There no shortage of food shows on Netflix to binge as it seems that a new series debuts almost daily. With such a wide buffet to choose from, there are certain times where you just want a show that’ll please the taste buds as much as it does the eyes.
Even with the eclectic assembly of online entertainment, there’s much in the way of food-related shows to choose from. Whether you’re in the mood for an exciting food competition, an insightful food travel vlog, or just a good old-fashioned romantic comedy that brews out of a passion for food, there’s something to please any palette.
Here are 25 food shows on Netflix to check out.
Chef’s Table (2015-Present)
The first documentary on Netflix, creator David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) takes us on a different kind of culinary journey behind the scenes to explore the lives of some of the most legendary chiefs in the world. The award winning series follows each chef in conversation that takes an intimate look at their inspirations and cooking styles. In each episode a chef prepares an amazing speciality of theirs while discussing their personal stories. A few episodes that stand out are the ones with Francis Mallmann, Ana Roš, Grant Achatz, Magnus Nilsson, and Bo Songvisava. Every episode is well done combining amazing cinematography and incredibly heartfelt stories from the lives happening behind the kitchen door.
The Chef Show (2019-Present)
In 2014, chef Roy Choi and actor/director Jon Favreau teamed-up for the food truck drama Chef. Now they’ve reunited once more to take their love of food to another level in this travelogue of big meals and bigger names. The show finds them experimenting with unique recipes while being joined by the likes of Bill Burr, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Holland, Seth Rogen, and many more celebrities dropping by for good eats. Think of it as those classic celebrity food segments from the talk shows of yore, given a more intimate appeal with notable names and a duo who really dig cooking.
The Great British Bake-Off (2010-Present)
It’s perhaps one of the most notable of comfy and binge-worthy cooking shows on Netflix and for good reason. Having been a staple of cooking competition programs for 10 years, The Great British Bake-Off is a simple enough show for showcasing amateur bakers trying to impress judges with their decadent and sweet food creations. But the format of the show was so addicting that it not only became a popular program but reinvigorated love of baking in the United Kingdom and Ireland with a sharp uptick in baking supply sales following the program. So enthralling was the bake-off that it spawned numerous specials and spin-offs as well as winning a BAFTA.
Ugly Delicious (2018-Present)
The award-winning chef David Chang is taking a trip across the globe to find the best foods that not only taste great but can break through cultural barriers. He not only discovers a wealth of astonishing dishes but meets a wide range of people, ranging from chefs to activists to celebrities. Of those celebrities, such guests include Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Kroll and Peter Meehan. Chang’s travels take him from the homestyle country meals of Houston to the sophisticated allure of Tokyo.
Somebody Feed Phil (2018-Present)
Philip Rosenthal is a name most notable as the creator of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Now he steps out from behind the camera to become the center of his own food travelogue of mouth-watering meals with a side of humor. His adventures in cuisine hunting will take him to Bangkok, New York City, Saigon, Seoul, and Montreal among others. Originally a PBS program, the show migrated to Netflix for its third season.
Street Food (2019-Present)
Not all food travelogues have to venture to the most top tier of restaurants. Sometimes you can find a great meal right on the street, which just so happens to be the aim of the international documentary series Street Food. Each season focuses on a different continent: seasons one centers on Asia and season two on Latin America. Such simple and savory dishes featured on the program include Nihari Stew, Chilli crab, Argentinian Empanadas, and Tortilla de Papas. It’s a fascinating look at the lesser seen side of international food.
Zumbo’s Just Desserts (2016-Present)
A dozen chefs are challenged by acclaimed pastry chef Adriano Zumbo to bake the most tasty of sugary food in this Australian competitive baking show. The amateur chefs of moms, brokers, and salesmen compete in the kitchen with all manner of decadent deliciousness. This show is not because it was saved by Netflix, as the show’s first season had low ratings on Australian television but became enough of a hit on Netflix it led to a second season.
Meat Eater (2012-Present)
Outdoorsman and conservationist Steven Rinella hosts this American hunting documentary series focusing on all things meat. From the elk of Kentucky to the grizzly bears of British Columbia, Steven hitches up his outdoor gear for each episode where he tracks down different prey to be turned into savory dishes of meaty delight. It’s a show perfectly suited for those seeking some tips and thrills on how to hunt or if you’re just a tad curious about how best to seek and prepare Hasenpfeffer.
