In the culinary world, the allure of tropical flavors and ingredients is easy to understand. Whether it’s the vibrant tang of South Asian citrus, the lushness of coconut or the fiery bite of Caribbean chile peppers, these elements bring a burst of brightness to any dish or drink, and proving tropical flavors’ versatility, they play well with cuisines beyond those along the equator. For chefs, using tropical notes in mainstream menu items is a smart way to differentiate your dishes and elevate the dining experience with pops of joy.

So what are the best tactics for infusing a little island flavor into your menu? Two culinary directors from the resort dining space offer breezy ways to bring feel-good vacation vibes to your menu—even if you’re far from a tropical destination.

Bright and Balanced

Tropical ingredients appeal to diners on several levels: vibrant colors, bold flavors and tantalizing aromas can all work as counterpoints to enhance dishes that they might already be familiar with.

“Tropical cuisine covers a lot of territory; Jamaican jerk, Hawaiian kālua pork, Mexican ceviches and Thai pineapple-fried rice are just a few examples,” says Simon Dolinky, director of culinary for IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas, which boasts hundreds of original restaurant concepts across its various brands. “Tropical flavors can be a great balance for smoky or hearty center-of-the-plate items like pork chops or fried fish. They’re often fairly familiar to diners, and I think these flavors are generally associated with a fun and festive atmosphere.”

In addition to smoky, rich dishes, tropical ingredients can also balance umami notes. At Videre, a bar and restaurant atop IHG’s Kimpton Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles, the Caesar salad doubles down on its already savory slant through the addition of miso; heirloom endives also lend a bitter accent to the mixed greens. However, it’s the addition of tamarind that brings these strong flavors into harmony.

At Italian-inspired independent restaurant Scuzzi’s in San Antonio, a punch of tropical flavor in the form of a mango demi-glace brightens up the French-cut, bone-in pork chop. Also in the Lone Star state, upscale pizzeria DeLucca, with several locations across Texas, features a Guava Marmalade dessert pizza, with the sweet-savory flavor showing up as a surprising accent to fresh mozzarella and provolone cheese. And in a twist on the traditional, the housemade croissants on the brunch menu at S.K.Y. in Chicago include a pineapple cream and coconut and lychee cream version.

Tiki Drinks and Beyond

Tropical ingredients are extraordinarily versatile, making them suitable for a wide range of dishes from appetizers to desserts. A sweet, acidic pineapple can just as easily complement a savory burger as it does a frozen dessert. And, naturally, the bar menu also factors into the equation.

“Tropical fruits are excellent to use for bar ingredients as you can use almost the whole fruit in a variety of ways, and we try to do our part to limit food waste,” says Kat Wojcik, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas’ director of beverage programs and partnerships. To optimize ingredients, her bar programs utilize pineapples in several different ways, including juicing, making syrups from the skins and using the tops as cocktail garnishes, which allow the mixologists to add tropical touches across the board.

Tropical accents can also turn seasonal beverages into year-round options. For example, at Atlanta’s Willow Bar, another IHG property under the Kimpton collection, pineapple and hibiscus bring warm-weather vibes to the autumn-leaning Willow Ponche Navideno, a zero-proof cocktail featuring apples, cloves and cinnamon.

Menu Cross-Pollination

For operators eager to add a tropical spin to their menus, Dolinky suggests looking at flavor pairings that already make sense, like sweet and salty, and then getting creative with the combinations. Pineapple and chile peppers are a common pairing, but swapping out the chiles for a piquant black pepper yields an entirely new profile. Another easy switch is replacing dairy with coconut milk for a subtly sweet, tropical twist.

Menu developers can also look to beverage menus as a means to bring in tropical elements, whether that’s through drink pairings or ingredient swaps.

“A tropical drink can complement the food and can help lessen the heat on spicy dishes,” Wojcik says. “Tropical cocktails can be considered as another ingredient to the food, for example a pineapple cocktail served alongside braised pork.”

She suggests collaboration between the culinary and beverage teams to reimagine popular dishes by adding a cocktail component. “If a dish has many ingredients, remove one and put it in a cocktail,” Wojcik suggests. “I think a mango cocktail with a sticky rice–based dessert would be pretty delicious. Or, you could move the sesame seeds from the classic preparation to a toasted-sesame-and-coconut cocktail served with the mango and sticky rice.”

Ultimately, menu developers should feel empowered to take chances with tropical fruits across menus, dayparts and cuisines. Even with less familiar varietals like dragonfruit, the inherent mood-boosting qualities of this unique category of ingredients makes menu exploration a happy adventure.

