I am the type of moviegoer who loves planning to dine out after a night at the movies, and chooses to save my appetite for when the credits roll. However, there are some films – such as Chef, for instance – that incorporate dining as an essential focal point to the story and might not be as suitable to watch on an empty stomach. Well, if you are not craving anything at the moment, you just might be by the time you are finished watching any of the following essential food movies below.
Julie & Julia (2009)
The story of celebrity chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and author and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams), who attempted to make every item in Child’s first recipe book.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Streep received an Oscar nomination for Julie & Julia – writer and director Nora Ephron’s unique experiment in combining two biopics into one, resulting in an endearing dramedy with many scrumptious delicacies to behold throughout.
Rent or buy Julie & Julia on Amazon.
Buy Julie & Julia on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Soul Food (1997)
Tensions rise between a Chicago family after their gastronomically talented matriarch (played by Irma P. Hall) falls ill.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: From writer and director George Tillman Jr., Soul Food is an uplifting, star-studded drama which celebrates the powerful influence that good homemade cooking can have on a family’s relationship with one another.
Rent or buy Soul Food on Amazon.
Buy Soul Food on DVD on Amazon.
Mystic Pizza (1988)
The personal and romantic struggles of a trio of young women (played by Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish, and Lili Taylor) while working together at a pizza restaurant.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: You may see pizza in a whole new, more intimate light after watching one of Julia Roberts’ best rom-coms, Mystic Pizza, from director Donald Petrie.
Stream Mystic Pizza on Tubi.
Stream Mystic Pizza on The Roku Channel.
Stream Mystic Pizza on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy Mystic Pizza on Amazon.
Buy Mystic Pizza on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Waitress (2007)
Southern restaurant server Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell) contends with an unhappy marriage, an unwanted pregnancy, and unexpected romance with a local doctor.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Also one of the best Nathan Fillion movies (he plays the doctor), one of the major appeals of writer and director Adrienne Shelly’s sweet and clever dramedy, Waitress, is seeing what kind of pie Jenna whips up in reference to her life’s latest pivotal event.
Stream Waitress on Starz.
Rent or buy Waitress on Amazon.
Buy Waitress on DVD on Amazon.
The Menu (2022)
A young woman (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), her date (played by Nicholas Hoult), and others participating in a special dining event discover the celebrity chef (played by Ralph Fiennes) curating the meal has sinister intentions.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: While the overall outcome of the unique dining experience in The Menu certainly proves unfavorable for most, it does not take an experienced foodie to tell that the courses prepared in this instant classic horror-comedy are to die for.
Rent or buy The Menu on Amazon.
Buy The Menu on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Delicious (2021)
A recently fired personal chef (played by Grégory Gadebois), aided by a talented young woman (played by Isabelle Carré), manages to turn his life around and make a groundbreaking change at the cusp of the French Revolution.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Co-writer and director Éric Besnard’s French-language historical dramedy Delicious tells the story of how the world’s first public restaurant came to be, so you can imagine there is quite a selection of specials to gaze upon.
Stream Delicious on Amazon Prime.
Stream Delicious on Peacock.
Stream Delicious on Tubi.
Buy Delicious on DVD on Amazon.
The Taste Of Things (2023)
The relationship between a gourmet chef (played by Benoît Magimel) and his renowned employee (played by Juliette Binoche) develops into something greater in 1889 France.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Director Anh Hung Tran’s adaptation of Marcel Rouff’s novel, The Taste of Things, is a beautiful, infectious exploration of the connection between culinary arts and romance.
Rent or buy The Taste of Things on Amazon.
Buy The Taste of Things on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Burnt (2015)
An American celebrity chef (played by Bradley Cooper) attempts to turn a low-rated London restaurant into a high-class hot spot for fine dining in an attempt to redeem himself after his destructive tendencies place him at the bottom of the food chain.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: A decade after starring as a chef in the short-lived sitcom Kitchen Confidential (based on a memoir by the late Anthony Bourdain) Cooper returned to the world of culinary arts in Burnt – a compelling dramedy from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Stephen Knight, which creates an authentic kitchen atmosphere thanks to hands-on cooking experts.
Stream Burnt on Netflix.
Rent or buy Burnt on Amazon.
Buy Burnt on Blu-ray on Amazon.
No Reservations (2007)
An intimidatingly precise and temperamental chef (played by Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones) butts heads with her restaurant’s latest hire (played by veteran Aaron Eckhart), as she unexpectedly becomes a guardian to her young niece (played by Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin).
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: If the chemistry between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart does not compel you, the food will, in No Reservations – a charming romantic comedy based on the 2001 German film Mostly Martha.
Rent or buy No Reservations on Amazon.
Buy No Reservations on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Chef (2014)
After his furious reactions to a harsh food critic ruin his career, the former head chef of a high-class restaurant (played by Jon Favreau) decides to invest in a food truck and attempts to reignite his reputation and his relationship with his estranged family.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Art imitates life in a more metaphorical sense for Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau’s return to more intimate films as the writer, director, and star of the underrated food movie, Chef, which would later become a more literal part of his real life, too, as host of the Netflix original cooking show, The Chef Show.
