Cook Your Way Through the Food in ‘The Bear,’ From Italian Beef to Focaccia From Chicago staples to fine-dining dishes, these recipes bring the food of ‘The Bear’ to your own kitchen. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 13, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen We’ll do our best to avoid spoilers, but throughout The Bear, there’s plenty of food to focus on — often served with family trauma, but we’re highlighting the pastries, pasta, and meat here. Over the course of the series, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), and Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce) develop as chefs and human beings as they work to transform the Berzatto family’s Chicago Italian beef shop into the fine dining restaurant of their dreams. Like a lot of people in the food world, we’re inspired and entertained by the show. And watching it makes us very hungry. Here are some of our favorite recipes from the world of The Bear, from Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs to Bolognese, short ribs, and that incredible chocolate cake. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 24 Italian Beef Sandwiches Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Melissa Gray-Streett / Prop Styling by Shell Royster This is the dish that started it all at The Original Beef of Chicagoland. Topped with bright homemade giardiniera and roasted sweet peppers, this take on Italian beef sandwiches has lots of beefy flavor and a deeply satisfying jus. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 24 Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter Photo and Styling by Julia Gartland Season 1 ended with a spaghetti dinner made with a simple tomato sauce inspired by Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe. “This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste,” she wrote in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. “I have known people to skip the pasta and eat the sauce directly out of the pot with a spoon.” Get the Recipe Save 03 of 24 Cola-Braised Short Ribs with Risotto Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This is the dish that helps push The Beef toward becoming The Bear, as Sydney spends much of Season 1 tinkering with it before it catches the eye of a local restaurant critic. On television and in real life, little is cozier than a Dutch oven filled with braised, fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs. Here, per Sydney’s creativity, the classic braising liquid of wine and stock gets a surprising addition from cola, which balances the savory with a touch of complex sweetness to create a smooth, rich sauce. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 24 ‘The Bear’ Chocolate Cake Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Of course, we can’t forget this cake, which was created by Chicago pastry chef Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader for The Bear and featured on the cover of our March 2023 issue. It layers an airy chocolate mousse between rounds of fudgy chocolate cake, all covered in rich chocolate frosting. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 24 Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall This iconic — and famously controversial — pizza is loaded with sausage, sauce, and two kinds of cheese for one of the heartiest slices you’ll ever have. In Season 2, while staging at Ever, Richie runs out for a deep-dish pie to present to out-of-town guests who’re lamenting that they’ve not tried the Chicago staple. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 24 Chicago-Style Hot Dogs Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Julian Hensaring / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Carmy and Richie serve Chicago-style hot dogs at a kid’s birthday party in the show’s first season, where the traditional no-ketchup rule proves tricky with a crowd of young guests. This recipe sticks to the classic Chicago formula, nestling all-beef dogs in poppy seed buns and topping with yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, diced white onions, sport peppers, celery salt, tomato slices, and dill pickle spears. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 24 Braciole Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This cozy Italian dish gets its own episode in Season 1, when Carmy finds himself confronting the complicated history of his family and their restaurant. Braciole is made by pounding meat — typically beef, veal, or pork — thin, then stuffing and rolling it with prosciutto, breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs. It can be grilled, pan-fried, or braised in sauce, as it is here. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 24 Focaccia Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Focaccia is served throughout the series, including with whipped lardo during The Bear’s final service. This pillowy, soft version gets its unbeatable flavor from lots of olive oil, plus fresh rosemary and flaky salt on top. It’s perfect with charcuterie, pasta, salad, or as the base for decadent sandwiches. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 24 Pasta Bolognese Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen The Season 2 episode “Bolognese” features Carmy making the rich meat sauce for Claire, serving it with fresh pasta in one of the show’s most memorable cooking scenes. This big-batch recipe comprises a traditional mix of ground beef, pork, veal, and tomato enriched by savory pancetta. It’s tossed with penne rigate and finished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 24 Crisp Paupiettes of Sea Bass in Barolo Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Risha Carnes Carmy learns to make Daniel Boulud’s famous paupiette of sea bass during a Season 3 flashback to the chef’s New York kitchen. Boulud’s preparation wraps a skinless fillet in thinly sliced potatoes, which turn crisp and golden as they cook. Carmy later pays homage to the dish on The Bear’s menu, topping his sea bass with potato chips. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 24 Seared Scallops with Orange and Vermouth © Jason Varney As Sydney pushes The Bear toward a simpler menu, she develops lightly seared scallops with orange-ginger butter in Season 4; Carmy tastes the finished dish and calls it “better than perfect.” This quick recipe also pairs seared scallops with orange, in the form of a pan sauce made with butter, scallion, vermouth, and orange zest. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 24 Hamburger Helpa Greg DuPree In Season 4, Sydney whips up a from-scratch riff on Hamburger Helper to feed T.J., her young cousin. Our version stays true to the nostalgic flavors of the original with a homemade spice blend of dry mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, plus half a cup of chopped American cheese. Chives and scallions lend a fresh green pop to the finished dish. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 24 Boursin Omelet Victor Protasio This beautifully basic omelet is the perfect thing for Sydney to make Natalie as they work on getting the restaurant open. It features Boursin, the spreadable garlic-herb cheese, which melts richly into the tender eggs’ creamy center. We love this omelet with a crusty baguette, a crisp salad, and a glass of Chardonnay, but if you want to scatter some potato chips on top à la Sydney, go for it. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 24 Chicken Piccata with Radishes Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Courtney Storer, culinary producer for The Bear, is the former culinary director of Jon + Vinny’s in Los Angeles. This quick version of the Italian American classic comes from the restaurant. Chicken piccata is also an important Berzatto family favorite on the show, inspired by Storer’s own family tradition. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 24 Orange-Cardamom Morning Buns Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman Watching Marcus explore Copenhagen — and later, create his own honey buns inspired by the trip — gave us a craving for these morning buns, which are scented with cardamom. Honey goes into the dough and the buttery filling, which is also flavored with orange zest, cinnamon, and cardamom. The filling is not only rolled up into the dough, but brushed on the baked buns as well, creating a delightfully gooey, sticky topping. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 24 Pork and Chive Dumplings Bobby Fisher A nod to the dumplings Sydney encounters at Lao Peng You in Season 2, this recipe from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Peter Cho is a simplified version of his favorite soup dumplings. It forgoes the usual liquefied filling; instead, the bite-size parcels are served alongside a tangy ginger dipping sauce. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 24 Over-the-Top Ice Cream Sundaes with Homemade Caramel Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Sydney’s giant sundae at Margie’s Candies had us dreaming of the legendary ice cream creations at this Chicago institution. Fully loaded with creamy fudge, salty pretzels, crunchy toffee, and chewy, bittersweet candied lemon peel, this next-level sundae gets drenched in homemade caramel sauce. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 24 Whole Grilled Chicken with Wilted Arugula © Quentin Bacon Thomas Keller teaches Carmy how to properly truss a chicken in a Season 3 flashback to his time staging at The French Laundry. Keller employs that same technique here before grill-roasting the whole bird. Tossing rosemary sprigs on the hot coals infuses the meat with smoky, herbaceous flavor. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 24 Grilled Grape Tabbouleh with Tahini Sauce Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Mat Gibilisco In Season 2, Sydney sits down with restaurateur Donnie Madia at Avec’s River North outpost to discuss her ambitions for The Bear and earning a Michelin star. In this sweet-savory take on tabbouleh from Avec chef Dylan Patel, grilled grapes make fast friends with farro; honey-roasted peanuts; lots of herbs; and a nutty, creamy tahini sauce. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 24 Cannoli Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Classic cannoli becomes a big point of inspiration for the cooks on the show, especially Marcus, who transforms the family’s beloved dessert into something new in Season 2. They take it far from the traditional version represented here, in which tubes of flaky fried pastry dough are filled with rich, citrus-scented ricotta-mascarpone filling. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 24 Roasted Branzino with Caper Butter Diana Chistruga The chaotic Season 2 episode “Fishes” features an elaborate seafood feast, but we’ll spare you the drama and offer an easy, no-fail branzino recipe instead. Whole branzino roasted with lemon and rosemary is a foolproof way to ensure flavorful, perfectly cooked fish. A caper compound butter takes the dish over the top. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 24 Classic Croissants Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Croissants and other laminated pastries figure in Marcus’ development as a pastry chef. This recipe from F&W’s Paige Grandjean is the perfect way to start making croissants at home. In France, butter croissants like these are traditionally rolled straight, while croissants made with margarine are typically shaped into a crescent. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 24 Crispy Pork Cutlets with Tonnato Sauce Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel In the final season, Carmy serves lamb tonnato, a riff on the classic Italian combination of veal and tuna sauce. Here, 2020 F&W Best New Chef Daisy Ryan’s version of the sauce, thickened and flavored with oil-packed tuna fillets and brightened by fresh lemon juice and pickled caperberries, dresses up panko-encrusted pork cutlets for a weeknight-friendly meal. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 24 Ube Basque Cakes Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke These tender, flaky mini cakes created by 2022 F&W Best New Chefs Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon are served at Kasama, the duo’s modern Filipino bakery and restaurant in Chicago — one of the real-life restaurants that inspired the food of The Bear. The buttery cakes are filled with mildly sweet ube pastry cream and tart berries, and are finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit