Top 20 Gross Restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares
These gross restaurants put the nightmare in "Kitchen Nightmares." For this list, we’ll be looking at the most unhygienic eateries braved by Chef Gordon Ramsay on either version of this popular series.
Transcript
00:00 Oh my good God. Look at the cockroaches.
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20
00:07 gross restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares.
00:10 For this list, we're looking at the most unhygienic eateries braved by
00:18 chef Gordon Ramsay on either version of this popular series.
00:22 Which of these restaurants repulses you the most? Let us know in the comments.
00:27 Number 20. J. Willys. The conditions of this South Bend,
00:31 Indiana restaurant are bound to give you the willies.
00:34 Gordon was immediately turned off by the signage outside.
00:37 Whenever a sign's flashing, it means desperation.
00:40 And it got much worse once he stepped inside.
00:42 Not only was the atmosphere, in Gordon's words, "sad and grim," but the food was so
00:48 visually unappealing that he asked a nearby priest to bless it before eating.
00:52 He even performed his own version of divine intervention.
00:56 Forgive me, Father, but they have sinned and I, out of respect for you guys,
01:00 you're not gonna eat that, okay?
01:02 But no amount of praying could make up for the expired produce kept in storage.
01:07 To their credit, the owners are accepting of these valid criticisms.
01:11 If you seriously are honest with yourself that you are starting again,
01:15 then we start again.
01:16 Well, we'll do whatever it takes.
01:18 Number 19. Lila's. This Pomona, California restaurant might have billed itself as
01:23 "fine dining," but a fancy cover can't hide low standards.
01:27 It starts with basic spelling errors in the menu and gets worse from there.
01:31 This so-called fine dining restaurant is less focused on fresh ingredients than on frozen ones.
01:45 But that's the least of their problems, since the fridge is, well, not cold.
01:50 This is not a refrigeration unit. This is almost like an oven.
01:54 Instead, it's more of a storage room for bacteria to grow.
01:58 That's not exactly the kind of place we'd want to make a reservation at.
02:01 Thankfully, Gordon insists upon a thorough cleaning.
02:05 Ricky, I want the fridge walls scrubbed, the floor done.
02:09 Yeah, bucket's behind you.
02:10 Number 18. Hannah & Mason's. Located in the village of Cranberry, New Jersey,
02:15 this French bistro didn't exactly transport diners to a lovely Parisian eatery.
02:20 That is, unless your idea of lovely is a French onion soup described like this.
02:25 And if the dining room didn't have you swooning, well, neither will the kitchen.
02:33 A Valentine's Day dinner service is made even less romantic by old desserts being served.
02:38 Gordon is already disgusted before he explores the fridge.
02:42 And once he does, it's anything but très bien.
02:45 I cannot believe what you guys are doing here.
02:48 Arguably the biggest blunder is the storing of raw chicken next to cooked chicken,
02:53 which Gordon points out the danger of, albeit in his own unique way.
02:57 Hey, Phineas, are you listening to me?
02:59 Yes.
03:00 You're gonna kill someone!
03:01 Number 17. Bonaparte's. Kitchen Nightmares originated as a series in Gordon's homeland
03:07 of the UK, and it doesn't take long for him to see just how gross a restaurant can get.
03:12 In the very first episode, he visits Bonaparte's,
03:15 a West Yorkshire eatery that tries for fine dining but ends up with something... not so fine.
03:20 It's burnt. You don't taste that, man.
03:22 Smell it, then. You honestly can't taste that burnt?
03:27 At one point, the chef serves Gordon a rancid scallop.
03:31 That was no fluke, as the kitchen is full of additional horrors and offenses.
03:36 A health inspector would have a field day.
03:38 He very bluntly tells them about how unacceptable their standards are.
03:42 It certainly wouldn't be the last time he did that.
03:45 Let's move, huh?
03:47 Number 16. Finn McCool's. This Irish pub in the Hamptons wasn't having much luck attracting
03:53 business. For starters, the food is seriously below par. They can't even manage to pull off
03:59 a shepherd's pie. It's just a big ball of grease.
04:05 How bad is it? Gordon runs to the restroom to throw up after just a few bites.
04:10 If that's how the dining experience is, you can only imagine how unsightly the kitchen is.
04:16 And sure enough, it meets expectations in the worst possible way.
04:20 Raw and cooked food stored right next to each other is just one of many issues.
04:28 A pub is a great way to unwind and share some laughs,
04:32 but running any kind of business requires serious dedication.
04:35 Number 15. Capri. This California-Italian restaurant was run by two twin brothers.
04:44 And it had more than a couple of problems. The dilapidated decor and dirty dining room
04:49 did not make a good impression. And neither did the poorly prepared food.
04:53 The brothers couldn't be bothered to clean old chewing gum from under the tables.
05:01 And that lack of pride was reflected in their kitchen as well. They didn't even seem to be
05:06 aware of basic food safety measures, such as not putting hot food items in a cold fridge.
05:12 There's no question, there was something rotten going on at Capri.
