Best Cooking & Food Manhwa

Key Takeaways

• Cooking is a common theme in manhwa, with vibrant colors enhancing the food visuals and unique flavors.
• Some manhwa incorporate game-like interfaces to spice up cooking narratives and add fun elements.
• Food plays a central role in various manhwa genres, including fantasy, romance, military, and isekai stories.

Much like in manga, cooking is quite the common theme in the manhwa community. Be it magical cooking that has superhuman effects on characters or people bonding over a home-cooked meal, the significance of food is often understated. Still, it can play a huge role in whatever story in which it is present.

Naturally, there is a huge selection of manhwa solely dedicated to food and cooking for readers who enjoy the theme. In conjunction with some of the most unconventional yet brilliant artwork ever seen, these food-based manhwa will leave readers drooling with hunger and anticipation at every turn of the page.

Updated November 16, 2024 by Oluwatokiloba Folami: Whether it be in a fantasy world of magic hunters or a more historical one of Japanese samurai, the concept of surviving on food and, by extension, cooking is ever-present. However, rather than keep it in the background, some series have brought cooking and everything necessary for mouth-watering dishes to come to life to the forefront of their portrayals.

For Korean manhwa, the vibrant colors make these mouth-watering dishes even more mouth-watering, and fans get to enjoy cooking and gourmet themes alongside romance, fantasy, or even isekai stories. Whether it be food alongside action and adventure or food alongside comedic elements, these cooking and food manhwa bring unique flavors to the table through their vibrant pages.

16 Kitchen Soldier

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.7/5

• Written by: JRobin
• Illustrated by: Jinsu Lee
• Genre(s): Military, Drama, Fantasy

Contrary to what Kitchen Soldier’s colorful cover might imply, the first chapter takes place at a not-so-colorful army base, which is where the main character Kang Sung-Jae is sent. However, this is quickly rectified when the cooking aspect of this manhwa finally kicks in and Kang Sung-jae gets accustomed to cooking for the army.

In this manhwa, Kang Sung-Jae enlists in the army to support his father and improve his life. When he is put into the role of a cooking assistant, however, Sung-Jae suddenly starts seeing a video game-like interface that helps him with his duties and keeps track of how proficient he is at his new job.

15 God Of Cooking

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.7/5

• Written by: Yangchigi Jali
• Illustrated by: YeRang
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Slice of Life, Drama

Compared to Kitchen Soldier, God of Cooking is far more colorful in its story and visual presentation. Though the art style might not be for everyone, this manhwa makes up for it with its story and its wholesome message: that you are never too old to follow your dreams, whatever they may be.

Much like Kang Sung-Jae from Kitchen Soldier, Min-Joon Jo is also assisted by a game-like interface that gives him information about the food he comes across. In this case, however, Min-Joon is also transported to a time when he dropped out of the army to return to college, allowing him to pursue cooking at a younger age.

14 100-Year-Old Top Chef

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8/5

• Written by: Mungonglyong
• Illustrated by: Studio Jemi
• Genre(s): Cooking, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo

The protagonist of this manhwa has lived six lives, and in each life, he has the mission of attaining a particular amount of Michelin stars, but each time he fails, he reincarnates, and the amount increases. Now he is in his sixth life as Ban Yoo-Hyeon and must attain thirty Michelin stars in twenty years from all the lives he has lived. He knows it is not possible, but he must attain it this time around to break free from the endless cycle of reincarnation.

With no time to lose, Yoo begins his journey. He shows great expertise in preparing his meals with speed. His dishes are as mouthwatering as they appear, and it keeps people coming for more.

13 Kitchen Goddess And The Assassin

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8/5

• Written by: Jiu Jiji
• Illustrated by: TRCartoon
• Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Historical, Romance

An assassin and a cook might not be the most likely pair for romance, but the male lead of the series (the assassin) has to eat and falls in love with the looks and cooking of the chef, Willow Ye. As fate would have it, Willow Ye is kidnapped and made to cook for him, and their adventures range from the dangerous to the comedic and definitely to the delicious.

This Manhwa is heavily liked for its comedic tone and the many puns the protagonist Willow Ye abruptly spits out. With Willow Ye’s expertise, the duo makes a great pair, and cooking has never been more fun.

12 Heavenly Demon’s Bakery

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5

• Written by: Miruha
• Illustrated by: Langpa
• Genre(s): Adventure, Cooking, Martial arts

Im Jinhyuk’s life was quite a tumultuous one. He went from being a normal human to a heavenly demon and back but with a twist. Im Jinhyuk used to be perfectly normal until he got hit by a car and got sent into a coma. During his coma, Im Jinhyuk lived another life as a heavenly demon, only to awake in the past of his original world before his life went downhill.

Now back, and with powers, Im Jinhyuk doesn’t want to rule the world or conquer the seas. He simply wants to make their bakery the best in the area and master all the recipes to that effect. Mixing the concept of murim with baking makes the manhwa quite an interesting one.

11 Lady Chef Royale

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5

• Written by: Risya
• Illustrated by: Paya
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Isekai

Unlike the previous two entries, Lady Chef Royale does not include any gaming elements in its story, nor does the story itself take place in a video game. Instead, the manhwa substitutes this with isekai elements, namely by having its main character, Sena, end up in another world with complete knowledge of her previous life.

After a fatal traffic accident, Sena finds herself in another world with nothing but her cooking expertise from running a restaurant in her previous life. However, she decides to use her cooking expertise to win the trust of this new world’s inhabitants and work herself up to royalty, adopting the name Senianna Franciff in the process.

10 Apocalyptic Chef Awakening

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5

• Written by: Jodol
• Illustrated by: Jodol
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama

Just like Kang Sung-Jae from Kitchen Soldier, Shin Young-Jun from Apocalyptic Chef Awakening works as a sergeant chef in the military. But very much unlike Kang Sung-Jae, Shin’s set of circumstances are far more dire due to having to deal with the onset of the apocalypse during his time in the military.

A month before Shin is discharged from the military, the onset of the apocalypse disrupts the emergency communications and the base’s connection to the outside world. To this end, Shin devotes his efforts to feeding everyone in his base and boosting the morale of his cohorts despite the danger of running out of food.

9 The Archmage’s Restaurant

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Bad Boys
• Illustrated by: Studio Inus
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Gourmet, Isekai, Workplace

Reincarnating as a wizard in another world was the least of Ellison’s plans. As someone who always wanted to open up a restaurant, Ellison was hit by the famous truck-kun and got isekai’d into a fantasy world. However, he wasn’t automatically given power and was involved in a war for fifteen years.

Coming out of the war as a legendary archmage, Ellison decided it was time to finally open up his restaurant. But operating a restaurant has its unique challenges, but as it’s his dream, Ellison is set to tackle them all with joy. Much better than fighting in a war or being drafted in the military.

8 Afterlife Diner

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Hyung, Sangjun
• Illustrated by: Hwajeong
• Genre(s): Drama, Gourmet, Supernatural

Serving ghosts was definitely not what Lee Kangjin had on his mind when he wanted to become a landlord. However, the condition of owning the building he inherited was just that. To run a restaurant for half a decade. However, he won’t just be serving normal humans, but ghosts who want to relive the delicious culinary delights they had before their eventual passing.

With the bizarre challenge of serving ghosts with a wide variety of tastes, Lee Kangjin doesn’t find satisfying them with their comfort foods easy, but anything to become a landlord. Moreover, he only needs to survive for half a decade.

7 Hero’s Diner

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Medjed, SHIN HYEON BEOM, jaera
• Illustrated by: Medjed, SHIN HYEON BEOM, jaera
• Genre(s): Action, Drama, Fantasy, Manhwa, Shounen

When most adventurers complete the ultimate task of beating the demon lord that terrorizes their world, there is not much for the creator to show the viewers, so the story ends, but Yoo Seungwoo’s story is only just beginning. After defeating the demon king, Yoo moves back to Earth to open up a restaurant where he brings the food of Terra to the people on Earth.

This manhwa takes such a funny turn, as the only reason why Yoo wants to open a restaurant is because he wants people on Earth to suffer the same fate as he did when he was summoned to Terra. According to Yoo, the food in Terra is the worst food he has ever tasted, and he wants those on Earth to have a taste of the lousy offerings.

