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The Best Episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Every episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown!

The Best Episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Bourdain travels across the globe to uncover little-known areas of the world and celebrate diverse cultures by exploring food and dining rituals. Known for his...
  1. Background image for Copenhagen
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #1 - Copenhagen

    S2:E4

    This episode explores the food and natural beauty of Copenhagen, the economic and cultural center of Denmark. Home to famed chef Rene Redzepi and his brainchild Noma – regarded by critics as one of the world’s best restaurants – Parts Unknown delves into the city’s cuisine and the new Nordic creativity that infuses Redzepi’s work at Noma.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Detroit
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Detroit

    S2:E8

    Few cities have experienced such a dramatic economic rise and fall of Detroit. In this episode of Parts Unknown, Bourdain explores the past, present and future of the Motor City. He steps into the lives of Detroit natives and sees the glory days of the past at the famed Packard Plant, the current state of the city’s urban decay, and the promise of the future in the citizens who are rebuilding their communities.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Hanoi
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - Hanoi

    S8:E1

    Inspired by Graham Greene's words “... whatever you’re looking for, you will find here...” Bourdain joins the throngs of locals as he motorbikes through Vietnam’s capital, traverses its rapidly changing cityscape, and indulges in its singular cuisine with president Barack Obama, who, over a dish of Bun Cha, shares personal stories and reflects on his own international travels.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Sichuan with Eric Ripert
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Sichuan with Eric Ripert

    S8:E3

    Michelin star chef, and all around good sport, Eric Ripert is introduced to China and Sichuan province by host and good friend Bourdain. Bourdain takes Ripert to the Sichuan province capital, Chengdu, testing his endurance with mouth-numbing, sinisterly spicy meals (like green peppercorn fish). They also visit the world’s largest stone Buddha, seek out a local favorite rabbit head snack, and visit a legendary distillery for some Baijiu, a fermented sorghum wine. Ripert will never forget this trip.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for London
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - London

    S8:E4

    Visiting London, post Brexit vote, Bourdain finds comfort in classic British cuisine including roast bone marrow at chef Fergus Henderson’s famed restaurant St. John, Scotch eggs at Princess Victoria Pub with Nigella Lawson, and pig’s trotter a la Pierre Koffman with chef Marco Pierre White at the Rudloe Arms, plus a meeting with revered artist Ralph Steadman at his studio.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Houston
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Houston

    S8:E5

    Looking beyond oil, NASA, and football, Bourdain explores Houston’s diverse cultures, taking in a Bollywood-style dance in a grocery store, a Quinceañera in suburban Pasadena, and the city’s slab car parade, while making time for Viet-Bayou crawfish, East Texas barbecue, and a Congolese-Cajun stew.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Japan
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - Japan

    S8:E6

    Guided by world-renowned chef Masa Takayama, Bourdain’s return trip to Japan begins with a tour of outdoor food markets in Kanazawa where they sample uni, steak-sized oysters, and grilled eel liver, followed by a conversation with an ex-geisha at her teahouse, and comes full circle with a special omakase experience at Tokyo’s acclaimed Ginza restaurant, Sushi Koi, where Masa trained as an apprentice.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Buenos Aires
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - Buenos Aires

    S8:E7

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Minas Gerais, Brazil
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - Minas Gerais, Brazil

    S8:E8

    Bourdain explores the Brazilian heartland, known as the region where all the best cooks come from, and namesake to the country’s mining history. Home to baroque architecture, lush hillsides and mineiro cuisine (influenced by Portuguese, African and Indigenous people), which includes frango ao molho pardo (broiled chicken served in a sauce made using its own blood), that the host samples during a traditional country meal.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Rome
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Rome

    S8:E9

    Bourdain’s Roman holiday takes a cinematic turn, influenced by his tour guides, actress Asia Argento, screenwriter/director Abel Ferrara, and a host of larger than life Romans who take him inside a Rome for the locals. Bourdain shares drinks at the ‘Friends Corner’ trattoria in Lido di Ostia, dines a traditional Roman meal at Trattoria Morgana, eats pasta and watches an amateur boxing match in the suburbs, and takes a trip to the famed E.U.R zone built by Mussolini.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Jerusalem
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Jerusalem

    S2:E1

    In the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, the host and crew make their first trip to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. While the political situation is often tense between the people living in these areas, Bourdain concentrates on their rich history, food and culture, and spends time with local chefs, home cooks, writers and amateur foodies.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Spain
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Spain

    S2:E2

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Sicily
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #13 - Sicily

    S2:E5

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Tokyo
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #14 - Tokyo

    S2:E7

    Japan is a paradox. The low birthrate, the dedication, the conformity, and the life of a salary man are well known. There is also a competitive and rigid culture that gives way to some unique subcultures. Bourdain has traveled to Tokyo countless times, but on this trip he is in search of the city’s dark, extreme, and bizarrely fetishistic underside.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Lyon, France
    8.8/10(202 votes)

