Feeling Hungry? Here are 3 of the Best Movies About Food

I remember watching Spanglish in the theaters as Adam Sandler’s character, a chef, created a delicious-looking sandwich that I just had to go home and make on my own.

Here’s the scene, but fair warning: you may have to get up and go make this sandwich after watching the scene!

If you want to make this BLT with egg yourself, here’s the recipe:

3 to 4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese
2 slices Pain de Campagne (rustic country loaf) toasted
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 slices tomato
2 leaves butter lettuce aka Boston lettuce or bibb lettuce
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg

Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Place the slices of cheese on one slice of the toasted bread and place in a toaster oven or under a broiler to melt the cheese.

Spread the other slice of toast with the mayonnaise, top with the cooked bacon, the sliced tomato, and the lettuce.

In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Fry the egg, turning over briefly when the bottom is set (keep the yolk runny!). Alternatively rather than flipping it, put a lid on the pan and let the top of the egg gently cook with its own steam. There’s less of a chance to break the yolk, and the egg still turns out perfect.

Slide the finished egg on top of the lettuce. Top with the other slice of toast, melted cheese side down. Place the sandwich on a plate and slice in half, letting the yolk run down the sandwich.

–Mission Food Adventure

Thinking about this scene from Spanglish recently, I started working on a list of some of the best movies about cooking, chefs, restaurants, and most of all–FOOD.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Although it only has a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, I really enjoyed this movie. (The only thing that throws it off, for me, is the clunky last quarter of the movie.)

In rural France, a family of Indian immigrants opens up a restaurant directly across the street from a Michelin Star restaurant, which peeves the classic French restaurant’s owner, played by Helen Mirren. It’s a story about family, community, and FOOD.

As someone who loves both French and Indian food, this movie left me wanting to hop on a plane for a world tour of great food.

Chocolat

Look, if you’ve read much of my writing, you know that I am no fan of Johnny Depp (especially after reading his violent texts), but Chocolat is a great movie–especially if you enjoy chocolate and magical realism.

Vianne (Juliette Binoche) is a French woman with a special gift–she can create mouth-watering chocolates that influence and inspire the ordinary people around her. She helps people find happiness, but struggles to find her own–until Johnny Depp’s character arrives.

The Menu

The Menu is a disturbing horror movie about a chef who decides to teach his horrible clientele a lesson at the Hawthorne, his exclusive island restaurant. Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) makes outrageous food–some that actually looks good, some that is clearly a satirical jab at this kind of fine dining, and some that is horrifying.

This is the newest movie on this list (released in 2022), and it has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Definitely a great movie, and a fun psychological horror flick for anyone who enjoys fine food–but you have to be willing to recognize the absurdity of some aspects of super high-end dining experiences.