The Worst Episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

#1 Worst Episode
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6.8/10(102 votes)
#1 - Lagos, Nigeria
S10:E310/15/2017
Once considered the most dangerous city in the world, Lagos is, in many ways, the epicenter of modern Africa. The driving force of the city is a pervasive, almost pathologically positive outlook, a sincerely entrenched “can do” spirit. The ingenuity of the Nigerian people is the focus of Bourdain’s travels as he explores its food, music, and rich cultural diversity. Among the food offerings are fresh fish dishes, spicy soups, a great deal of beef, and the ubiquitous pounded yam. Bourdain also spends time with Femi, Seun and Yeni Kuti, the children of Fela Kuti, a family that is still at the heart of Lagos’ creative, political and cultural scene.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.1/10(171 votes)
#2 - New Mexico
S2:E39/29/2013
Parts Unknown takes a close look at the mash-up of cultures that comprise this uniquely American state by sampling its food – a combination of Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican, Pueblo and even chuck-wagon influences. New Mexico is also a land of drugs, guns, monster vehicles, and possibly extraterrestrials. It may also be the perfect place to investigate the underside of the Western cowboy ideal.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.1/10(161 votes)
#3 - Las Vegas
S3:E24/20/2014
Anthony Bourdain travels to Las Vegas, a city known for over-indulgence, with food author Michael Ruhlman and visits locales that include Huntridge Tavern (in the shadow of the strip), and famed restaurant é by Jose Andres. Also featured are Penn Jillette, and former mayor Oscar Goodman.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
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7.1/10(89 votes)
#4 - Indonesia
S12:E310/7/2018
A shadow puppet performance provides an entry into understanding Indonesia, a country comprised of thousands of islands whose people endured political turmoil, and one in which, Bourdain discovers, food is the great unifier. In this fourth largest country in the world, every area has it’s own unique traditions. In Jakarta, Bourdain eats at a Padang Restaurant where nearly every menu item comes to the table; while in Bali he visits the beach, commenting on yoga before joining in a traditional Balinese Funeral ceremony.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.2/10(96 votes)
#5 - Sri Lanka
S10:E510/29/2017
As peace spreads throughout Sri Lanka following the end of its brutal civil war, Bourdain travels to the once divided nation to experience the reinvigorated people, food and landscapes. Starting in Colombo, the country’s capital, Bourdain discovers change in in a place he visited nearly a decade ago as he enjoys street food on The Galle Face Green, dining on light curries and lots of seafood. Taking a 10-hour train to the northern “time capsule” city of Jaffna, Bourdain experiences crab curry, a dish he calls the “holy grail of Sri Lankan cuisine,” for its spicy and fiery flavors.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.3/10(156 votes)
#6 - South Korea
S5:E14/26/2015
The season premiere of Parts Unknown uses reverse chronology to tell the story of the host’s return trip to South Korea after a 10-year absence. Bourdain experiences the nuances of hyper-modern Seoul which has its sights set on becoming the world’s top exporter of popular culture. Food options include Korean fried chicken, and a vintage Korean "army" stew, budae jjigae, with Spam, canned baked beans, frankfurters, ramen noodles and Kimchi.
Director:Unknown
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The 20 BEST Episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

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7.3/10(153 votes)
#7 - South Africa
S2:E610/20/2013
Once considered the most dangerous city in the world, Johannesburg now barely makes the top 50. But the end of the apartheid has led to vast changes in the city. In this episode, Bourdain visits the suburb of Hillbrow (which remains a dangerous locale), spends a day in the life of a taxi driver and discovers the culture and food that make up modern day Johannesburg.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.3/10(112 votes)
#8 - Bay Area
S6:E410/18/2015
Bourdain visits the Bay Areas of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to take a personal journey – in martial arts training with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor Kurt Osiander, and healing through food, featuring dinner at the original Trader Vic’s with author Sean Wilsey (Oh the Glory of it All) and at soul food restaurant Real Miss Ollie’s with Bobby Seale (Black Panthers founding member).