    #15 - Lyon, France

    S3:E3

    World-renowned French chef Daniel Boulud takes Tony back home to the food-obsessed city and farm where he was raised on a journey into the roots of gastronomy. In this food-centric episode, Bourdain accompanies world-renowned chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud as they travel back to Boulud's hometown of Lyon, France for a "once-in-a-lifetime" pilgrimage to the so-called Mecca of French cuisine's rich food culture and legendary chefs, with a focus on Nouvelle Cuisine innovator Paul Bocuse.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Iran
    8.8/10(304 votes)

    #16 - Iran

    S4:E6

    Bourdain and his crew take their long-awaited inaugural trip to Iran exploring Tehran and Isfahan, and sites that include Imam Square, the Borje Milad, mosques, and ancient caravanserai. The cuisine includes Dizi, Fesenjan, Biryani, and Tahdig. Local guides for this tour include Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, who were subsequently detained by the Iranian government.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Hong Kong
    8.8/10(127 votes)

    #17 - Hong Kong

    S11:E5

    Hong Kong, a city that’s always in transition and unapologetically modern has another side…a beautiful one that’s in danger of disappearing entirely. Bourdain experiences this city through the eyes and lens of legendary cinematographer and longtime Hong Kong resident Christopher Doyle (Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love, The White Girl).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for Newfoundland
    8.7/10(116 votes)

    #18 - Newfoundland

    S11:E3

    An exploration of this rocky, east coast Canadian island by Bourdain reveals a magical place abundant in fish and wild game and steeped in distinctive traditions. Guided by prominent chefs Frederic Moran, Jeremy Charles and David McMillan, the host takes part in cod fishing, moose hunting, and axe throwing and dines on charred whelk with brasciola, caribou tartare, and Newfoundland classic Jiggs Dinner (boiled meat & vegetables). A side trip to the nearby French archipelago of St. Pierre is the setting for a home cooked meal of sea urchin pâté, stuffed squid over rice and braised halibut.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Asturias, Spain
    8.6/10(121 votes)

    #19 - Asturias, Spain

    S12:E2

    Bourdain travels to the enchanted region of Asturias, Spain with chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, as he makes a return to his homeland. The people of Asturias embody the rugged environment of the region with a hard working ‘do it yourself’ spirit. Bourdain and Andres hike to a remote village in the mountains for traditional fabada, ocean cliffs for gooseneck barnacles, and secret cheese caves in undisclosed locations. Bourdain also enjoys pitu de caleya with local musician Pablo Und Destruktion while he’s served on the last worker’s class movement. And in true Jose Andres form, he saves a special surprise for the end.

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    Director:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Quebec
    8.5/10(271 votes)

    #20 - Quebec

    S1:E4

    Bourdain travels to remote areas within the province of Quebec where he samples local delicacies, explores ice fishing and beaver hunting and spends time with two of funniest and most brilliant chef/restauranteurs in Canada, Joe Beef's Dave McMillan and Fred Morin.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for New Mexico
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #21 - New Mexico

    S2:E3

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for South Africa
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #22 - South Africa

    S2:E6

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Thailand
    8.5/10(178 votes)

    #23 - Thailand

    S3:E7

    Bourdain and his crew head to the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand along with celebrated chef and Thai food specialist Andy Ricker (Pok Pok restaurants) to explore the country’s distinctive eating and drinking scene that varies by region and season.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for Bhutan
    8.5/10(113 votes)

    #24 - Bhutan

    S11:E8

    Bourdain and film director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan) tour the remote South Asian Kingdom of Bhutan and travel on the winding East/West highway known for its spectacular views of the Himalayan Mountains. The seasoned explorers share a meal with yak herders, visit the capitol city of Thimphu for traditional Bhutanese cuisine, drive to Punakha to explore the village of legendary divine monk Drupka Kinley, and visit Bumthang for a bamboo archery competition.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Kenya
    8.5/10(136 votes)

    #25 - Kenya

    S12:E1

    Bourdain introduces his fellow CNN Original Series host W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America) to the distinctive sights, tastes, and sounds of Kenya. It is Bell’s first trip to the African continent, and to a country that holds a personal connection for him. In Nairobi, they talk to locals about the country’s growth and economic challenges, as well as the continual fight for identity and self-definition of Kenyans. Bourdain and Bell also take a Matatu party bus ride, share a meal of goat’s head soup and visit a boxing academy devoted to teaching young women, and promoting female empowerment. Leaving Nairobi the pair travel to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and visit with a Maasai community actively engaged in conservation. Through the eyes of Bourdain and Bell, and their first experiences with this highly dynamic deeply, soulful and beautiful country we ask, what will a future Kenya… for Kenyans…. by Kenyans…look like?

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    Director:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"Copenhagen" is the best rated episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown". It scored 10/10 based on 2 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/6/2013. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Detroit".