iStockphoto / Andrei Akushevich/Sony Pictures/Miramax/20th Century Fox/Amblin Entertainment
Iconic food scenes from Hollywood history in front of a movie theater screen
Seeing good food on the big screen is infectious. Much like seen an actor yawn might elicit a yawn from the viewers, seeing actors dive into food dishes that look incredibly delicious can stir immense hunger and yearning for that dish.
Here we rank the most delicious foods ever seen in movies. This is different than the Greatest Food Scenes in Movie History because we aren’t ranking the entire scene itself but instead are looking specifically at the food dish in the movie scene.
Ranking The 17 Most Delicious Foods In Movie History
When food is great you just know it. That’s precisely how something like a grilled cheese or homemade sauce can end up on a list next to chocolate cake and a breakfast spread. And some of these dishes look so delicious they have been infecting our brains and make us hungry for over 70 years! The oldest movie scene below dates all the way back to 1955.
Can you guess what it might be before you start scrolling? Because it will all make sense soon. Now without further ado these are the 17 most delicious foods in movie history.
1. The ‘Cheese Pull’ Pizza From A Goofy Movie
First up we have the iconic ‘cheese pull’ scene from A Goofy Movie which came out all the way back in 1995. That delicious cheesy pizza looks so good that millennials have been chasing pizza like this for their entire adult lives.
I have yet to ever eat or see a pizza that comes close to producing the cheese pull seen in this scene. If I ever find that pizza I’m fairly certain I will finally be able to sleep soundly at night.
2. The $5 Milkshake from ‘Pulp Fiction’
In an era where we talk about the soaring cost of food every single day this scene from 1994’s Pulp Fiction really hits differently. In it, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is completely and utterly baffled that Mia Wallace’s (Uma Thurman) milkshake costs $5. To him, a milkshake priced at $5 is a sin.
These days you can easily spend $100 on a milkshake in major cities. Prices have gotten out of control. But the point still remains: we all want to know what that $5 milkshake really tastes like. Director Quentin Tarantino certainly has us convinced that it was the most delicious milkshake ever made.
3. The Perfect Grilled Cheese from ‘Chef’
The grilled cheese from 2014’s Chef that both starred and was directed by Jon Favreau is kind of cheating because it is a film about life in the kitchen so OF COURSE they are going to make the most delicious dishes imaginable. That said, this grilled cheese (probably) single-handedly caused a spike in the grilled cheese market.
Because I’m a bit deranged, I went back and looked at the Google Trends data surrounding ‘Grilled Cheese’ after this film came out in 2014. Lo and behold, there was a large spike in interest surrounding grilled cheeses with interest going from ’73’ to ’85’ after the film came out.
4. The Prison Tomato Sauce in ‘Goodfellas’
This is an iconic scene, yes, but the sauce. We all want to try that sauce. This is a scene I will never skip if I see it on TV and as someone who did not grow up in a traditional Italian household I feel like I was robbed of a Sunday Sauce experience.
5. Harold And Kumar Finally Get Their White Castle Burgers
When Harold and Kumar finally get their White Castle burgers it is the ultimate moment of catharsis. They have been through hell and high water to get there and they finally get to indulge in the burgers they’ve spent the entire film chasing after.
Are White Castle burgers actually any good? Well, that is entirely a matter of preference. I will say that being able to 12 of them in one sitting is nice but it would almost never be my first, second, or third choice. Even still, after this movie came out they had us all believing these were the best burgers in the game.
6. Ralph Fiennes Makes A Cheeseburger in ‘The Menu’
Ralph Fiennes’ performance in The Menu is nothing short of perfection. He nails the 3* Michelin Chef stereotype in a way that nobody else could have pulled off. But the twist at the end with the cheeseburger, a burger that happened to turn out to be literal perfection, is the cherry on top of this film. I’m fairly certain I went and got a cheeseburger immediately after watching it the first time.
7. The Buffet Desserts in ‘Hook’
When Robin Williams finally gives in and remembers who he is after the back-and-forth with Rufio he opens his eyes to the most delicious spread of food we millennial kids had ever seen in our lives. Dessert for dinner? Yes, please.
