Somewhere between the third plate and the second bottle, the long lunch quietly returned. Not the expense-account version, but something looser: friends, a table by the window and nowhere to be until dinner.
The restaurants leaning in have shortened their menus and lengthened their hours. Kitchens stay open through the afternoon, plates come out in no particular order and nobody brings the bill until you ask.
Who is doing it well
We spent a month going back, ordering differently each time and asking a lot of questions. What we found was less a trend than a change of habit: people want fewer, better things, and they want to linger over them.
“Lunch is the only meal where nobody is pretending to be busy.”
How to do it at home
Cook one big thing, buy good bread, chill more wine than you think you need. Set the table early so it feels like an occasion, then let the afternoon do the rest.
None of this needs a reservation app or a dress code. It needs a free afternoon, a friend who says yes, and the good sense to order one more thing for the table.
Theo Okafor
Food Editor
Theo eats out for work and cooks in for fun. Opinions on bread, small menus and where to sit.
