Ever paid $18 for avocado toast and thought, “Wait—this is literally bread and a piece of fruit mashed together?” Yeah. Same.
It’s wild how many of the “modern” dishes flooding café menus are the same ones our parents and grandparents used to throw together in their kitchens for next to nothing. Meals that were once born out of thrift, practicality, and a bit of kitchen improvisation have somehow evolved into “artisanal brunch.”
Somewhere between the 1960s kitchen table and the minimalist café aesthetic of today, comfort food became lifestyle branding. We didn’t change the recipes—we just started photographing them better.
So, let’s have some fun with this. Here are eight meals Boomers cooked from scratch—often out of habit or necessity—that Gen Z now pays $18 (or more) for in a café.
1) Oatmeal with toppings
You can’t scroll Instagram for two minutes without seeing a photo of a “nourish bowl” or “superfood oatmeal.”
It’s always in a handmade ceramic bowl, layered with banana slices, peanut butter drizzles, and chia seeds sprinkled like fairy dust.
But long before wellness influencers made oats cool, Boomers were eating them daily—because oats were cheap, healthy, and lasted forever in the pantry.
There were no toppings beyond maybe brown sugar and butter. No almond milk, no “protein-boosted” blends, no hashtags. Just a pot on the stove, a wooden spoon, and enough oatmeal to feed a family of five.
I love how things come full circle. What was once a humble breakfast for the working class is now a trendy $12 café item sold under words like “mindful” and “slow living.”
It’s a reminder that sometimes, the “newest” food trend is really just an old habit repackaged with better lighting.
2) Smashed avocado on toast
Let’s be honest—this one has become a cultural meme at this point. “Stop buying avocado toast if you want to afford a house,” said every Boomer columnist ever.
But here’s the irony: Boomers were the ones who first mashed avocados onto toast. Especially those living in California or Florida, where avocados grew in backyard trees. It wasn’t a lifestyle statement; it was a way to use ripe produce before it spoiled.
They didn’t call it “brunch.” They just called it breakfast.
Add a sprinkle of salt, maybe a squeeze of lemon, and you were good to go. Now cafés add microgreens, chili flakes, poached eggs, and Instagram-friendly plating—and we happily hand over a twenty.
What changed? Not the recipe. Just the context. We’re not paying for the toast; we’re paying for the story that comes with it—the idea of being “the kind of person” who eats avocado toast in a sunlit café with lo-fi music playing in the background.
And honestly? That’s fine. Sometimes, we just want to feel like our mornings have a little more poetry in them.
3) Vegetable soup
If your grandmother had a pot simmering on the stove on Sunday afternoons, odds are it was vegetable soup.
This was the original “sustainability” movement—no food waste, just creativity. Whatever vegetables were starting to wilt went straight into the pot. Add water, some broth or bouillon cubes, and maybe some rice or pasta, and dinner was ready.
Boomers didn’t write recipes for this kind of thing. They just knew how to make it work.
Fast-forward to today, and every café has a “seasonal harvest soup” or “rustic tomato bisque” for $14 a bowl. Served in stoneware, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, maybe a sprig of thyme.
But here’s the funny thing: that warm, cozy feeling it gives you? It’s the same one your grandmother was creating decades ago—just without the branding.
4) Homemade pancakes
Ah, pancakes—the international love language of slow weekends.
Back then, pancakes were simplicity itself. A bowl, a whisk, and a few basic ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, baking powder, sugar, and maybe vanilla if you had it. Kids would line up at the table while a parent flipped golden stacks straight off the griddle.
No fancy toppings, no syrups infused with Himalayan salt. Just butter and a splash of maple syrup from a tin can.
Today, café pancakes are practically architecture—tall stacks layered with mascarpone, fruit compotes, edible flowers, and a dusting of powdered sugar that looks like it came from a ski resort.
Are they beautiful? Absolutely. Are they worth $19? Depends on who you ask.
What I love, though, is how universal the feeling is. Whether it’s a 1960s kitchen or a modern café, pancakes symbolize the same thing: slowing down, savoring the moment, and starting your day on a sweet note.
