There are all kinds of anime, from shonen to romance, but an underrated but entertaining genre is cooking anime. These cooking anime has such beautiful food presentation that it is almost impossible to bring such beauty in real life. Before beginning, look at these top lists of many other anime genres you might enjoy.
Cooking is an art, and anime creators ensure this art looks more beautiful than ever in anime. There are quite a few cooking anime that have tried to master the art of presentation. However, there are only some cooking anime that makes food look like it’s from heaven and makes the viewer drool throughout the episode. If you can take the challenge to watch delicious anime foods while controlling your hunger, then you’ve come to the right place.
The top cooking anime ranked list is one of the many lists available on our website. If you’re interested in more recommendations, look at our lists of best isekai anime, best short anime series, and top slice of life anime.
1. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
This list starts with the king of cooking anime, Shokugeki no Soma. What happens when you combine a shounen anime and a cooking anime? You develop an elite anime like this one. Shokugeki no Soma is filled with characters fighting in the form of intense cooking competitions, fantastic food imagery, and passionate food enthusiasts.
Shokugeki no Soma follows the story of Souma Yukihira, who worked as a sous chef at his father’s restaurant for many years. When his father closes the restaurant and moves to New York, Souma enrolls himself in the prestigious Tootsuki Culinary Academy to surpass his father. Only 10 percent of students can graduate from this highly competitive culinary school. The anime follows Souma’s journey as he uses his skills and passion for graduating from the academy.
2. Yumeiro Patissiere
This is a cooking anime that revolves around desserts and it simply cannot get any sweeter. Yume-iro Pâtissière is a shojo anime cooking anime with fantastic music and a detailed process cooking process of Ichigo Amano as she makes delicious pastries. It is a reverse harem anime with the main character being the center of attention of three cute guys. It may sound typical, but it is entertaining and sweet enough to satisfy your dessert cravings.
The protagonist is Ichigo Amano, a clumsy girl who loves eating cakes. In a fortunate turn of events, Ichigo Amano gets the opportunity to enroll in the prestigious culinary school called St. Marie Academy. She becomes a part of the top group called “Sweet Princes”. Unlike others, Ichigo has no previous cooking experience. However, with her love for pastries and the help of talented boys around her, Ichigo learns to make the yummiest pastries ever.
3. Sweetness & Lightning
Sweetness & Lightning is one of the most wholesome cooking anime ever made. This anime shows that cooking isn’t only for filling one’s stomach, but cooking for your loved ones and eating it together brings a family close to each other. This anime will make you feel grateful for all the meals cooked by your mum.
The anime revolves around Kouhei Inuzuka, who, after losing his wife, has to look after his little daughter all alone. He tries his best, but he lacks cooking experience and time due to his teaching job, so he mostly feeds his store-bought meals. One day, Kouhei accepts an offer from his student to eat with his daughter at her family restaurant. The anime then follows the everyday life of Kouhei, his daughter, and his student as they cook and eat warm, yummy meals together.
4. Yakitate!! Japan
There are hardly any food-loving fans who haven’t heard of this masterpiece anime. Yakitate is an anime that revolves around bread. In this anime, you’ll see loads of delicious bread and bread enthusiasts. Bread is an underrated tasty treat, and this anime proves it.
Yakitate follows the story of Kazuma Azuma, who loves bread and dreams of creating a unique Japan-only bread. He’s blessed with special hands which are so warm that they ferment the bread faster. Azuma begins working at Pantasia, a famous Japanese bakery chain, to make his dreams come true. For the first time, Azuma experiences competitive bread baking. He meets many talented rivals and friends who become a part of his journey of making the perfect bread.
5. Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family
This anime is a spin-off of the Fate/Stay Night series. Unlike the original series, this anime is a light comedy, slice-of-life anime. Seeing Saber and Shirou in such a peaceful world is therapeutic. This cooking anime focuses on the importance of enjoying food with your loved ones. Moreover, studio Ufotable animated this series, so you can be sure of good animation, which makes the cooking scenes look ten times better.
Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family is set in a world where the Holy Grail War no longer threatens Fuyuki City and everyone lives peacefully, simply. Shirou decides to start cooking and making delicious, new cuisines for Saber. However, Shirou’s cooked meals are so delicious that they attract uninvited guests from the whole city.
6. Toriko
What happens when Dragon Ball Z becomes a cooking anime with Goku being a huge gourmet? You get Toriko. Toriko is a shounen anime filled with fights and lots and lots of food. The whole world in Toriko is made of food such as mac and cheese volcanoes. In this world, nothing matters more than food, not even human life.
Toriko is set in a world where the whole landscape is made of food such as hamburgers and ice cream. The main character is Toriko, a skilled Gourmet Hunter. Gourmet Hunter finds rare ingredients for chefs to cook delicious meals. Toriko has discovered 2% of the existing ingredients. Toriko’s goal is to have a Full Course Menu of Life but to find rare ingredients for this meal; he must fight against evil organizations, dangerous monsters and even food. Toriko won’t let anything come between him and his love for food.
7. Mister Ajikko
Mister Ajikko is the oldest cooking anime on this list. Yet, it is still one of the best cooking anime even after three decades. This one will be the best choice if you want to see an old but gold-cooking anime. It is a typical cooking anime with many drool-worthy cooking scenes and competitive cooking events. The passion and talents of the protagonist would make you want to get up and try new dishes in your kitchen too.
The anime follows the story of Ajiyoshi Yoichi, a culinary prodigy who cooks alongside his mother at their eatery. One day, Murata Genjiro enters the restaurant and is surprised by the delicious taste of Ajiyoshi’s katsu-udon. Afterward, Ajiyoshi participates in a spaghetti match against an Italian chef and defeats him. Realizing his culinary talent, Ajiyoshi, one after another, participates in more and more cooking competitions against many talented chefs.
8. Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World
What could be more entertaining than an isekai cooking anime? Isekai Izakaya is an anime with a unique plot. A modern Japanese café opens in a new world and blows people’s minds with its delicious food.
The anime revolves around chef Nobuyuki Yazawa and waitress Shinobu Senke who run a Japanese café called Nobu, which is famous for its food and drinks. Nobu provides an exquisite dining experience to its customers and has a special menu. Nobu seems like a usual Japanese Izakaya, but it also opens its doors to a parallel city called Aitheria. The news of Nobu’s unique and delicious cuisine spreads across the land. Bringing various people from all backgrounds to this cafe.
9. Silver Spoon
Silver Spoon primarily focuses on agriculture but throws in many incredible cooking scenes. It takes you through the whole process of agriculture to cooking. It shows that sometimes, life doesn’t always turn out as expected, but one must continue working hard to change their situation for the better.
Yuugo Hachiken is a hardworking student who, after being stressed out from the pressure of his parents, decides to escape by enrolling in the Ooezo Agricultural High School. A boarding school in the countryside of Hokkaido. Yuugo was confident that he’d do well in the school. But he is surprised by his talented classmates who know everything about agriculture, from different types of foods and vegetables to livestock physiology. Yuugo has to stay in line with his classmates and get used to the difficult agricultural life.
10. Cooking Master Boy
Cooking Master Boy, also known as Chuuka Ichiban, was first aired in 1997. Afterward, it was remade in 2019, and a second season was released in 2021. Cooking Master Boy is an anime that follows the adventures of a young boy, Liu Maoxing, as he travels across lands to become the best chef in China.
The story is set in the 19th century when cooking wars were held. It is a highly competitive world where cooking matters so much that it is a crime to play around with cooking. After the death of Liu’s mother, Pai called the ‘Fairy of Cuisine’, Liu becomes the super chef so he can take over his mother’s position as a Master Chef. However, Liu must become capable of his position, so he travels across China to learn different cuisines.
11. Gourmet Girl Graffiti
Gourmet Girl Graffiti is a seinen anime that revolves around cute girls who do cute things, mainly aesthetic cooking. This is an anime full of sweetness. It shows that food tastes much better when eaten with your loved ones. The secret ingredient in making delicious food is none but love.
Ryou Machiko’s late grandmother taught her that cooking food is the path toward becoming a wonderful wife. Ryou, a middle schooler, has excellent cooking skills, much better than her age. However, recently her food hasn’t tasted delicious, although it looks yummy. One day, Ryou finds out her second cousin, Kirin Morino, will be living with her on weekends. Shockingly, Ryou’s cooking becomes much more delicious when her cousin begins staying with her.
12. Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast For Spirits
This cooking anime has a setting like none other. If you’re looking for a cooking anime with an unusual setting and supernatural and fantasy elements, this is the one for you. Kakuriyo follows the life of a young girl as she is left alone to handle difficult problems that she had never imagined.
Aoi Tsubaki can see spirits called “ayakashi” of the Hidden Realm. Her grandfather had the same ability, raising her and teaching her how to live amongst Ayakashi in peace. After her grandfather passes away, Aoi is transported to the Hidden Realm. She learns that she has been taken as collateral for her grandfather’s 10 million Yen loan, and she must marry the “Master Innkeeper” called Oodanna. However, Aoi decides to pay the debt by herself by starting a restaurant at Oodanna’s inn and cooking delicious meals for them.
13. Ben-To
Although there isn’t much cooking in Ben-to, there is much fighting for food in this anime. Ben-To focuses on food wars over yummy bento boxes, which are at discounted prices. When it comes to bento, things can get intense really fast.
