There have been a slew of excellent food-related movies made over the years, like the animated sensation about a cooking rat, Ratatouille, or the classic Big Night about an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Investing yourself in a narrative about the inner workings of a Michelin-star restaurant or a small food truck (like in Chef) might be entertaining, but there are some films that are a must-see just for the delicious visuals alone.

The only thing better than a great foodie movie is one where the meals look so good on screen that you can practically taste them. We've compiled a list of twelve movies, and some food recipes to pair it with that are sure to make you hungry. Bon appétit!

Update January 4, 2024: The holidays might be over, but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy some great food. This article has been updated with even more films with delicious-looking food and information about where you can watch each one of them.

12 Julie & Julia (2009)

Julie & Julia is a biographical movie written and directed by Nora Ephron that tells the true story of two exceptional women. The modern-day storyline follows New Yorker and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams), on her journey to prepare all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s famous cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The film is interspersed with flashback scenes of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) as she begins her culinary journey, learning to be a chef in 1950s France.

What Makes It So Delicious

Julie & Julia is an entertaining and heartwarming tale of two determined women, who first flail and then thrive in the kitchen, and whose lives converge through their love of cooking. Streep was praised for her performance and Julie & Julia received several award nominations and wins, but it is undoubtedly the food itself that is the true star of this film. Any movie about Julia Childs is bound to have great food, but what makes this one so great is one gets to see a newcomer go through and attempt at making these legendary dishes. If you're a skilled cook, pair the film with boeuf bourguignon. Rent on Apple TV

11 Burnt (2015)

Bradley Cooper plays the lead role in John Well’s food drama Burnt as a temperamental chef, Adam Jones. At the start of the film, Adam has all but destroyed his promising career by abusing drugs and burning bridges with all of his personal and professional relationships. Finally, given a second chance to run a kitchen by an old friend, Adam’s bad attitude, poor people skills, and desperate attempts at another Michelin star continue to cause problems with the staff. The chef hits rock bottom before realizing that building personal connections is the only way to turn his life around.

Burnt Taste Good

While the movie was not received well by critics, most of whom celebrated Cooper’s performance, along with those of Sienna Miller and Daniel Brühl, but felt the narrative was lacking, the bright spot of the film is certainly the food, as Adam’s single redeeming quality is his outstanding culinary abilities. To prepare for the role, Cooper and Miller were trained by esteemed chef Marcus Wareing, who taught them everything they needed to know about cooking the gourmet food seen on screen. Creating a Michelin recipe at home is not easy, so maybe the easiest dish to try from the film are some delicious oysters. Stream on Netflix

10 Marie Antoniette (2006)

Kirsten Dunst appears as the lead in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 movie Marie Antoinette, which is a fresh take on a historical drama. The film follows a young Marie through to adulthood as she struggles with her identity as a woman and mother and is eventually forced out of Versailles with King Louis XVI due to political unrest. The film polarized both American and French critics, some disapproving of the lack of historical context and others impressed by the poignancy of its story.

Not a Traditional Food Film

Marie Antoinette earned several award nominations along with the Oscar win for Best Costume Design. Although not a film focused specifically on food, there is a particular scene in which Marie is surrounded by delectable-looking cakes that have set foodie hearts aflutter since it first premiered. Before you start the viewing of this movie, make sure you have some macarons nearby. You're going to need them. Rent on Apple TV

9 Ratatouille (2007)

It’s impressive that Ratatouille is able to get you hungry because of animated food cooked by a rat, but that’s why Pixar is incredible. This is a film about a Parisian rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), with an incredible sense of smell who dreams of becoming a chef. With the help of Linguini (Lou Romano), he’ll be able to do it.

Ratatouille is a Delicious Dish and Movie

Even if it’s animated, every ingredient and recipe looks incredibly delicious because of its bright colors and animation style, as audiences can almost taste what they’re seeing. The fact that a unique, old-school recipe like ratatouille is the biggest dish and creates the climax of the story as it’s the meal they give to the scary food critic is also an incredible idea, making everyone who sees the movie itching for a piece of this unique vegetarian recipe. Obviously, once you’ve seen the film, you should try it. Stream on Disney+

8 The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a movie by Lasse Hallström, adapted from a Richard C. Morais novel of the same name. The film depicts a rivalry between two restaurants that are across the street from one another in a small French village. One is a new Indian restaurant owned by an Indian immigrant family, and the other is an established French restaurant with a Michelin star. When Hassan Haji Kadam (Manish Dayal) begins learning French cuisine from the opposing restaurant, even after they’ve tormented his family, he finds a way to blend their two cultures into the food and earns public recognition for his success as a chef.

What Makes It Great

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a feel-good film filled with delightful visuals of fresh ingredients and prepared meals that you can practically smell through the screen. The film also stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri, and Charlotte Le Bon. Pair the film with the masala omelet that appears in it, as it looks mouth-watering. It is a great example of how food shapes cultures, how cultures shape food and the power of how a dish can bring people together. Rent on Apple TV

7 Waitress (2007)

Before Waitress became a Tony-award-nominated Broadway sensation, it was just a small bittersweet film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly (who was tragically murdered a few months before its release). The movie follows a small town waitress named Jenna (Keri Russell) who is trapped in an abusive marriage, becomes unexpectedly pregnant, and begins an affair with her married obstetrician (Nathan Fillion).

