Best Kitchen Nightmares Episodes: Fans are still watching Gordon Ramsay’s two editions of Kitchen Nightmares. Here are the finest episodes from Amy’s Baking Company to Dillions, compiled by IMDb.
Before attempting to follow in Anthony Bourdain’s footsteps, Gordon Ramsay was known around the world as the world’s most enraged chef.
His tantrums and meltdowns have spawned many memes and pop-cultural references. As a result of his show Hell’s Kitchen, the word “raw” now has a new meaning in the context of food. Ramsay’s influence, however, does not end there.
Know about the 14 Best Kitchen Nightmare Episodes
Gordon Ramsay’s second popular show, Kitchen Nightmares, similarly shows him in his natural habitat: tense restaurants. This time instead of only fixing kitchens, Gordon aims to fix entire eateries.
The result was one of the fascinating reality TV episodes ever… though he probably got half of his forehead wrinkles as a result of it. Here are the most watchable episodes of Kitchen Nightmares to save you the pain and stress Ramsay went through with the show.
1. THE ANCHOR AND THE FISH (7.5)
The Fish and Anchor, like the most of the eateries on our list, is owned by a husband and wife team named Mike and Caron. In the UK edition of Kitchen Nightmares, it was included. From the husband’s lack of proper cooking experience to the wife’s poor management style, which exposes both her husband and the customers to abuse, they both have issues that creep into the restaurant all too often.
It got to the point where the two of them would end up yelling at each other outside the restaurant. It was the epitome of everything that was wrong with a marriage and owning a business. If the couple’s squabbling isn’t driving customers away with lousy food, then it’s usually the couple’s bickering that gets the job done.
2. THE RUNAWAY GIRL (7.5)
Gordon Ramsay comes finds a bar/nightclub managed by two acquaintances instead of a family in The Runaway Girl. The difficulty is that it appears that the situation has not changed: the owners are still at odds, even though they have no familial links. The owner Justin was running the Runaway Girl to the ground, and he was often at odds with his head chef and best buddy, Ritchie. In the UK edition of Kitchen Nightmares, it was included.
It apparently carried on until Ritchie couldn’t handle it any longer and slammed his friend harder than Gordon Ramsay ever could. Even Ramsay’s jaw was wide open at the best friend’s litany, which was so powerful and honest.
3. CAFE HEATED POTATO (7.5)
Now it’s back to the family and their restaurants. This time it’s known as Hot Potato Cafe. It’s troublesome, as usual, and no one knows what to do or where to start looking for solutions. The proprietors are three sisters, all of whom appear to have lost interest in the company.
In truth, the head chef’s professional approach and cooking talents were the only thing that could save them… it’s too bad she wanted out because Hot Potato Cafe was just a stepping stone for her; she doesn’t even see it as a career choice, much to the despair and worry of the three sisters.
4. ZEKE’S KITCHEN (7.5)
There are many deluded owners farther down this list, but the one in Zeke’s is the first on the list. It’s run by a guy and a woman who purchased Zeke’s from the original owner only after he perished in Hurricane Katrina. After the acquisition, the restaurant’s fortunes quickly deteriorated.
It came to a point where Zeke’s had lost all redeeming qualities; the cuisine was terrible, the crew was mistreated, and the restaurant was losing money in every way despite the budget cuts. This episode is a fantastic example of how a change in management can result in a domino effect of improvements in some eateries.
5. LA GALLERIA 33 (7.5)
Families frequently own Italian restaurants, which helps them keep their traditions and food alive for a good reason. However, it appears that luck has run out for La Galleria 33’s current generation of inheritors; in this case, the restaurants were given to two quite different sisters by their parents.
One struggles with alcohol and even drinks at the restaurant, while the other is an escapist who seeks refuge from her difficulties. Gordon Ramsay had to intervene and straighten up the two sisters because they couldn’t save their parents’ restaurants even if it meant risking their lives.
6. SPREAD A YARN (7.5)
After both of them began running the restaurant down, what began as the American Dream for a California couple suddenly deteriorated into, well, a kitchen nightmare (oooh). Their restaurant, Spin A Yarn, is a (supposed) steakhouse where husband and wife (mis)manage the business.
It’s a perfect illustration of why we love Kitchen Nightmare: the owner couple frequently blames their restaurant for their failing marriage when the restaurant was simply the final nail in the coffin. It wasn’t something Ramsay couldn’t manage. Spin A Yarn is still in business and has a good reputation.
7. THE ARMS OF FENWICK (7.6)
In “The Fenwick Arms,” we have a strange instance of restaurant owners who don’t know what pub cuisine is supposed to be like, and Ramsay threatening to smash something over their heads until they straighten up. Even yet, there are fewer tears and drama because this one is from BBC’s Kitchen Nightmares UK, which means it’s an old classic.
The owner prepares the food and makes all of the other decisions. This was the bar’s undoing; he kept attempting to combine fine dining aspects into an English pub, as well as some fancy meals. Give this show a try if you want to witness the UK’s deadliest and most pretentious bar.
