Americans might argue over politics, parking spots, and pineapple on pizza — but when it comes to food, they’re pretty united in one thing: global flavors run the table.
A recent study by restaurant furniture company Seating Masters dug into Google search data to find out exactly which global cuisines Americans are actually looking for. They analyzed average monthly search volumes for 35 different cuisines and ranked the top ten based on demand.
Monthly Search Volume: 674,700
Opa! According to the study, Greek food in the U.S. doesn’t have the loudest fan club — but it shows up. There are around 5,000 Greek restaurants, mostly small family-run spots, but chains like Nick the Greek, The Simple Greek, and Cava are also keeping souvlaki, gyros, and grilled meats over rice in steady rotation.
Monthly Search Volume: 732,216
Jamaican food’s got more fans than restaurants, and that’s the problem. Over 732K people are googling it every month to find curry goat and jerk chicken, but there are only about 2,500 places to get it.
Monthly Search Volume: 805,956
Pho real, Vietnamese food is quietly building a serious fanbase — almost 806K searches a month — and still, it’s not everywhere. There are around 7,000 Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S., which sounds like a lot until you realize how many people are out here trying to get their pho fix. And no, instant noodles don’t count.
Monthly Search Volume: 1,085,735
Sushi is probably the reason Japanese food broke through in America — and it’s still the main event. But over time, people stuck around for more: ramen, tempura, donburi, and crispy karaage. It’s not just about raw fish anymore (though we still love a good spicy tuna roll). With over 1 million monthly searches and more than 25,000 Japanese restaurants across the U.S., it’s gone from trendy to essential.
Monthly Search Volume: 1,165,571
It seems like Korean food barged into American culture with a hot grill and a dozen side dishes. It started with BBQ joints and bibimbap bowls, but now there’s kimchi in regular grocery stores and gochujang in people’s fridge doors like it belongs next to the ketchup. There are over 1.16 million searches a month and around 8,000 Korean restaurants across the U.S.
Monthly Search Volume: 2,666,218
Over 2.6 million people search for it every month, and somehow there are still only about 5,000 Thai restaurants in the U.S. That’s not enough for how badly we all crave pad Thai on a Tuesday.
Monthly Search Volume: 3,070,734
Italian and American food pretty much grew up together. When Italian immigrants landed in the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they brought cheap, comforting, carb-loaded meals that quickly found a new home. So it’s not surprising it ranks in the top 5 most searched for cuisines with over 3 million monthly searches and 62,091 Italian restaurants across the country.
Monthly Search Volume: 3,543,987
Indian food making the top 3 might surprise some people, but it shouldn’t. With over 3.5 million monthly searches, it’s clear more Americans are craving tikka masala, biryani, and butter chicken which have gone from “what’s that?” to “weekly takeout.” There are still only around 5,000 Indian restaurants across the country, but demand is growing fast.
Monthly Search Volume: 7,726,160
Mexican food is so popular in the U.S., it’s basically two cuisines: the authentic kind you'd find in Mexico, and the Tex-Mex version that’s probably even more common here. Over 7.7 million burrito enthusiasts search for Mexican food a month, and more than 80,000 Mexican restaurants across the country can satisfy those cravings.
Monthly Search Volume: 8,599,933
America’s unofficial emergency dinner for over 150 years. With nearly 8.6 million searches a month, Chinese is the most looked-up cuisine in the country. There are thousands of Chinese restaurants across the U.S. — the kind where the menu hasn’t changed since the '90s. Even the most Americanized dishes — orange chicken, crab rangoon, beef and broccoli — are straight-up comfort food now.
