Movies like The Donut King (2020)
The best movies like The Donut King (2020) are Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) and The Search for General Tso (2014). If The Donut King hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)7.7/10 from 804 votes
- NewestVeselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World (2024)Released 2024
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017)
The incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Search for General Tso (2014)
From New York City to the farmlands of the Midwest, there are 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., yet one dish in particular has conquered the American culinary landscape with a force befitting its military moniker—“General Tso’s Chicken.” But who was General Tso and how did this dish become so ubiquitous? Ian Cheney’s delightfully insightful documentary charts the history of Chinese Americans through the surprising origins of this sticky, sweet, just-spicy-enough dish that we’ve adopted as our own.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Factory (2019)
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVeselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World (2024)
New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Spinning Plates (2013)
Spinning Plates is a documentary about three extraordinary restaurants and the incredible people who make them what they are. A cutting-edge restaurant named the seventh-best in the world whose chef must battle a life-threatening obstacle to pursue his passion. A 150-year-old family restaurant still standing only because of the unbreakable bond with its community. A fledgling Mexican restaurant whose owners are risking everything just to survive and provide for their young daughter. Their unforgettable stories of family, legacy, passion and survival come together to reveal how meaningful food can be, and the power it has to connect us to one another.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)
An intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon. This unflinching look at Anthony Bourdain reverberates with his presence, in his own voice and in the way he indelibly impacted the world around him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRamen Heads (2017)
In Ramen Heads, Osamu Tomita, Japan's reigning king of ramen, takes us deep into his world, revealing every single step of his obsessive approach to creating the perfect soup and noodles, and his relentless search for the highest-quality ingredients.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Knife Skills (2017)
Edwin’s Restaurant is determined to become one of America’s top French restaurants, with a staff unlike any other in the country. Brandon Edwin Chrostowski prepares to open his Cleveland, Ohio fine dining establishment with a staff composed nearly entirely of recently released prisoners in search of an opportunity to get their lives back on track. They sign up for a classical French food boot camp to learn the ins and outs of fine wine, sauces, and more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Chef Flynn (2018)
Ten-year-old Flynn McGarry transforms his living room into a supper club using his classmates as line cooks. Achieving sudden fame, Flynn outgrows his bedroom kitchen and sets out to challenge the hierarchy of the culinary world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Speed Cubers (2020)
This documentary captures the extraordinary twists and turns in the journeys of Rubik's Cube-solving champions Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBaristas (2019)
The follow up to the hit documentary "Barista" features four National Barista champions from around the globe who represent their countries and their craft in an attempt to win the World Barista Championship in Seoul, South Korea.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Truffle Hunters (2020)
In the secret forests of Northern Italy, a dwindling group of joyful old men and their faithful dogs search for the world’s most expensive ingredient, the white Alba truffle. Their stories form a real-life fairy tale that celebrates human passion in a fragile land that seems forgotten in time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKings of Pastry (2009)
The collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Minding the Gap (2018)
Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWe Feed People (2022)
We Feed People spotlights renowned chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s incredible mission and evolution over 12 years from being a scrappy group of grassroots volunteers to becoming one of the most highly regarded humanitarian aid organizations in the disaster relief sector.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Memory Games (2019)
Without memory we are nothing. Memory makes us human. It’s who we are. Memory Games offers a thrilling insight into the lives of four athletes from the United States, Germany, and Mongolia as they compete for the title of World Memory Champion. Their unique approaches to memorizing and recalling mind-boggling amounts of information and their life stories form the basis for a visually stunning and thought-provoking documentary that looks at how memory permeates every aspect of our lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste (2017)
See how the world’s most influential chefs battle food waste through the eyes of chef-heroes like Massimo Bottura, Dan Barber and Danny Bowien.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros (2023)
Founded in 1930, Troisgros has held three Michelin stars for 55 years. The children of the fourth generation, Marie-Pierre and Michel's sons continue the family business: César runs the Michelin-starred restaurant, 'Le Bois sans feuilles' ('The Leafless Wood'), and Léo is in charge of one of the other two Troisgros restaurants, 'La Colline du colombier' ('The Dovecote Hill'). From the daily market to the cheese maturing cellars, via the vineyard, the cattle farm and the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant, Menus-Plaisirs is an intimate, sensory journey through the kitchens of one of the world's most prestigious restaurants.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Whose Streets? (2017)
A nonfiction account of the Ferguson uprising told by the people who lived it, this is an unflinching look at how the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown inspired a community to fight back—and sparked a global movement.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Blind Ambition (2022)
The inspiring story of four Zimbabwean men who form their country’s first Wine Tasting Olympics team and the mission that drives them to compete.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
King Georges (2015)
French chef Georges Perrier tries to keep his internationally renowned restaurant relevant in the new culinary world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Noma: My Perfect Storm (2015)
A creative journey into the unique mind of René Redzepi, chef and co-owner of Noma, voted best restaurant in the world four times.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Own the Room (2021)
Follows five young star students on their journey to win one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for student entrepreneurs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Deli Man (2015)
Every story needs a brave and trustworthy guide, and Deli Man's is the effusive and charming Ziggy Gruber, a third-generation delicatessen man - his uncle and great-uncle owned Berger's in the diamond district, and the Woodrow Deli on Long Island. His grandfather owned the famous Rialto Delicatessen on Broadway, and Ziggy was stuffing cabbages atop of a crate when he was eight. Now he is owner and maven (as well as a Yiddish-speaking French trained chef) of one of the country's top delis, Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston – yes, Texas…Shalom y'all. Of course the story of deli isn't Ziggy's alone. Deli Man has visited meccas like the Carnegie, Katz's, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al, and Canter's, as well as interviewed some of the great connoisseurs of deli, including Jerry Stiller, Alan Dershowitz, Freddie Klein, Dennis Howard, Jay Parker (Ben's Best), Fyvush Finkel, and Larry King.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Song That Calls You Home (2022)
A personal, scientific, mystical exploration of Amazonian curanderismo, focus on Ayahuasca and Master Plants, their healing and visionary properties and risks, along with the Shipibo people and their songs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
What Would Sophia Loren Do? (2021)
Nancy Vincenza Kulik, an Italian-American grandmother from Fort Lee, New Jersey, has experienced many challenges and triumphs. But she always meets life's journey with love, resilience and joy, inspired in part by another Italian grandmother, movie star Sophia Loren.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Spelling the Dream (2020)
Since 1999, 18 of the last 22 winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian-American, making the incredible trend one of the longest in sports history. “Breaking the Bee” is a feature-length documentary that explores and celebrates this new dynasty while following four students, ages 7 to 14, as they vie for the title of spelling bee champion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Resurrection (2020)
In this two-hour special event from The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, previous drag monsters from Seasons 1-3 return for a chance to earn a spot in Season 4 and $20,000 cash.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived (2023)
As Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double in the Harry Potter films, David Holmes' work has been seen worldwide by millions of people. Tragically an on-set accident ended what David calls "the best job in the world," leaving him paralyzed. Like the on-screen character he helped bring to life, David is determined to continue seeking adventure and living life to the fullest despite mounting obstacles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Donut King?
The closest matches to The Donut King are Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) and The Search for General Tso (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Donut King?
People who watched The Donut King most often go on to Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) and The Search for General Tso (2014).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Donut King?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), rated 7.7/10 by 804 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Donut King?
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Donut King?
Yes: Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) and The Search for General Tso (2014).
How are movies similar to The Donut King chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Donut King, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.