I’m not sure that half of what was on the tables was identifiable. There were cakes and desserts of every type. And to this day I still think about them.
8. Hans Landa’s Strudel in ‘Inglorious Basterds’
Hans Landa’s interrogation scene of Shoshana in Inglorious Basterds is chilling, suspenseful, and if you didn’t finish that seen craving Strudel then you are lying to yourself and everyone else. That scene did more for the revival of strudel than anything else in the past 50 years.
9. Bruce Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Layer Cake in ‘Matilda’
Bruce Bogtrotter’s cake in Matilda set the bar so high for cakes in movies that no film has ever come close. They saw that chocolate cake and said ‘nope, we can’t top that’ and directors just gave up.
I am willing to bet that at least a handful of you folks reading this article about the most delicious movie foods of all time even requested a cake just like Bruce’s for your birthday the year Matilda came out. FYI, you can still request that cake from whoever in your life. Nothing’s stopping you from chasing that cake once again.
10. Massive Breakfast Spread in ‘Wedding Crashers’
Our first (of two) breakfast spreads… Vince Vaughn just going to town on the unlimited breakfast options in Wedding Crashers. He incorporated eating into the scene perfectly by chowing down and filling up his plate. I didn’t know it was possible to crave breakfast at night but this scene certainly had that impact on me.
11. Katz’s Deli Pastrami Sandwich in ‘When Harry Met Sally’
If you are wondering why that is footage of Katz’s Deli making the pastrami sandwich and not the actual scene from When Harry Met Sally that is because YouTube has age restricted Meg Ryan’s performance in that scene and it won’t load on websites. Lame, I know. But you know the scene.
Our BroBible office used to be walking distance from Katz’s Deli, just a few avenues over, and it never disappointed me. Not once. They are the gold standard for pastrami and corned beef in NYC. Sure, Carnegie Deli is fantastic. I love it there too. But Katz’s is the best.
12. Kevin’s Mac and Cheese Dinner from ‘Home Alone’
Kevin McAllister’s Macaroni and Cheese dinner from Home Alone was actually the impetus behind this entire article and what led to ranking of the most delicious foods in movie history. Sadly, Kevin never got to fully appreciate his meal because the Wet Bandits showed up too soon.
How was Kevin able to pull off such a delicious meal as a kid? Why is the cheese shimmering so perfectly in that light? Was that Hollywood magic or did they really make the best Mac and Cheese of all time?
13. The Iconic Spaghetti from ‘Lady and the Tramp’
Here we are with the oldest clip on the list. This one dates back 71 years and anyone that has ever seen Lady and the Tramp has been left thinking about the iconic spaghetti scene. Are we really talking about dogs kissing right now? I guess so. But there are no rules. I want that spaghetti and meatballs for myself.
14. Making Cubanos in ‘Chef’
Can I say something controversial here? I prefer the Cuban sandwiches in Tampa over Miami. I said what I said. I know that everyone won’t agree, or that most people won’t agree, but it had to be said…
With that in mind, I need John Favreau to make me a Cuban sandwich one day. If you are looking to make your own Cuban sandwiches at home this Food Network recipe will change your life.
15. Double-Decker Pizza Slices in ‘Saturday Night Fever’
My dude John Travolta kicked off Saturday Night Fever by changing the pizza game forever. Why eat one slice when you can slap two together, create a double decker pizza slice, and go to town?
16. Pastries in ‘Marie Antoinette’ (2006)
This one feels like cheating. Of course Marie Antoinette is going to have delicious French pastries. I guess the real question is how many of you out there ever saw this film back in 2006? Regardless of whether or not you ever saw the movie, the pastries and desserts in that scene above are out of control delicious.
17. The Perfect Breakfast in ‘Pretty Woman’
This one is underrated but I had to include it as the last on the list. Julia Roberts’ breakfast in Pretty Woman was a work of art. I’m not sure I could’ve eaten every dish because they all looked so good but at the same time no breakfast scene in movie history has ever made me hungrier.
We have arrived at the end! What scenes/dishes didn’t make the cut that you would add to this list of the most delicious foods in movie history? Let me know down below in the comments and if they’re good enough I will consider adding them here.