Craving food cooked on 'The Bear'? Restaurants in MetroWest that serve what they offer

Hulu’s TV series "The Bear", which premiered its second season on June 22, is one of the most popular shows of the summer and has viewers looking at the food they get from restaurants in a new light.

The drama takes viewers inside the dysfunctional Berzatto family as they work to open a new restaurant in Chicago. They explore the laborious and tension-filled process of developing a menu, preparing food correctly, managing the business side of the restaurant and proper customer service.

Throughout the series, several key dishes and plates are presented that have a meaningful connection to the characters and the eponymous restaurant. But can local viewers find places in MetroWest that serve the dishes found on "The Bear"?

Here are 7 memorable dishes from "The Bear" that can be found at restaurants in and around MetroWest.

More: Review: You'll want to eat up wild Chicago restaurant drama 'The Bear'

The Beef: An Italian beef sandwich at Culinary Delights in Natick

The first season of The Bear focuses on The Beef, a family-owned restaurant that was run by Mikey Berzatto (Jon Bernthal) before his suicide. The show starts with Mikey's brother, Carmine "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a world-renowned chef taking over the humble restaurant. The Beef refers to the Italian Beef Sandwich, a Chicago staple that is often imitated, but rarely duplicated outside of the Windy City.

Alex Palterman, owner of Culinary Delights in Natick, is one of the few who are making an authentic, Chicago-style beef sandwich.

"The beef sandwich is a wet, juicy, fully dipped style of sandwich, served with giardiniera peppers. We roast our own beef over four hours, and it is a wet, messy sandwich, it can be a challenge to eat it in the car, especially if you are not from Chicago," Palterman said.

Palterman developed the sandwich thanks to a former employee who was from Chicago and helped hone the recipe at Culinary Delights. While it was previously just another item on the menu, Palterman said that the sandwich has gotten a lot more popular due to "The Bear"

"We've gotten a lot more people over the last few weeks because of the show, I don't know if it is going to remain that popular or it's just a fad," Palterman said. "There are not many places that have authentic, traditional Italian beef sandwiches. I have customers from Chicago that tell me that this is the best one around here, some even say it is better than places in Chicago."

Marcus' Donut: The perfect donut can be found at The Donut Stand in Southborough?

Marcus (Lionel Boyce) is probably the most wholesome character on "The Bear." While he shares a kitchen with manic, hot-blooded co-workers, the former college football linebacker-turned-pastry-chef is a calm presence who takes tremendous care in his craft. So much so that he spends most of the first season attempting to create the perfect donut, often at the expense of the rest of his work duties.

For the perfect donut in MetroWest, try The Donut Stand in Southborough. The craft donut shop started as a pop-up location inside the Vin Bin, a wine and cheese shop in Southborough, and quickly became a hot topic in the local pastry scene as the bakery generated a reputation for its expertly crafted, jumbo donuts, filled with a wide variety of cremes and toppings to create dozens of unique flavors.

Time to make the doughnuts: Read more about the pop-up donut shop at Vin BIn

Also try: Basic Batch Donuts in Milford and Roccos Doughnut Company in Westborough

Sydney's Omelet: Check out J&M Diner for a wide set of menu items

Season 2 of "The Bear" focuses on the intense build-up of the opening of the new restaurant, and Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto (Abby Elliot) is at the forefront of that rush as the restaurant's business manager, while also being pregnant. As the opening gets closer, an overwhelmed Sugar tells Executive Chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) that she hasn't eaten all day, and she is craving an omelet. Sydney then carefully creates a custom omelet that she delivers to a grateful Sugar.

For local omelets, foodies can check out J&M Diner in Framingham. The family-owned diner is a breakfast and lunch hot spot known for its friendly vibes and excellent service. Adventurous customers can try the Whiskey BBQ Maple Pulled Pork omelet or the Reuben omelet, containing corned beef hash, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese.

