All Of The Food Featured in "Stranger Things" Seasons 1 + 2

The fourth season of the popular sci-fi series Stranger Things recently hit Netflix (the first seven episodes were released on May 27, 2022 and the final two episodes were released on July 1, 2022), so we know you're probably excited to get back to Hawkins, Indiana.

Before you settle in for an epic binge-watch, though, you might want a refresher on everything that went down during seasons 1 and 2 of "Stranger Things." It has been a few years since the third season dropped on Netflix, so we decided to recap major food moments from the first 3 seasons.

Check out our list of the best food and drinks featured in every episode of "Stranger Things" and "Stranger Things 2," plus a few from "Stranger Things 3."

And, of course, there ARE spoilers for seasons 1-2 ahead if you haven't started the series at all yet.

"STRANGER THINGS" SEASON 1

CHAPTER ONE: THE VANISHING OF WILL BYERS

1. Mike's maple syrup-topped scrambled eggs

The first episode of the series introduces many of the main characters while they all get ready to start their seemingly normal days.

In the Byers home, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) is rushing out of the house for work while her eldest son, Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) prepares a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice for himself and his younger brother Will Byers (Noah Schnapp).

When she realizes Will isn't in his bedroom, Joyce phones Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) to see if Will is at her house with her son and his friend, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard). The camera cuts to the Wheeler's breakfast table, which also features scrambled eggs and orange juice, plus pancakes and maple syrup. Mike is pouring Mrs. Butterworth's over his eggs. "That's disgusting," Mike's sister Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) tells him. "You're disgusting," Mike retorts, before pouring syrup onto Nancy's eggs, too.

2. Hopper's glazed donut and a cup of coffee

Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is clearly a fan of cigarettes and booze, but he's also happy to indulge in the donut and coffee combo that's stereotypical of many small town cops in TV shows and movies.

When Hopper strolls into the Hawkins Police Department — presumably late, based on the "nice of you to show" comment from the receptionist, he heads straight for the coffee. He fills up a mug and grabs an old-fashioned glazed donut out of a large pink box.

It's then that he delivers the very quotable line, "Mornings are for coffee and contemplation." (With a mouthful of donut, of course.)

3. Eleven's first french fry

Later in the episode, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) escapes from Hawkins National Laboratory and comes across a local fast food joint, Benny's Burgers. She sneaks into the kitchen, where she sees a basket of greasy french fries left on the counter. Eleven tentatively picks one up and eats it before stuffing the rest of the fries in her mouth. After Benny catches her and sees she's in trouble, he makes her a hamburger and fresh fries.

"You can have as much as you want, alright? Maybe even some ice cream," Benny tells her. "But you got to answer a few of my questions first."

4. A (tense) family dinner at home

Later that night, the members of the Wheeler family sit around their kitchen table again, this time for dinner. Karen's serving a classic comfort-food meal of chicken, tater tots and mixed veggies (peas, carrots and corn, to be specific), plus dinner rolls and iced tea. 

While Mike continues to worry about the still missing Will, Nancy asks if she can study with her friend Barbara "Barb" Holland (Shannon Purser). When Karen says no, Nancy and Mike start arguing, and Mike says Nancy is just pissed off because she wants to hang out with Steve Haarington (Joe Keery), who he reveals to their parents is Nancy's new boyfriend.

5. A quart of strawberry ice cream

Back at Benny's, Eleven is eating strawberry ice cream from a quart-sized carton while Benny washes dishes. He gets her to smile for the first time, but then there's a knock at the door. He answers it, and a woman (Catherine Dyer) introduces herself as "Connie Frazier, Social Services." 

Benny lets her inside, where she promptly shoots him. Eleven runs into the back, where she is greeted by two men with guns, while "Connie" lets three more in through the front door.

CHAPTER TWO: THE WEIRDO ON MAPLE STREET

6. A pocket Eggo waffle

If you're familiar with any one food from "Stranger Things," chances are it's the frozen Eggo waffles that are a favorite of Eleven's. 

