Be it drool-inducing mukbang videos, informative food vlogs, or intense Master Chef competitions- food provides a variety of content that an audience worldwide is eager to watch if they can’t taste it! So, how can the vast scope of anime fail to cover this saliva-dripping topic? From the piping-hot visuals to the stomach-prepping background stories, food anime sure is an Achilles heel for foodies across the globe!
Anime creators have been increasingly clever and creative in their course of providing lip-smacking visual feasts. There are endeavors for ingredient hunting in strange new worlds or wholehearted procedures captured in the kitchen of the characters.
Such depth is seen in this passionate storytelling delivering great entertainment and insight. To provide the fans of this anime trope a composite to find something new to watch, here is a list of the 50 Best Anime Cooking Series:
1. Bonjour Koiaji Pâtisserie (Bonjour Sweet Love Pâtisserie)
Fleurir academy is the dream school for all young bakers who wish to make a name for themselves in the pâtisserie world. Sayuri Haruno is one such girl who works hard and wins a scholarship to the elite confectionery school, and dives into the new world of learning the art of baking.
The encouraging staff comprises world-class patisseries, and Sayuri finds Ryou Kouzuki to share her journey with. Sparkly with pretty animation art, this hilarious anime is quite the tummy tickler. This slice-of-life story is just right, with sweet desserts, short episodes, and cute characters.
2. Wakakozake
A food-life combination that will be an exciting watch as Murasaki Wakako roams about exploring restaurants and trying different delicious pairings of food and drinks. Simplistic, heartwarming, and calming.
Wakakozake, with 12 episodes, 2 minutes each, is a discovery of real-life dishes that can be found and enjoyed in Japan. This anime will be relatable to foodies who want solitary company while eating their woes away.
3. Koufuku Graffiti (Gourmet Girl Graffiti)
In the full sense, this anime utilizes food as the basis of development and progress in the story as the protagonists- Ryou, Kirin, and Shiina- cook and share the moment and recall memories.
Detailed descriptions of the food are provided, and the adorable characters enhance the feeling that the audience can derive from the show through their cute antics and salivating mukbang. The soundtrack is pleasing, and the art style is attractive, with bright characters and a relaxing, light-hearted ambiance surrounding the story.
4. Cooking Papa
Who doesn’t like their father’s cooking? Mr. Araiwa’s family sure does, as he cooks delicious delicacies to feed them. Burly-looking Mr. Araiwa is a big softie who expertly handles delicate and intricate recipes and hides his talent from his co-workers, making them believe his journalist wife is the one cooking when really she has no talent in the kitchen department. The long-time-running series is funny, wholesome, and a good watch to unwind and relax.
5. Mister Ajikko
This show stars a prodigal young cook who helps his mother in managing their small eatery. The first-ever cooking anime shows the old-school, comic-strip art style, which creates a sense of nostalgia with imperfect characters and their intriguing characteristics.
The series of events consist of Youichi- the young chef, impressing big-shots and encountering several talented cooks with whom he competes- winning some, losing some. Being innovative, he creates unique recipes to provide the best dishes to his customers. Mister Ajikko is well worth a watch with its witty story, character development, and emotional appeal.
6. Ristorante Paradiso
The premise of the story- is quality Italian romance with food in a restaurant run by older men in their signature glasses. Quite a peculiar outline, isn’t it? But the exquisiteness of this slice-of-life story lies in its simplicity and how each character with their own story ends up at the same place where they share their love for deliciousness- truly a paradise restaurant. This josei anime will not fail to please anyone looking for a peaceful, no-drama watch, and with its dream-like art, it is quite the visual feast.
7. Bartender
Ryuu Sasakura is an expert bartender famous for his exquisite blend of drinks and the creation of amazing cocktails. Eden Hall seems to attract troubled customers who drink to soothe their souls and end up revealing their woes and miseries.
The attractive part of this anime certainly lies in the relatability of the character’s stories and how in-depth each detail is explained and concluded. There is no particular plot being followed, but it’s not without any rhyme or reason. That bartender is a captivating series that can be a healing show for the audience.
8. Chuuka Ichiban! (Cooking Master Boy)
It is one of the most famous cooking anime series of all time. The premise of the anime is set in the 19th century when the country drastically weakened due to its sick emperor and is close to an end. In this period, cooking was highly important, and chefs were highly revered and granted the utmost respect and prestige.
A young Mao wishes to follow in his mother’s footsteps to become an acclaimed chef and run her restaurant. He travels across the vast expanse of the country, meeting new friends and battling foes in intense cooking competitions.