What's in a diner? Framingham's J&M Diner hosts "Sunday Onesie" events for customers

Also try: 2 Mauro's Cafe in Ashland and Eli's Breakfast or Burgers and Brews, both in Natick

Lemon Chicken: Bell Costa Ristorante has the exact same dish as 'The Bear'

In episode three of the first season, Carmy makes his mother's lemon chicken recipe which was his mother's old recipe. Carmy goes into tremendous detail as he instructs the other chefs at the restaurant on how to prepare the dish while he is making it. In the end, the dish is so good it leaves his fellow chefs speechless. The scene is the first time the viewer fully gets to see Carmy's culinary brilliance in action.

For brilliant lemon chicken in MetroWest, there are multiple options, but perhaps none are better than at Bell Costa Ristorante in Framingham. The Italian eatery is known for its lemon chicken, particularly its Lemon Chicken Picatta, the exact same dish prepared by Carmy, and combines homemade pasta with its signature lemon sauce for an unforgettable meal.

Also try: Arturo's Ristorante in Westborough and Agosinto's Italian Restaurant in Natick.

Mikey's Spaghetti and Meatballs: Linguines, a family-owned restaurant, serves up a homemade version

At the end of Season 1, the answer to the failing restaurant's prayers comes in the form of a family recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. As part of a suicide note left by Mikey for Carmy, there are cryptic instructions for opening cans of tomato sauce, which end up containing the money the restaurant owed, paying off the debt Carmy inherited when he took over the restaurant after Mikey's death.

To celebrate, Carmy does prepare a classic spaghetti dinner for the staff, and the season ends with the restaurant preparing to re-open as "The Bear" in Season 2.

REVIEWED: 16 things we're buying that are inspired by Hulu's 'The Bear'

Locally, spaghetti and meatballs can be found at any Italian restaurant, but the best is perhaps found at Linguines in Marlborough. Much like The Beef, Linguines is a family-owned, no-frills restaurant that offers dine-in and takeout options for hungry patrons. For diners interested in seeing just how they pack in so much flavor to the meatballs, this is the place to eat because Linguines is an open-concept kitchen.

Also try: La Cantina Italiana in Framingham and Giacomo's Ristorante in Wayland

Hot Dog: Casey's Diner in Natick serves up signature steamed hot dogs

One of the most basic dishes featured on "The Bear" are hot dogs, and while most of the prominent dishes on the show come with a heartfelt backstory, the hot dogs on "The Bear" are featured in a Season 1 episode, where Carmy and his so-called cousin and business associate Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are forced to make hot dogs for a child's birthday party as part of working off their debt to their chief investor, Jimmy "Cicero" Kalinowski (Oliver Platt).

When it comes to hot dogs in MetroWest, it is tough to beat Casey's Diner in Natick. The origins of the diner date back to 1890 when it first opened as a horse-drawn wagon that was purchased by Fred Casey. Now, 133 years later, the diner is still family-owned and still cranking out its signature steamed hot dogs.

Hot dog! Maker of Brazilian-style wieners will soon have second Natick location

Also try: Snappy Dogs in Hopkinton and Zippity Do Dog in Framingham

Seven Fishes: A holiday special only at most restaurants

Seven Fishes is not a particular dish, it is just an old Italian tradition based on the Feast of the Seven Dishes, where a dish is prepared featuring seven different types of fish, with different families having different recipes for the meal. In "The Bear," the matriarch of the Berzatto family, Donna Berzatto (Jamie Lee Curtis) painstakingly prepares the meal during an explosive Christmas party. When "The Bear" finally opens at the end of Season 2, Carmy adds Seven Fishes as one of the restaurant's signature dishes, in tribute to his mother.

If you want to try the Seven Fishes for yourself though, it will take some planning. The dish is only served during a limited time of the year, with only a handful of restaurants in Massachusetts offering the complicated meal.

One location is Avellino in Sturbridge. At Avellino, chef Rico Giovanello prepares the dish for one night only, during a special event during the holiday season. Each year, Giovanello prepares the fish in a different way and presents it to patrons. Space is limited to approximately 100 guests, and spots are reserved in advance, typically starting early in December.

Also try: Ivory Pearl in Brookline and Bistro 5 in Medford

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Italian Beef to omelets: Where to order food seen on 'The Bear'