Let’s be honest, when the camera pans to some dripping chocolate or zooms in on a fresh home-cooked meal, it’s hard not to feel hungry while watching a movie. It is even harder to stop your stomach from grumbling when a film intentionally makes all its meals look delicious. But what are the most memorable movie scenes that are guaranteed to make you hungry?
From sizzling pans to pies hot out the oven, plenty of flicks are guilty of making us crave everything they show us on screen. Think about all the times when characters in movies tell us how good their food is, when a cooking montage zooms in on perfectly baked confectionaries, or the times when dining room tables were filled with the most exquisite meals you could ever imagine.
Well, we have rounded up the top choices in those delectable moments for all your foodie convenience. But be warned, this list will make you hungry. So make sure you have a meal or snack on hand before digging into our top picks. If you are unsure what kind of food would go best with our guide, you can download Doordash’s delivery app and browse a range of culinary goodies here.
Now without further ado, it’s time to grab the cutlery and have your napkins at the ready – here is our list of the most memorable movie scenes that made us hungry.
What movie scenes made us hungry?
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Goodfellas
- Ratatouille
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Pulp Fiction
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Hook
- Lady and the Tramp
- Inglourious Basterds
- Marie Antoinette
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – Eggs and bacon
Studio Ghibli is the king of animated food. However, although many of the studio’s anime movies have made our mouths water over the years, Howl’s Moving Castle manages to stand out from the pack when it comes to making us hungry.
It’s a well-known fact that breakfast is the best meal of the day, so seeing some perfectly drawn eggs and bacon simmering in a frying pan is a sure-fire way to make your stomach grumble.
The film shows Sophie and Howl placing some fatty pieces of bacon into a bubbling oil bath. We see the two go on to crack some eggs into the pan, which is heated by an adorable magical fire. With a soft hiss, the raw yolks turn into glossy fried eggs, and the perfect looking breakfast is complete.
Goodfellas (1990) – Prison meal
Prison food doesn’t seem so bad if you are part of the Mafia. In this scene from Martin Scorsese’s gangster movie, we see the convicts enjoy a home-cooked Italian feast while locked up in the joint.
Thanks to their connections and a couple of bribes, they can smuggle in the finest ingredients to their cells – we are talking prosciutto, lobster, fresh bread, and salami. If you want quality grub, it is all here.
A standout in the movie food moment is seeing the men cooking their ingredients. Johnny Dio fries up a thick cut of steak, and the men prepare Vinnie’s tomato sauce which is complete with veal and meatballs.
We also witness Paulie chopping up garlic with a razor blade, cutting pieces so fine that they practically turn to butter as they hit the heat. With food like this waiting for them, it is no wonder the men in Goodfellas continue their crime spree.
Ratatouille (2007) – Ego eats ratatouille
Who would have thought that an animated rat could cook food that looks so good? Most of the food in this Pixar movie about an aspiring rodent chef looks pretty appetising, but the scene at the end of the film truly leaves your mouth watering. After tasting the stylishly put together plate of ratatouille, we see the film’s antagonist Anton Ego have a flavour epiphany.
Following his first bite of the scrumptious food, he experiences a flashback of being at home with his mother and then goes on to gobble up the rest of Remi’s ratatouille. Watching this scene will remind you of the comfort that food brings, will leave you wanting a hot homemade meal, and make you wish for the chance to try some fine dining.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) – Grand feasts
Magic isn’t the only thing that is impressive about the wizarding world of Harry Potter. It turns out that Hogwarts knows how to lay out a spread. In the first fantasy movie of the magical franchise, we see Hogwarts’s headmaster, Dumbledore, say, “let the feast begin”, and suddenly a huge table of tasty looking food appears before the students.
From corn on the cob to golden brown chicken legs, everything in front of the young wizards and witches looks cooked to perfection. The actors in the films seem to agree with that statement. The camera continuously zooms in on happy faces, digging into their meals – especially Ron Weasley, who decides to eat two chicken drumsticks at once.
Pulp Fiction (1994) – Big Kahuna Burger
Words can paint a picture, and sometimes a monologue can make your stomach grumble. Samuel L. Jackson’s fast food centred speech in the thriller movie Pulp Fiction will leave you craving a greasy burger and itching for a nice cold soda to wash it all down.