9. Toriko
The ‘Gourmet age’ has befallen the world where ice-cream mountains, chocolate springs, and mac-n-cheese mountains are not a dream but part of life! Chefs are eager to create master-piece dishes, and for that, they seek out the help of Gourmet hunters who venture to remote places, navigate dangerous journeys, and fight off monsters to find rare ingredients. Toriko, with his friend Komatsu, travels to complete his full course menu of life, and his discoveries and experiences along the way make up the story.
10. Yakitate! Japan (Freshly Baked! Ja-pan)
The unique take of this anime is that it is focused entirely upon baking- an odd subject to base an anime on, but the makers have done an excellent job in holding the interest of the viewers through the hilarious production.
Azuma, the main protagonist who is especially talented in baking and desires to invent an unparalleled national bread for Japan, goes on to compete with master bakers and revolutionize the baking world. Though the anime is built of over-used cliché tropes, it is an interesting watch because of its tendency to leave the audience in stitches at each scene.
11. Yume-iro Pâtissière (Dream-Colored Pastry Chef)
Similar to Bonjour Sweet Love Pâtisserie, this one also focuses on a female protagonist who desires to accomplish success in the desert world, with handsome and talented boys to aid and accompany her in the journey.
Even with no originality, and archetypical characters, it does not lack positive attributes that make it an amusing series to view. It hooks in the viewers from the first few episodes and creates an enchanting atmosphere that is hard to reel away from.
Even a fantasy angle is involved with the incorporation of adorable chibi fairies who cheer the characters on throughout the story. The diabetic visuals are drool-worthy, enhancing your cravings for delicious desserts with every scene.
12. Shokugeki no Souma (Food Wars!)
Souma Yukihara is a brilliant young chef with confidence and competence. He aspires to surpass his father’s cooking skills and ends up at Totsuki Culinary academy, famous for its rigorous curriculum and competitive atmosphere.
Wars over food in the literal sense fill the series of events in the storyline, and detailed background information, humorous interactions plus the appetizing presentation of the food leave us foodgasm from this entirely too entertaining anime.
13. Cooking with Valkyries
Ever imagined a mythical Valkyrie putting on an apron and being active in the kitchen instead of a War-field? This anime puts this creative image to the test and brings short episodes and easy recipes for viewers to try out in their comfort. Mouthwatering dishes and pretty characters form the backdrop of the plotless, leisurely anime.
14. JK Meshi
When you’re trying to cram for an exam but pangs of hunger knock on the door and successfully distract you from studying is a highly relatable concept- and based on this is the anime series JK Meshi.
It involves three girls revising their academic materials but ending up cooking simple but delectable dishes. Ignoring the poor-quality animation of the series, it is a fun watch to pass the time.
15. Yuru Camp
All fans of camping activities should not miss this relaxing and fun anime that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside as the characters encounter one another and proceed to spend quality time together, eating and conversing.
It is wholesome and a pretty healing watch to relax after other more energetic anime. The animation aptly captures and delivers the atmosphere and setting of the story with decent picturization.
16. Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyor
This anime series makes viewers happy with its cast exuding calm vides and the soft setting throughout the story’s entirety with no major plotline. It is a story about four men who run a Japanese-themed tea shop and provide a place to momentarily forget reality and overlook the mundane troubles of everyday lives to their customers.
17. Isekai Izakaya Nobu (Food from another world)
This is a remarkable anime with extraordinary storytelling, which could be a hit or a miss with some viewers. A proficient chef and an outgoing waitress form a team to run a Japanese-style restaurant and bar serving superior quality dishes and drinks to customers from different worlds. It is quite an experience to learn about the different backgrounds of the customers and the stories that brought them to the restaurant.
18. Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi
An exquisite combination of mythology, horror, and food mixed into one could have been a disaster, but it’s not! Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi is a successful mix of genres that keeps us hooked from the intro to the end with its picturesque animation, intriguing plot, and amusing presentation.
The story flows well with our female protagonist using her supreme cooking prowess to defeat and control spirits and, at the same time, establish the power and importance of food. If you desire an out-of-the-regular experience, this anime will not disappoint.
19. Oishinbo
It is a story of a hard-boiled food critic who is assigned to work on an ‘Ultimate Menu’- a collection of all the most delectable cuisines from around the world, with a rookie journalist.