05:16 Number 14. La Parra di Burriana. In this installment of the original series,
05:25 Gordon makes his way over to Spain to try and salvage this restaurant run by British owners.
05:30 But the confused menu wasn't drawing in business. And with ill-conceived dishes
05:35 like prawns with chocolate sauce, it's easy to understand why.
05:38 But even if the dishes were delectable, it wouldn't make up for the lack of upkeep.
05:49 This goes beyond just being dirty and messy. The kitchen and dining area
05:53 predictably are not beacons of cleanliness.
05:58 Worse still, there's literal dog waste out in the open, which Gordon brands as quote,
06:04 "unforgivable." Talk about going to the dogs.
06:06 Number 13. Oceana. There was something fishy going on at this New Orleans restaurant.
06:13 And when we say fishy, we mean disgusting. Aside from serving terrible takes on Cajun
06:18 classics like gumbo, Oceana also kept their kitchen in unacceptable condition.
06:26 Food items were stored at improper temperatures, making them visibly rancid.
06:31 At one point, Gordon is so repulsed, he becomes physically ill.
06:35 Oh, and need we mention the pest problems? Namely, the regular rat sightings? Oceana may have been
06:41 located in the Big Easy, but dealing with this unkempt restaurant and its repulsive conditions
06:46 would be incredibly difficult.
06:48 Number 12. Trobiano's. This Long Island Italian restaurant had plenty of competitors,
06:54 and it wasn't standing out in a positive way. The chef and owner Anthony was running an Italian
06:59 restaurant without any experience working in one. But it doesn't take a five-star chef to
07:04 cook a decent piece of salmon.
07:08 The same goes for keeping a sanitary kitchen. With the floor, dishes, and everything in between
07:14 covered in filth, it's a wonder that Gordon doesn't run out screaming.
07:18 Chef Anthony is distressingly blasé about the filth in his kitchen.
07:23 Even the sight of animal droppings elicits little more of a concern than the fact that
07:27 Gordon's kitchen is a mess.
07:29 "I'm not going to be able to get out of here. I'm not going to be able to get out of here."
07:33 "I'm not going to be able to get out of here. I'm not going to be able to get out of here."
07:35 Even the sight of animal droppings elicits little more than a shrug.
07:39 "You should be absolutely ashamed."
07:42 Number 11. Old Neighborhood Restaurant. A name like this might make you think of a charming
07:48 family eatery. Unfortunately, this Colorado restaurant was less heartwarming and more
07:53 stomach-turning. Even before he's had a chance to sample anything, Gordon is nauseated by the
07:58 strong aroma.
07:59 "I walked in, there was a dreadful smell, a musty, stinky..."
08:02 "It's musty."
08:03 "And where's that smell coming from? Is it these antiques?"
08:05 And the fly buzzing around him did not help matters much either. But even that insect
08:10 had standards, as Gordon noted that it wasn't trying the horrible shrimp dish.
08:15 Then there's the outdated decor, which was also treated with stunning indifference.
08:19 "When was the last time it was cleaned?"
08:20 "I would say a couple years ago."
08:22 "Oh my God."
08:25 Is it any wonder that the kitchen itself is as unhygienic as they come,
08:29 with numerous instances of cross-contamination?
08:33 "This is a horror show."
08:35 Number 10. Burger Kitchen. Owned and operated by a self-proclaimed beef expert, Burger Kitchen
08:42 was actually partially paid for using the owner's son's inheritance, without the son's knowledge.
08:48 "I kind of forced him into it by taking his money."
08:50 "Seriously?"
08:53 Nothing like a business built on a foundation of familial deception. Considering it's a joint
08:58 that specializes in burgers, the most surprising thing about this restaurant is that their meat
09:03 was frozen. And, despite being labeled "wagyu", apparently not very good.
09:08 "I can't believe that my burger was that bad."
09:15 But hey, we're probably just part of the grand Yelp conspiracy to take this place down.
09:20 Even with all the disappointing dishes, the grossest thing about this kitchen
09:23 was the tension, fighting, and family drama.
09:26 "I don't know, how much did it take?"
09:28 "$250,000."
09:29 "Wow."
09:31 Number 9. Yanni's. The disgusting things Gordon manages to find during his kitchen inspections
09:37 never cease to astound.
09:38 "That's not food."
09:40 "We're not sewing."
09:41 "It's got f***ing mold on top. It's moldy."
09:46 You'd think that professional chefs and restaurant owners would have some concept of food safety,
09:51 but alas, that doesn't always seem to be the case.
09:54 Yanni's Greek restaurant feels like a veritable checklist of mistakes.
09:58 "A huge pool of grease. I love moussaka, but that is miles off. Moussaka. Moussaka."
10:05 They put fresh food next to raw food, and they have old, unlabeled containers in their cooler.
10:11 Some of their food is so old, it's gotten moldy. But at least they're not using it right.
10:16 "That was the fat of the beef."
10:18 "Don't you dare. Don't you f***ing dare."
