresh perspective. Few dishes carry more affection than scampi. A basket of scampi and chips is woven into the story of the British pub, and that familiarity is precisely what makes it such an effective taco filling: the diner knows what they’re getting, and the format tells them it’s been rethought.

Quality is what makes the twist land. A Wholetail Breaded Scampi, made from whole langoustine tails the scampi is hand peeled to deliver a perfect finish. This gives the scampi tail a delicate, sweet, succulent bite for a nostalgic dish that needs to live up to the memory. Build the taco around the flavours of the classic plate: a crunchy gherkin and caper salsa in place of tartare sauce, a minted pea smash standing in for mushy peas, shredded little gem and a squeeze of lemon. For a nod to the chip shop, a light curried mayo drizzle brings it all home. It’s the pub basket reimagined, and it gives traditional venues a route into the taco trend that still feels true to who they are.

2. Chilli & Mango Prawns: Riding the Swicy Wave

Swicy, the pairing of sweet and spicy, has moved well beyond a niche condiment trend and into mainstream menu thinking, with its fruit-led cousin, fricy, adding a fresh angle through 2026. There’s every sign it will stay firmly on the agenda for 2027, particularly with younger diners who enjoy layered flavour, where an initial sweetness gives way to a building warmth.

Chilli & Mango Prawns, butterflied king prawns spread with a mango chilli jam and hand crumbed, deliver that profile in a single component, which is exactly what a busy taco build needs. Pair them with a charred sweetcorn salsa, a cooling lime crema, thinly sliced radish, spring onion and a few rings of pickled red chilli. The crumb stays crisp against the crema, the corn adds a smoky sweetness and the heat builds bite by bite. It’s colourful, it’s shareable and it photographs beautifully, which counts for a great deal when so many diners choose where to eat based on what they’ve seen on their phones.

3. Hot Honey Spiral Squid: Two Proven Favourites, One Build

Squid has become one of the most dependable performers out of home. Calamari is a fixture of small plates, sharing boards and tapas menus across pubs, bars and casual dining, and it’s a dish diners order with confidence. Hot honey, meanwhile, has proved far more than a passing fad. What began on pizza has spread across chicken, halloumi and seafood, and it continues to hold its place as one of the most recognisable expressions of sweet heat on UK menus.

Hot Honey Spiral Squid brings the two together, with the spiral cut maximising surface area for glaze and crunch. In a taco, it works beautifully with whipped feta, quick-pickled cucumber, torn mint and a scattering of chilli flakes: a Mediterranean-meets-street-food combination that feels fresh and a little unexpected. For a more classic build, warm soft tortillas with shredded cabbage, avocado and coriander let the glaze do the talking.

4. Fish Bites and Fish Goujons: Creativity From the Larder

Not every taco needs a headline flavour built in. Sometimes the most useful product in the freezer is the one that acts as a blank canvas. MSC certified Fish Bites and Fish Goujons are exactly that: a clean, crisp, responsibly sourced base that lets the kitchen get creative with what’s already on the shelves.

This is where tacos really earn their keep. A kitchen that already holds a handful of sauces, pickles and spice blends has the makings of several taco specials without ordering anything new. A few starting points:

• Sourdough crumbed goujons with chipotle mayo, pickled red onion and a squeeze of lime.
• Fish bites with kimchi, toasted sesame, spring onion and a drizzle of gochujang mayo.
• Lemon sourdough goujons with harissa yoghurt, grated carrot and flat-leaf parsley.
• Fish bites with salsa verde, shaved fennel and toasted flaked almonds.

The fully cooked options are ready in under two minutes, which makes them particularly useful for rotating specials or a weekly taco night. The approach helps with waste too: rather than bringing in new lines to chase a trend, kitchens can put the ingredients they already hold to work, keeping stock turning and margins protected.

Looking Ahead: Tacos Through 2027

As menus are refreshed for the new year, tacos offer several clear routes onto the page:

• The Midweek Driver: a taco night or rotating taco special gives diners a reason to visit on quieter days, built from a low-cost, high-margin format.
• The January Refresh: lighter, brighter seafood tacos suit diners resetting after the festive season, and appeal strongly to pescatarian and flexitarian guests.
• The Small Plates Slot: mini tacos served in threes or fives sit neatly on sharing menus, giving the whole table something to gather around.
• The Regional Opportunity: with taco growth expected to spread well beyond London, operators across the UK have the chance to lead locally rather than follow.

In Summary: A Format Built for the Year Ahead

The taco has moved from trend to fixture, and 2027 looks set to be the year it takes hold on menus well beyond the capital. Its strength lies in its simplicity: a familiar structure that invites creativity, adapts to any style of venue and delivers visual impact without adding complexity in the kitchen. Whether it’s the comfort of nostalgic scampi, the sweet heat of chilli and mango, the proven pull of hot honey squid or the endless flexibility of fish bites and goujons, seafood gives operators a way to join the taco conversation on their own terms. As the festive season wraps up, there’s no better time to put tacos on the 2027 menu plan.