How street food became sophisticated

Perceptions of street food have rapidly changed from greasy hotdogs to haute cuisine, with some start-ups even opening fully-fledged restaurants. We speak to the teams at Street Feast and Honest Burgers about the importance of design in street food’s success story

When a stall in Bangkok selling crab omelette served up by an eccentric 72-year-old woman in goggles (fondly known as the Crab Omelette Queen) bags itself a Michelin star, it’s fair to say that street food has gone mainstream.

Two decades ago the concept of street food didn’t mean much to people other than a sad-looking burger and soggy chips at the funfair or a post-night out donner kebab from a van, but since then it has transformed into a hugely popular way of eating out. The street food market is expected to be worth over £1 billion this year, up 9% from 2017, according to a recent report by MCA Insight.