After Mike and his friends Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) find Eleven in the woods, Mike sets her up in his basement overnight. While toasting his own Eggos the next morning, he stashes one in his pocket to bring down to Eleven.

"Got you breakfast," he tells her, pulling the Eggo out of his pocket and handing it over.

7. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes

The Wheeler family sit down for yet another dinner, this time joined by Dustin and Lucas. Their plates contain meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans, and there are more dinner rolls on the table. This time, all the kids have a glass of milk to drink.

Lucas and Dustin don't seem too keen on eating the meatloaf, though, and when Mrs. Wheeler asks if there's something wrong with it, Dustin says, "I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch… I don't know why." 

"Me too," Lucas says with a grin.

CHAPTER THREE: HOLLY, JOLLY

8. Classic candies and snacks

The third episode of season one features familiar brands, some of them in vintage packaging. In preparation for "Operation Mirkwood," an attempt to rescue Will, Dustin packs a bag of supplies — Nutty Bars, Bazooka bubble gum, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, an apple and trail mix. "We need energy for our travels," Dustin says. "For stamina."

9. Coca-Cola

Later in the episode, Eleven sees a Coca-Cola commercial while flipping through TV channels. The distinctive red and white can triggers a flashback: we see her back in the lab, hooked up to wires while scientists watch her through a window. She stares at the can and strains her face as the monitors beep rapidly, until her telekinetic abilities cause the can to crush in on itself. After exercising her powers, Eleven's nose starts to bleed.

10. The condolence casserole

Meanwhile, a very disheveled looking Joyce is hanging strands and strands of Christmas lights around the house. She didn't just go a little overboard with the holiday decorations, though. Her theory is that the still missing Will may be trying to communicate with her through electricity, making the lights blink on and off.

When someone knocks on the door, she opens it to find a concerned Mrs. Wheeler holding what is essentially a condolence casserole. "I brought you a casserole," she announces, and Joyce invites her in to talk.

CHAPTER FOUR: THE BODY

The aptly titled chapter four is so action-packed leading up to the reveal of Will's body that there isn't really any food in the episode at all, apart from some nuts and pretzels that Hopper snacks on at the bar where he is questioning the officer who found Will. Hopper is also drinking whiskey, while the officer has a bottle of Schlitz beer.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FLEA AND THE ACROBAT

11. Store-brand Nilla Wafers

Following Will's funeral in episode five, there's a small reception with cookies and donut holes served on paper plates. The mood is somber, of course, but because Will's friends believe he is actually still alive and just trapped in an alternate dimension — which Eleven coins "The Upside Down" — they aren't actually that sad.

When their favorite teacher asks them how they're holding up, Lucas says they're "in mourning." Dustin, in a move that is very appropriate for his character, stops munching on cookies long enough to say, "Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers."

CHAPTER SIX: THE MONSTER

12. L'eggo my Eggo(s)

The infamous Eggos make a reappearance in episode six, when Eleven grabs as many boxes of them as she can carry from the freezer section at the grocery store and leaves without paying, waffles in hand. Ignoring an employee who yells "thief" and chases after her, she uses her powers to slam the automatic glass doors shut, which shatter behind her as she walks away.

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BATHTUB

Gearing up for the fight of their lives takes precedence in the penultimate episode of the season, so other than a brief shot of a bowl of popcorn on the table during a movie night, there isn't much time to showcase more food.

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE UPSIDE DOWN

13. Chocolate "putting"

The final episode of the first season features a big showdown at the high school between the kids, the scientists looking for Eleven, and the supernatural creature they've dubbed the Demogorgon.

Before it all goes down, though, while they're hiding out at the school, Dustin opens a fridge in the cafeteria to reveal milk cartons and a hidden stash of chocolate pudding snack packs. "What's 'putting?'" Eleven asks Mike.

"It's this chocolate goo you eat with a spoon," he says, and she makes a face.

"Don't worry, when all this is over, you won't have to keep eating junk food and leftovers like a dog anymore," he continues. "My mom, she's a pretty awesome cook. She can make you whatever you like."

"Eggos?" Eleven asks.