The protagonist of this anime is You Satou, a high school boy who accidentally gets involved in the midnight wars in the supermarket for discounted Ben-to. He also wants to participate in these wars, and luckily he is invited by his upperclassman, Wolf Sen Yarizui, to join the Half-Priced Food Lovers Club. In this club, You learn how to fight and win these food wars.
14. Moyashimon
Moyashimon might just be the most eccentric anime on this list, but that doesn’t stop it from being excellent. This anime is unique, but entertaining in its way. How come an anime which focuses on bacteria is a cooking anime? Well, that’s because bacteria are found in many delicious foods such as cheese, yogurt, wine, etc.
The main character Tadayasu Sawaki has an extraordinary vision which allows him to see microorganisms. Sawaki can see all kinds of microbes, such as fungi. He enrols at an agriculture university, where the professors were surprised by his unique speciality. Sawaki did not realize the importance of these microbes before, but soon he began to realize their significance and appreciate their existence and his vision.
15. Ristorante Paradiso
Ristorante Paradiso is a slice of life anime that shows how a change in environment and delicious food could change the heart of people and bring them closer to their loved ones. Ristorante Paradiso offers the beauty of Italian people and cuisine; it gives the viewer an Italian experience in the face of an anime.
After being abandoned by her mother at a young age, Nicoletta goes to Rome 15 years later to take revenge on her mother. However, the moment she enters the restaurant called Casetta dell’Orso, where her mother is, Nicoletta’s heart and mind completely change. Her thirst for vengeance is swayed away by the unique environment of the restaurant. The gentlemen in spectacles, their graceful smiles, and deep voices pull Nicoletta into the Italian aesthetic lifestyle.
16. Ramen Fighter Miki
Ramen Fighter Miki is a somewhat quirky anime on this list. You can tell from the anime’s title that it is filled with cooking and fighting. However, the fighting isn’t like the usual cooking competitions, but more of a violent main character fighting with her rival.
Miki Onimaru is a poster girl who works at her mother’s Chinese food restaurant. She looks like a cute normal girl delivering ramen to homes. But very often, she gets annoyed and becomes a violent monster. Her rival, Megumi, works at a bakery across the street and delivers bread. Since both of them are very competitive, they end up fighting over food most of the time.
17. Cooking Papa
Cooking Papa is another anime showing how families can bond by eating and cooking food. It’s a lot about cooking but becomes very wholesome and funny most of the time. The main character has a unique personality, and cooking is more of a hobby for him. He loves cooking food for his family but does not intend to gain any recognition. Cooking for them is all he wants to do.
Cooking Papa is a 90s anime that became very popular after its release in Japan. The anime adaptation is 151 episodes and is based on one of the longest manga, which is over 157 volumes. Mr Araiwa is the ideal employee at his company. He looks very manly, but when he comes back home, he’s an entirely different person. He enjoys cooking delicious meals for his wife and his young son. Moreover, he never tells anyone about his fantastic cooking skills; instead, he tells them it’s his wife who cooks them, although she doesn’t know how to cook.
18. Yotsuiro Biyori
Most anime have a mixed cast of men and women. However, Yotsuiro Biyori is a cooking anime that features only a male cast. Although each character is different from the other, they work together and bring the best out of themselves. This is an anime that can be more enjoyed by the females because what’s cuter than young boys cooking and being so kind to others?
Tougoku, a young man, is passed down the ownership of a café called Rokuhoudou by his grandfather. Tougoku, and three other boys named Gure, Tsubaki, and Tokitaka manage the café together. They cook delicious meals together, but their hospitality also makes every customer become a regular one. They serve the customers traditional sweets and tea and help them with any other issues.
19. Wakakozake
Most cooking anime focus on enjoying food with friends and family. But Wakakozake focuses on the concept that food can be enjoyed even eating alone, as long as the food is delicious.
The anime revolves around Murasaki Wakako, a 26-year-old working woman who travels to various places to enjoy different foods and drinks. Wakakozake takes the viewer on a trip to Japan, where multiple types of food from Japanese cuisine are shown. The story is pretty simple, but it is enjoyable because of the drool-worthy cooking scenes and foods.
20. Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Bonjour♪Sweet Love Patisserie is a Shoujo anime filled with handsome boys. This cooking anime is more on the romantic side and focuses on sweets. If you enjoy watching cooking and attractive boys, this show will give you the best experience.
Sayuri Haruno works hard to attain a scholarship at the Fleurir Confectionary Academy. This academy is known for having world-class pastry chefs. Sayuri’s class is filled with good-looking classmates who are very professional chefs. However, Sayuri is sure to achieve her dreams by using her excellent culinary skills. Luckily, she meets Ryou Kouzuki, a passionate young boy with the same passion as hers.
This brings the list of best cooking anime to an end. We have many more great recommendations for you to watch. Make sure to look at our list of best anime with overpowered main characters and top-seinen anime.
