What Was the Best Looking Food on Seinfeld?

There are exactly 180 episodes of Seinfeld, and I've seen every one of them multiple times. I would guess over half feature some sort of food-related story. But what went beyond prop and actually looked good enough to eat? That's my mission.

The folks at Seinfeld generally only had about a week to finish an episode. When you're working in those tight constraints, making food that looks great isn't a priority–if it's shown at all. We never even see the infamous cinnamon babka baked around a piece of hair, for example.

So, I wanted to find food that was actually shown on screen and figure out what looked the most delicious. Come along with me on this important journey.

A Word About Pizza on Seinfeld

First, I have to address the elephant in the room. Pizza is a big part of this website, and Seinfeld infamously takes place in New York City, a place renowned for its excellent pizza. However, with a few exceptions, pizza on the show looked pretty bad.

It always had thick, pale crust and congealed toppings. They were clearly cooking up frozen pizza any time they needed it for a scene, and that's fine. Seinfeld was filmed in Los Angeles–were they supposed to send a runner to a NYC-style pizzeria any time they needed a slice on the show? I'll let it slide.

10. Marble Rye

Season 7, Episode 11: The Rye

Marble rye is undoubtedly one of the most iconic food items from Seinfeld, and this might be the most food-based episode of the show, too. In between the rye plot, Kramer and Rusty the Horse are chowing down on cans of Beef-a-reeno. But how does the marble rye actually look? Well, I'd gladly serve it.

9. Eggplant Calzone

Season 7, Episode 20: The Calzone

When I stared out with this idea, I really thought George's calzone would end up higher on the list. Honestly, though, it's just alright. Don't get me wrong, for a pizza-adjacent food item, it looks great for this show, but I can't say eggplant would be my first, second, or third choice for filling.

8. Non-Fat Yogurt

Season 5, Episode 7: The Non-Fat Yogurt

Frozen yogurt gets a bad rap. Non-fat or not, it's just as good as ice cream, and I'll hear nothing otherwise. I'm sure whatever they were eating for this episode in real life was generic vanilla something, but the way they sell it makes it seem so friggin' good. Acting!

7. Black and White Cookie

Season 5, Episode 13: The Dinner Party

The infamous Black and White Cookie. It's funny how this scene is mainly about the babka, yet the cookie is what we actually see. It may be simple, but I've always thought it looked great. You can tell it has really nice crispy, crackly icing on top of a soft cookie. I've always wanted to try one.

6. Kenny Rogers Roasters Chicken

Season 8, Episode 8: The Chicken Roaster

I'm a little surprised Kenny's chicken ended up so low on the list, too. Damn, they made it look good. Every time chicken is shown in this episode you can tell it's super juicy and barely hanging on to the bone. Kenny Rogers Roasters was, in fact, a real chain at the time. I wonder if that's where they got the chicken on the show from?

5. Frank's Jewish Singles Night Buffet

Season 8, Episode 6: The Fatigues

Man, I love a good catered buffet, and look at that spread. Hamantaschen, latkes, and don't get me started on the kishkes! I haven't a clue what 2/3 of those things are, but watching this scene made me realize I need more Jewish food in my life. It all looks like genuine, carefully prepared, delicious food. The crew ate well that day.

4. Mackinaw Peaches

Season 6, Episode 20: The Doodle

I dare anyone to find a sitcom that featured fruit as prominently as Seinfeld. To its credit, a fresh, in-season peach is a thing of beauty. Newman may denounce broccoli as a "vile weed," be even he can't help but be excited about the Mackinaw Peaches. How could you not want to try one of those?

The funny thing is, when this episode aired in 1995, there was no such thing as Mackinaw Peaches. Now there is, thanks entirely to the show.

3. Farmer's Daughter Pie

Season 7, Episode 22: The Bottle Deposit (Part 2)

Pie showed up a few times in Seinfeld, but this is clearly the best-looking of the bunch. Who wouldn't go knocking at a stranger's door after seeing that pie? I've not seen many pies in my life piled that high with fruit. Honestly, I'm surprised Newman didn't grab it and run away.

2. King Edward VIII's Wedding Cake

Season 9, Episode 18: The Frogger

There's something about eating a day-old refrigerated cake that just hits different. Now imagine that cake has been aging for over 60 years, ice cold and perfectly preserved. The frosting has slightly absorbed into the cake, making it moist and soft. What's that? A cake that old would almost certainly be covered in disgusting mold? Oh, I really think you're wrong...

1. Mango

Season 5, Episode 1: The Mango

My goodness, look at that mango. You can practically taste it when George is shoveling those deep yellow, glistening slices in his mouth. I almost certainly saw this episode before every having mango, but now I get it. Perfectly ripe, juicy mango is so dang good. And to have someone else serve it up on a platter, having gone through the hassle of peeling and slicing it for you? What a treat. The side effects aren't too bad, either.

Honorable Mention

11. Broiled Chicken (S7 E4: The Bubble Boy)
12. Pastrami Sandwich (S9 E4: The Blood)
13. Ice Cream Sundae (S5 E6: The Lip Reader)
14. Mutton (S7 E4: The Wink)
15. Muffin Tops (S8 E21: The Muffin Tops)