5 Restaurants From TV & Film To Add To Your Vacation Plans!

One of my favorite ways movies and TV sneak into real life is through restaurants, the kind of places that instantly feel familiar even if you’ve never been there. Whether it’s a single iconic scene or a spot characters keep returning to, these locations end up carrying way more personality than just "a place where people eat". If you’re planning a trip and want to build in some pop-culture stops, we're convinced these 5 are worth adding to the itinerary!

1. Katz’s Delicatessen (When Harry Met Sally...)

205 East Houston Street, New York City, NY
This one almost feels inevitable. Katz’s isn’t just a famous movie location, it’s a New York institution that also happens to host one of the most talked-about scenes in rom-com history. Even if you’re not recreating That Moment, there’s something fun about sitting in a space that’s become shorthand for classic movie New York. It’s busy, loud, unapologetic, and feels like the city in food form. 

2. Tom’s Restaurant ("Seinfeld")

2880 Broadway, New York City, NY
You technically never go inside the diner from "Seinfeld", but that hasn’t stopped Tom’s Restaurant from becoming a pilgrimage spot. The exterior doubled as Monk’s Café, and standing outside it feels strangely comforting, even if you’ve seen every episode a dozen times. It’s a quick stop, but it’s one of those places where the nostalgia hits immediately. 

3. Café des Deux Moulins (Amélie)
15 Rue Lepic, Montmartre, Paris, France

If you’re in Paris, this one is hard to beat. Café des Deux Moulins is where Amélie works, and it still looks incredibly close to how it does in the film. Even if you’re not deeply familiar with Amélie, the café has that cozy, slightly whimsical energy that makes it a great place to slow down and feel like you’ve stepped into a movie for an hour. 

4. Musso & Frank Grill (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood)
6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA

A Hollywood mainstay since 1919, Musso & Frank already had decades of history before Quentin Tarantino featured it, but seeing it on-screen adds another layer. It feels preserved in time -- red booths, martinis, old Hollywood atmosphere -- and eating there really does feel like participating in film history rather than just visiting a restaurant. It’s especially great if you like places that feel intentionally unchanged. 

5. The Lighthouse Café (La La Land)
30 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA

This is a great stop if you want something relaxed but still iconic. The Lighthouse Café is a real jazz venue, and La La Land captures that energy perfectly. Even if jazz isn’t usually your thing, there’s something special about seeing live music in a space that feels both cinematic and grounded in real Los Angeles culture. 

Whether you’re building a whole trip around movie locations or just looking for one meaningful stop, these places turn watching into experiencing, and that’s what makes them worth seeking out!