These ’70s Dishes Are Making a Comeback At a Dinner Party Near You

Some foods, like Spam, go in and out of style. Others, like quiche and carrot cake, are always in style and sure to be a hit at any party. And even more dishes have had their time in the spotlight but have since been abandoned... or so we thought.

We've assembled a list of '70s foods that are just as delicious today, perfect for your next party. '70s-themed or otherwise. This post was updated May 20, 2025 to reflect additional information.

Whether it's ham & cheese quiche, quiche Lorraine, or spinach quiche, the French custard tart (made with filling a pastry crust with cream, eggs, and other ingredients) was everywhere in the '70s, especially at another meal that came into its own during the decade – brunch. And because it could also be made in two-bite versions, quiche was also a great hors d'oeuvre at parties.

Pasta Primavera – a dish made by combining a long pasta like spaghetti or linguini with a light cream sauce and fresh vegetables – first appeared on the menu at New York's renowned restaurant Le Cirque in the mid-1970s. In 1977, it and the recipe were featured in the New York Times by Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, who called it "by far, the most talked-about dish in Manhattan." From there, it caught on like wildfire and became one of the decade's defining dishes.

These little meatballs, made with ground beef and pork and served in a cream sauce with lingonberry preserves on the side, were a signature party staple of the decade. If you decide to serve these at your own Disco party, be sure to stick little toothpicks in each one.

One of life's great indulgences, fondue is a gooey, bubbly pot of melted Swiss cheeses flavored with white wine and a bit of cherry brandy. Although most popular during the 1970s, fondue is a tasty finger food for parties. You can pair it with sausages, apples, bread cubes, and soft pretzels.

Whether in the shape of a ball or log, these crowd-pleasers were a staple at parties and family gatherings throughout the 70s, and plenty of families have recipes to this day. There are countless variations, but one classic recipe combines cream cheese, blue cheese, shredded cheddar, diced pickles, and onions, rolled into a ball, covered in chopped pecans, and served with Ritz crackers.

Green Goddess Dressing was invented in the 1920s, but it didn't explode in popularity until the early 1970s when Seven Seas released the first bottled version. It's made with mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and herbs including tarragon, chervil, and chives, which give it its signature green tint.

Anything Hawaiian or Polynesian-inspired was popular in the 70s, and pineapple upside-down cake combined the most obvious ingredient of this trend – pineapple – with another trend, convenience because the cake could be made by simply pouring boxed cake batter on top of pineapple rings and serving it upside-down so the pineapple rings are on top. For the full effect, make sure to include some maraschino cherries.

Another Hawaiian-inspired popular '70s dish, pineapple chicken combined chunks of pineapple and chicken in a sweet and sour sauce. Extra points if it's served inside a pineapple.

Carrot cake's popularity increased after World War II but hit critical mass in the 1970s. The batter is loaded with grated carrots, optional raisins, and walnuts. The most traditional versions have cream cheese frosting.

For one reason or another, several popular '70s foods were named after the Watergate scandal, perhaps because it was such a watershed historical moment that there was no way it couldn't seep into every aspect of pop culture. Watergate cake contains white cake mix, pistachio pudding (which sparked a bit of a craze when it was introduced by Jell-O in 1976), crushed pineapple, marshmallows, nuts, whipped cream, and green food coloring, and it's "covered up" with frosting (ha). A similar Watergate Salad contains nearly identical ingredients, minus the cake mix.

One of those foods that screams "retro," Jello salads caught on in popularity in the 1960s and remained a mainstay into the '70s. There are countless variations, but they include gelatin (usually flavored Jell-O) with nuts and vegetables, sometimes even mayonnaise or salad dressing. This is one of those foods we're glad has largely gone the way of the Dodo.

Another perfect crowd-pleasing party snack, devils on horseback are bacon-wrapped dates, usually with an almond in the center. They're sweet and savory, and we wish we saw them more often.

A popular retro dessert, Cherries Jubilee is made by topping vanilla ice cream with a sauce made of cherries and liqueur that's flambéed tableside – another hot '70s restaurant trend. This dish was invented in 1897 by renowned chef Auguste Escoffier in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, but it was certainly in vogue 80 years later.

Popular for both brunch and dessert, Crêpes Suzette are made by sauteeing thin French crêpes in a sweet sauce made with sugar, butter, orange juice, and orange liqueur. It was also invented in the 1800s, and, of course, it's also flambéed tableside.

Now largely relegated to the appetizer section of middling Chinese restaurant menus, crab Rangoon had a real moment in the 1970s, when the Polynesian craze was going strong. They're made by wrapping a combination of cream cheese, crab, onion, garlic, and perhaps other seasonings inside a wonton wrapper and deep frying them. Sweet and sour sauce is usually served on the side. Unfortunately, they're usually made with imitation crab, one of several foods we wish were banned.