10 fictional cafés and restaurants from TV and films you can actually visit

Have you ever watched a TV show or film and wished you could visit the set? We have good news for you.

Whether it’s enjoying Breakfast at Tiffany’s or a warm cuppa at Luke’s from Gilmore Girls, some on-set dining spots are at the heart of a story's script.

While some fictional eateries are created just for that particular film or show, some do actually exist in the real world.

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UK coffee retailer Coffee Friend has done the research and found ten of the most iconic cafes and restaurants from popular culture that do exist and that you can still visit.

1. The Blue Box Café - Breakfast at Tiffany's

Those who have seen the iconic 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, will remember the title-led opening scene of Audrey Hepburn’s character eating a croissant and drinking a coffee at Tiffany & Co’s flagship store in New York.

It wasn’t until 2017 that the store on 5th Avenue decided to open The Blue Box Café. Naturally you could order croissants and coffee, plus a number of other items.

The café is currently undergoing renovations.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Opening Scene - HQwww.youtube.com

2. Les Deux Compères - Emily in Paris

The Netflix hit Emily In Paris, which returned for its second season at the end of last year, focused partly around the restaurant of Emily's on and off love interest Gabriel.

Les Deux Comperes, a business Emily's marketing agency took on as a client, is a real restaurant.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have the same name and instead is an Italian restaurant named Terra Nera. The bistro is situated in Place de l'Estrapade in Paris and sells all sorts of pizza and pasta.

3. Magnolia Bakery - Sex and the City

The famous benches outside Magnolia Bakery where Carrie and Miranda share cupcakes and coffee is very much a real bakery - and it even has the same name.

Conveniently situated around the corner from “Carrie’s apartment” in West Village in NYC, the venue was popularised when featured in the series.

It currently operates like any other bakery, just with slightly bigger crowds than most, particularly with the show returning for its reboot.

4. The Lighthouse Café - La La Land

Ryan Gosling’s character Seb takes Mia, played by Emma Stone, to her first live experience of jazz music at The Lighthouse Café - a famous jazz spot in the 1940s.

The café does actually exist and is situated in Hermosa Beach, California.

If ever in the area, you can still pop in for a coffee and some food. And it still remains a part-time jazz club on Wednesdays and weekends, continuing its legacy.

La La Land - Sebastian and Mia at The Jazz Clubwww.youtube.com

5. Los Pollos Hermanos - Breaking Bad

Those who have seen Walter White's rise from science teacher to drug lord in the Breaking Bad series will be familiar with the chicken shop Los Pollos Hermanos, where a number of important scenes take place.

The diner itself doesn't exist - but was later franchised following the success of the series.

However, the scenes shown in the series at Los Pollos were actually shot at a Twisters branch in South Valley, New Mexico.

6. Cafe Debussy - Inception

Another French entry. Arguably the most famous scene in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, Inception, is set in Café Debussy in Paris.

This is the moment where Cobb tells Ariadne how she is currently in a dream and that these dreams can be controlled before turning Paris into a small playground.

The café is now an Italian restaurant named Il Russo close to Segur Metro station.

Inception Cafe Scenewww.youtube.com

7. Bar De La Marine - Love Actually

Remember the scene in Love Actually, where Jamie (Colin Firth) tries to track down Aurelia? Then he finds her in a small town with cobbled streets and the whole village turns up?

Well, the scene filmed at her place of work is actually in Marseille, France, with the restaurant named Bar De La Marine in real life.

It sits right on the famous port in France’s second-largest city.

Love Actually (10/10) Movie CLIP - Jamie Proposes to Aurelia (2003) HDwww.youtube.com

8. Double R Diner - Twin Peaks

For Twin Peaks fans, a delicious slice of cherry pie is just an order away at Twede's in North Bend, Washington, the home of the show’s Double R Diner.

The Double R Diner, owned by Norma Jennings in the series, featured in the original series in 1989 and the recent revival in 2017.

As a result of a fire in 2000, the Double R Diner backdrop was almost completely destroyed with Twede's needing a full makeover. But when filming commenced again in 2015 for Twin Peaks: The Return, it’s said the Double R Diner renovations were left after filming ended - rebirthing the legacy.

9. Monk's Cafe - Seinfeld

One of TV's most iconic cafes, Monk's Cafe, features heavily through the 90s series Seinfeld.

For fans of the show looking to visit the famous coffeehouse, the restaurant is actually named Tom's Restaurant and it's located on Broadway in New York City.

Unfortunately, it was only the exterior that was used for the show. But the eatery still remains a popular TV buff hotspot.

10. Luke's Diner - Gilmore Girls

In the famous diner, where everyone knows each other in the show - Luke's Diner plays a big part in shaping Lorelai and Rory's world.

Writer and creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino claims that the diner came from a feeling she received when visiting the town of Washington Depot in Connecticut.

This is somewhat of a trick answer, as Luke's Diner was born out of the many eateries in the small-town neighbourhood.

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