What’s New in Food This February? Meghan Markle’s Chocolate Bars, Lobsterfest and Heart-Shaped Everything

If you don’t already have Valentine’s Day plans…you may face some challenges getting a reservation. But! If you’re not aspiring for a Michelin-star meal, consider this your sign to lean into the cheesiness of the holiday by wearing your heart on your dinner plate. There’s no shortage of options this year:

• Channel your inner Robin Sparkles and go to the mall for a heart-shaped pretzel at Auntie Anne’s, available only on the 13^th and 14^th at participating locations
• Start the day with a heart-shaped biscuit (or biscuit sandwich) at Hardee’s
• Order heart-shaped pizza at Pizza Hut, Marco’s Pizza, Hungry Howie’s or Papa John’s
• Customize a heart-shaped red velvet or strawberry crinkle cookie cake from Great American Cookie Co.
• Or snag a vintage-inspired, heart-shaped ice cream cake at Baskin-Robbins

Seafood fans, your time has arrived. Red Lobster’s Lobsterfest is back for a limited time, bringing with it four new-ish dishes. There’s the Lobster Pasta au Gratin, which combines Maine and langostino lobster with curly cavatappi pasta, all smothered with mozzarella and cheese sauce. If you’re into the swicy trend, try the Crispy Dragon Teriyaki Lobster, which tosses lobster tail in a sweet-yet-spicy teriyaki sauce. You could also order the Lobsterfest Boil, which trades crawfish for the chain’s namesake crustacean, serving it with red potatoes, shrimp and corn in a shake-and-serve bag. Finally, there’s the Lobsterfest Duo, which presents grilled split lobster tail wrapped around sea scallops, then served alongside roasted Maine tail. (That’s where the “new-ish” comes in: It’s new to many but was technically on the menu 18 years ago.)

And if you’re in the New York City area, you may want to hit up the Red Lobster in Times Square this week—select tables are being turned into Kissing Booths for Valentine’s Day. As part of a collaboration with Vaseline, diners will get free samples of the brand’s V-Day Lip Therapy line while enjoying a special five-course tasting menu. You can only snag a spot via reservation, and it’s been so popular that Red Lobster extended its Kissing Booth dates to run now through February 13.

Hot Honey was everywhere last year—and it’s showing no signs of stopping. For a limited time, you can snag a cup of McDonald’s hot honey for dipping fries and nuggets, or you can get the sauce drizzled on a Snack Wrap, Crispy Chicken Sandwich or Sausage and Egg Biscuit. It’s been so popular that it was sold out the first time I tried ordering, and after sampling the menu, I see why—it strikes just the right balance of sweet and heat, never overpowering the meal.

You’ll get the most Hot Honey flavor from the Snack Wrap—it was practically dripping with sauce—but I loved it most on a sausage biscuit, which offset the buttery, fluffy biscuit delightfully. (And made me lament, once again, that breakfast isn’t offered all day at the chain.)

Just after launching the Cannonball Drink and a Secret Menu collab with Khloe Kardashian, Starbucks is announcing even more newness. First, an updated Rewards program, which introduces a tier where you can snag $2 off a drink in exchange for 60 stars (aka Rewards points), Free Mod Mondays (allowing you to modify your drink for free one Monday per month) and Rewards member tiers, ranging from Green to Gold to Reserve. At the Gold and Reserve level, the stars you accrue won’t expire.

As for the menu itself, Starbucks has already teased that its spring menu will officially launch on March 3, bringing with it the return of Lavender drinks and introducing the Toasted Coconut Cold Brew and Toasted Coconut Latte, as well as a limited-edition Ube Coconut Macchiato.

Expect a full review on PureWow when the time comes, and in the meantime, you can mix up your afternoon lil’ treat break with one of six new menu items, which officially hit cafes on February 9: chocolate pistachio loaf, yuzu citrus blossom (a croissant muffin filled with yuzu citrus cream and topped with candied yuzu), strawberry matcha loaf, berry blondie, cookie croissant swirl (another croissant muffin, this time studded with cocoa and topped with chocolate streusel and cookie bits), and Dubai Chocolate Bite (a chocolate tart with a crunchy, kataifi pistachio cream core that’s reminiscent of the TikTok-famous chocolate bar).

The brand known for its bottomless fries recently expanded its sandwich lineup, adding a Cowboy Ranch Double Burger topped with crispy onion straws, BBQ sauce, ranch, lettuce and American cheese. Equally noteworthy is its two new chicken sandwiches: The Buzz Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich, covered in Buffalo-style Buzz sauce, ranch and pickles, and the Bacon Club Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which substitutes the classic sliced turkey in a club sando with boneless fried chicken.

