Labor Day has come and gone, and restaurants are quickly transitioning from summer to fall flavors. Pumpkin arrived on menus several weeks ago and continues to cast its orange glow on food and beverages. But other flavors and ingredients are at the ready to push pumpkin aside, and activity is ramping up in breakfast, chicken and bowls.
Oktoberfest comes to breakfast at Einstein Bros. Bagels with new limited-time offers running through Nov. 4. The Oktoberfest Egg Sandwich is the headliner, a toasted pretzel bagel stacked with cage-free eggs, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, mustard and the new Beer Cheese Shmear—a blend of cream cheese and pub-style beer cheese. The Pretzel Bagel Double Dipper features that same beer cheese shmear and deli mustard accompanied by a hot pretzel bagel; guests are encouraged to rip and dip the bagel in the cheese and mustard.
Banana pudding is the common thread for two indulgent brunch items at Ruby Slipper. Banana Pudding Beignets are filled with banana pudding cheesecake and finished with warm bananas foster sauce, vanilla wafer crumbs, whipped cream and a cherry, while Banana Pudding Stuffed French Toast layers buttery brioche with banana pudding cheesecake, a topping of bananas foster sauce, and the same cookie crumbs, whipped cream and cherry.
Bacon Kimchi is the theme for Bonchon’s limited-time menu. Usually served as a side at the Korean chicken chain, kimchi stars in Bacon Kimchi Stir Fry Udon, a combo of wheat noodles with bacon, pork belly, kimchi and onions in soy garlic and spicy sauce, topped with a fried egg and scallions. Also on offer is a Bacon Kimchi Rice Bowl with bacon, pork belly, kimchi and onions sauteed in the same two sauces and served over rice, topped with fried egg and scallions, and Bacon Kimchi Fries topped with bacon, pork belly, stir-fried kimchi and onions finsihed with mozzarella, scallions and a drizzle of spicy mayo.
Kimchi stars in bowls at Bonchon.
Fried shrimp has a new coating at Captain D’s. The fast-food seafood chain is now dipping its shrimp in the same savory and lightly seasoned batter it uses on its Hand-Batter Dipped Fish to give Batter Dipped Shrimp a golden, crisp exterior. Through Oct. 26, customers can purchase the Batter Dipped Shrimp, Fish & Fries Meal for $5.99 at participating locations.
Cousins Subs launched a Crispy Chicken lineup featuring four limited-time items. The Crispy Chicken Sub includes crispy chicken tenders, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayo on Italian bread; a spicier Buffalo Ranch Crispy Chicken Sub includes ranch and Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce. The menu is rounded out with a three- or five-piece side of crispy chicken tenders with a choice of barbecue, buffalo or ranch sauce and a kids’ meal option of two tenders, a juice box, cookie and applesauce.
The Fall LTO Menu at Walk-On’sSports Bistreaux hightlights a number of food and beverage specials. Several are football-themed, such as the Starting Lineup Sampler, which includes cheeseburger sliders, mozzarella logs and boneless wings. There’s also Queso and Chips and Buffalo Chicken Nachos. Among the drinks are Walk-On’s Whiskey Sour with the twist of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, passionfruit puree, sour mix and orange bitters, as well as a Strawberry Mule and Player’s Punch, the latter a mix of rum, tequila, pomegranate syrup, orange and cranberry juice. There are also five new permanent shots, including a Tropical Vegas Bomb based on Red Bull and peach schnapps, a Lemon Drop and Green Tea Shot.
Rubio's spotlights langostino lobster in tacos.
Langostino lobster is trending at Rubio’s Coastal Grill. On offer are a Langostino Lobster Taco Plate ($14.99) featuring a flour tortilla wrapped around langostino, avocado, cilantro, cabbage blend, chipotle picante sauce and garlic herb butter, and a Langostino Lobster Bowl with salad, citrus rice, black beans, langostinos marinated in al pastor sauce, guac, chipotle picante sauce, garlic herb butter and salsa fresca.
Kýpelos, derived from the Greek word for pottery bowls, are the newest item to hit the menu at Taziki’s Mediterranean Café. Guests can build their bowls with a base of rice, pasta or quinoa, adding proteins such as chicken kabobs, chargrilled lamb, salmon or shrimp, and customize with a variety of grilled vegetables, feta crumbles, harissa and the fast casual’s namesake taziki yogurt sauce.
Pumpkin keeps on coming, expanding into formats beyond beverages. Frutta Bowls introduced an Oatmilk Pumpkin Power Smoothie, Pumpkin Spice Acai Bowl, Pumpkin Spice Protein Bites and Oatmilk Pumpkin Cold Brew. All are made with pumpkin butter, a healthful ingredient option. This seasonal launch also marks the debut of oat milk to the Frutta Bowls menu, which can be added to any of its signature smoothies or cold brews.
