Novels About Food: 32 Scrumptious Books For Foodies
If you’re looking for novels about food, you’ll love reading these fiction books about food!
It’s no secret that I love to eat. I look forward to every single meal and am often thinking about dinner and desserts at breakfast. So, you can imagine one of my favorite niches is novels about food. Fiction food books feature either a setting, occupation, hobby, or character trait that centers around food.
Since I have a serious sweet tooth, in my opinion the best novels about food are those with bakers, desserts, or bakeries. However, I won’t discriminate against novels about food set in restaurants or featuring home cooked meals!
With such a wide variety of novels about food available to read I’m breaking them down by genre. This way you can choose the best fiction books about food for you!
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Novels About Food: Foodie Fiction
General Fiction Novels About Food
Sadie On A Plate
by Amanda Elliot
Heads up Top Chef fans! This romance novel is for you. After an incident that leaves her with no shot at a job in the Seattle restaurant scene, Sadie jumps at the opportunity to compete on Chef Supreme. The show throws a seriously unexpected twist her way though, that leaves her fighting for both her heart and her career.
I adored this foodie forward romance! Sadie was so easy to root for and it was fascinating having the backdrop as my favorite reality cooking show.
Quentins
by Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy is a prolific Irish writer who’s books often showcased small-town life in Ireland. One of her books is even featured on my list of books set in Ireland! Quentins is the perfect choice to kick off my list of books for foodies.
The novel is a history of an iconic fictional restaurant in Dublin that is referenced in her other works. Ella Brady wants to create a documentary telling the story of Quentins and it’s impact on the city. As she uncovers more and more of its past, she starts to wonder if some stories are better left untold.
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan
A cross generational novel about four Chinese women and their American born daughters. The four women are immigrants from China who form the “Joy Luck Club” in 1949 in San Francisco. They gather to eat dim sum, play mahjong and share stories.
Their story continues forty years later when one of the daughters takes her mother’s place. Since visiting China and experiencing part of the culture through food, I’m excited to read what dishes they prepare and eat during these meetings. One of the classic books for foodies.
Delicious!
by Ruth Reichl
Reichl is best known for her memoirs about food. Delicious! is her first foray into the world of fiction and I think it’s a decent addition to foodie fiction. The main character takes a job in NYC working for an iconic food magazine. She is immediately swept into the delicious world of NYC foodies.
When the magazine is shut down, she stays on to answer customer calls. Ultimately, that role leads to a discovery of a fascinating history involving James Beard and WWII. The historical connection made this a four star for me, since it offered a unique take on the WWII era. Overall though, this food book will be a delight for foodies.
The Hundred-Foot Journey
by Richard C Morais
A war between a traditional upscale French restaurant and a vibrant inexpensive Indian restaurant in a small town. Hassan learns everything he knows about cooking from his Indian family, but eventually convinces the snooty French owner to become his mentor.
The rich descriptions of both the Indian and French dishes waft off the page. I loved the in depth look behind the scenes at everything involved in owning a restaurant too.
The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe
by Mary Simses
A charming tale about learning to find joy in a simpler life. Ellen is an attorney in NYC who returns to her small hometown to deliver a letter from her late grandmother. A quick trip turns into an extended stay after she’s unexpectedly rescued by a local carpenter. Plus, she discovers more about her grandmother than she ever expected to find. Be prepared – you’re going to want to have a blueberry muffin close by when you read this!
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The Lager Queen of Minnesota
by J Ryan Stradal
Ok technically not a food book per se, but beer is made of ingredients and an excellent addition to a meal. When their father leaves his farm and entire inheritance to younger sister, Helen, that leaves Edith to fend for herself. She gets by making pies, but always wonders how life would have been different with some extra help.
Helen meanwhile builds up an extremely successful light beer business. The family has a chance to reunite when Edith’s grandmother decides to take a shot at making IPAs. Beer lovers in particular should give this book a try!
Sweetbitter
by Stephanie Danler
If you’d like to look behind the scenes in a NYC restaurant, Sweetbitter is your best choice in this list of novels about food. This foodie fiction is about a young woman’s experience learning the ropes of restaurant life. It’s part coming of age novel, part expose on the high intensity nature of working at a restaurant.
Heartburn
by Nora Ephron
Although technically fiction, Nora draws heavily on her own life experiences for Heartburn. Seven month pregnant Rachel discovers her husband is in love with someone else.
As a cookbook writer, she turns to her recipes and creations to help cope. Despite the difficult subject matter, this novel is often lauded for it’s sidesplitting humor. If you love novels about food with recipes, you’ll find plenty here!