Let’s Eat (2013-Present)
Goo Dae-young finds himself at a low point in his wife as he’s not exactly enthused to now be in his thirties. Trying to find some meaning and an extra boost in morale, he retreats to his love of food that he dined on in college, bringing back fond memories of his twenties. This gives him the opportunity to connect with his college friend Lee Ji-woo and reminisce about old times while savoring the fine food of the present. A bittersweet and sometimes simply sweet anthology series about how food can continue the happiness that we may have once thought lost in this stirring Korean rom-com.
Nailed It (2018-Present)
By far one of the most enthusiastic cooking competitions on Netflix, Nailed It finds home bakers taking their talents into unknown territories by tackling the toughest of cake projects. With cash prizes, the bakers do their best to nail the accuracy of their sweet food experiment with results that may not always impress but always gauge an enthusiastic response from a most eccentric panel of judges. The many sweet foods on display, baked within an astounding two-hour time frame, is enough to inspire anyone to throw on an apron and give cakes a shot, even if they fail it more than nail it. The show has gone on for four seasons, not including a whole season devoted to just holiday treats.
Food Wars (2015-Present)
Sometimes food can look just as delicious in animation as it does in live-action and one of the prime mediums for gorgeously drawn eats is within anime. While there’s a lot of anime with fine looking food, Food Wars is an absolute must of a series. The show follows teenager Soma Yukihira and his dream of becoming a full-time chef just like his dad who owns a restaurant. The series features luscious food dished up (or drawn up) with great detail, considering the series features recipes from Japanese chef Yuki Morisaki.
Salt Fat Acid Heat (2018)
Based on the award-winning cookbook, chef/writer Samin Nosrat goes globe-trotting on her quest to unearth what makes the food the most delicious and the secrets to just the right dish. But Nosrat is not so much as concerned about the more decadent dishes but rather the essential components that make it great, trying to boil down the process of great cooking down to its most vital of additions. Her destinations include the islands of Japan and her cooking origins of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse.
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018)
Not quite a cooking show but not quite a puppet show, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell is unlike any food show on Netflix. It’s a mixture of baking tasty treats fit for Halloween as baker Christine McConnell plays herself while weaving in a macabre narrative of talking pets, undead creatures, and psychopathic neighbors. Think of it as though Tim Burton and Jim Henson teamed up to produce the most wickedly whimsical of cooking programs. In fact, The Henson Alternative, an arm of The Jim Henson Company, helped develop this show with Brian Henson, Jim’s son, acting as executive producer.
Miss Culinary (2019)
A maid finds that she’s a bit in over her head when it comes to the profession but she has set her sights on a bigger target. She dreams of being a chef and realizes the only way to do so is to chuck her old life behind her and take a chance on a new venture. What she doesn’t count on, however, is that she runs across two suitors on her rise in the ranks of becoming a culinary master of food. But they may just be her key to achieving her dream in this tasty Thai mixture of a love triangle and passion for cooking.
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2009-2019)
Based on the manga of the same name by Yarō Abe, Midnight Diner is a Japanese anthology series of delicious stories amid decadent food. Nestled in the Shinjuku district of Japan is the Meshiya diner, a late-night spot that caters to those who live when the sun goes down, open from midnight to 7am. Owned by the master chef known simply as The Master, various customers enter to air their troubles, often receiving help from The Master as much as they receive quality food off his limited menu. The customers often contribute ingredients to the meals as much as they contribute to the series with their tales of drama.
Ms. Panda and Mr. Hedgehog (2012)
In this Korena rom-com of plentiful pastries, Go Seung-ji (Lee Dong-Hae) is a tough baker who remains cold and emotionless in his work, earning him the guarded nickname of Hedgehog. He opens his heart to nobody and keeps his eyes on his food. But that may change when he runs across the more relaxed personality of the cafe owner Pan Da-yang (Yoon Seung-ah), so laid back that she has garnered the title of Panda. They’re an odd couple considering Go is an ex-con and Pan is an orphan but they may just connect amid their devotion to the culinary arts.
Spice Up (2014)
Yu Nan (Jeanette Aw) has lived a spoiled life but finds that she’ll have to take on some responsibility in the realm of cooking when she’s forced to have her family’s restaurant business named Charlie’s Angel (yes, really). With her father having passed away, it’s up to Yu Nan and her fine cooking skills to keep the business afloat. She also has a knack for taste as her sensitive taste buds allow her to perfectly articulate and seek the perfect dish. But she’ll have to be cautious of the competition that wants to steal her secrets and bring down the restaurant. It’s a chipper and inspiring saga of one woman proving herself in the melodramatic Singaporean series brimming with passion.