OishinboThe plot progresses to show their adventures and experiences in various restaurants and eateries as they bond and strive to accomplish their task. The anime sets a perfect ambiance that fits well with the story, and the character sketch is well done with detailed nuances that stick out as key features.
20. Piace: Watashi no Italian
Morina Nanase probably never expected the experiences she would receive by joining the Trattoria Festa as a part-time waitress, an Italian eatery. Working along with her new coworkers, quite the peculiar, unconventional characters, she makes unforgettable memories, learns, and grows her personality with the main course of excellent Italian delicacies served fresh, sizzling, and hot!
21. Adorable Food Goddess
Time-travelling is not a beloved trope for no reason, and when it combines with traditional cuisine, the taste is unbeatable! Ye Jiayao, who dreams of reaching the pinnacle of the cooking world with her talent and hard work, is thrown back into ancient times when she gets caught up in an accident during one of her cooking experiments.
Unfortunately for her, before she is able to realize that, she gets transmigrated to medieval-period China into the body of a good-for-nothing young miss. And if that isn’t bad enough, before she gets a chance to get a handle on the situation, she is kidnapped!
The plot follows her quest to survive and thrive in the past world with her cooking prowess and cunning smarts. Not it is up to her as she uses her smarts and skills to counter such circumstances with a healthy dose of humor to keep things interesting. The top-quality and picturesque animation will make you fall for the characters with their prettiness!
22. Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan
In this lovely new artsy animation, you will have a heartwarming time watching the Emiya family dine and share these moments with their guests, who are inevitably attracted to the sensational scent of the exceptional food that Shirou cooks. Always experimenting with new recipes, Shirou’s menu is unique, like this anime, where one can let their focus lose and get lost in the eventful life of the Emiya family.
23. Amaama to Inazuma
It is not easy being a single father- especially for Kouhei Inuzuka, who does not have any talent in cooking and is concerned about his daughter’s health if he keeps feeding her convenience store meals.
His student convinces him to visit her family restaurant with his daughter, and from there, Kouhei’s life begins to chase as he, along with his daughter and student, goes on to learn to cook and appreciate the taste of warm, homemade food.
This slice-of-life anime is introspective in nature and makes you ponder without investing too many emotions into it as the sweetness of it all slowly seeps into your being because of the soft father, adorable daughter, and heart-touching antics.
24. The Way Of The Househusband
The infamous Yakuza leader when suddenly disappeared from the underworld. Nobody ever imagined he would become a house-husband, deeply affectionate to his wife and determined to be an efficient homemaker.
This is his hilarious journey from learning to cook to make the best bargains, baffling old comrades and enemies alike- a highly entertaining watch. Even with the simple animation, the show gains points in its humorous dialogues and presentation of cooking and action scenes.
25. A Chef of Nobunaga
The misfortune of teleporting into the past with no memories except conveniently of cooking and ingredients befalls Ken, who then uses his exceptional cooking prowess to power through the challenges he has to face when two factions mobilize to hunt him down. He is one OP character who can cook anything from making a named dish to creating something new using any available ingredients because he is just that good!
26. Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari (Poko’s Udon World)
Souta – the main character, is living an uneventful life in the capital city, Tokyo, and moves back to his hometown Udon upon the demise of his father, who ran a restaurant that had to shut down as business went down. There he meets a mystical creature whom he names Poko and decides to adopt and raise the tanuki himself.
The tenderness in scenes and the emotional appeal hold weight in the anime more than the story. It is the suitable depiction of each scene and touching moments among the characters which are attractive and produce feelings of adoration in the viewers.
27. Antique Bakery
True to its name Antique holds a lot of vintage spirits, which adds to the charm of the anime along with the storyline and the character’s profiles. Working at the bakery are four regular yet not-so-ordinary men, all with the respective stories that bring them together.
Due to recurring nightmares about being forced to eat cake, Tachibana opens up a bakery of his own after quitting his job to catch the culprit. I guess there’s no harm in trying, right? The jovial nature and chuckle-inducing shenanigans are all part of the reason why this anime can be a good viewing choice.
28. Cooking’ Idol Ai! Mai! Main
A voice actress Fukuhara Haruka gives voice to a character MAIN and teaches cooking to kids through the character. The anime is entirely too adorable and cutesy, with childish animation. Divided into two segments- the MAIN character on screen, and the live-action segment of the voice actress practicing cooking herself.
29. Ben-To
Funnily enough, the entire premise of the anime is set on the ridiculous notion of people fighting like crazy over half-priced bento boxes. There is even a fan club for people who like to watch the fights. But where is an anime without some oddity? The focus is highly placed on the over-the-top action sequences and the deliciousness of the food, which makes it worth fighting over.