Stream Chef on Starz.
Rent or buy Chef on Amazon.
Buy Chef on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Big Night (1996)
Two Italian-born brothers – one who specializes in the business (played by Stanley Tucci) and one who specializes in the food (played by Tony Shalhoub) – make one last attempt to save their restaurant on the night that a famous singer is scheduled to visit in 1950s New Jersey.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Another example of a Marvel movies veteran directing himself in a food movie is the acclaimed dramedy Big Night, which is the directorial debut of Oscar nominee Tucci (and also co-directed by Campbell Scott and co-written with Tucci by Joseph Tropiano), who also indulges in culinary arts in real life outside of his film career.
Stream Big Night on Pararmount+.
Rent or buy Big Night on Amazon.
Buy Big Night on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Ratatouille (2007)
A smarter-than-average rat (voiced by Patton Oswalt) receives the chance to live out his dream of cooking fancy food with the help of a young, talentless kitchen worker as his “avatar” at a prestigious Paris eatery.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: I think we can credit the Pixar movie classic Ratatouille – writer and director Brad Bird’s second Oscar-winning feature after 2004’s The Incredibles – with getting more young audiences interested in the world of fine dining, especially with its inspiring message that claims anyone (or even any species) can have what it takes to prepare great food.
Stream Ratatouille on Disney+.
Rent or buy Ratatouille on Amazon.
Buy Ratatouille on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Good Burger (1997)
A teenage slacker (played by future Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson) is forced to take a job for the summer at a local fast food place, but ends up teaming with his overly enthusiastic co-worker (played by Kel Mitchell, who once auditioned for SNL) in an effort to keep a corporate-run burger joint from running them out of business.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Another great food movie for kids with another inspirational message (this one about standing up for local businesses) is Good Burger – one of the first Nickelodeon movies, and one based on a bit from the channel’s popular sketch comedy series, All That.
Stream Good Burger on Paramount+.
Rent or buy Good Burger on Amazon.
Buy Good Burger on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
An investment banker (played by Jon Cho) and his slacker best friend and roommate (played by Kal Penn) are desperate to cure their serious case of the munchies, only to see their quest interrupted by a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances – including a surprise meeting with Neil Patrick Harris (played by himself).
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: White Castle – a restaurant famous for serving up sliders for the past century – is not for everybody, but you just might get a craving while watching the acclaimed comedy classic Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, especially if you happen to be under the same influences as its titular heroes.
Rent or buy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle on Amazon.
Buy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Chocolat (2000)
A single mother (played by Oscar winner Juliette Binoche) and her daughter cause an uproar when they open up a business selling chocolates in a devoutly Catholic village in France, until the townsfolk try the product and begin to experience a change of heart and spirit.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: We have talked enough about your typical main dinner courses, and now is the time to move on to dessert, which has rarely looked as satisfying as it does in Chocolat – an Oscar-nominated romantic dramedy (that also stars Johnny Depp in a supporting role) about learning how to rediscover the sweeter things in life by giving into your own sweet tooth.
Stream Chocolat on Amazon Prime.
Stream Chocolat on Paramount+.
Buy Chocolat on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
A poor boy named Charlie (Peter Ostrum) becomes one of five lucky children who randomly win the chance to take a tour of a renowned candy factory owned by a mysterious, eccentric recluse who has plenty of bewildering surprises in store for his guests.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: The classic kids movie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, stars the late, great Gene Wilder in the title role of a man who makes the candy business look like a wild, unbelievable fantasy in ways that only the eccentric author Roald Dahl could.
Rent or buy Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory on Amazon.
Buy Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009)
A wannabe inventor (voiced by Bill Hader) finally earns the respect he has always dreamed of when he creates a machine that causes food to fall from sky, which saves his financially starving town before, inevitably, causing even more problems for it.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Another wild, unbelievable fantasy about food based on a classic children’s book is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s inventive twist on Judi Barrett’s original story that also boasts a stunning, star-studded cast of voice actors.
Stream Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Peacock.
Rent or buy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Amazon.
Buy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Sausage Party (2016)
A sausage named Frank (co-writer and co-producer Seth Rogen) learns the horrifying truth about his existence as a grocery store item and vows to warn his other edible friends before they end up on the menu.
Why it’s a truly delicious food movie: Another star-studded, animated fantasy story about food that is certainly not for children is Sausage Party – an inventive, R-rated twist on the plot of Toy Story that explores the world from the perspective of sentient food, which might actually have you thinking twice about your next bite.
Stream Sausage Party on Netflix.
Rent or buy Sausage Party on Amazon.
Buy Sausage Party on Blu-ray on Amazon.
It may seem a little messed up (and almost inhumane) to include a title like Sausage Party on a list of movies about delicious food, but what is wrong with throwing in a little extra variety for a good measure? Either way, all of these titles should have exactly what food lovers and movie lovers alike need to satisfy their appetites.
