THE SLOW BURN FULL

Peet’s Coffee toasted the arrival of 2022 in January with a line of churro-inspired quaffs including Churro Latte and Churro Caramel Macchiato. The simple cinnamon-sugar combination easily lends itself to beverage adaptation, as well. The Cinnamon Chipotle Churro Doughnuts mix things up a bit, as the sweet heat of chipotle dulce de leche is balanced by cooling horchata ice cream. The special churro dessert menu at Toca Madera locations in Scottsdale and West Hollywood presents the item in innovative guises like Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches finished with homemade cajeta and Churro Pops with cinnamon-buttercream churro crumble. Close by, Xurro Churro Factory has drawn a following with Churro S’mores, a mini version of which was a big hit at last year’s Lollapalooza music festival. Pan-Asian specialties at Chicago’s 2d Restaurant include Chocolate Churro Pon de Ring, mochi doughnuts made with French chocolate and a proprietary five-spice blend that sell out quickly every morning. Beard Papa’s, the Japanese chain gaining traction in the US with its creative cream puffs, created a springtime special Churro Puff with horchata filling.

THE SLOW BURN FULL

Cheese make for unexpected menu mates, there’s a whole fryer full of other multinational mash-ups. Served in a cute unicorn cup, they are kid magnets and social media bait in equal measure Baked, not fried, they are available in three Day-Glo colors, pink, green and blue, and in three out-of-this-world flavors, cotton candy, sour green apple and blue raspberry. Cheese proved the point and helped make National Unicorn Day a thing on April 9, 2019, with its introduction of Unicorn Churros. Their versatility and promotability can make churros a chain-menu homerun. Cheese helped National Unicorn Day become a thing in 2019 with its Unicorn Churros./Photo courtesy of Chuck E. La Churreria has won rave reviews with its promotional Churro Dog, in which Basque-style Chistorra sausage and caramelized onions are encased in freshly fried churros.Ĭhuck E. They’re on the lunch menu at Xoco in Chicago, the casual sibling to chef Rick Bayless’s vaunted Frontera Grill, where the trendy Spicy Churro Chicken Sandwich puts arbol hot sauce and chipotle mayo atop a crispy-crunchy chicken breast on a crunchy churro bun. Taking a different morning menu tack, La Churreria in New York City invites patrons to “Get Churroed” with the Churro Egg Sandwich made with scrambled eggs, serrano ham, Manchego cheese and a side of homemade potato chips.Ĭhurros also turn up in savory applications later in the day. It is a brunchtime fixture at Chicago’s Azul Mariscos, where the Churro French Toast is topped with cinnamon-toast crumble and cinnamon ice cream while at The Churro Waffle nearby, the eponymous specialty is served with sea-salt caramel ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Churros, along with hot chocolate, remain a breakfast staple in Spain, and they’ve been getting a lot of play early in the day here, too, typically in gussied-up presentations. And therein lies the basis of its surging popularity on menus: It’s deep fried, topped with cinnamon and sugar and often served with an extra side of sweetness.

The slow burn