30. Shinsengumi Kitchen Diary
Suddenly when Izumi Inaba, a high school student, returns back in time to the end of the Edo period, she finds herself at odd about what to do. She gets to meet the commander general of an army who, impressed by her outstanding culinary skills, takes her in as part of the squadron. A very interesting story. It is an adventure to watch the protagonist’s course of events in the historical anime.
31. Kakutou Ryouri Densetsu Bistro Recipe
Imagine an amalgamation of Pokemon with food. You get Kakutou Ryouri Densetsu Bistro Recipe! This story incorporates food in the form of creatures, each of which has its respective utility. To wage war against evil, a young boy named Zen, together with his sister and Pitan- another young boy with a ginormous appetite gets to work to create Foodons and fight the bad guys.
32. Kodoku No Gourmet
Traveling across Japan, Inogashira Gorou, a businessman, searches and visits all kinds of restaurants and ramen eateries, enjoying his own company as he indulges his gluttonous nature. Presented in simple art-style animation, this anime is a pretty soulful mukbang-type show.
33. Love Kome: We Love Rice
Though the story premise might seem all too strange, with Rice taking the spotlight as the star of the show as it is propagated popularly by 5 high-schoolers, they love rice and will stop at nothing to prove its diverse utility and delicious taste. After 12 episodes of 4 minutes each- do they succeed?
34. Maiko-San Chi No Makanai-San
Even with no drama and major plotting, the story’s simplicity is an attractive point. In this anime, there are two main characters who leave Aomori Prefecture to come to Kyoto, wishing to pursue becoming beautiful Maikos.
But, alas, Kiyo ends up becoming the cook for other Maikos living at the Maiko house, with Sumire working hard towards her goal. An anime that exudes feelings of comfort and softly touches the heart with its nourishing ambiance and wholesome interactions.
35. Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Koizumi is a curious new transfer student who is a silent beauty attracting quite the attention. But, unexpectedly, she has a quirky side of her which is a glutton for ramen! Though she is not social, she is an expert when it comes to all things ramen and loves to look out and try new ramen noodles. So, if you also love Ramen wholeheartedly, like Koizumi, do consider joining her adventures!
36. Walking Meat
In an alternate twisted, dystopian world where zombies usually tend to run after humans to eat their brains, it is humanity who has developed their palate to like zombie meat. Zombies are farmed as pastures and used for a plethora of food products like hamburgers, drinks, and snacks.
This story follows the events of three people who get stuck at a zombie farm with the undead meat breaking free to wreak havoc and terror! Beware that this is not based on any usual run-of-the-mill and can leave you disgusted with some graphic scenes.
37. Kekkai Sensen: Ousama No Restaurant No Ousama
This animation is an adaptation of a chapter from the eighth volume of the manga Yasuhiro Nightow. Booking a table at the most elite restaurant in the city is not easy at all, but to impress their guests, the libra group extends the invitation to dine at Molzzogazza.
The food there is infamous for its splendid flavors making people lose their minds in eating. Believing it to be an important deal that can bring immense benefits for Libra, Steven warms the team to maintain discipline, but will that be possible with the exquisite cuisine melting their brains? What else could go wrong? This show is a hilarious and dramatic ride!
38. Kaidan Restaurant
A kid’s anime with horror-filled tales, including food. Divided into three main parts- an appetizer, a main course, and then the concluding dessert. It is a thrilling show without too much tension as three good friends- Shou, Ako, and Reiko end up at the abandoned Kaidan restaurant and begin their tales of fright.
39. Chocolate Underground
Another dystopian anime in which the authoritarian government’ Good For You’ bans all things sweet and audaciously claims to be holding the best interests of the public at heart with this decision.
This new order causes Smudger Moore’s father’s bakery to fall into heavy losses. Furious at the injustice Smudger and his friends raise a chocolate rebellion dedicated to the return of the sweet delicacies back into their world.
40. Dagashi Kashi
A traditional candy shop run by the Shikada family is on the verge of closing down when Kokotnotsu Shikada refuses to inherit the family legacy. Despite his father’s pleas, he remains firm with his decision and then arrives at Hotaru Shidare, the heiress of the Shidaru corporation, who wants Kokotnotsu’s father to work for her company.
To make him agree, she has to convince Kokotnotsu to inherit the family business. Can she do it? This sweet anime will make you nostalgic as you reminisce about all the reasons candy was an undefeatable childhood favorite.
