You don’t need to have worked in the service industry to know that kitchen work is a chaotic business at the best of times. Many showrunners and filmmakers over the years have tried to capture that mood: the simmering frustrations, the unorthodox family bond, the way it pulls people apart and the way it brings them together. Every now and then, those people also make things that are nice to eat.
No show has done more to pull away the curtain while simultaneously romanticising that world than The Bear, a COVID-era sensation that has now spawned four seasons and made a cast of once relatively unknown actors into megastars. So, what better time to tuck back into the world of food on screen?
This list is not necessarily all of the best foodie movies you can stream right now; more the ones that capture the show’s spirit, and how a unique kind of beauty can be found in the most disorderly places.
The Menu (2022)
We are past the point when The Bear began to influence other creators, but this widely appreciated pandemic release was in production at roughly the same time. Mark Mylod, then deep in the weeds with the final season of Succession, took a break to direct The Menu, a pressure-cooker movie about an uber-chic restaurant (run by a deliciously nasty Ralph Fiennes) where the hors d’oeuvres are served with a side of violence.
Bear fans will appreciate the movie’s skewering of haughty showmanship and its ultimate embrace of simplicity.
Best dish: that cheeseburger at the end is to die for.
Boiling Point (2021)
Whether it had to do with the relative ease of shooting something in a more easily contained setting or the way audiences had started to crave the experience of eating out, culinary-focused stories were all the rage in the early years of COVID. None felt quite as ragey as Boiling Point, a single-shot wonder starring Stephen Graham as a head chef on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Those with a taste for Carmy’s more unhinged moments will appreciate the movie’s (and the subsequent miniseries’) intensity, especially Graham’s performance; as will fans of Adolescence, the acclaimed show that reunited director Philip Barantini and Graham four years later.
Best dish: for all the cooking, the movie and show rarely focus on a particular dish—but I’d easily eat five of those little cod plates from Episode 1.
Ratatouille (2007)
Pretty much anything to do with the democratisation of high-end dining can be traced back to Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain’s iconic memoir. One of the best things to come out of those newly relaxed attitudes was Brad Bird’s Ratatouille, a gorgeous movie that remains a high watermark for Pixar, even among the studio’s peerless early run of work.
The essential spirit of the movie, boiled down to Chef Gusteau’s assertion that “anyone can cook,” reminds you of Carmy’s refusal to gatekeep and the trust he shows when elevating his staff to more senior kitchen roles.
Best dish: it’s all in the name.
Chef (2014)
The story behind this movie is about as comforting as the food it so lovingly depicts. Jon Favreau went back and forth through the Hollywood wringer a few times before rediscovering his love for filmmaking with movies like Elf, Iron Man and Iron Man 2. In 2013, he decided to go back to basics with Chef, a movie that in some ways echoes that journey.
This passion project—for which Favreau called in a few favours, including casting MCU big hitters Scarlet Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.—follows a celebrated chef (played by Favreau) who is cast out of the fine dining world only to rediscover his love for cooking in the process.
The story is typical of the genre and mirrors Carmy’s journey from the brutal world of Empire to rediscovering his roots in Chicago.
Best dish: the perfect grilled cheese.
The Taste of Things (2023)
The best movie about cooking in recent years is also one of the most detailed. Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things takes place in 1889 and follows the culinary and romantic relationship shared between a gourmet (the great Benoît Magimel) and his long-serving cook (the even greater Juliet Binoche).
Much of the action takes place in the kitchen, where very few words are exchanged above the marvellous dance of boiling, simmering, stirring and frying that Húng exquisitely captures. No other movie on this list allows the food to be its star to this degree. I think Carmy would probably like it.
Best dish: the movie is so good it even makes ortolan look tempting—which is more than you can say for Greg and Tom.
Julie & Julia (2009)
You won’t find any of The Bear’s anxiety in Julie & Julia, a high-calorie slice of culinary escapism from comfort food queen Nora Ephron. What you will find is everyone’s favourite movie foodie (Stanley Tucci) and everyone’s favourite Meryl (erm, Streep) playing lightly exaggerated versions of Paul and Julia Child.
Ephron’s movie was inspired by Julie Powell’s best-selling novel, Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, in which the early food blogger (played here by Amy Adams) attempted to cook every recipe in Child’s iconic Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days. Needless to say, it’s a cosy watch.
Best dish: has to be the boeuf bourguignon.
Nonnas (2025)
We can definitely add this recent Vince Vaughan delicacy to the Julie & Julia section of our menu. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, Nonnas tells the real-life story of Joe Scaravella, an MTA worker in New York City who, after the death of multiple family members, including his grandmother, opens a restaurant in her honour—the twist being that Scaravella only hires grandmothers as chefs.
Similar to J&J, the movie isn’t looking to get the adrenaline pumping, but it’s a moving ode to the women who have always inspired the world’s great cuisines.
Best dish: definitely the pasta and Sunday gravy.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
I didn’t plan to add non-fiction movies to this list, but David Gelb’s Jiro Dreams of Sushi feels too influential to leave out. Gelb originally planned to make a food doc inspired by David Attenborough, but came across a tale of inheritance and intergenerational disconnection in the process.
This is not to say that the movie doesn’t deliver on both counts: the images of the 84-year-old master sushi-maker at work (now 99, the curmudgeony genius is still with us), set to music by Max Richter and Philip Glass, inspired a whole generation of foodie docs.
Best dish: It’s impossible to choose from the nigiri. I would devour every one of them.
Sideways (2004)
Alexander Payne’s Sideways is kind of a modern foodie classic. It also deserves a place on this list, even if its palate is more trained to the grape than the grain. The movie follows a wine aficionado (an excellent Paul Giamatti) and his best friend (Thomas Haden Church) on a tasting trip through the Napa Valley.
The duo are celebrating the latter’s bachelor party, which of course goes awry, but the movie’s themes are more to do with the former’s mid-life crisis and how wine can be a metaphor for that period of life. If you appreciate the way The Bear uses food to express wider themes, this movie is one worth savouring.
Best dish: we’ll take the burger, some fries, and a 1961 Château Cheval Blanc from a styrofoam cup, please.
Big Night (1996)
It makes sense that Stanley Tucci would feature twice on this list. The beloved actor has been charming the world with his love for Italian delicacies ever since lockdown. Tucci’s first great food movie, however, came a long time before all that.
Released in 1996, Big Night, which was also Tucci’s directorial debut, tells the story of two struggling New Jersey restaurateurs who catch a break when Louis Prima decides to drop by for a meal.
Best dish: The Timpano looks excessive, but I would probably eat the whole thing.
Where to Watch More of the Best Cooking Movies
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