5 best movies like The Menu to watch next

Intro: What will dining on a high-class, ostentatious private island cost? Does social class define the table at which you feast? In this dark culinary fallacy, director Mark Mylod explores the concept of elitism and how the privileged diners do not appreciate the work and art behind the food being served.

The movie follows a culinary experience that evokes a sense of captivity on one evening at Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Seth Reiss and Will Tracy's script explores how the obsession with perfection without a purpose or joy can take a wild turn. The screenplay is inspired by Tracy's real-life experience of visiting a remote Norwegian island.

Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, St. Cyr, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu. Source: IMDb

Plot: Twelve people from diverse wealth backgrounds, each representing a stereotype, arrive at the exclusive restaurant at Hawthorne. They are greeted by cold and chilling Head Chef Julian Slowik, a self-absorbed individual whose fixation is on culinary perfection. The protagonist, Margot, arrives at the exclusive restaurant as a last-minute replacement for Tyler’s date.

While Tyler is a sycophantic foodie fanboy of the chef, Margot is a character who is oblivious to the norms of a high-end table at an exclusive restaurant. She becomes the voice of reason, breaking the silence over a plate of foam and leaves, or questioning whether an oyster needs to be dressed up with foam. A last course will make a final statement as a humanized demand for a cheeseburger wraps up the experience.

Summary: Director Mark Mylod explores a darker side of posh dining culture among the wealthy. The Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn was the consultant in this movie, giving the dishes and their background more authenticity. The movie showcases the dark side of consumerism and how some personal experiences have been commodified. In the final moments of this movie, people’s facades are torn to reveal that diners don’t understand the art behind the food and just want to experience the hype.

What adds a layer to the dystopian experience is the cinematography by Peter Deming, which makes a private island more picturesque and haunting. Ethan Tobman’s production design garners a mood of impeccable luxury, making it a movie to digest what the rich eat. The movie offers a well-defined menu that fulfills everyone’s palate. Also, please note the food that’s being served. They are exclusive and legendary.

Best movies like The Menu​: A thrilling tale of fine dining

Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, Nicholas Hoult, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022). Source: IMDb

Movies like The Menu are shaping up to be a reckoning for the world of fine dining. Such movies are satirical works of art on the lesser-known culture of high-end dining, presenting the unspoken hostility between workers and elite diners at exclusive restaurants. More or less, these movies are a front row to witnessing a restaurant’s pretentiousness and avant-garde techniques.

The list of best movies like The Menu​ goes beyond the thrilling tale of haute cuisine and envelops the nexus between “those who give” (service workers) and “those who take” (wealthy customers).

#5 Boiling point

Boiling Point takes you to the heart of fine dining, the kitchen, and the centre of testing point, where all the preparation for extravagant dining starts. As the movie title suggests, the cookroom perfectly captures the stress of working in a kitchen. Philip Barantini's direction attempts to frame the changing narrative of the hospitality industry. The movie showcases what it is like to work in the kitchen on the busiest night of the calendar.

In a similar setting to The Menu, the movie strips away the polished surface to reveal emotional and operational instability. Moreover, the analogy to stress and burnout centers the direction of both Boiling Point and The Menu.

Vinette Robinson, left, and Stephen Graham in “Boiling Point.  Source: The New York Times

Director: Philip Barantini

Written by: Philip Barantini, James Cummings

Cinematography: Matthew Lewis

Music by: Aaron May, David Ridley

Awards:

Nominated for Outstanding British Film

Nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Where to watch

Summary: Set in London’s popular restaurant Dalston’s Jones & Sons, the Boiling Point is a thrilling drama that explores the relentless pressure that can be endured in the kitchen. Philip Barantini initially shot a 22-minute short film, which was extended to a 92-minute movie. The whole movie is treated like an “one-shot” take, representing the stressful chaos of an overloaded kitchen.

During a fateful night, head chef Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) deals with many issues, including an overbooked restaurant, social media influencers, loan repayment, and an overlooked allergic reaction. This movie highlights issues such as mental health, workplace discrimination, and the relentless pursuit of perfection in the culinary world.

#4 Hunger (2023)

The Menu and Boiling Point showcased how head chefs juggle the art of food and the pressure of tough times. Hunger, a Thai movie, is in a whole other ball game. A movie with a similar background to The Menu indicts the 1% wealthy for their exotic tastes and reveals something sinister that lurks underneath the expertly crafted cuisine. Both movies are a commitment to themes of hunger, desire, and power in an age skewed by capitalism.

The Hunger takes on a darker tone, portraying a grim fictional reality of what it's like to enter Thailand’s most elite culinary brigade. The discourse of social class is well-tuned with paper-thin slices of Wagyu beef and class warfare as the menu in Hunger. This world of Thai ultrafine dining is woven with stress, exquisite food, and plenty of class anecdotes.

Chutimon Chuengcharoens (on the left) and Nopachai Chaiyanam (on the right) from a scene in Hunger 2023. Source: The New York Times

Director: Sittisiri Mongkolsiri 

Written by: Kongdej Jaturanrasamee

Distributed by: Netflix

Awards:

International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in 2024

Where to watch

Summary: This movie was Thailand’s entry for the 2020 Academy Awards. Narrating the journey of a young chef who was referred to a job at an exclusive restaurant to work under the murky sous-chef Paul. What has been reviewed as ‘The Menu meets Whiplash’ stays true to its analogy, as young chef Aoy, who has previously worked at her family's noodle shop, is about to experience the wildest side of wealthy, fancy dining on a remote island.