8. TEATRO PICCOLO (7.6)
“Piccolo Teatro” is another episode from the BBC’s Kitchen Nightmares series, and this time Ramsay visits Paris, France. Piccolo Teatro is distinctive… in a poor way. One would think that a restaurant located in the world’s culinary capital would be no slouch, but it isn’t. For starters, it’s a vegetarian restaurant in a predominantly meat-eating area.
Furthermore, the chef was a little too quirky for efficient operation in a crowded kitchen. Ramsay had to carry the insane French chef out because the situation was that awful. If you want pure unplanned and unintended hilarity from a Kitchen Nightmares episode, go watch it.
9. DILLONS DILLONS DILLONS DILLON (7.6)
We’ve returned to the United States, namely New York. Dillons is the name of the restaurant, and it provides Indian and British cuisine, which is an unusual combination because the two don’t mix well, as Gandhi demonstrated. In any case, it’s one of the first few episodes of Kitchen Nightmares (the American version) in which Ramsay is confronted with a slew of issues.
The restaurant was filthy, even infested; half of the food they were cooking was spoiled; the personnel had a language barrier. Finally, they had three managers, all of whom were at odds. It was one of those episodes where Ramsay had to sit down and rub his eyes to relieve stress constantly.
10. SERGEANT SEBASTIAN’S (7.7)
Sebastian’s is the one, and it’s about time we got a troubled pizza episode on this list. It’s another California establishment, this time ruled… oh, run by the most dictatorial pizzeria owner ever. Sebastian’s employees even admitted to the owner’s harsh demeanor and juvenile tantrums.
The food and menu were the biggest issues. Sebastian was ecstatic that he had created the entire offering by himself, which turned out to be a disaster. Customers wanted a walkthrough of the menu because it was complex and overwhelming. It was a recipe for disaster, especially since it was a pizzeria run by a delusional and spoiled proprietor.
11. PARTS 1 & 2 OF MILL’S BISTRO (7.8)
If you think Sebastian was the worst restaurant owner ever, you haven’t met Joe, the proprietor of Mill Street Bistro in Ohio. He fires anyone who disagrees with him in his restaurant, including Gordon Ramsay. Mill Street Bistro is such a chaotic operation that Kitchen Nightmares needed two episodes to cover the turmoil.
Joe’s delusions of grandeur are probably insufficient to define him in a nutshell. It is the most opulent fine dining establishment engulfed by Kitchen Nightmares. It’s like the English pub/fine dining establishment in the UK, but ten times worse because they lie about the freshness of the food. If you want to see Ramsay yell at the biggest ego in Kitchen Nightmares, watch it.
12. SOUL FOOD SHACK OF MOMMA CHERRI (7.9)
Have you ever wished to see Gordon Ramsay enjoy the meat he’s served in a restaurant? This rare occurrence occurred during the “Momma Cherri’s Soul Food Shack” episode, not during a blue moon in the middle of an equinox. It’s possibly the best episode of Kitchen Nightmares’ UK/BBC run.
Surprisingly, Momma Cherri’s Soul Food Shack’s food was in perfect condition; all they needed was a little push and advertising, as well as more efficient management, to turn things around. The episode’s star, though, is Momma Cherri, who is known for her love of soul food and cooking.
13. PART 1 & 2 OF THE BURG#ER KITCHEN (7.9)
Another classic tale of a married couple in full conflict with the restaurant’s staff and chef, as well as their son, who works there as well.
The feud became so nasty that both the head chef and the married restaurant owners had to fight for Ramsay’s approval. It’s one of the most sad family issues in Kitchen Nightmares, and it took two episodes to resolve.
Burger Kitchen is an excellent example of the drawbacks of owning a family business. Everything was on the edge of collapsing because the employees was always clashing with the family owners. Even Ramsay was unable to save it, and it was shuttered permanently.
13. THE OCEAN (7.9)
Oceana from New Orleans appears to be doing well right now, and they can thank Ramsay in part for that. However, when it was struggling, it made for one of the most intense Kitchen Nightmare episodes ever and one of the funniest.
Oceana’s two owners, brothers Rami and Moe, were responsible for this. This is the “busy idiot” episode for those of you who are “fans” of the reality TV show; it’s where the American brothers assumed Ramsay didn’t speak English since he was British (d’oh!). Oh, and their cuisine was also terrible at the time.
14. AMY’S BAKING COMPANY (9.2)
Some restaurants are so stubbornly bad that even Gordon Ramsay’s iron will couldn’t fix them. Amy’s Baking Company in Arizona was the mulish mountain to Ramsay’s furious hurricane. It stars two of the most delusional married couples ever to own a restaurant, which irritated Gordon to the point where he gave up.
Surprisingly, their motivation for calling Ramsay was not to have him restore their restaurant but to tell the world that their food was fantastic (even if it wasn’t).
It’s the only restaurant on the planet where the proprietors have threatened both Ramsay and the patrons. Even Dr. Phil had to speak up about the couple’s issues. Amy’s Baking Company is now permanently closed, despite all of the, uh, efforts, and the residents of Scottsdale, Arizona, are now safe and sound.
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