Summary
Much like in manga, cooking is quite a 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 withsome of the most unconventional yet brilliant artworkever seen, these food-based manhwa will leave readers drooling with hunger and anticipation at every turn of the page.
Updated August 03, 2025 by Oluwatokiloba Folami:Cooking is not just an act, and food is not just about nourishment. It is an experience, passion to some, and sometimes, even a battlefield. In the world of cooking and food manhwa, chefs use their culinary skills like weapons, turningsimple ingredients into extraordinary dishes.
Whether it’s a high-stakes cooking competition, a heartwarming food journey, or a fantasy world where magic meets cuisine, these manhwa bring mouthwatering visuals and unforgettable moments to the readers. Cooking and food manhwa take readers on a delicious journey as each story celebrates the art of cooking, the thrill of innovation, and the emotional connections formed over a meal.
19I’m A Villainess, But I’m Good At Cooking
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.7/5
Adelheid finds herself reincarnated as thevillainess in a novel, and she quickly finds herself living on the streets after her family sent her out of their home due to her character’s bad behavior. To survive, she uses her exceptional culinary skills to sell food on the streets, and not long after, she catches the attention of the empire’s prince, who kidnaps her to become his personal chef.
This manhwa blends the reincarnation and villainess tropes with a strong culinary theme. The protagonist’s journey from a disgraced noble to a renowned chef provides a compelling narrative about redemption, self-discovery, and the transformative power of food.
18Kitchen Soldier
Contrary to whatKitchen Soldier’scolorful 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 interfacethat helps him with his duties and keeps track of how proficient he is at his new job.
17God Of Cooking
Compared toKitchen Soldier,God of Cookingis 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 fromKitchen 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 timewhen he dropped out of the army to return to college, allowing him to pursue cooking at a younger age.
16100-Year-Old Top Chef
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8/5
The protagonist of this manhwa has lived six lives, and in each life, he has the mission of attaining a particular number of Michelin stars. Each time he fails, he reincarnates, and the number 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 tobreak 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 they keep people coming for more.
15Kitchen Goddess And The Assassin
An assassin and a cook might not be the most likely pair for romance, butthe 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.
14Heavenly Demon’s Bakery
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5
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.
13Food Truck Owner Inside The Dungeon
When the word dungeon comes up, food is the last thing that comes to mind as this location involves dangerous monsters, adventurers, and fighting that sometimes leads to death. In summary, a dungeon is, most of the time, a scary place. However, this manhwa gives dungeons a whole new meaning as Min Jiun, a young aspiring chef, is about to launch his dreamfood truckinside a dungeon. Instead of fighting monsters, Min Jiun turns his cooking skills into a business, serving delicious meals to adventurers and dungeon dwellers.
This manhwa uniquely blends cooking and dungeon exploration. Instead of focusing on traditional combat, it explores how food can influence dungeon ecosystems, attract powerful customers, and even provide buffs to warriors.
12Using My Cooking Skills In A Murim World (A Bowl Of Black Bean Noodles Would Be Served By The Son-in-Law Of Zhuge Family)
In a world where combat skills make one stand out, the protagonist of this manhwa has none, and the only skills he has are his cooking skills. With nothing but them, the protagonist uses his dishes to win hearts, captivating even the strongest warriors and nobles. His secret weapon is a singlebowl of black bean noodles(Jjajangmyeon), and with this, he proves that food can be justas powerful as martial arts.
This manhwa blends culinary storytelling withhistorical dramaand action. The protagonist’s journey showcases how food can break barriers, bring people together, and even influence battles.
11Lady Chef Royale
Unlike the previous two entries,Lady Chef Royaledoes 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 andwork herself up to royalty, adopting the name Senianna Franciff in the process.
10Apocalyptic Chef Awakening
Just like Kang Sung-Jae fromKitchen Soldier,Shin Young-Jun fromApocalyptic Chef Awakeningworks as a sergeant chef in the military. But very much unlike Kang Sung-Jae, Shin’s set of circumstances are far direr 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.