How to Bake a Perfect Life
by Barbara O’Neal
I read this years and years ago, but still recall the sweet way that baking brings stability to a young girl’s troubled life. Ramona is struggling to keep her bakery in business. Suddenly, more trouble arrives when she becomes temporary guardian of her step granddaughter.
Tess is a 13 year old who feels heartbroken and left behind by everyone in her life. The two slowly make a connection through baking and Ramona learns to open her heart to more than one person.
The Baker’s Secret
by Stephen Kiernan
A rare historical fiction option to this list of novels about food! Set on the Normandy coast during WW2, this powerful novel follows a baker’s apprentice as she fights back against the Germans with bread. Using extra rations to bake loaves for hungry villagers, Emma helps encourage hope and faith that the Allies will win.
I just ordered this from Barnes and Noble and can’t wait to dive in. WW2 historical fiction is one of my favorite genres so it should be an interesting read combined with books about food.
Chick Lit / Romance / Women’s Fiction Novels About Food
Battle Royal
by Lucy Parker
Battle Royal has everything you could possibly want in novels about food: a competition that suspiciously mimics the all time best Great British Bake Off, a royal wedding cake, and rival bakers turned lovers!
Now, I’m not always a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but this romance was handled with care and respect. These two actually developed a real foundation to turn their enmity into something more. And I ate up every minute of it 😉
*True confession – I actually dislike the cover? The two pictured are nothing like what I imagined in my head! Alas, all covers can’t be picture perfect!
Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake
By Alexis Hall
Rosaline is desperately in need of some money to help keep her afloat and ensure her daughter has the life she deserves. A spot on a national baking show could be the opportunity she’s been looking for to save her dire situation. As she works her way through the competition, she’s also trying to figure out her love life.
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living
by Louise Miller
I absolutely adored this book!! It has loads of country charm, delicious desserts, and an endearing love story. Olivia escapes to her best friend’s small town in Vermont after her career goes up in flames, literally.
Livvy accepts a stint as the pastry chef at a local inn and moves in to a small property nearby. She quickly realizes she’s there to help the owner reclaim the blue ribbon at the apple pie contest.
Through various twists and turns and a chance at love, Livvy discovers how much she loves the country life.
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
by Sonali Dev
Sign me up for a Pride and Prejudice adaptation any day, especially one that qualifies as novels about food! In this unique take on the classic story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, with gender swapped roles.
Trisha comes from a family of Indian royalty who settled in San Francisco. DJ Caine is a chef hired to work on the family who doesn’t have time for Trisha’s arrogance.
It’s currently a Kindle deal for only $2! Grab this one if you can’t resist a Pride and Prejudice retelling.
Meet Me At the Cupcake Cafe
by Jenny Colgan
If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me declaring my love for Jenny Colgan’s books. They’re always the perfect mix of spunky female, cute love story, small town charm, and often a delicious foodie fiction connection.
It’s hard to pick favorites, but I’m partial to Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe. Issy leaves her desk job to pursue her love of baking. However, starting a new business isn’t a piece of cake (ha ha get it??) Various struggles, successes, and unexpected relationships ensue.
Plus, it was recently re-released with this gorgeous new cover!
Little Beach Street Bakery
by Jenny Colgan
I couldn’t resist adding a second Jenny Colgan to my list of best novels about food. This one has my all-time favorite sidekick – Neil the Puffin! Polly escapes to a remote seaside town after a failed business and rough breakup. She decides to use the experience from her favorite hobby to open a bakery offering fresh bread.
Since she now has plenty of free time to experiment, and honey from the cute local beekeeper, she creates breads and pastries like nothing the islanders have ever seen. As usual though, there are always a few huddles to overcome.
P.S. Many of Jenny’s novels include second or third books featuring the same characters, often at Christmas or with babies 🙂
The Blue Bistro
by Elin Hilderbrand
My very first Elin Hilderbrand novel and still my favorite! Elin is the queen of summer beach reads and The Blue Bistro is quintessential summer foodie fiction. As usual, the setting is Nantucket, MA. This time her book revolves around the hottest Nantucket restaurant, The Blue Bistro.
Despite no restaurant experience, Adrienne lands a job there under the tutelage of the cute owner, Thatcher. Over the course of the summer, she tries to both learn the ropes and uncover why the restaurant is unexpectedly closing. The detailed, behind the scenes insights into the restaurant business kept me enthralled from start to finish.
Sweet Love
by Sarah Strohmeyer
Meddling mothers sometimes have the chance to redeem themselves. Years ago, Betty took matters into her own hands and ended the relationship between her daughter and the older neighborhood heartthrob. But she’s starting to wonder if she made a mistake.