Now through May 3, you can order classic Cinnabon rolls, MiniBons, CinnaSweeties and BonBites topped with a strawberry cheesecake drizzle for a spring-is-coming twist on the decadent treat. It provides a sweet-tart note that really takes things over the top, but my favorite part is the slight crunch from the streusel.

For $3, you can buy a Frosty Key Tag at Wendy’s, which you can use to score a free Frosty Jr. with any purchase for the rest of 2026. More importantly, though, you’ll help raise money for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. (Since 1992, the brand has raised more than $340 million to help foster kids find permanent homes.)

Chili's $6 Margarita of the Month has inspired its own fandom. So much so that the chain just created a community specifically for them: The Margarita of the Month Club. Membership is free, and it's only open to people 21 and up (as you might imagine). For those insiders though, you can order all kinds of merch—from keychains to crewneck sweatshirts—to display your love of the cocktail.

And when you visit the restaurant, you can receive a passport to log your monthly marg (which, BTW, is the StrawEddy Marg for February, a combination of Lunazul Blanco Tequila, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, strawberry purée and house-made sour). 

It’s been killing me to keep this secret from you: Back in December, I got an early taste of Ben & Jerry’s three new Sundae pints, and they’re g-o-o-d. So good. As a chocoholic and cold brew fiend, I’m partial to the Mocha Mood Pie, a partnership with BLK & Bold that infuses Chocolate Cold Brew Ice Cream with chocolate cookies and swirls of cookie bits. It’s topped with fudge-laced whipped cream and fudge bits. The espresso flavor and lightness of the whipped cream helps cut through the intensity of the chocolate, creating the ultimate dessert in a cup.

Other flavors include PB Blondie Bestie (peanut butter ice cream with blondie bits, graham cracker swirls, a caramel-flecked whipped topping and mini peanut butter cups) and Straw-Bae Shortcake (sweet cream ice cream with shortcake bits, strawberry swirls, strawberry-dappled whipped cream and shortcake crumble).

Growing up, mystery-flavored DumDums and AirHeads were a hit, but now, the sensory guessing game has expanded to the cereal aisle. My family recently tried the new Cap’n Crunch's Mystery Crunch, sparking debates ranging from “it’s definitely almond!” to “no, it’s dulce de leche” and “Uh, I’m getting coconut…or vanilla with something fruity mixed in?” We’re a house divided. And deeply confused.

Meghan Markle's As Ever dropped its Valentine's Day collection, and like all launches, almost everything sold out quickly—particularly the brand's buzzy collaboration with gourmet chocolatier Compartés. You can still get your hands on the milk chocolate bar (at least as of press time), which features shortbread cookie bits and bee pollen.

OK, technically not everything in this box is edible, but it’s made with ingredients sourced from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and a portion of the funds support a three-year project to save and create a sanctuary for the Melipona bee. The box is the ultimate gift for the discerning gourmand, featuring a jar of vegetarian mole negro that boasts a whopping 24 ingredients to give it showstopping depth of flavor; Dzidzilché jungle honey that’s enchantingly silky with an eye-opening, zippy taste that livens up anything it’s drizzled upon and golden vanilla olive oil, adding decadence to even the simplest of desserts. You’ll also receive a shockingly nourishing Banana Body Balm that literally melts into your skin, a dewy-meets-tropical Banana Leaf candle and an exfoliating (and invigorating) coffee soap brick, made with organic coffee beans, cloves, chocolate clay and tobacco.

Remember when we consumed everything out of mason jars and Pinterest was riddled with recipes for making overnight oats? Well, what’s old is new again, only this time around, brands are simplifying the process. Case in point: The latest from Kodiak, which offers bulked up traditional oats with a mix of chia, flax and quinoa for a breakfast that packs 20 grams of protein per serving and comes in flavors like Maple Pecan and Cookie Butter. All you do is add milk and let it sit overnight.

Whether you love olive oil cake or enjoy adding EVOO as an ice cream topping, as is popular in Europe, you’re going to want to take a closer look at Brightland’s new Sumo Citrus-flavored olive oil. It offers a brightness and silky texture that can liven up sweets, roasted vegetables and salads. As for me? I plan on pairing it with avocado toast, the elder millennial that I am.

Or maybe do. Diet Cherry Coke is back in stores nationwide, and it brought along a new friend: Coca-Cola Cherry Float, which offers a creamy twist on the cherry-infused soda you know and love.

Khloud has been dropping new flavors and collaborations nonstop this year, from a protein latte at Starbucks to its Truffle White Cheddar and Cinnamon Roll varieties. But this one, I must say, is a big dill: pickle-flavored popcorn. It’s bold, it’s briny and you’ll want to brush your teeth afterward…but only after devouring the entire bag. It’s strangely addictive. You’ve been warned.

You can find it at select Albertson’s stores, as well as via GoPuff and KhloudFoods.com.