In India, placing an online order through services like Swiggy and Swiggy Instamart has subtly become a New Year's Eve tradition that is practically unavoidable. Apps become the go-to solution for anything from party meals to midnight nibbles when going out seems like too much work and time is of the essence. This reliance on technology reached its zenith in 2026, when Indians in every city tapped "order now" rather than "plan."
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And food? That remained the main focus. Grapes were the unexpected star of the evening, according to Instamart's New Year's Eve data. Due to a popular Spanish custom that includes eating 12 grapes at midnight for good luck, searches surpassed 2.35 lakh as early as 5 AM and increased 78 times by evening—something that Indian consumers were obviously unwilling to miss. Not far behind were snacks.
Also Read: Your Guide To Ordering Indian Coffee Online
Instamart was a major source of last-minute party supplies for Tier 2 cities, including Lonavala, Karimnagar, Saharanpur, Davanagere, Patiala, and Meerut. Panic-buying snacks is a national pastime, as seen by the 200+ products that one client ordered in a single day, including 108 packs of Kurkure.
Party food and drinks completed the culinary experience. While Pune and Kolkata heavily invested in BBQ supplies, tonic water became one of the most popular drinks in the country. Orders for cakes, pizza bases, and mixers increased as midnight drew near, indicating that New Year's Eve menus are prepared more in real time and less in advance.
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Biryani Reigns Supreme
The dominance of biryani is a constant in India's culinary narrative. Biryani dominated 2025 with a staggering 93 million orders, or almost 3.25 biryanis every second, continuing its 10-year-winning streak. With 57.7 million orders and the biggest repeat adoration, chicken biryani topped the obsession. The second most popular food was burgers (44.2 million), closely followed by pizzas (40.1 million). Comfort classics were not excluded either; veg dosa maintained its popularity with 26.2 million orders, demonstrating that crispy, golden favourites are always in trend.
Chai, Snacks & Desserts: A Comfort Order Trend
In India, snack time between 3 PM to 7 PM has officially become a way of life. This window was dominated by burgers, with chicken burgers (6.3 million) and veg burgers (4.2 million) leading the pack, followed by nuggets, veg pizza, and chicken rolls. With 3.42 million samosas and 2.9 million cups of adrak chai, the age-old chai-samosa custom remained unbeaten. Desserts tended to be decadent but nostalgic; white chocolate cake led the rankings, followed by chocolate cake and gulab jamun. Chocolate ice cream turned out to be the year's most popular flavour.
Ordering Across World Cuisines On Swiggy, The Matcha Trend Stays On Top
In 2025, food orders on Swiggy went global, with matcha becoming the most sought-after taste worldwide and Mexican, Tibetan, and Korean cuisines gaining significant appeal. Hyperlocal gained popularity at the same time, with demand for Malabari, Rajasthani, and Malvani food almost doubling and Pahari cuisine growing nine times. Orders for dinner were 32% greater than those for lunch; thus, it was obvious that dinner took centre stage. While late-night desires peaked with chicken burgers, biryani, pizzas, and chocolate-heavy desserts, breakfast remained rooted in the comfort of idli and dosa.
Festive Food Orders & How Ganesh Chaturthi Ranked The Highest
Food became the main attraction during festivals. Faith and food went hand in hand, from 2.28 lakh modaks on Ganesh Chaturthi to lakhs of vrat-friendly orders during Navratri. 1.7 million kilogrammes of sweets and dry fruits were ordered nationwide during Diwali week alone!!! Massive biryani spreads, falooda feasts, and dessert-filled carts are just a few examples of the grandeur of celebrations. 2025 made it very evident that food isn't only consumed in India; it's also tracked, loved, and celebrated. This was evident in everything from midnight bingeing to all-day ordering to celebratory splurges.