Delicious in Dungeon is one of the top anime series on Netflix at the moment, and it’s not hard to see why. After all, it has dungeon exploration, adventure, and the best part of all: cooking. What else can you ask for?
Delicious in Dungeon follows a guild as they set out on expeditions to raid dungeons. Laios Touden and his guild try to find the red dragon, whom they unsuccessfully tried to slay and who had eaten former guild member Falin Touden’s sister. Initially, they struggled due to their low supplies. However, they met Laios, who suggested they find their next meal inside the dungeons. With Laoios on their team, they are able to harvest food and cook monsters, producing surprisingly delicious meals.
Anime series revolving around food is one of my guilty pleasures. If you’re like me, who loves to watch mukbangs or anything surrounding food and is looking for your next food-based anime series, then check this out!
1. Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World
Isekai Izakaya centers around a Kyoto izakaya owned by Nobuyuki Yazawa called “Nobu.” While the back door leads to modern-day Japan, the front door is open to customers in the old capital city of Aitheria, a whole other world. People from various backgrounds come to Aitheria to learn about this new and foreign cuisine, with “Nobu” serving up traditional Japanese food.
The best part about Isekai Izakaya is the end of the episode. After the animation is over, it transitions to live-action footage of how to prepare the dish featured in the episode. Interesting and educational!
2. Restaurant to Another World
If you love the isekai genre, then you need to check out Restaurant to Another World! The story starts when demon girl Aletta stumbles upon a small dinner called “The Western Restaurant Nekoya” on a Saturday. After meeting the owner and chef, who simply goes by Master, she discovers that it’s a diner. Six days a week, the diner caters to restaurants in Tokyo. However, on Saturday, doorways appear in another world, allowing creatures like elves, demons, beastmen, and more to enjoy the extensive menu the diner has to offer.
Each episode highlights two dishes as well as characters who taste the dish and deem it one of their favorites. Besides the delicious food featured on the show, one of the highlights is seeing how the diners get closer to one another as the seasons progress. It’s a warm, easy anime to watch and binge on in one night!
3. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma
When talking about anime revolving around cooking, the one that likely comes to mind is Food Wars. The series follows Soma Yukihira, who aims to become a full-time chef and become an even better chef than his dad. When his father gets a job that requires him to travel around the world and close his restaurant, “Restaurant Yukihira,” he enrolls his son in the elite Totsuki Culinary Academy.
Totsuki is a whole new playing field for Soma, who cooked delicious yet modest food in his family restaurant. With classmates who come from elite families and have experience cooking fancy food, Soma must rise above to prove he is worthy of being the best at the academy.
4. Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skills
For some reason, cooking and isekai just go well together, and Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skills proves it! The story follows Tsuyoshi Mukouda, who is magically summoned to the Kingdom of Rejseger to help in the war against the demon folk, alongside three high school students, who were also transported to this new world. However, while the three teens garnered powerful magical abilities, Mukouda went by the power of “Online Supermarket.”
Unwilling to fight the war, he convinces the kingdom that his talent is useless. Aiming to start a new chapter in this alternate world, Mukouda uses his power to order food and products from Japan. With his new familiar Fenrir, also known as Fel, Mukouda continues his journey in this new world, fighting monsters and cooking delicious food along the way!
5. Drifting Dragons
Released in 2020, Drifting Dragons is set in a world where dragons have taken over the skies. As the dragons pose a threat to the human race, dragon hungers, called drakers, use airships to hunt dragons. Every part of the dragon is valuable, despite how dangerous they are, so drakers sell parts of the dragon for profit, while others are cooked and eaten.
The story revolves around Takita, a newcomer to the airship Quin Zaza. Eager to prove her place in the team, she works together with skilled drakers Mika and Jirou, who appear to be chasing after more than just dragons. This unique take on slice-of-life features touching moments, aerial battles, and, of course, food!
6. Toriko
Considered an OG shonen release, Toriko features a whopping 147 episodes over three seasons, as well as a 2011 animated 3D short film and a full-length feature film released in 2013. With that said, Toriko will require dedication and should be spaced out over time (unless you have the capacity to actually watch nearly 150 episodes of anime)! The one thing I have to say is that Toriko is extremely action-packed; it revolves around hunting animals, so if that is difficult for you to swallow, then you might want to skip this one out.
Toriko revolves around the titular character, Toriko, a Gourmet Hunter. He is considered one of the best due to his superhuman strength, which he utilizes to capture dangerous and rare beasts to create new dishes for his growing full-course meal. Partnering up with chef Komatsu, the two travel together in search of rare ingredients and mouth-watering dishes. Along the way, Toriko and Komatsu must fight the Gourmet Corps, which wishes to monopolize the world’s food supply.
7. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
If you’re looking for something a little more eccentric, then Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is the one for you. After a vending machine otaku is crushed to death by a falling vending machine, he awakens to discover that he is not only in a different world, but he has been reincarnated as a sentient vending machine. Despite not being able to move, he can see, hear, and even spit out some phrases.
As a vending machine, he is able to sell any item he has purchased in his previous life, and can even choose which items to sell and for how much. After being discovered by a young female hunter named Lammis, he earns the nickname Boxxo. Enamored by the things he sells, she uses her powers to carry him around on her back. Together, they explore dungeons in this new world and meet new friends along the way!
8. Farming Life in Another World
This has less to do with cooking, but it still revolves around food! The series follows Hikaru Machio. Born with no luck, he spent the final year of his life fighting a terminal illness before passing away on his hospital bed. Taking pity for his luckless life, a god reincarnates Hiraku in another world as an apology. He bestows upon Hikaru a holy artifact called the “Almight Farming Tool,” which can be used for anything he wishes.
Hikaru is transported to a forest farm by civilization. Determined to try farming with his new life, Hikaru decided to build and farm everything from scratch. Soon, he builds a community that attracts people of different species, with Hikaru serving as the governing body. By the end, Hikaru lives a fulfilled life with wives and children.
9. Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family
Are you a fan of the Fate/stay night series? Then you need to check out this wholesome, slice-of-life spinoff! Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family is set in an alternate universe in which the Fifth Holy Grail War is resolved. With people settling into calmer lives, Shirou Emiya takes it upon himself to cook for his household as well as give Saber a taste of delicious food.
The episodes are short, lasting less than 15 minutes each. In each episode, Shirou shows how to cook a new dish that perfectly complements the season. As word of his cooking goes around, guests from all over visit the Emiya household for a bite of his food.
10. Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits
Food and Japanese mythology? Sign me up! Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits follows Aoi Tsubaki, a girl who has the ability to see spirits called ayakashi. Thanks to her grandfather, she has learned to live life with this ability. When her grandfather passes away, she resolves to not let her ability hinder her college life, and utilizes her cooking skills to protect her from the human-eating spirits.
After an encounter with a yakashi, Aoi is transported to the Hidden Real. There, she discovers that her grandfather used her as collateral for his one hundred million yen debt, and she must marry an ogre called the Oodanna to pay off her debt. Aoi refuses and chooses to settle her debt in another way: she opens a bed and breakfast!
(featured image: Trigger, Silver Link)
