Finding the best food movies

Tired of the usual Hollywood blockbusters and craving something more flavourful for your next movie night? Well, you’re in luck! We’ve curated a list of the 18 best food movies that skillfully tell stories about food within the movie format.

Let’s be honest, finding a good food movie isn’t as easy as ordering takeout. We’re not really sure why this is, maybe it’s hard to capture the stories evolving around food. Anyways, there are some that has taken up the challenge and as usual, TimeSavour has done all the work for you when it comes to finding these rare gems.

From heartwarming tales of family & food to passion and even pure horror, our selection promises a mix of genres that celebrate the art of storytelling through the lens of gastronomy. So, grab a snack (no judgment if it’s just popcorn), settle in, and join us as we navigate the sometimes elusive world of food movies.

(List goes from oldest to newest)

1. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

The film tells the story of a semi-retired chef and his three grown daughters. The daughters encounter new men in their lives, and when these new relationships blossom, the living situation within the family changes. (IMDB: 7.8)

2. Big Night (1996)

Big Night tells the story of two brothers who run an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Business is not going well as a rival Italian restaurant is out-competing them. In a final effort to save the restaurant, the brothers plan to put on an evening of incredible food. (IMDB: 7.3)

3. Chocolat (2000)

This romance film tells the story of Vianne Rocher, who arrives in a French village and opens a small chocolaterie. Her chocolate influences the lives of the townspeople in different and interesting ways. The film received five nominations at the 73rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture. (IMDB: 7.2)

4. Sideways (2004)

This cult film follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond, a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack Cole, a past-his-prime actor. They take a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara Wine Country to celebrate Jack’s upcoming wedding. (IMDB: 7.5)

5. Ratatouille (2007)

This animated movie tells the story of Remy, a French rat who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a restaurant’s garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini. (IMDB: 8.1)

6. Julie & Julia (2009)

The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New Yorker Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s cookbook in 365 days. (IMDB: 7.0)

7. The Trip (2010)

This is the first movie of the comedy franchise about Steve Coogan and his food journeys. In this movie he’s been asked by The Observer to tour the country’s finest restaurants. After his girlfriend backs out on him, he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon. Expect British humor and succulent food. (IMDB: 7.0)

8. The Trip to Italy (2014)

This is the second film in the trip franchise, this time Steve and Rob embark on a culinary road trip across Italy, following in the footsteps of a couple of romantic poets. Eating their way from Piemonte down to Capri, they get to taste the best of Italy. (IMDB: 6.6)

9. The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

This American comedy-drama film is about a battle in a French village between two restaurants that are directly across the street from each other. An Indian restaurant owned by an emigrant family and an established French restaurant with a Michelin star owned by a French woman. (IMDB: 7.3)

10. Chef (2014)

The film revolves around Carl Casper, a chef who quits his job at a popular restaurant in Los Angeles after a turbulent time. He returns to his hometown Miami to fix up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creativity, while reconciling with his estranged family. (IMDB: 7.3)

11. Burnt (2015)

The movie follows Adam Jones, a former top chef in Paris, who moves to London for a shot at redemption after his career was put on hold due to drugs and alcohol. (IMDB: 6.6)

12. The Trip to Spain (2017)

The third movie in the trip trilogy follows Steve and Rob as they embark on another culinary road trip, this time in Spain. Showcasing exquisite tapas, seafood and grilled meats. (IMDB: 6.6)

13. The Platform (2019)

This Spanish social science fiction horror film is set in a large, tower-style “Vertical Self-Management Center”. Its residents are fed via a platform which descends through the tower’s levels, leading to conflict as those at the top get to eat as much as they can, with each level only getting the leftovers from the previous ones. (IMDB: 7.0)

14. Uncorked (2020)

This American drama film tells the story of Elijah, who works at both a wine business and his family’s local barbecue restaurant. Despite his father’s expectations for him to take over the family business, Elijah aspires to become a master sommelier. (IMDB: 6.4)

15. The Trip to Greece (2020)

The fourth and final movie about actors Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, this time in Greece. Here they travel from Troy to Ithaca following in the footsteps of the Odysseus. (IMDB: 6.6)

16. Boiling Point (2021)

In this movie we follow head chef Andy Jones on the busiest night at one of London’s hottest restaurants. As he walks a knife’s edge, he needs to manage multiple personal and professional crises that could unravel all he has worked for. As he strives to maintain control, the fragility of his success becomes glaringly apparent. (IMDB: 7.3)

17. Pig (2021)

In the remote Oregon wilderness, a solitary truffle hunter finds himself compelled to revisit his past in Portland when his cherished foraging pig is abducted, embarking on a quest to reclaim their bond. (IMDB: 6.9)

18. The Menu (2022)

A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. (IMDB: 7.2)

Final words

Great movies about food doesn’t grow on trees, this is especially true when you leave the documentaries out of the picture, no pun intended. Enjoy these while they last, because they are as rare as Iranian beluga caviar.