Twenty years later Betty sets up the two of them at a dessert class. Will the sweet connection be enough to make them fall for each other once again?
Jane of Austin
by Hillary Manton Lodge
An adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility! Jane, Celia, and younger sister Margot move to Austin after they’re forced out of their San Francisco tea shop business. As they try to rebuild their lives and their livelihood, a rift begins between the sisters. Meanwhile, Jane falls quickly for a charming local musician Sean. The only one who doesn’t seem to approve is grumpy military man Callum.
This is a great option for fans of Jane Austen retellings. It’s loosely based, but the modern setting and the fact that it’s a book about food make it a fun read.
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
by Amy Reichert
Is it ridiculous that I haven’t read this yet because I don’t like coconut?? I mean, that’s gotta be up there as one of the dumbest reasons not to read a book haha. Honestly though, this one sounds adorable!
A chef on her worst day crosses paths with a restaurant critic who just wrote a scathing critic. They agree to explore their city without ever revealing their careers or discussing work. A classic trope of mistaken identities and misunderstandings along the lines of You’ve Got Mail!
Magical Realism Novels About Food
Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
One of the quintessential magical realism novels. Set in turn of the century Mexico, little Tita grows up surrounded by food. She ultimately becomes a chef and shares her food and recipes to express herself.
The novel is told in twelve installments, each a different month of the year. The beginning of each section features a Mexican recipe, so you’ll find lots of inspiration for your own kitchen here!
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe
by Heather Webber
One of the more recent additions to the books for foodies niche! This sweet debut just came out in 2019 and was a pleasant surprise. A woman takes a quick trip to close her late grandmother’s cafe and settle her estate. Naturally, that quick trip turns into a longer stay as she takes over running the cafe and baking the magical pies.
I loved the supporting cast and adorable love stories in this one. I would have like to see more of the “magical realism” piece, but the story by itself is worth reading!
Garden Spells
by Sarah Addison Allen
Like Jenny Colgan is the queen of chick lit novels about food, Sarah Addison Allen is the best of the best in magical realism fiction books about food. Her books combine a hint of magic with entrancing family stories. In Garden Spells, the Waverley family is known for their curious abilities. Claire Waverley weaves emotions into the food of her catering business and quietly enjoys her life in their hometown.
When her sister suddenly returns with a young daughter in tow, they toss Claire’s life upside down. She’s forced to reopen her heart in more ways than one as they struggle to fit together as a new family. This is one of my all-time favorite stories. It has just the right touch of the magical, family drama, and quirky characters.
The Sugar Queen
by Sarah Addison Allen
Young Josey gets through life in her mom’s house by relying on her secret stockpile of sweets that she eats in her closet. She unexpectedly discovers Della Lee, a local waitress, in just that spot one night and from then on her life blooms open. Through Della Lee’s tough love, she starts to interact with the world and even befriends Chloe Finley, who’s got a connection to Josey’s crush.
Once again, Sarah’s signature touch of unique magic is present throughout! I have this loaded on my Kindle and am hoping to read it soon.
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
A deeply satisfying novel about finding acceptance and changing lives in a hardhearted town. Unmarried Vianne and her daughter cause quite a scene when they open up a chocolate shop in the tiny French town of Lansquenet. The townsfolk grapple with their Lenten devotion, but can’t seem to stay away from the temptation of chocolate.
With her uncanny ability to cure the devotees’ problems, rumors of witch start to fly. Vianne soon finds herself battling with the town priest over something as simple as chocolate.
A luscious and captivating read! This is a rare instance where the movie adaptation is just as good as the book too!
Sourdough
by Robin Sloan
A software engineer becomes the sole guardian of a precious sourdough starter. She’s instructed to keep it alive, bake with it, and ensure the legacy lives on. Before she knows it, she’s more valuable providing bread to her company than engineering.
I haven’t read this one myself yet, but I hear it’s a bit out there. It’s not exactly at the top of my list, but I think it’d be a unique read for anyone particularly interested in bread baking.
Young Adult Books for Foodies
Tweet Cute
by Emma Lord
If you like GIFS, Twitter wars, chatting on apps, cute love stories, high school drama or food, you’ll love reading Tweet Cute! Tweet Cute is an adorable journey through social media, parents’ expectations, and finding love in the most unexpected places.
Pepper and Jack go to the same high school, but as the respective class know-it-all and class clown they rarely cross paths. At least until they discover they’re on opposing sides of a Twitter war between an international burger chain and a local sandwich shop.