Waitress Is a Great Treat

Throughout the movie, Jenna creates recipes for many pies with pun-filled names like “Life’s a Rocky Road Pie” and “Aren’t You Sweet Potato Pie”. Her process is mesmerizing to watch, and the pies, not only delicious to look at, act as a coping mechanism and spiritual practice for Jenna. Waitress also stars Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, and Andy Griffith. We advise you to get yourself a delicious pie before watching the movie for your own good. Stream on DIRECTV

6 The Menu (2022)

Read Our Review

The Menu is the story of Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), who visit an incredibly unique, exclusive restaurant led by his Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), who will give the eaters a food experience they’ll never forget. The film is a critique of fine dining culture and becomes a dark satire with some truly horrific deaths that contrast with some incredible-looking food.

Why You Should Order Off The Menu

Even though the film makes fun of some of the latest food trends, and the people who go to this eat these once-in-a-lifetime experiences, some of the food still looks delicious. But nothing more than the cheeseburger and the love and great care the chef has cooking it, proving that sometimes simpler is better. So much so that a cheeseburger after viewing the film is mandatory. The Menu was a film that managed to be a critical hit and also a mainstream box office hit and whose fandom grows as more audiences find it. Stream on Hulu and Max

Related: Bob Saget Plays a Chef in Final Acting Role for Rapper Desiigner's New Music Video

5 Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman tells the story of Chu (Sihung Lung), a retired chef, and his three single daughters. They meet every Sunday for incredible lunches made by Chu, while showing the relationships between him and every daughter, and their different romantic relationships. As with any Lee film, there’s a lot of care, love, and realism about the characters and their lives in 1980s Taiwan, and this time food is at the center of every important conversation.

Eat Drink Man Woman Features Plenty of Delicious Dishes

The film starts with a four-minute silent sequence where Chu cooks the food for their daughters from scratch, showing all his precision, dedication, and why he was an incredible chef. From there on, food is always present and looks delicious, which is used to highlight the film's themes of transitioning from tradition to the needs of the modern world. With so much of the movie revolving around eating, make sure you are full before you start watching. Stream on The Roku Channel

4 No Reservations (2007)

No Reservations is a popular foodie rom-com from director Scott Hicks that follows a head chef at an NYC restaurant, Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who must adjust to a new strong-willed member of her kitchen staff, Nick (Aaron Eckhart). The majority of the film takes place inside the kitchen, with snappy remarks, shouting of orders, and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals providing the backdrop for the slow-burn romance.

What Makes The Food Look So Good

Unsurprisingly, the two chefs fall in love, and there’s an added bit of sweetness that appears as Kate’s niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin) helps bring the two together. No Reservations received mixed reviews as a movie, but in terms of the visuals, both the presentation of plates and the food itself, it’s certainly Michelin star-worthy. This movie will go great with a piece of tiramisu. Rent on Apple TV

3 Chef (2014)

Chef tells the story of Carl Casper (Jon Favreau who also wrote and directed the film) a great chef, who after a Twitter snafu decides to go back to basics and starts cooking in a food truck. He takes that food truck from Miami to Los Angeles, and in the process, bonds with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony), and rediscovers his love for food and cooking.

Chef Is a Love Letter to Food Trucks

To prepare for the role, Favreau worked with chef Roy Choi, and it shows that every meal looks amazing. Be it a simple grilled cheese or pasta dish, the New Orleans’ beignets, the Franklin barbecue meat in Austin, or the Cubanos they cook in the food truck. Favreau loves food, and it shows that every shot with food makes us salivate. The movie is a love letter to food truck culture that showcases how great food can come from anywhere and does not need a restaurant to be delicious. Stream on DIRECTV

2 Haute Cuisine (2012)

Haute Cuisine is a French film from director Christian Vincent and is based on the true story of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, who was appointed as the first female private chef for French President François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1990. Actress Catherine Frot plays the lead role and viewers follow her from the Élysée Palace kitchen, where she successfully seduced the President with her culinary prowess all the way to her later life, where she worked as a chef at a French Antarctic research station.

What Makes It Great

The soundtrack to Haute Cuisine, along with its crisp editing and smart dialogue, brings a sense of urgency to the film, perfectly depicting the energy with which the beautiful food is prepared. Every one of the meals is mouth-watering and makes you want to move to France immediately. It truly goes to show why French cuisine is considered some of the best in the world. Stream on The Roku Channel

Related: Netflix Cooks Up Iron Chef Reboot Series

1 Toast (2011)

Toast is a film by S.J. Clarkson (director of the upcoming Madame Web) based on the autobiography of the same name by cookery writer Nigel Slater. The film follows a young Nigel, whose parents are often unable to cook meals and whose father, Alan, often prepares toast for dinner after his mother’s death. As he grows older, Nigel’s own attempts in the kitchen put him in competition with their new housekeeper as they fight for culinary bragging rights and Alan’s affections. A coming-of-age story told through the lens of food,

Toast Is Worth Celebrating

Toast is an excellent feel-good film. The most prominent dish featured in the movie is certainly the many lemon meringue pies prepared by Nigel and the contemptuous Mrs. Potter, played by Helena Bonham Carter. In an interview with The Guardian, the real Nigel Slater explained, “Food has taken the place of affection, friendship and I suppose, love. What began as a catalog of 1960s home cooking ended up being a memoir … giving me an extraordinary insight into people’s relationships with food, and not just my own." Stream on Peacock