Where to get your favourite ‘TV dinners’ close to home

THE SOPRANOS

Holsten’s, New Jersey

Any TV series centring on the Italian way of life is bound to be plentiful with food references, and The Sopranos is no exception, from "gabagool" (capicola) to cannoli to Carmela's leftover baked ziti. Many of Tony Soprano's dealings – both gastronomic and professional – centre on the fictional Satriale's Pork Store, which is now demolished and acts as a parking lot. You can, however, still visit Holsten's ice-cream parlour in New Jersey, where the infamous final scene with Tony and the family was shot. Just don't put Journey on the jukebox. holstens.com

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Garfield dives in

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

Katz’s Deli, New York

It's one of the most famous romcom scenes ever, but was Meg Ryan getting hot and bothered about her dining partner or the food? You can find out for yourself by eating at Katz's Delicatessen in New York. Orgasmic encounters aside, the diner is famous for its pastrami sandwiches. But if you're not travelling to the Big Apple soon, the Reuben sandwich in Dublin's 147 Deli on Parnell Street is a good alternative. Try to keep it down, though, yeah? facebook.com/147deliparnell

BREAKING BAD

Los Pollos Hermanos

It's not just another KFC-style chain restaurant; when you have a criminal mastermind acting as manager, the chicken is secondary to the crystal meth. Los Pollos Hermanos, the scene of many a terse conversation between Walter White and Gus Fring, is really Twisters, a functioning Tex-Mex restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If the idea of travelling that far for your chicken fix is impractical, you could always try Dublin's self-professed "hipster chicken joint" Crackbird, which lends both a culinary and a titular equilibrium to the Breaking Bad fan's dining experience. joburger.ie/crackbird

TWIN PEAKS

Cherry pie and coffee

Now that it's been confirmed that Twin Peaks is getting a reboot, the staff of Twede's Cafe (aka the Double R Diner) in North Bend, Washington can expect a new influx of tourists ordering cherry pie and the same "damn fine cup of coffee" that Agent Dale Cooper enjoyed when he wasn't investigating Laura Palmer's murder. At Dublin's Queen of Tarts, you'll find a similar variety of fresh, tasty baked goods and caffeinated beverages. Damn good food, as Coop would put it. queenoftarts.ie

Doughnuts

There are many foodstuffs beloved of Homer Simpson: burgers, pancakes, hot dogs, pork chops

– all washed down with a Duff beer (which is also available to buy at numerous nationwide off-licences, FYI). But if there's one food synonymous with the Simpson patriarch, it's the humble doughnut; in one Treehouse of Horror episode, he even sells his soul for one. Who makes the best doughnuts in Ireland? It's a divisive topic, but some of the best we've tasted recently are from Krüst Bakery on Aungier Street in Dublin. krustbakery.com

GARFIELD

Lasagne

Lasagne may not be a typical foodstuff for those of the feline persuasion, but then again, most cats aren't Garfield. Everybody knows the protagonist of the world's most popular comic strip loves lasagne and hates Mondays. Why? Well, his creator, Jim Davis, also loves lasagne. Mystery solved. It's probably not advisable to feed your own cat lasagne, however. Anyway, if you've ever tasted the lasagne in Da Mimmo on North Strand, there won't be any leftovers. They do good strong Italian coffee too, which Garfield has also been known to enjoy. Again, probably not a good idea to give your cat coffee. Damimmo.ie

JOEY TRIBBIANI

Sandwiches

Joey Tribbiani's love of eating – particularly sandwiches – was well documented throughout Friends. He has eaten a bologna sandwich in the shower, once tried to brainwash his room-mate Chandler into making him a cheese sandwich every day – heck, he once even risked his life to save his meatball sub from a gunshot. In keeping with the Friends theme, there is a real-life cafe decorated exactly like Central Perk called Eight O'Clock Coffee in Montvale, New Jersey. Unfortunately, it doesn't do meatball subs. Closer to home, however, you'll find a posh version of the same on the brunch menu in Dublin's Coppinger Row. coppingerrow.com

PULP FICTION

$5 milkshake

Preceding one of the most memorable scenes in Quentin Tarantino's iconic movie, John Travolta disbelievingly questions Uma Thurman's sanity at paying $5 for a milkshake at the

1950s-themed Jack Rabbit Slim's diner. Then he tastes it. "I don't know if that shake's worth five dollars," he says, "but it's pretty f***ing good." Unfortunately, Jack Rabbit Slim's is not a real diner, but, take our word for it, the milkshakes at Eddie Rocket's are also pretty darned tasty. They're only €3.75 too, meaning change for the jukebox to recreate that famous dance scene, if you like. eddierockets.ie

HARRY POTTER

Butterbeer

Hats off to JK Rowling: not only did she manage to create a convincing world of witches and wizards that took the literary world by storm, but she concocted a tasty menu in the process. Of all the food, drink and sweets that the boy wizard and his chums feasted on – from Bertie Bott's every-flavour beans to chocolate frogs, sugar mice and bubble juice – it was butterbeer that sounded the most lip-smacking. Good news: butterbeer is now a real thing. Bad news: you'll have to go on the Harry Potter Tour at Universal Studios or in London to sample it. wbstudiotour.co.uk

PARKS & RECREATION

Ron Swanson

Vegetarians, look away now: if there is one thing that Ron Swanson loves – aside from hunting, woodworking, single-malt Scotch and breakfast foods – it's meat. Bacon-wrapped shrimp, turkey legs wrapped in hamburger meat, bacon wrapped in more bacon: Nick Offerman's straight-laced, straight-talking character has made them his own, particularly with phrases such as, "When I eat, it is the food that is scared." His favourite restaurant is a bowling alley that offers $1 hot dogs, but meat lovers willing to pay a little more should check out Bear, the restaurant co-owned by Jamie Heaslip, which specialises in meat. joburger.ie/bear

SEINFELD

Soup Nazi

Not only is The Soup Nazi one of the best Seinfeld episodes, it was also based on a real-life character. New York soup vendor Al Yeganeh had a reputation for brusqueness with his customers and an insistence on them obeying strict rules for queuing and ordering; break them, and it was: "No soup for you." The original location on West 55th Street in Manhattan is still intact and is part of a franchise now known as the Original Soup Man. Closer to home, Soup Dragon on Capel Street does a variety of healthy cheap and delicious soups, made fresh daily. And, more importantly, the service is pleasant. soupdragon.com

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Bluth’s Frozen Bananas

The best sitcom of recent years is a hotbed of puns, deadpan humour and off-the-wall storylines about a man trying to keep his dysfunctional family together. The bedrock of their company – and the origin of the ailing family business – is Bluth's Frozen Bananas, a tiny kiosk selling just that: frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and nuts. Unfortunately, the frozen banana market never really took off in Ireland, but Maud's Ice Cream, with stores and stockists nationwide, does a mean banana flavour. It's kind of the same thing, right? mauds.co.uk