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.4/10(265 votes)
#9 - Colombia
S1:E34/28/2013
The public face of Colombia has changed immensely over the past ten years and is still changing for the better. Tony will explore several regions of the country from the mountains down to the Caribbean coast to the coca leaf growing inlands formerly controlled by drug cartels.
Director:Sally Freeman
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Sally Freeman
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7.4/10(104 votes)
#10 - Cajun Mardi Gras
S11:E76/17/2018
In this celebration of Louisiana’s Cajun culture, complete with Zydeco music and a crawfish boil, Bourdain goes off the beaten path and takes part in the less familiar Mardi Gras traditions of the region’s history stemming from the French Middle Ages. Donning a conical hat, mask and colorful fringed costume, the host participates in the day long Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou. Meals include a home cooked meal in Grand Coteau, lunch at Laura’s 2 in Lafayette with creole cowboys, and boudin & cracklings at Billy’s in Opelousas.
Director:Unknown
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7.4/10(95 votes)
#11 - Buenos Aires
S8:E711/20/2016
Bourdain’s trip to meat-centric Buenos Aires during the hot summer month of February, features a meal with chef Francis Mallmann at one of his favorite local spots, Don Carlito's, and an after-hours soccer match accompanied by Soledad Nardelli and the kitchen staff of Chila.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.5/10(203 votes)
#12 - Peru
S1:E76/2/2013
Tony and his friend, world-renowned chef Eric Ripert, explore the far reaches of indigenous Andes in search of a rare variety of wild cocoa that is said to be the "best" in the world. They move from hip, modern Lima back in time into pre-Colombian Peru.
Director:Sally Freeman
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Sally Freeman
Writer:Unknown
7.5/10(147 votes)
#13 - The Bronx
S4:E210/5/2014
Bourdain explores the widely diverse cuisines and cultures found in the NYC borough just north of Manhattan. Bronx mainstays Afrika Bambaataa, Melle Mel, and Baron Ambrosia help guide the host through the music, food, art, and other offerings of this often misunderstood part of the city.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.5/10(119 votes)
#14 - Paraguay
S4:E310/12/2014
A South American country of 6 million, much of the oppressively hot landlocked nation of Paraguay is jungle terrain or desert known as "the Chaco." An investigation into the puzzling history of the host’s great, great, great, grandfather, Paraguayan émigré Jean Bourdain, is a springboard to his first tour of this South American country, primarily comprised of jungle and desert land, which features a rich culture and savory local dishes that include Bife Koygua, Bori Bori, and Sopa Paraguaya.
Director:Unknown
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7.5/10(109 votes)
#15 - Pittsburgh
S10:E410/22/2017
Bourdain delves into a dining scene at a crossroads: part iconic steel city defined by blue-collar, working-class comfort food – steak and potatoes, sausage and sauerkraut – and part foodie boom-town catering to the new high-tech industry. Bourdain criss-crosses the fault lines of old and new by sitting down with, among others, professional wrestlers, a civil rights activist, and writer and Pittsburgh native Stewart O’Nan. Pioneer chefs of the city’s burgeoning restaurant scene Sonja Finn and Justin Severino host a back-country pig roast. And chef Kevin Suousa serves grass fed beef short ribs at his new restaurant, Superior Motors.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.5/10(95 votes)
#16 - Puerto Rico
S10:E611/5/2017
When Bourdain heads to Puerto Rico to check out the reality behind the piña coladas and fancy resorts, he finds natural splendor, delicious food and warm people, all against the background of a seemingly insurmountable economic crisis. Bourdain also learns why Puerto Ricans are so devoted to their homeland, and so determined to stay there. He samples ‘grandma food’ at a restaurant that evokes a simple traditional Puerto Rican home, cracks open the freshest crabs at a rustic spot on the beach, joins singer Tito Auger for a meal with friends and enjoys some of the best lechon (roast pork) around. A trip to the small island of Vieques rounds out his experience, with a meal at a sustainable farm and an optimistic discussion about strategies for a better future for the region and its people.
