Who doesn't love food? For decades, anime series have depicted characters enjoying delicious meals, from Pokémon's 'jelly donuts to Studio Ghibli's bento boxes and ramen. As technology advanced and art improved, so too did depictions of food across anime. It became more common to see Japanese food showcased within an anime, and companies no longer tried to 'Westernize' the foreign meals.
In fact, as food began to look more and more realistic, some anime decided to make it their focus, creating a premise around cooking or baking. Finding the balance between showcasing a dish and still having a plot is not easy, and not every anime is successful in this regard. However, many of them deliver an interesting story while still finding time to show off a delicious meal guaranteed to make the viewer's stomach growl.
10 Bonjour♪Sweet Love Patisserie
Bonjour♪Sweet Love Patisserie is a Shojo cooking anime that follows Sayuri, a young girl attending a specialized confectionary school on a scholarship. Sayuri is the target of a group of girls who feel she does not deserve to be there since she did not pay the heavy tuition fees.
However, Sayuri is determined to prove them wrong, and her friends and teachers will help her. This anime features several delicious baked goods such as cakes, chocolates, and chantilly-filled pastries guaranteed to make the viewer's mouth water.
9 Cooking With Valkyries
The hit mobile game, Honkai Impact 3rd created this adorable spin-off anime series, Cooking With Valkyries. The short episodes feature the Honkai Impact characters as they cook various dishes for themselves and each other. This slice of life is sweet and highlights many of the relationships from the game.
Viewers who are unfamiliar with the mobile game will likely not get as much out of the anime, which may be the biggest drawback of this series. However, Cooking With Valkyries still offers many reasons to watch, such as its cute art, catchy theme song, and a recipe for fans to try at the end of each episode.
8 Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
An interesting take on a cooking anime, Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles' protagonist does not actually do the cooking. Rather, Koizumi is a ramen connoisseur and seeks out the best ramen places to eat. Initially going solo to find the best of the best, Koizumi is eventually joined by her classmate Yuu.
Together, they seek out every kind of ramen, and while Koizumi eats, Yuu learns the secrets of ramen. This anime features some of the most delicious looking ramen of any series. Viewers will want to have their local Japanese restaurant on speed dial for when the inevitable ramen cravings hit as they watch.
7 Yakitate!! Japan
Azuma of Yakitate!! Japan has set a goal of creating a national bread for Japan. Growing up in a household that refused to serve bread at the table, Azuma became determined to help his sister prove that bread is a worthy food. However, their traditional family believed rice should always be served over bread. Convincing them otherwise becomes the starting point for Azuma's journey into bread-making.
This anime showcases many types of delicious bread as Azuma grows his skills and creates new and inventive recipes. Viewers will be inspired by the possible flavor combinations and may want to try baking their own after watching.
6 Gourmet Girl Graffiti
Ryou Machiko of Gourmet Girl Graffiti grew up believing she had to become a good cook to have a happy future and to eventually marry, a traditional value that was taught to her by her family. However, as hard as she tries, Ryou's food is just not good.
It looks beautiful but lacks taste. Ryou is struggling to move forward when her cousin comes to visit, and suddenly, Ryou can produce food that tastes delicious. This slice of life anime is heartwarming, focusing on bonds, food, and the way cooking with love makes it taste so much better.
5 Restaurant To Another World
Restaurant To Another World is a different take on the isekai genre. Rather than focusing on a character transported to another world, it centers on a restaurant that appears in another world, but only on Saturdays. The anime focuses on the fantasy patrons of the restaurant and the meals, both Western and Japanese, that the chef prepares for them.
There are a lot of foods showcased in this series, with several dishes featuring chicken and rice appearing in the first episode alone. The food is presented very nicely, and will definitely have fans feeling peckish after watching.
4 Today's Menu For The Emiya Family
When fans think of the Fate series, they think of the Grail Wars, servants, mages, and epic fights. Today's Menu For The Emiya Family is different. This spin-off of the Fate series focuses on the characters doing everyday things such as sitting under a kotatsu and playing volleyball and includes a meal being prepared and eaten afterward.
The food looks delicious and even better is that fans get to see their favorite characters sitting and enjoying it. A slower-paced anime than the usual Fate series, these short episodes will still resonate with any Fate fan.
3 Food Wars!
Soma, the protagonist of the Food Wars! anime is working his way to becoming a top chef after enrolling in the Tootsuki Culinary Academy. This high-stakes school only allows a small percentage of students to graduate and has them compete in heated competitions. Soma and his friends must keep their wits about them and get creative to meet the challenges set out before them.
Food Wars! is well-known for its highly-detailed depictions of food. This reputation is well-deserved. The food in the anime not only tastes good in-universe but looks so realistic it wouldn't be a surprise if it jumped off of the screen onto a plate. Even with a full stomach, viewers may find themselves hungry after watching this anime.
2 Shining Hearts: The Bread Of Happiness
Shining Hearts: The Bread Of Happiness is inspired by the game Shining Hearts of the Shining video game franchise. Because of this, the anime falls into many genres at different points, sometimes falling into a slice of life, while other times being action-packed with fantasy powers, swords, and beast-people. This anime occasionally alludes to the Shining Hearts game and hints at the later installment Shining Blade.
However, the anime can stand alone, and enjoying it without knowing the game series is absolutely possible. The anime follows Rick, a swordsman who washed up on the beach as he joins Amil, Airy, and Neris at their bakery, Le Coeur, and becomes the resident baker. The amazing bread and baked goods will have fans wishing they could visit Le Coeur themselves, while the fantasy elements and secrets of the island will keep fans guessing.
1 Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World
The premise of Japanese Food From Another World is simple: in a fantasy world, there is a restaurant door that will open to anyone who wishes to enter. This restaurant is in Japan but is connected to the fantasy world through the doorway. Citizens of the fantasy world enter and experience the joy of Japanese food in each episode, with the focus being on the exquisite look and taste of the foods they serve.
While the plot is very simple, this anime is still very enjoyable. Anyone who has tried traditional Japanese food will be able to relate to the characters as they taste edamame, karaage, and so much more for the first time. It's too bad this restaurant is not real, because fans will definitely be wanting to visit!