In Quentin Tarantino’s film, we see the scene where two hitmen (Jackson and John Travolta) make a surprise visit to a household “to do business”. However, they get side-tracked after Jackson spots some hamburgers on the dining table.
He is told that the burger in front of him is called the “Big Kahuna Burger” and then describes how tasty the food is and why burgers are just great in general.
As we see Jackson dig into the juicy looking Big Kahuna and hear the actor say “this is a tasty burger” repeatedly, it is impossible not to want to try it yourself.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) – Street food scene
There is something special about being surrounded by friends and engulfed in the glorious spectacle that is street food. In the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel (Constance Wu) and Young (Henry Golding) explore Singapore’s food stalls. Flames rise high, spices are thrown onto fresh prawns, and the golden batter is fried perfectly.
If that wasn’t enticing enough, Young tells Rachel that the vendors have been perfecting their dishes for years and even “earn Michelin stars” for all the tasty creations.
At the end of the scene, a table is filled with colourful and downright delicious-looking food that you can practically smell from behind your screen. Every time you watch this flick, be prepared because you’ll get a severe case of food envy.
Hook (1991) – Food fight
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just imagine a table full of goodies anytime you were peckish? In the movie Hook, we see a table of grand dishes suddenly appear in front of a very startled Peter Pan, played by Robin Williams, after imagining his meal. The magical food looks as if it is straight out of a fairy tale.
From colourful desserts to glossy bowls of fruit, everything looks too good to be true. After Robin Williams tries a frothy drink and polishes off a giant turkey leg, we get to see an epic food fight explode, with colourful pies flying through the air. I mean, what good is an imaginary banquet if you can’t have a little fun throwing your dinner around as well, right?
Lady and the Tramp (1955) – Spaghetti
No one does pasta quite like the animated Italian restaurant Tony’s. In the Disney movie, we see two dogs go on a cute date where they get a helping of “the best spaghetti in town”.
The food looks stellar, and the quick slurping sounds as the characters eat the thin noodles is oddly satisfying. Everything about this movie scene captures the experience of eating quality and saucy pasta.
It is also one of the most atmospheric dinner date scenes you can find. From the two canines having an accidental spaghetti kiss, sacrificing meatballs for one another, and the chef singing the passionate song Bella Notte, this food moment will leave you craving romance, and probably ordering some Italian takeaway.
Inglourious Basterds (2009) – Strudel
It turns out that Tarantino is a foodie, as Inglourious Basterds is the second one of his films to end up on our list. Amidst all the killing and explosions, this war movie has one of the best dessert scenes in cinema. We are talking about the moment when the S.S. officer, Hans Landa, decides to indulge in a serving of strudel and cream.
The powdered German pastry looks scrumptious, and the camera zooms in on a fluffy dollop of cream being added to the characters’ plates – completing the tasty picture. In this movie, we also get a perfect cross-section cut of the strudel, showing how flaky the dessert is and how caramelised the apples inside it are. It’s a pity that only the evil Hans Landa gets to enjoy such a tasty looking treat.
Marie Antoinette (2006) – Shoes and cake
Marie Antoinette says, “let them eat cake”, and gives us a foodie montage that will be right up your street if you have a sweet tooth. As Bow Wow Wow’s rendition of ‘I Want Candy’ plays in the background, we see a series of fancy French confectioneries being served on elegant plates to beautiful women as they shop for shoes while sipping champagne. So, in short, it’s pretty much the ultimate fancy sugary fantasy.
There are close-ups on champagne towers, colourful cakes, jewels, and sugared fruits in this scene. Everything about it screams decadence. Marie Antoinette reminds us that if you ever have a cheat day on your diet, go all out and spare no expense.
And there you have it, the most memorable food scenes in cinema. If these movie moments made you as hungry as they made us remember to check out Doordash’s food delivery app for a quick and delicious way to kick any cravings, and indulge in the best culinary picks.
If for some reason, you aren’t in the mood for food, don’t worry, The Digital Fix has plenty to keep you busy. For more classic film picks here are is our guide to the best movies of all time.