In the culinary world, the allure of tropical flavors and ingredients is easy to understand. Whether it’s the vibrant tang of South Asian citrus, the lushness of coconut or the fiery bite of Caribbean chile peppers, these elements bring a burst of brightness to any dish or drink, and proving tropical flavors’ versatility, they play well with cuisines beyond those along the equator. For chefs, using tropical notes in mainstream menu items is a smart way to differentiate your dishes and elevate the dining experience with pops of joy.

So what are the best tactics for infusing a little island flavor into your menu? Two culinary directors from the resort dining space offer breezy ways to bring feel-good vacation vibes to your menu—even if you’re far from a tropical destination.
Tropical ingredients appeal to diners on several levels: vibrant colors, bold flavors and tantalizing aromas can all work as counterpoints to enhance dishes that they might already be familiar with.

“Tropical cuisine covers a lot of territory; Jamaican jerk, Hawaiian kālua pork, Mexican ceviches and Thai pineapple-fried rice are just a few examples,” says Simon Dolinky, director of culinary for IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas, which boasts hundreds of original restaurant concepts across its various brands. “Tropical flavors can be a great balance for smoky or hearty center-of-the-plate items like pork chops or fried fish. They’re often fairly familiar to diners, and I think these flavors are generally associated with a fun and festive atmosphere.”

In addition to smoky, rich dishes, tropical ingredients can also balance umami notes. At Videre, a bar and restaurant atop IHG’s Kimpton Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles, the Caesar salad doubles down on its already savory slant through the addition of miso; heirloom endives also lend a bitter accent to the mixed greens. However, it’s the addition of tamarind that brings these strong flavors into harmony.

At Italian-inspired independent restaurant Scuzzi’s in San Antonio, a punch of tropical flavor in the form of a mango demi-glace brightens up the French-cut, bone-in pork chop. Also in the Lone Star state, upscale pizzeria DeLucca, with several locations across Texas, features a Guava Marmalade dessert pizza, with the sweet-savory flavor showing up as a surprising accent to fresh mozzarella and provolone cheese. And in a twist on the traditional, the housemade croissants on the brunch menu at S.K.Y. in Chicago include a pineapple cream and coconut and lychee cream version.

Tropical ingredients are extraordinarily versatile, making them suitable for a wide range of dishes from appetizers to desserts. A sweet, acidic pineapple can just as easily complement a savory burger as it does a frozen dessert. And, naturally, the bar menu also factors into the equation.

“Tropical fruits are excellent to use for bar ingredients as you can use almost the whole fruit in a variety of ways, and we try to do our part to limit food waste,” says Kat Wojcik, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas’ director of beverage programs and partnerships. To optimize ingredients, her bar programs utilize pineapples in several different ways, including juicing, making syrups from the skins and using the tops as cocktail garnishes, which allows the mixologists to add tropical touches across the board.

Tropical accents can also turn seasonal beverages into year-round options. For example, at Atlanta’s Willow Bar, another IHG property under the Kimpton collection, pineapple and hibiscus bring warm-weather vibes to the autumn-leaning Willow Ponche Navideno, a zero-proof cocktail featuring apples, cloves and cinnamon.

For operators eager to add a tropical spin to their menus, Dolinky suggests looking at flavor pairings that already make sense, like sweet and salty, and then getting creative with the combinations. Pineapple and chile peppers are a common pairing, but swapping out the chiles for a piquant black pepper yields an entirely new profile. Another easy switch is replacing dairy with coconut milk for a subtly sweet, tropical twist.

Menu developers can also look to beverage menus as a means to bring in tropical elements, whether that’s through drink pairings or ingredient swaps.

“A tropical drink can complement the food and can help lessen the heat on spicy dishes,” Wojcik says. “Tropical cocktails can be considered as another ingredient to the food, for example a pineapple cocktail served alongside braised pork.”

She suggests collaboration between the culinary and beverage teams to reimagine popular dishes by adding a cocktail component. “If a dish has many ingredients, remove one and put it in a cocktail,” Wojcik suggests. “I think a mango cocktail with a sticky rice–based dessert would be pretty delicious. Or, you could move the sesame seeds from the classic preparation to a toasted-sesame-and-coconut cocktail served with the mango and sticky rice.”

Ultimately, menu developers should feel empowered to take chances with tropical fruits across menus, dayparts and cuisines. Even with less familiar varietals like dragonfruit, the inherent mood-boosting qualities of this unique category of ingredients makes menu exploration a happy adventure.