Director:Unknown
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7.5/10(93 votes)
#17 - Far West Texas
S12:E510/21/2018
Bourdain travels to the untamed land of Big Bend, Texas near the Mexican border; an area that pits man against nature and in which the land usually wins. Bourdain shares meals with working cowboys who have made peace with the rough terrain, and meets with an anthropologist who decoded prehistoric landmark, the White Shaman wall painting.
Director:Unknown
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7.5/10(86 votes)
#18 - Bourdain’s Impact
S12:E410/14/2018
This episode explores how Anthony Bourdain’s unique perspective and voice altered the world of food, travel and culture and in the process reinvented how audiences watched television and engaged intimately and actively with the world around them.
Director:Unknown
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7.6/10(303 votes)
#19 - Los Angeles
S1:E24/21/2013
Tony takes Los Angeles--but with a twist. No Hollywood sign, no Beverly Hills. Instead, he zeroes in on a three square-mile area of the city known as Koreatown, where he finds a tight-knit community still marked by the 1992 Rodney King riots.
Director:Michael Steed
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Michael Steed
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7.6/10(250 votes)
#20 - Libya
S1:E65/19/2013
Libyan hip-hop, Italian restaurants, tribal allegiances and post-war uncertainty in Libya. Bourdain looks at the country through personal stories, food--and the music of anti-Qaddafi rapper expats who returned to fight.
Director:Tom Vitale
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Tom Vitale
Writer:Unknown
7.6/10(201 votes)
#21 - Spain
S2:E29/22/2013
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown explores Andalucía during Semana Santa (Holy Week, leading up to Easter), a time filled with great pageantry and excitement. Featured in this episode is Bourdain’s longtime Director of Photography Zach Zamboni, who lives part-time in Granada and shows the host sights off the beaten path.
Director:Unknown
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7.6/10(190 votes)
#22 - Sicily
S2:E510/13/2013
Parts Unknown explores the Sicilian way of life, which puts a premium on savoring family, life, and food. Bourdain travels in search of those foods as he eats his way around the island. He makes his home base at the Villa Monaci, on the outskirts of Catania with his enthusiastic, fast-talking sidekicks who counter the otherwise relaxed tempo and epic “food porn” of this episode.
Director:Unknown
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7.6/10(148 votes)
#23 - Cuba
S6:E19/28/2015
In the season six premiere, Bourdain explores Cuba – just as the half-century U.S. embargo softens and economic and social progress loom – from its bustling capital city Havana, to the slower paced, music mecca Santiago. Sampled food includes pig’s head soup with plantains and pumpkin, flan in a beer can, and dogfish ceviche with pickled vegetables. The tour culminates with a dialogue-free tracking shot capturing the hopeful anxiety of its people, seemingly waiting for something to start.
Director:Unknown
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7.6/10(143 votes)
#24 - Mississippi Delta
S3:E65/18/2014
Bourdain goes off the beaten path and explores some of the food and history of Mississippi including downtown Jackson’s Big Apple Inn, known for its “Pig Ear Sandwich” and as a Civil Rights Era gathering place, and then travels into the Mississippi Delta to Po’ Monkey’s Social Club, a juke joint located in an old sharecropper structure.
Director:Unknown
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7.6/10(139 votes)
#25 - Chicago
S7:E25/1/2016
Chicago’s iconic Old Town Ale House and its colorful patrons are the gateway to Bourdain’s tour of the “City by the Lake,” which includes the host dining on breaded steak sandwiches at Ricobene’s with music producer Steve Albini, sampling Mapo Doufu at Chinatown’s Sze Chuan with Chef Stephanie Izard, and a home cooked meal with Chicago-raised rapper Lupe Fiasco and his mom, plus a tour of comedy mecca Second City with mainstage performer Paul Jurewicz.
Director:Unknown
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