NEW BEDFORD — With actors such as Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster and Jenna Ortega on their way to New Bedford to film “Finestkind,” here are some places that have also been visited by celebrities that they should also visit.

According to Monica Mendonca, owner of the Little Village Cafe in Fairhaven, she was once asked to feed the cast and crew breakfast during filming.

But, over the past decade, a few SouthCoast restaurants have had the pleasure of hosting celebrities like Martha Stewart, Kevin James, Bill Murray and Justin Timberlake.

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Kevin James at the Whaling City Diner

In September 2021, “King of Queen’s” actor Kevin James visited the Whaling City Diner while passing through town and apparently hadn’t heard of linguica.

“He wasn’t familiar with it, I guess,” said Purchase Street restaurant co-owner Elsa Defaria in a previous interview.

“It was very exciting,” Defaria said. “I watched King of Queens a lot. And I liked Mall Cop.”

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Charlie Hunnam at Pa Raffa

While filming “Jungleland” in the summer of 2018, around the Fall River and New Bedford area, a scene was filmed at Pa Raffa’s home in the South End. Film star Charlie Hunnam – known for directing the FX series “Sons of Anarchy” – also enjoyed a bite to eat at the pizzeria. He made appearances at other local watering holes in the New Bedford area during filming.

Hunnam was a popular face in the SouthCoast area. He appeared all over town posing with fans and eating at many places when he was not on set.

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Misha Collins at Tia Maria

While filming his GBH series “Roadfoods,” the “Supernatural” star arrived at Tia Maria’s European Cafe where he immediately fell in love with the food.

“We tried to serve him all the Portuguese stuff,” Tia Maria owner Jessica Arruda said in a previous interview, adding that they spoke at length about the whaling and textile industry and the influence of the people. Portuguese on the success of the city.

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“When they first called me, I thought they just wanted to use our space to conduct an interview,” Arruda added. “I didn’t realize we would be featured on the show.

“It was a pleasant surprise.”

Martha Stewart at Antonio

On July 16, 2009, Martha Stewart arrived unannounced, with an entourage of six, at the Portuguese restaurant. According to a report, Stewart has a summer home on Mount Desert Island and wanted to try some seafood.

Antonio’s was recommended.

“We had some nice fresh tuna so she ordered it. She grilled it and it was served with broccoli and round fries,” co-owner Ida Martinho said in an interview with The Standard-Times. Stewart also ordered the house specialty bulhao pato as an appetizer.

“It was his favorite dish,” Martinho said. “And we also gave him cod cakes on the house. She liked them too.

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Bill Murray, Peter Farrelly at Patti’s Pierogis

On August 12, 2019, Patti’s Pierogis owner Patti Geary said she was shocked when she realized Bill Murray was sitting in her restaurant.

“He sat down and I thought, ‘This guy looks like Bill Murray,'” Geary said in a previous Herald interview. “I said to him, ‘Tell me, Bill. What brings you to Fall River? And he said, ‘You! Home!’… They came all the way to Fall River just for the pierogis.

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According to Geary, Murray was staying at Martha’s Vineyard and wanted to check out the restaurant with Academy Award-winning director and Rhode Island native Peter Farrelly.

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“They ate it all. They left nothing behind,” Geary said. “They tried Polish pierogis, Polish wine. Bill Murray had the Polish vodka. He was Polish all the way.

Ten days after being spotted at Patti’s Pierogis in Fall River, on August 22, 2019, Bill Murray made another surprising appearance at Café Mimo, a Portuguese restaurant located at 1528 Acushnet Ave.

Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel at Margaret’s

In September 2008, news spread quickly after Justin Timberlake and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Jessica Biel were spotted having breakfast at Margaret’s in Fairhaven.

According to a Standard-Times interview, the couple were in town for the wedding of a classmate of Biel, who went to school at Tufts University in Boston. Timberlake was also spotted dancing in the street as they waited about 20 minutes for a table.

Timberlake and Biel tried linguiça for the first time.

“They were so down to earth about everything,” Chelsea Barboza, a waiter, said in an interview. “They were like any other people.”

Standard-Times editor Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.