Top 10 Movies About Food, Restaurants & Chefs

If you are looking for movies about cooking and food, look no further; here is the list of the best food movies to date. We've done our best to research and find the absolute most exciting picks out there!

Movies are great for captivating your sense of sight and sound. If the bass is high enough, you can feel 'touch' in the film. But, it is harder for a movie to make you taste or smell something. Or is it?

Films that captivate your senses connect with us on all levels. But that feat is easier said than done. When we try to remember our most memorable moments of movies about cooking and food, we can almost experience the synesthetic power via images, sizzling sounds, etc. that make our mouths water.

Food Movies? Here They Are!

Over the years, many food movies tried to replicate this experience; however, only a few could capture the team dynamics in the real and kid kitchens and the overall perfectionism of the plate.

Here are our top 10 food movies to watch when you are hungry! The food scenes in movies are delicious! 

Julie and Julia

Almost every food lover in the world knows that Julie and Julia is one of the best food movies to watch! Meryl Streep stars as Julia Child, a renowned chef and cookbook writer. Stanley Tucci plays the role of her devoted husband.

One half of the film shows Julia's adventures while the rest focuses on Julie, played by Amy Adams. She is a real-life blogger who struggles with Child's food recipes and documents her successes and failures.

Ratatouille

If you think food movies are just for adults, you have it all wrong! Ratatouille is an ode to French cuisine by Disney Pixar and has been appreciated by both kids and adults around the world. The animated food film is about a determined rat called Remy, who dreams about becoming a chef.

Remy becomes friends with Alfredo Linguini, a garbage boy, to clash with the villainous restaurant proprietor to prepare the famed soup picture-perfect. At the end of the film, both open up a bistro called 'La Ratatouille.'

This movie made a lot of buzzes, and a lot of kids started playing more in the kitchen. It's incredible how much inspiration an animated film can bring to children when its story is very impactful.

No Reservations

There is no shortage of food movies to watch with a hint of romance mixed in for good measure. No Reservations is the film where Aaron Eckhardt and Catherine Zeta-Jones play the roles of two competitive chefs battling it out for culinary perfection.

Catherine Zeta-Jones faces some difficulties after having taken care of her niece, Abigail Breslin, after her family dies in an accident. Aaron steps in to help Catherine as her underling, but his kitchen skills are so great that she starts getting threatened by it. It is a perfect food-related film that will stir up some love.

Chocolat

If you have a sweet tooth, then this is one of those food movies that will blow your mind. Juliette Binoche plays the role of a single mother and the owner of La Chocolaterie Maya; here, the food materials and ingredients are magically dusted. Johnny Depp stars as a gypsy who is trying the make Juliette fall in love with him.

The film will showcase mouth-watering delicacies as the camera moves across the tasty delights. One scene in the movie where the celebration turns into temptation is when the mayor indulges in some chocolate.

Waitress

There are not a lot of food movies to watch that have ended up on the Broadway Stage. Keri Russell plays the role of an upcoming and talented pie-maker who is trapped in a bad marriage. The film was adapted into a musical.

Keri starts facing marriage problems after she discovers her pregnancy. She then starts to unleash her transformative skills by baking the most delicious and mouth-watering pies. The film is all about the creativity that women have in the kitchen.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey is one of those happy and pleasant food movies to watch that is full of drama and comedy and aims to spread positivity about multi-cultural acceptance. This is a story about a family from India who moved to a small French town and bought a restaurant, only to find out that they have engaged themselves in competition with the bistro in the neighborhood.

Helen Mirren has a share in the bistro and tries to take down the Indian restaurant. However, her eyes are left wide open as residents start vandalizing the new start-up. Later, the movie shows different chefs combining ingredients to form tasty mergers.

Like Water for Chocolate

Looking for food movies? This is an epic Mexican romance film that combines the mystery and mysticism of every great cook. The story is about a young woman who can affect anyone with her mood, along with her food. This means that her tears cause intense emotion while her rose petals allow passions to rise. However, because of class differences, she is not allowed to see her great love. But her magical recipes keep the two lovers close.

Pieces of April

Patricia Clarkson and Katie Holmes play the roles of daughter and mother, respectively. The story revolves around the stress of making Thanksgiving dinner. While preparing and making the meal wasn't hard enough, the duo also faces additional problems when the oven breaks down.

The film only goes on to prove that support from family and friends will help you achieve comfort food that does have the power to heal. 

Big Night

This is one of those films about food that is loved by critics and based on Italian cooking. The roles of rival brothers played by Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci. In the movie, two brothers are doing everything in their power to keep the restaurant afloat.

One night, they come to know that a famed singer will be making an appearance in their restaurant. Both throw away everything to create a perfect feast for the occasion. The film pays tribute to the culinary perfection and the true celebration of Italian food. 

Soul Food

Soul Food is a well-known and popular movie about food and is based on the lives of an African-American family that has to deal with their grandmother’s illness. The film shows the table overflowing with tasty food like biscuits, potato salads, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, etc.   

Vivica Fox, Nia Long, and Vanessa Williams play the roles of sisters who know what great cooking is all about. Love is really expressed in movies like Soul Food.

Conclusion

There are about 14 million individuals all around the world working in the restaurant business. Hence it might be challenging to find an accurate cinematic depiction of working in a restaurant. But the movies listed above are so authentic that you will start appreciating professional cooks and chefs and find yourself asking questions like 'do actors eat real food in movies?’

What do you think about such food movies? Let us know in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nellie Rodriguez is a 28-year-old kitchen assistant who enjoys running and cooking. She is fun and nerdy, but can also be very rude and a bit untidy. She lives in Sacramento and sees herself as open-minded. She has a degree in Food Science.