41. Kitchen Princess
Najika Kazami was orphaned at a young age, and not long after, she almost died from drowning in Hokkaido. There came a boy who saved her and presented her with a flan to bring back her lost smile, and gratefully Najika, who aspired to become a great chef, promised to make him the most delicious dessert in the world.
After that, she loses touch with the boy without ever getting to know who he really is. To find her flan prince, she joins the Saika academy and meets with many new people who become her friends or foe.
Joining multiple cooking competitions, she makes a name for herself with her cooking skills and tasting talent. When she finds out about her flan prince, she really never expected it to be who it was. A beautiful story of food, friendship, and love- kitchen princess may be a combination of cliché tropes, but it doesn’t disappoint due to its execution and flow with loveable characters.
42. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
This isekai anime follows the story of a male protagonist, Mukoda Tsuyoshi, who is an average salaryman without any outstanding skills or luck. But, this seemingly ordinary man suddenly gets transported to another world where he gains the skill of ‘online shopping’, which he uses to bring food ingredients from the modern world to the other world and cooks delectable dishes which reap him extraordinary benefits.
43. Moyashimon
An odd twist to the creation of cooking anime would be Moyashimon. This anime, instead of showing the influence of food and cooking in the lives of the characters, highlight the importance of different types of bacteria in the formation of raw ingredients and food items for cooking. Taking a light-hearted and humorous approach to presentation, this anime is an underdog candidate.
44. Grave of The fireflies
Along with enjoying the abundance of delicious feasts, it would also be good to take a look at this anime which focuses on the lack of food and the struggle for survival. It is the story of two siblings who, in the war-torn time period of Japan.
During the bombing of Kobe in the second world war, they were left orphaned and stranded homeless, fighting their own battle for everyday survival. It is heart-wrenching, realistic, and tragic because it portrays the difficulties and showcases ugly truths.
45. Flavors of Youth
It isn’t an anime about food, so to speak, but an interpretation of the feelings associated with a hearty breakfast table or a full dinner. It explores the lost essence of childhood as one approaches the stage of becoming an adult.
The thought-provoking nature of the anime renders one speechless as the audience wanders about the lost bonds and forgotten memories that should be cherished dearly. This heart-warming anime is not all sunshine and rainbows as it also explores the rainstorms and wintery nights that arrive in lives.
46. Petit Dream Stars! Let’s La Cooking? Showtime!
A cutesy, childish anime in which adorable humanized characters enjoy cooking and are shown making splendid dishes and sharing them together. One time, while baking cookies, an unrecognized ingredient gets added to the dough, making the cookies turn into monsters that wreak havoc upon the tiny fairies!
47. Coffee Ikaga Deshou
The anime follows a coffee truck owned by a talented barista who sincerely cares for his customers and customizes each cup of coffee for them. Filled with humor-filled conversations, bitter-turned-sweet interactions over coffee, and the rich aroma of the beans- it is an unmissable anime, especially for all caffeine lovers!
48. Drifting Dragons
This anime includes the large and terrifying dragons who lord over the skies, but there are dragon hunters wo eye the flying creatures as treasure troves of resources like food, medicine, and oil.
The huge amount of meat on the body of a dragon and how it is cooked into delicious, fulfilling meals in the strange world is what we get to see and understand. It is a novel feeling to follow the gang of hunters as they travel to track dragons and turn them into drool-dripping dishes!
49. Sweet Reincarnation
A recount of the story of an outstanding pâtissier who has a bright future ahead of him. Unfortunately, he dies and gets reborn as the son of a poor lord’s family. Utilizing his skills, the boy named pastry begins his journey of becoming a hero by creating deliciously sweet deserts that flush the joy-barren lands with happiness and make the people’s lives sweeter.
50. Beauty and the Feast
Shuko Yakumo is a widow who discovers a new purpose in life and joy by feeding her new, young neighbor who is a high school boy named Yamato. He has a bottomless pit in his stomach and enjoys gulping down insane amounts of food, and he is more than delighted to join Shuko Yakumo at the dining table.
Soon his sister joins the duo, and Shuko ultimately gives in to her inner voice to feed the siblings to extreme levels. This rom-com is a good tummy-tickler and visual feast.
From this list of 50 Best Anime Cooking Series, you will surely be able to find some good series to watch and enjoy.
Also Read: 35 Anime Movies Like Howl’s Moving Castle You Need to Watch
