- Home
- News & Trends
- 9 top cooks share their go-to hangover dish
9 top cooks share their go-to hangover dish
- Helen Salter
Published: June 15, 2026 at 3:26 PM
loading...
Try the Good Food app - subscribe today
Si King, Jad Youssef and other celebrated chefs unveil their ultimate hangover cures, from rice noodles in snail broth to hearty bowls of ful medammas
Ever wondered what culinary masters crave when battling a hangover? Read on to uncover their candid confessions, from sweet-salty coconut water to bacon and tamarind chutney sandwiches and pillowy flatbreads from the freezer.
Ad
See our collection of hangover recipes for recipe inspiration, plus our guides on how to cure a hangover and the best foods to eat before drinking.
Ceviche – Niklas Ekstedt
Niklas Peter Ekstedt is a Swedish Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur
After a long night, you don’t want anything heavy or greasy. You need acidity and freshness to wake your palate up. The lime juice and the raw fish are light, sharp and exactly what you need to reset.
Image credit: Haarala Hamilton
Buttered flatbreads – Si King
Si King is a cook and broadcaster
Well, if you’re a bit squiffy, you don’t want to be bouncing around the kitchen. I’m not trying to put something complicated together. I buy flatbreads from a great shop in the West End of Newcastle called Premier. They're made fresh every day and I always have them in the freezer, so I take one of those out, put them in a dry frying pan, heat them up, add lashings of butter and sometimes peanut butter and Marmite, roll them up and shove them in my face. Definitely my go-to hangover food.
Fried noodles – Anna Ansari
Anna Ansari is an award-winning food writer
Is there anything better than waking up hungover in your flat (I'm talking in your 20s, of course, when hangovers are manageable and not all-day ordeals) and ordering copious amounts of Chinese food to soothe a night of overindulgence? Methinks not.
Maybe a bagel and cream cheese? A cold slice of pizza from the fridge? Nah. It's got to be Chinese food, and it's got to be fried noodles – slick and oily, soy sauce-y, maybe with some pieces of beef and wilted greens in there, too. Oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about chao mian / chow fun / mei fun / char kway teow (fine, it's Malaysian, but of Chinese "extraction"). And, I'm giving myself a headache thinking about how much I used to be able to, ahem, imbibe such that the only morning fixer I needed was a cup of coffee and bowl of fried noodles. Well, as they say, youth may be wasted on the young, but noodles are forever!
Ramen – Tamar Adler
Tamar Adler is a chef, writer and author
It's true that my top three hangover dishes are ramen, ramen, and ramen. It's also true that this can be ramen in any form - from a square of noodles with a flavour packet to a really great, restaurant style one. But if I had to add a fourth dish, it would be Luosifen, which I've only ever had from a packet. They're rice noodles in snail broth, and they're deeply curative.
Image credit: Georgia Hilmer
A full-on fry up – Matt Adlard
Matt Adlard is a pastry chef and bestselling author
You might not believe me but I’ve eaten scrambled eggs on toast everyday for breakfast, for the past 18 years. It’s my go to. My youthful drinking days are definitely behind me so two cosmos and I’m feeling it the next morning. But if I’m a bit worse for wear after a drink, I level up my daily eggs into a full-on fry up. Sausages, bacon, beans, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, fried eggs, hash browns and lots (!) of heavily buttered white toast.
Ful medammas – Jad Youssef
Jaf Youssef is a Lebanese chef, restaurateur and author of Lebnani
When I’m feeling rough, I make a ful medammas, slow-cooked fava beans with garlic, lemon and olive oil. It’s messy, hearty and somehow feels like the kind of meal your body actually thanks you for.
Three-cheese toastie (and a full-fat cake) – Alice Shields
Alice Shields is Good Food's food editor and test kitchen manager
If I’m ever suffering from a pounding headache, I know only a cheese toastie will cure it (well, that and a can of full-fat coke). It has to be punchy, which is why I love this three-cheese toastie, as it’s packed full of sharp Cheddar, creamy red Leicester and tangy farmhouse blue. Ketchup on the side for dipping is a must, too.
Bacon sarnie with tamarind chutney – Gurdeep Loyal
Gurdeep Loyal is an award-winning food and travel writer
A well-done bacon sandwich with tamarind chutney. It always has to be with good thick-cut smoked bacon, which contrasts deliciously with the tropically tart tamarind. Great with bread, even better sandwiched between a frozen paratha.
Coconut water mixed with honey and a pinch of salt – Ranie Saidi
Ranie Saidi is a London-based recipe developer
My go to hangover fix is coconut water mixed with honey and a pinch of salt. Coconut water helps rehydrate you, honey gives you that natural fructose boost and the antioxidants help your body break down the leftover alcohol toxins a little faster. The salt helps replace lost electrolytes too, so you don’t feel as flat and miserable the next day.
Ad
Enjoyed this? Discover more related content:
- We asked 10 people who gave up drinking what no one tells you – here’s what they said
- 15 of the healthiest alcoholic drinks
- What I discovered when I gave up drinking for a month
- How many units are in alcoholic drinks?
- ‘I had a night out halfway through’ – six people share their honest Dry January experiences
Comments, questions and tips
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Get 3 months of Good Food All Access
Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.
Ad
Loading...