&pizza's Pumpkin Spice Knots.
Pumpkin Spice Knots are &pizza’s way of spotlighting the seasonal flavor. The sweet and savory snacks are made with the fast casual’s signature dough filled with warm pumpkin spice filling and finished with vanilla icing and powdered sugar. They’re available for $6 for a limited time.
At Culver’s, pumpkin joins salted caramel in the chain’s Salted Caramel Pumpkin Concrete Mixer, a blend of vanilla frozen custard, pumpkin and salted caramel. There’s also a Pumpkin Spice Shake mixed with vanilla frozen custard and pumpkin then sprinkled with cinnamon, and Pumpkin Pecan Frozen Custard. On Oct. 26, National Pumpkin Day, the frozen custard will be featured as the Flavor of the Day, but all the pumpkin treats are on hand through Nov. 30.
Gong Cha is partnering pumpkin with bubble tea in three new beverages. Iced Pumpkin Spice Milk Tea with Milk Foam & Boba combines spiced pumpkin with black milk tea, brown sugar boba and a layer of creamy milk foam, while Hot Pumpkin Spice Milk Tea with Milk Foam is the same combo served hot. Pumpkin Spice Slush with Milk Foam blends black milk tea, pumpkin flavors and ice with a topping of milk foam. Prices range from $5.50 to $6.50.
Gong Cha pairs pumpkin with bubble tea.
Popping Pearls made their debut at Peet’s Coffee, blurring the lines between bubble tea and coffee. The pearls are made with real coffee, providing an extra jolt of caffeine to Iced Vanilla Latte, Iced Matcha Latte or any iced drink. Also new for fall are Cardamom Citrus Oat Latte and Cardamom Citrus Mocha Frappe (both crafted with cardamom-citrus syrup), Pumpkin Latte, Pumpkin Chai Latte and warm sandwiches, including the Mediterranean Frittata Sandwich and Cheesy Sausage Slider.
Smashing Pumpkin Cold Brew swirled with oat milk, vanilla and house-made pumpkin spice syrup is new for fall at Gregory’s Coffee, along with a traditional Pumpkin Spice Latte. But the coffee chain explores other fall flavors too, offering a cardamom-accented Carda’mama Latte made with espresso, tahini mocha sauce and oat milk; Full Moon Matcha with salted egg yolk syrup and a topping of sesame foam; Yuzu Peach Matcha pairing yuzu and peach syrups with coconut water and matcha cream; and the Matchacado Smoothie blended with avocado, banana, plant protein, maple, coconut water and matcha poured over strawberry pomegranate chia.
Matcha drinks join pumpkin at Gregory's Coffee.
Last up in this week’s pumpkin parade is Paris Baguette, where fans can score a hot or iced Pumpkin Pie Latte made with espresso, pumpkin puree, white chocolate sauce and a dusting of cinnamon. There’s also a Pumpkin Pie Sweet Cream Cold Brew and two seasonal sweets: a Pumpkin Pie Custard Tart and Pumpkin Scone baked with toasted pumpkin seeds and drizzled with pumpkin icing.
Sonic takes a detour from the pumpkin madness with the launch of a Salted Caramel Toffee Collection. On the beverage side is Salted Caramel Toffee Iced Coffee (starting at $2.99), a layering of cold brew with salted caramel and buttery toffee, poured over ice and topped with cold foam and salted toffee pieces. To nibble are Salted Caramel Toffee Croissant Bites ($1.99) dusted with caramel-toffee sugar.
Caramel Banana Brew ushers in fall at Philz Coffee. The new coffee drink combines Philz’s Mission Cold Brew with notes of chocolate, almond and berry, with almond milk and banana-caramel sauce, topped with a caramel swirl. Spiced Vanilla Soul returns for fall, blending Philtered Soul Cold Brew with notes of hazelnut, maple and caramel, with vanilla sauce and spiced oat milk, finished with cinnamon. But pumpkin shows up on the food side in the form of Pumpkin Bread.
And caramel and apples are the fall flavors of choice at HTeaO. Just launched is Caramel Apple Iced Tea, a mix of black tea leaves, rooibos leaves, cinnamon bark, apple peels and natural caramel and apple flavors. The seasonal drink will be on the menu through the fall and winter along with seasonal snacks such as a carrot cake cupcake, cinnamon toast cookies and Chunk Nibbles in Apple Cinnamon.
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