"Well, yeah, Eggos, but real food, too," Mike says.

Eleven eventually manages to defeat the Demogorgon, but the resulting explosion causes her to vanish, too.

14. Eggos in the snow

At the very end of the episode, Hopper drives out into the woods, gets out of his car and walks through the snow to a wooden box. Opening it, he places tupperware and some plastic-wrapped Eggos wrapped inside — which begs the question, is Eleven still out there somewhere?

"STRANGER THINGS" SEASON 2

CHAPTER ONE: MADMAX

15. Cheetos puffs at the arcade

Season 2 begins after a time jump — it's Halloween of 1984. Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin are playing "Dragon's Lair" at the local arcade, but they can't beat the impressive high score held by a player called "Madmax." 

Another arcade regular munches on Cheetos puffs out of the bag while the boys pester him about the identity of Madmax. Meanwhile, Will walks away from the group and the arcade goes dark and empty. It seems as if Will has returned to the Upside Down.

16. It's finger-lickin' good

Nancy, who is noticeably absent from her spot at the Wheeler family dinner table, is having dinner with her boyfriend Steve and the still-missing Barb's parents. The meal? A big red-and-white bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, plus the traditional KFC sides of biscuits and mashed potatoes.

Barb's parents, still hopeful that she's alive, share the news with Nancy and Steve that they've hired a private detective to find Barb. Nancy is visibly upset, because she knows what actually happened, but she can't tell them. She excuses herself from the table and heads to the bathroom to try and calm down, while Steve awkwardly quotes KFC's commercial slogan.

17. Two TV dinners

At the end of episode one, Hopper sits down to dinner. There are two foil-wrapped TV dinner trays and a plate with a mostly-eaten Eggo waffle. 

Who sits down at the table with him? The very much alive Eleven, rocking a new curly brown 'do.

"Now what'd we talk about?" Hopper asks her. "Dinner first, then dessert. Always." 

They unwrap their trays and start eating what looks like sliced turkey with gravy, peas and mashed potatoes as the camera pans out.

CHAPTER TWO: TRICK OR TREAT, FREAK

18. Halloween breakfast

Hopper and Eleven sit down for a breakfast of french toast and bacon with Mrs. Butterworth's syrup making a reappearance. It's the morning of Halloween, and Eleven is upset about the fact that she's not allowed to leave the house and risk being seen.

19. Just nougat

The boys are trick-or-treating dressed as the Ghostbusters. They grab a handful of 3 Musketeers from one house, which leads to a discussion of how "no one likes 3 Musketeers," because it's just nougat.

Dustin is the only one who disagrees, saying "Just nougat? It is top three for me. Seriously, I can just eat a whole bowl of nougat. Straight up."

The new female character, Maxine "Max" Mayfield (Sadie Sink) manages to scare the boys by jumping out at them in a mask. She laughs at them, but then invites them to continue trick-or-treating with her. Everyone is excited by this except for Mike, who doesn't think they need a friend who's a girl.

CHAPTER THREE: THE POLLYWOG

20. An Eggo extravaganza 

Season 2 episode 3 features the infamous "triple-decker Eggo extravaganza," as Hopper calls it — an Eggo waffle sundae with layers of whipped cream, Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Pieces and Mike and Ike candies.

Hopper makes it for Eleven to try to cheer her up about Mike, who he has forbidden her from going to see — and from leaving the cabin in the woods alone or during the day at all — until he can make sure she's safe from the scientists.

Want to whip up a similar treat at home? Try making Buddy Valastro's Waffle Birthday Cake.

CHAPTER FOUR: WILL THE WISE

Unless you count Dustin's cat, Mews (which we definitely don't, for the record), nothing else is eaten in this episode. And while it's a disgusting scene, it's also an important one. Dustin's pet "reptile" Dart, who he found and brought home, has grown in size, shed its skin and escaped its tank. Dustin finds Dart eating his cat, and when Dart opens its mouth and we see that familiar five-pointed shape, it's confirmed that Dart is in fact a young Demogorgon. And it is growing very quickly.

