If you stop and think about it, there was a LOT of food in Friends, just like there is in real life when your real friends are around. Not only was there a Thanksgiving episode every year, but Joey loved to eat, Monica was a chef, and they spent a lot of time in a coffee shop. That's a lot of opportunities for food to present itself as almost its own character in the show.
If you're as excited about the Friends reunion episode, or if you're having a Friends themed party since 90s things are back in a big way, you'll want to include some food and drink. I've divided the food offerings into three categories, so you can choose the level of effort you want to put into your Friends reunion watch party. Can you recall all of these food items from the 10 years' worth of episodes? Don't act like you haven't watched it several times through since 2003!
My aim here is for this to be the most comprehensive list of food mentions on Friends. Check it out!
Easy Food
- Coffee, every episode ever!
- The Joey special — TWO pizzas!, s4 ep 23
- Lager beer, s9 ep 9
- Meatball sub from a deli, s5 ep 20
- Salmon rillettes and assorted crudites, s1 ep 18
- Mockolate, s2 ep8 (sub in some carob-based candy for the same unsettling effect)
- Hummus, s3 ep 2
- Carrots, s5 ep 8
- Dirty lettuce and very firm tomatoes, s2 ep 21
- (Free) Crab cakes, s9 ep 14
Medium Effort Snacks
- Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, s7 ep 3
- Oatmeal raisin cookies, s1 ep 12 (Phoebe makes the best ones)
- Scones, ep 1 s 22
- Salmon skin roll (supposing the medium amount of effort here is driving to a restaurant for takeout sushi), s6 ep 17
- Mashed potatoes with lumps, but also mashed potatoes without lumps, and tater tots, s1 ep 9
- Mmm noodle soup, s5 ep 18
- Quiche cups (but without a blue fingernail, please), s4 ep 3
- Tacos (aka ground beef smilies), s7 ep 4
Elaborate Options
- Rachel's Trifle (not including the beef, sauted with peas and onions), s6 ep 9
- The Moistmaker, s5 ep 9
- Monica's Little Drops of Heaven, s7 ep 9
- Cheesecake (or make it easy and buy pre-made!), s7 ep 11
- Bouillabaisse, s8 ep 21
- A dozen lasagnas (or just one!), s1 ep 12
- Individual sweet potato stuffed pumpkins, s8 ep 9
- Fajitas and margaritas, s10 ep2
- Onion tartlets, s1 ep 15 (the word has lost all meaning!)
- Monica's breakup jam s3 ep 3
Have I missed any food mentions on Friends? Let me know!