Beneath a unique, aggressive culinary art form, Hunger takes a deep dive into class warfare and classism. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri's direction project, “eat-the-rich” narratives, blends with passion's power, capturing a dreamy visual masterpiece. As the plot progresses, the culinary prodigy realizes that everything comes at a significant cost, and she soon learns that the most ambitious, expensive dishes aren’t supposed to be the best.

More good movies like The Menu

Ralph Fiennes in The Menu (2022). Source: IMDb

Movies about classism or class warfare, enveloped in a narrative of “eat the rich,” are always delightful and thrilling to watch. The list features good movies that reflect social inequalities through dark comedy and thrillers. Like the above movies, the list centers on shocking twists and turns that will have you on edge after experiencing The Menu's culinary chaos.

#3 Parasite (2019)

This movie perfectly represents the social inequalities that plague contemporary society, winning Best Picture at the Oscars for its dark comedy thriller and satirical storyline about the class divide.

Director Bong Joon Ho delivered an inch-perfect narrative as the story follows the witty Kim family infiltrating the wealthy Park household. The movie's shocking twists and turns lead to a surprising discovery about what lurks in the basement of the Parks’ home.

A scene from the 2019 Parasite depicting the struggle of the less wealthy. Source: The New York Times

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won

Story: Bong Joon Ho

Cinematography: Hong Kyung-pyo

Country: South Korea

Languages: Korean and English

Awards:

Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022

Where to watch

Summary: Director Bong Joon-ho’s artful blend of thriller and dark humor canonizes the making of “Eat the Rich” movies, creating a sharp contrast between the rich and the poor. The movie is a social commentary on class inequality in South Korea, presented by contrasting the wealth of the Park family against the Kim family, who lived in the basement.

Parasite’s storyline follows how the lower-class con artists of Kim’s family begin by fabricating identities to work at the wealthy Park's house. What starts as a dark comedy involving Kim and his family enjoying the riches of the Park family quickly becomes a story of human desire and the lengths one would go to fulfill them.

#2 Ready or Not (2019)

This horrific thriller fabricates an eccentric, wealthy family's twisted tradition of a hide-and-seek game. The Le Domases family game exposes what survival is like for the newlywed Grace on her wedding night.

Similar to The Menu, the movie features a female protagonist who is unaware of the norms of the wealthy. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Ready or Not is a dark comedy with horror that turns into a movie about rich people who hunt poor people for sport.

The Le Domases family in Ready or Not. Source: IMDb

Directors: Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

Written by: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy

Cinematography: Brett Jutkiewicz

Awards:

Fright Meter Awards for Best Actress and Best Horror Movie in 2019

Where to watch

Summary: The movie opens in a peaceful environment where young bride Grace, played by Samara Weaving, marries into the family of a wealthy board game magnate. Following her reception, the rich Le Domases family invites her to play a game of Hide-and-Seek, as part of the tradition started by their ancestor, Victor le Domas, in a pact with someone called “le Bail.”

As the night progresses, Grace fights back, revealing the absurdity and brutality behind the family’s traditions. The movie also criticizes blind loyalty towards rituals, the entitlement, and moral decay of the rich. Brian Tyler's soundtrack adds a layer to this survival horror game's daunting setting. The opening Ready or Not Overture” and the “Ready or Nocturne for Solo Violin” set the background for the central theme.

#1 Get out (2017)

Though Get Out is not about economic divide, the movie is definitely about social alienation and racial divide. The movie's narrative, much like The Menu, is set in an eerie environment where the characters in the set seem normal at first but reveal themselves to be dangerous.

This horrifying and suspenseful drama maps out a wealthy white family that traps Black people, resonating on the terrifying casual racism in America. Like The Menu, the movie also follows a protagonist who tries to survive the horrors that will befall them.

Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out. Source: IMDb

Director: Jordan Peele

Screenplay: Jordan Peele

Cinematography: Toby Oliver

Awards:

Empire Award for Best Horror in 2018

Academy Award for Writing (Original Screenplay) in 2018

Where to watch

Summary: In his directorial debut, Jordan Peele explores modern social commentary, highlighting the socially ill practice of racism. This psychological thriller follows a young African-American man who visits his white girlfriend’s family estate. As he gets acquainted, the story unfolds to a more sinister real reason for the invitation. Noticing that the only other Black people he’s met at their home act strangely, the screenplay takes a sharp turn to suspenseful discoveries of racist motives.

The gripping thriller and provocative commentary offer an insight into the nightmare of suburban racism. The movie explores all the dimensions of typical horror tropes to reveal truths about how pernicious racism is practiced. What makes Get Out a unique horror psychological thriller is the use of mind control and bizarre medical experiments.

Final thoughts: Why are movies like The Menu designed for the pretentious ‘foodies’?

Movies like The Menu are not regular movies about food or a commanding head chef; these movies are also for pretentious foodies who seek culinary art, which is beyond comprehension to many.  The scene where Tyler scolds his date Margot for smoking a cigarette before dinner, saying it will destroy her palate for the $1,250-per-person meal they’re about to eat, is a prime example. Moreover, the sleekly designed, all sharp marble edges and oversized wine glasses, and also focused on the grotesqueries of the haves, bring more light to why movies like The Menu are definitely for the Pretentious ‘Foodies’.

People also ask

Is there a movie similar to The Menu?

Some movies are similar to The Menu. Watch the Thai thriller Hunger or the psychological thriller Get Out for the same taste.

What is the main point of The Menu movie?

One of The Menu's main points is the social divide and culinary art.

Why did Margot survive The Menu?

Margot survived because she spoke of reason while sailing away in a boat.

Is The Menu based on a true story?

The Menu is inspired by the experience on a private island as revealed by the screenwriter.

Who is the chef in The Menu?

Chef Julian Slowik in the movie The Menu was played by Ralph Fiennes.