Samurai Gourmet (2017)
Takeshi Kasumi (Naoto Takenaka) seeks some new meaning in his life after having recently retired. He takes great comfort in the pleasures of food and drinks, bringing out his inner samurai, compelled to walk the land in search of adventure. His many travels on foot will take him to ramen shops and gastropubs, amazed at all the restaurant world has to offer him. As a slice-of-life Japanese series, Samurai Gourmet explores the bittersweet nature of living one’s twilight years while also embracing the joys of finding new discoveries at such an old age.
Love Cuisine (2015-2016)
Opposites attract in the kitchen as the youthfully eccentric Oscar Han (Lego Lee) clashes with the stern and disciplined Chef Fang Xiao Rou (Allison Lin). Rou has returned to Taiwan after having become a famous chef to dabble in teaching culinary but isn’t quite ready for the likes of Han. When they combine their talents, however, they soon discover that their comradery can cook up the most fantastic food worthy of any menu. But what may be even more surprising is the romance that bubbles up in the kitchen in this food-centric Taiwanese romantic comedy series.
The Perfect Match (2017)
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Huo Ting En has become a famous chef who specializes in curry dishes of numerous Asian countries. He runs the restaurant La Mure and finds himself facing a fierce rivalry with Wei Fen Qing, a night market chef that can dice up food just as tasty at a much lower cost. They find themselves at odds but they become very close as their enthusiasm for all things food soon brings out a romance. Also known in Taiwan as Need for a Perfect Match, this romantic-comedy series once more finds love in the kitchen but with an added dose of intriguing pathos thrown into the mix.
Cooked (2016)
Based on his novel of the same name, journalist Michael Pollan goes on a quest for food in this documentary series. But this is no mere food travelogue. Pollan’s journey is one of trying to trace the history of food and how it relates to our innate needs as humans, forming our culture and connecting us in practices that have stood the test of time. Each episode of this four-part miniseries explores the different elements of fire, water, air and earth. It’s a thought-provoking series that observes everything from the evolution of the cooking medium to interesting facts about gluten.
Flavorful Origins (2019)
Chinese food has quite the allure with its many dishes of sweet and spice, beef and chicken, noodle and tofu. It also has a rich history of quality dishes that have survived for centuries and endured as tasty classics. Flavorful Origins is a 20-part Chinese series that digs deep into where some of those amazing meals got their start, tracing everything from the quality ingredients to cooking techniques. Each season is regional as the first season covers the Chaoshan while the second season goes into the Yunnan region.
Hyper Hard Boiled Gourmet Report (2019)
Not all meals come so richly cooked in decadent restaurants. Hyper Hard Boiled Gourmet Report (what a title) is a Japanese documentary series that takes aim at the lesser-seen parts of the globe where getting a bite to eat is far more dangerous than popping out to your favorite location. Here’s a travelogue that isn’t afraid to dig deep into marginalized communities where people eat more to live than to seek the best dish. Any dish will do in poor communities that struggle for food, ranging from the Middle East to even North America.
Crazy Delicious (2020)
Who says you can’t make something grand out of a classic dish? Crazy Delicious proves that astounding food can be conjured from your own environment. This British cooking competition program where contestants must show off their cooking skills on a set bursting with natural ingredients to craft the most original and unique of culinary creations. Unlike most cooking shows, Crazy Delicious has an almost whimsical aesthetic for embracing its forest- like set that gives off a fantastical feel when crafting the most flavorful of dishes. If you’re looking for cooking shows with great set design, this is the creative program for you.
Japanese Style Originator (2008-2020)
For those who want to test their knowledge of Japanese cuisine, Japanese Style Originator is the quiz show to see just how much you truly know (or want to learn). Five panelists compete in this Japanese program with topics ranging not only in Japanese food but also traditions, etiquette, conventions, and culture. It’s a simple yet engaging quiz show that has stood the test of time as one of Japan’s longest running competition series for being so immensely popular.
The Final Table (2018)
As one of the more unorthodox of cooking competition programs, The Final Table tests the skills of a dozen chefs to see how skilled they are at cooking food from numerous nations. Each episode, hosted by food writer and critic Andrew Knowlton, focuses on food from different cultures that spans Mexico, Spain, England, Japan, India and the U.S. Celebrity guests, famous chefs, and food critics then judge how exceptional their cultural creations taste. By the final episode, the chefs will have to showcase just how original they can be by making the most distinct dish they can conjure in this tense and competitive program.
What are your favorite food shows on Netflix?
We’ll keep updating this list as we discover new shows. But if we’ve missed one of your favorite food shows on Netflix be sure to let us know by commenting on Facebook and tagging us in your post.
Visit Netflix for a current complete list of food shows available now. And don’t forget to check out our list of the Best Food Movies Ever Made.