6 Gourmet Gaming

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Park, Mingyu
• Illustrated by: Coge
• Genre(s): Action, Fantasy, Gourmet

If care is not taken, one can develop an unhealthy relationship with food, and this can cause severe damage and complications. Kang suffers from the desire to eat anything, regardless of its cuisine or caloric value. However, he needs to get a hold of himself before it is too late, and this is when a VR game comes to save Kang’s life.

As a lover of food who is currently battling with his health issues, the idea of eating without having to gain weight waters Kang’s mouth as he thinks of all the food he would be able to eat. As Kang explores the VR of Athenae, his mouth never gets less busy as he tries out every food he comes across without gaining weight.

5 Rookie Chef With The Magic Touch

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Jiwoo Cha
• Illustrated by: Studio Inus
• Genre(s): Drama

Taking a departure from the military setting, Rookie Chef with the Magic Touch takes place in a far more sophisticated kitchen in Hotel Jewelria, the workplace of the main character, Seonghoon Kang. Unfortunately, Hotel Jewelria is considered third-rate compared to the five-star hotels in the story, which takes a toll on Seonghoon’s self-worth.

Having worked for four years at Hotel Jewelria, Seonghoon reveals that his true goal is to be acknowledged by his superior and the executive chef, Jinseok Do. However, when Seonghoon discovers his ability to see the history behind any food item, he realizes he may have a chance to advance in his career.

4 The Evil Princess Dreams Of A Gingerbread House

Anime-Planet Rating: 4/5

• Written by: Friedrich
• Illustrated by: Marron Pie
• Genre(s): Royalty, Drama, Supernatural

Though the artwork is similar to that of Lady Chef Royale, The Evil Princess Dreams of a Gingerbread Man features a far younger protagonist in Asya, a little girl who initially lives a happy life with her parents. However, she later finds herself reincarnated into Princess Anastasia, who is doomed to prevent the male and female leads from falling in love.

With the help of her superb baking expertise, Anastasia takes it upon herself to avoid her fate and realize her goal: to live a life surrounded by sweets. Needless to say, this manhwa is a must-read for fans of villainess and royalty manhwa, who are sure to understand and appreciate Anastasia’s simple and wholesome goal in life.

3 The Gourmet Gamer

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Written by: In, Key-young
• Illustrated by: Kidari Studio
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Gourmet

When it comes to cooking, taste and smell are very important senses. Unfortunately for the protagonist of this manhwa, Yi Rim loses his sense of taste and smell, which causes him to put his chef duties on hold. This setback pushes him into a depression, as he is unable to do what he loves. However, he encounters an immersive VR game that allows him to regain his sense of taste and smell, and he uses this gaming platform to resume his chef duties.

This manhwa showcases Yi Rim’s passion for cooking, and now, as Rice in the world of Real, the VR game, his passion continues. Nothing bothers him as long as he can cook, and his legacy precedes him as everyone is eager to taste his glorious meals.

2 The Cook’s Hidden Blessing

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Written by: Chonji Kim
• Illustrated by: Gob
• Genre(s): Slice of Life, Supernatural

While many cooking manhwa (or other manhwa in general) take place in a military setting, The Cook’s Hidden Blessing subverts this by having a hospital as its main setting. Combined with a pseudo-isekai twist in the female lead’s travels to the human world, this manhwa proves to be a refreshing addition to the cooking and food genre.

Story-wise, The Cook’s Hidden Blessing is about Jungdong, a hospital cook who always has the well-being of the patients on his mind. Naturally, he adjusts his cooking to account for the patient’s health problems. It is during a patient’s cardiac emergency that Jungdong is visited by Ceres, the Goddess of the Harvest, who bestows her powers on Jungdong and asks him to help others in the human world.

1 Cooking Sorcerer

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2/5

• Written by: Purple Lemon
• Illustrated by: Purple Lemon
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Medieval, Romance

With gorgeous, vibrant, and colorful artwork, Cooking Sorcerer excels in its visual portrayal and presentation of both its characters and foodstuffs. As demonstrated by the series of events the main character, Yoojung Seo, finds herself in, this manhwa masterfully blends fantasy and isekai elements within a story that is capable of both drama and wit.

After falling to her death during her downtime, food-lover Yoojung Seo finds herself in the universe of her favorite web novel under the name Sylvia Arbor. From there, she meets Felix, a young man in the novel being mistreated by his stepmother, and helps him regain his sense of taste, which had been lost due to his stepmother’s abuse.