Once they agree to go all out in their Twitter feud, they can’t seem to stop spending time together. Pepper and Jack are both unsure of their feelings though, since they’ve each been chatting with an anonymous someone else on their school’s unofficial app. Will their friendship become something more or will their online feud turn into a real life issue?
The Cupcake Queen
by Heather Hepler
I first discovered Heather Hepler while randomly browsing my library’s bookshelves. I immediately devoured the two books they had! In The Cupcake Queen, Penny’s mom owns a cupcake bakery where she’s forced to help out. She recently moved to her mom’s town and her dad stayed behind. Plus, the new school’s mean girl has it out for her.
This is a super cute young adult addition to my novels about food with all the expected friendship drama, parent drama, and relationship drama. It’s a quick read and will inspire you to bake some cupcakes of your own!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
by Jenny Han
The first book in one of my favorite young adult series also happens to qualify as novels about food! Lara Jean prefers to write letters to her boy crushes rather than actually share her feelings.
Her worst nightmare comes true when the five letters she’s written over the years are delivered. Since her older sister, Margot, is at college and her younger sister Kitty, needs to be mothered, she’s on her own dealing with the fallout.
She ends up teaming up with Peter to create a fake relationship that will help out them both. Naturally, real, confusing feelings start to develop so she must step away from her romance books and face a real potential relationship.
Lara Jean is such a sweet, authentic protagonist. I love her baking to release stress habit and her relationship with her sisters and Dad.
Bittersweet
by Sarah Ockler
Get ready for another YA book featuring cupcakes! Hudson had her life planned out, until a betrayal forced her to rethink everything and take refuge baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner.
Just as she’s about to get back to her dreams, a cute boy enters her life and she’s left once again grappling with taking a chance on love.
What Happened to Goodbye
by Sarah Dessen
You’re pretty much guaranteed to find a book by Sarah Dessen on any YA book list. Luckily, I found one that fits into the novels about food category!
McClean’s dad is a restaurant consultant. After her parent’s relationship implodes, she hits the road with him on a series of restaurant overhauls. In each new city and town, she creates a new identity.
Do you have any favorite novels about food? What novels about food would you add to this list?
Save this pin featuring novels about food for later!
Coconut Cake was a good story. Very cute without because too tropey.
I loved Delicious! I know a lot of Reichl fans didn’t? I thought it was very well done.
What a fun post! I really enjoyed Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, and I want to read Lager Queen soon!
Great list! The Baker’s Secret sounds great.
Ooh what a fun roundup! Reminds me of a few books I want to get around to – most especially Lager Queen of Minnesota. I really loved his Kitchens of the Great Midwest, which is another that would of course do well in this category. I don’t read magical realism very often, but I do remember really liking The Sugar Queen. Another in that vein that I liked is The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Fun way to go through some backlist titles!
What an awesome list! I haven’t heard of many of these, though Heartburn has been on my TBR list for years! If you like memoirs, check out Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton or Measure of My Powers by Jackie Kai Ellis. They’re both beautiful reads.
Thank you! If you have not read “Truffles in Winter”, please do! It is fantastic and full of amazing descriptions of food and beauty.
I have not read any of these except Heartburn. You should add Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray & Bread Alone by Judith Hendricks to your list. Judith Hendricks has 2 other books in the Bread Alone series.
If you love bread baking Sourdough is a
must read. I love it.
You should add Stacey Ballis books. Her books are well written and always foodie related. I devour her books, pun intended!
What about The City Baker’s guide to Country Living by Louise Miller, I could not find in this write up
So sorry about my diction here- not so sure I’m a fluent speaker
I’m trying to conjure up the title, author, or even enough significant elements of a fiction book I once read to be able to Google it.
A woman is either ditched or widowed or otherwise left to fend for herself. She succeeds at founding a catering company. It had a specific title, decently catchy, two words (I think), can’t recall it.
She has a benefactor who, in some financial fashion, sponsors the incorporation or licensing of her business, in such a way that technically on paper her catering business appears to be a part of his empire, which might be something that starts with an “S” like Stromberg Enterprises or Stokely Conglomerate (but it might not be, dang it)…
Wealthy benefactor is being divorced by his wife and she targets his financial empire, and unfortunately that includes the catering business. Our main character becomes irate that her company, which SHE created, could be scooped up by a trophy wife / the type of woman who has never done for herself and instead made a career of depending on wealthy men. The solution (spoiler alert!) is that she buys out Stockley Holdings or Shockley Marketspan or whatever it’s called, which is contemplated “what if the smaller organism devoured the large one?’ although not in that language, and they decide to do it.
Aha, it appears to be *A Self-Made Woman* by Ruth Harris