5) Tuna salad sandwiches
This one’s personal for me—I grew up eating tuna sandwiches so often that I swore I’d never touch one again. And yet, every time I see a “gourmet tuna melt” on a menu, I can’t resist ordering it.
Boomers made tuna salad because it was cheap and practical. Canned tuna, mayo, salt, pepper, maybe some chopped celery or relish if you had it. Mix it, slap it on bread, and lunch was done.
No branding. No artisanal sourdough. Just protein and carbs.
Now? You’ll find café versions with wild-caught tuna, aioli instead of mayo, house-made pickles, and aged cheddar melted to perfection. Delicious, yes. But it’s basically the same sandwich your mom made when she was running late for work.
The difference is intention. Boomers made tuna salad to save time. We order it to take time—to sit, relax, and feel a little nostalgic about the kind of food that once meant “home.”
6) Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
Comfort food cafés are trending hard right now—think “elevated nostalgia.”
You’ll find “heritage meatloaf” with truffle mash, caramelized onion gravy, and a poached egg on top. The price tag? Around $22.
But go back a few decades, and meatloaf was the ultimate family meal. Ground beef stretched with breadcrumbs, eggs, ketchup, and onions. It fed everyone, cost almost nothing, and tasted like warmth.
Boomers weren’t “elevating” anything. They were surviving, stretching ingredients as far as they could.
And here’s the thing—I kind of love that these dishes are coming back. Maybe because deep down, we crave that sense of grounding. Amid all the tech and chaos, a plate of meatloaf feels like something you can trust.
Cooking it yourself might not get you Instagram likes, but it’ll definitely feed your soul.
7) Egg salad on toast
Eggs might be one of the most underrated comfort foods in history.
Today, you’ll find café menus offering “herb egg salad open-face toast” with microgreens, Maldon salt, and drizzle of olive oil for $15.
But let’s rewind to the ‘70s. Boil a few eggs, mash them with mayo, salt, pepper, and mustard. Done. That was lunch.
Boomers loved egg salad because it was versatile—you could eat it in a sandwich, on toast, or with crackers. It was protein-rich and ridiculously easy to make.
What’s fascinating is that nothing about the flavor profile has changed. We’ve just made it prettier.
And maybe that’s okay. Presentation matters. But it’s worth remembering that good food isn’t about how it looks—it’s about how it makes you feel.
8) Macaroni and cheese
No list like this would be complete without mac and cheese.
Whether you grew up eating Kraft from the blue box or the baked version with real cheese and breadcrumbs, mac and cheese was the ultimate weeknight comfort food.
It was cheap, creamy, and crowd-pleasing—everything a busy household needed.
Today, mac and cheese has become a statement dish. Truffle oil, lobster chunks, four-cheese blends, artisan breadcrumbs—it’s the headliner of many café menus. And yes, it’s often $18 a bowl.
I get the appeal. Mac and cheese hits that emotional sweet spot that says, you’re safe here. It’s a hug in a bowl.
But I can’t help but smile at the thought that somewhere, a Boomer is shaking their head and saying, “You paid how much for noodles and cheese?”
The bottom line
Here’s what this really comes down to: food evolves, but our relationship with it doesn’t.
Boomers cooked from scratch because they had to. Their meals were practical, not performative. But in the process, they learned skills that many of us are now trying to relearn—how to make something good out of simple ingredients, how to cook without waste, how to feed people you care about.
Gen Z, on the other hand, grew up in a world where convenience is the norm. You can order a three-course meal from your phone in ten minutes. You don’t have to cook. And that’s both incredible and kind of sad.
Because when we outsource cooking entirely, we lose a bit of connection—to the food, to ourselves, and to the rhythm of making something from nothing.
I’m not saying stop going to cafés. I love them. I spend way too much time writing in them. But maybe, once in a while, try making one of these classics at home.
Boil the oats. Mash the avocado. Stir the soup. Feel the satisfaction that comes from doing it yourself.
Cooking isn’t just about the result—it’s about presence. It’s mindfulness you can eat.
And who knows? You might even save enough money on avocado toast to start that house fund after all.
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Dining and Cooking