Asian cuisine is taking a bigger bite of the global market

South Korea’s pop culture is driving global demand for its cuisine.

Asian restaurants are growing faster than the wider restaurant market in every major region, whilst Asian dishes accounted for 38% of global retail sales of chilled and frozen ready meals in 2025, according to Euromonitor International.

Euromonitor’s Asian Cuisine, Global Appetite report found that Asian full- and limited-service restaurants recorded stronger sales growth than the overall restaurant industry across major regions.

Outside Asia-Pacific (APAC), Asian restaurant sales grew at an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2020 to 2025, compared with 7% for the wider full- and limited-service restaurant market.

In North America and Western Europe, the increase in Asian restaurant sales was not matched by rapid growth in the number of outlets.

Outlet numbers rose by 1% to 2% in the two regions and declined in Western Europe, suggesting that higher consumer spending, rather than a surge in new restaurants, drove the increase in value sales.

Travel and cultural exposure are also contributing to demand for Asian food.

One in four international travellers choose APAC as a destination, whilst nearly one in six consumers worldwide consider food quality an important factor when choosing where to travel.

Consumers may continue that interest after returning home, buying products that allow them to recreate flavours associated with their travels.

South Korean cuisine has benefited from the global reach of Korean entertainment and social media.

Euromonitor said South Korean frozen food entered the global top five cuisines in frozen ready meals, with sales recording a 15% CAGR between 2020 and 2025.

But expanding Asian cuisines internationally requires more than novelty. Products and restaurants need to account for local tastes, eating habits, and purchasing behaviour.

Consumers may value authentic flavours, but convenience and food quality are often more important when they try unfamiliar cuisines, Euromonitor noted.

Products that make it easier to reproduce complex flavours at home can therefore help drive repeat purchases.

“For global companies, adopting Asian cuisines must be offered in formats that aid food preparation or risk low uptake,” said Emil Fazira, Asia Pacific insight manager for food at Euromonitor International.

“This opens the door for brands that successfully adapt Asian dishes to local dietary needs, tastes, and formats, from halal-friendly adaptations to region-specific spice levels, without diluting cultural cues that keep consumers returning,” Fazira added.