CHAPTER FIVE: DIG DUG

21. Bologna "breadcrumbs"

In an effort to trap and capture Dart, an oven mitt and helmet-clad Dustin creates a trail of bologna slices leading outside. Dustin grabs a hockey stick, opens the door and hides in the shed. He manages to trap Dart in an outdoor basement, saying, "I'm sorry. You killed my cat."

CHAPTER SIX: THE SPY

22. Jonathan and Nancy share breakfast (and more)

Nancy and Jonathan share a kiss and spend the night together, which leads to an awkward breakfast — the usual scrambled eggs and OJ with a potato hash.

23. Raw meat for Dart

Later, Dustin and his new babysitter, Nancy's ex Steve — we like him now, FYI — bring buckets of raw meat to the junkyard.

"I said medium-well," Lucas shouts.

It's time to kill Dart, and apparently the plan is to set him on fire. They're joined by Lucas and Max, but not Mike or Will.

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE LOST SISTER

24. More junk food

Eleven's mother leads her to Chicago in search of her lost sister, number eight. Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) has a tattoo that reads 008 and she also has powers of her own, but she's not exactly using them for good. She's on a mission to kill all of the scientists involved with the experiments that were done on her, Eleven, and presumably at least nine other children.

Kali introduces Eleven to her crew. Their abandoned warehouse headquarters features a Coke vending machine and 25 cent candy dispensers and is littered with Chinese take-out boxes, Twinkies and more.

25. Gas station snacks galore

The group of outcasts hit up a gas station to stock up before their mission, which is a fun chance to see everything from Maxwell House coffee to Wonder Bread.

The major takeaway from Eleven's journey, apart from her new dark eyeliner and slicked-back hair look, is that she learns how to harness her powers, which is a good thing since Mike is in trouble back in Hawkins.

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE MIND FLAYER

In an extremely intense episode that provides some backstory on Max's step-brother Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) and kills off the character of Bob Newby (Sean Astin), there isn't any food — but Eleven finally reunites with her friends, and just in the nick of time.

CHAPTER NINE: THE GATE

26. A shared sandwich

The final episode of season 2 wraps things up in a pretty tidy bow. The Gate — a portal to the Upside Down — is closed, the Mind Flayer is defeated and Will is released from its power. 

Barb's funeral is on TV at the Hideaway bar when Hopper meets up with Dr. Sam Owens (Paul Reiser), the former Director of Operations at Hawkins Lab. Dr. Owens is eating a sandwich, which he offers to Hopper. Hopper refuses at first, and Dr. Owens gives him a forged birth certificate saying he is Eleven's father. While Hopper chews on half of the sandwich, Dr. Owens says he suggests waiting a year for things to calm down.

Hopper asks how bad one night would be and the action cuts to the setup for the Hawkins Middle School Snow Ball.

After getting ready and having their photos taken by their doting parents as is tradition for big events in Hawkins, everyone is at the dance — including Eleven, who wears a dress and dances with Mike. They share a kiss and the season closes with the camera turning upside down as the middle school is shown in the Upside Down, with a shadowy Mind Flayer looming over the darkness.

"STRANGER THINGS" SEASON 3

The gang's summer hangout spot is the new Starcourt Mall — which features everything from a Burger King and an Orange Julius to the fictional Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlor.

The July 4th Fun Fair hosted by new character Mayor Kline (Cary Elwes). Say hello to carnival treats!

Other new characters from season 3: Robin (Maya Hawke) works at the ice cream parlor with Steve. The popular Heather (Francesca Reale) is a lifeguard at Hawkins Community Pool. And Bruce (Jake Busey) is a journalist for "The Hawkins Post."

CHAPTER ONE: SUZIE, DO YOU COPY?

CHAPTER TWO: THE MALL RATS

CHAPTER THREE: THE CASE OF THE MISSING LIFEGUARD 

CHAPTER FOUR: THE SAUNA TEST

CHAPTER FIVE: THE SOURCE

CHAPTER SIX: THE BIRTHDAY

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BITE

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE BATTLE OF STARCOURT