10 Food-Centric Films And Shows That Nourish the Soul

As much as I love writing about food and eating it, nothing quite matches the joy of watching films and series that mirror that same passion. Yet it isn’t always comfort and delight. These stories often act as a catalyst for catharsis, stirring deep emotion and quiet reflection in their audiences. New releases like The House of Guinness set the tone from the very first frame, drawing viewers into a dark world of power, legacy, and inheritance, while Knife Edge keeps you teetering on the brink as chefs chase the elusive Michelin star.

With a long weekend ahead and festive feasting on the horizon, this is the perfect time to add a few food-filled titles to your watchlist. From bustling street stalls to stately breweries, childhood lunchboxes to fantastical campfires, each story serves up its own blend of flavour and feeling. Here are ten films and series that prove food can be storytelling at its most soulful.

1. House Of Guinness (2025)

A sweeping historical drama tracing the fortunes of the Guinness family in nineteenth-century Ireland and New York, from the creators of Peaky Blinders. It opens with the death of patriarch Benjamin Guinness and follows his four children as they grapple with power, inheritance, and morality. Beer becomes a metaphor for legacy and loss, every pour shadowed by ambition, betrayal, and the inescapable weight of family.

Where to watch: Netflix

2. Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars (2025)

Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars offers an unprecedented glimpse into the exacting world of Michelin-starred dining. Executive produced by Gordon Ramsay and hosted by Jesse Burgess, the series follows chefs and restaurateurs across the globe, from New York to Mexico, the UK to the Nordics, as they strive to earn or retain the coveted Michelin star.

Where to watch:Apple TV+

3. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (2025)

This Korean fantasy romance follows a modern-day French chef who, after winning a high-stakes culinary contest, is transported to the Joseon dynasty. There, she must create fusion dishes to please a mercurial king, with her life hanging on each bite. Every plate becomes a negotiation across time and power, where artistry, love, and survival intertwine.

Where to watch: Netflix

4. Hunger (2023)

Set in Bangkok, this taut Thai drama charts the rise of Aoy, a street-food cook drawn into the rarefied world of fine dining under a brutal master chef. As the pressure mounts, Hunger examines how ambition devours empathy, and how the act of cooking can both elevate and consume.

Where to watch: Netflix

5. Little Forest (2018)

After failing an exam and tiring of city life, Hye-won retreats to her rural hometown. Through the gentle rhythm of seasons, farming, and cooking, she rebuilds herself in quiet communion with nature. Each meal becomes a meditation on simplicity and self-reliance, a reminder that comfort can be cultivated. In the process, she also comes to terms with her mother's absence in her life and the deep longing for being taken care of.

Where to watch: Prime Video

6. Garnachas: Glorious Street Food (2025)

This documentary series celebrates Mexico’s vibrant street-food culture by spotlighting the humble “garnacha”, the catch-all term for its beloved snack foods. Across bustling markets and makeshift kitchens, the show honours the vendors, recipes, and rivalries that keep these flavours alive, proving that authenticity is as diverse as the people who cook it.

Where to watch: Netflix

7. Nonnas (2025)

Inspired by a true story, Nonnas follows Joe Scaravella, who channels his grief after his mother’s death into creating an Italian restaurant staffed entirely by grandmothers. What unfolds is a tender study of love, loss, and lineage, of how recipes are not just instructions, but inheritances of the heart.

Where to watch: Netflix

8. Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2016-19)

A beloved Japanese series adapted from the manga Shinya Shokudō, Midnight Diner centres on a small Tokyo eatery that opens only after dark. Each episode tells the story of a different patron, their lives quietly unfolding over steaming bowls and late-night confessions. The food is humble, but its ability to soothe the soul is limitless.

Where to watch: Netflix

9. Stanley Ka Dabba (2011)

In this poignant Hindi film, young Stanley’s lunchbox, his dabba, becomes both mystery and metaphor. When a greedy teacher forbids him from eating unless he shares, Stanley’s defiance reveals a deeper hunger that has nothing to do with food. It’s a delicate portrayal of dignity, childhood resilience, and how generosity can bloom even in scarcity.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

10. Maacher Jhol (2017)

In this Bengali film, Dev, a celebrated chef in Paris, returns to Kolkata to care for his ill mother, who asks him to make one dish: maacher jhol, the fish curry of his youth. His search for the perfect balance of spice and sentiment becomes a journey back to his roots, reminding us that home often waits in the aroma of something simmering.

Where to watch: SonyLiv

These stories remind us that food is never merely about sustenance. It is an archive of emotion, a vessel for memory, and sometimes, an act of defiance. Whether cooked over royal flames, sold from street carts, or shared in silence at midnight, each meal speaks of who we are and where we come from. In the end, the most powerful flavour is often nostalgia, and the most nourishing stories are the ones we taste long after the credits roll.