10:20 Number 8. Down City.
10:22 "Can we just 86 this special? Every single one of them has been sent back."
10:26 "Uh, Rico, Abby, I just need one minute. Just both of you together. One minute."
10:30 In what proved to be one of the most epic showdowns in the show's seven seasons,
10:33 Gordon confronts the owner of this establishment over the state of her kitchen and cooler.
10:38 And as usual, the owner does not take it very well.
10:41 "I'm trying."
10:42 "You're being a f***ing a**. It wasn't like this, Gordon. It wasn't like this."
10:45 "Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute."
10:47 Do these people even watch this show? It's called Kitchen Nightmares.
10:51 You'd think they would mentally prepare themselves for some criticism.
10:55 Not only is the kitchen at Down City cramped, it is an absolute mess.
10:59 The floor looks like it hasn't been mopped, and there's trash all over the place.
11:04 Not exactly the sort of setting you want to be getting your food from.
11:08 "It wasn't a party in my mouth. It was like a funeral in my mouth."
11:11 "A funeral?"
11:11 "Yeah."
11:12 Number 7. Fiesta Sunrise.
11:14 Okay, silly name aside, this restaurant had one of the grossest kitchens to ever appear on the show.
11:21 "Oh my God, what's that?"
11:24 "That was the ground beef."
11:26 Watching Gordon gag as he opens the fridge door nearly made us gag.
11:30 We could almost smell the stink through our televisions.
11:33 This Mexican place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in ages, if ever.
11:38 They make the classic mistake of not properly labeling their food,
11:42 and sure enough, as a result, no one knows when anything was cooked.
11:46 "The fridge is full of s***."
11:48 "It's disgusting!"
11:51 No one wants to be served weak old enchiladas,
11:54 especially not out of an appallingly unsanitary kitchen like this one.
11:58 It was so bad, Ramsay actually stopped the clients from eating and had them all leave.
12:04 "I'm so sorry, but we're stopping service."
12:08 Number 6. Dillon's.
12:11 "In terms of beauty, it's not exactly an Indian classic, is it?"
12:14 "It looks like a dehydrated turd."
12:16 With its bad food and nasty kitchen, Dillon's didn't really stand a chance to begin with.
12:21 This Indian-ish place had some bizarre decor,
12:24 with hanging sheets that made it look more like a construction site than a place to grab a meal.
12:29 Worse though, was the state of the kitchen.
12:32 The place was overloaded with apparent authority figures,
12:35 and yet they couldn't seem to manage to keep meat out of a vegetarian plate.
12:39 "You guys are killing me right now."
12:41 "The assorted vegetarian appetizer plate has to be vegetarian."
12:46 "Vegetarian?"
12:47 For a vegetarian, that's about the biggest offense a restaurant can make.
12:51 Well, maybe flies on your food is worse.
12:53 "It's beyond edible. It's disgusting."
12:58 Number 5. Sushi Ko.
13:00 "Hideous, disgusting, and an insult to Japanese culture."
13:05 Sometimes, one dish can convey all there is to say about a restaurant.
13:09 For Sushi Ko, that one dish is their sushi pizza.
13:14 Look, we understand people like to be creative,
13:16 but it takes skill to deliver a quality dish this bold.
13:19 "You were right. That is an insult to pizza and Japanese food."
13:24 Some sushi restaurants can pull off this fun concept.
13:27 Unfortunately, Sushi Ko is simply not one of them.
13:31 Food comes out of the kitchen with hair in it,
13:33 and some of their wooden utensils are reused,
13:36 leaving remnants of food on them.
13:38 To make matters worse, their fryer doesn't work properly,
13:42 which could lead to some dangerously undercooked food.
13:45 Forget Sushi Ko, this is Sushi No.
13:48 Number 4. The Secret Garden.
13:51 Not only was it a health hazard to eat at this restaurant,
13:55 it felt like a health hazard just setting foot in its kitchen.
13:58 "It's been here that long, even the bottle's moldy."
14:02 It's rarely a good sign of quality
14:04 when you can't even identify what a specific piece of food is.
14:08 Some of the ingredients in this kitchen looked more like modern art
14:11 than anything edible.
14:13 There was so much mold on the food that, in some cases,
14:16 it had spread to the shelves and containers.
14:19 And to top it all off, Gordon managed to find some maggots.
14:24 Yep, that's nasty enough to turn you off eating
14:26 not only for the day, but for the entire year.
14:29 "Is everything perfect, even in your kitchen? I don't think so."
14:33 "It's f*cking clean!"
14:34 Number 3. Spanish Pavilion.
14:36 Oftentimes, one of the biggest problems with these restaurants
14:40 is that they order too much food.
14:42 Overestimating how much food you'll need
14:44 leads to most of it sitting around and doing nothing
14:47 but getting old and rotten.
14:49 Not only did Gordon find bags and bags of freezer-burnt seafood with no labels,
14:54 he also found a fridge full of perishable food on its way out.
14:57 Disgustingly, he also found dead lobsters,
15:01 one of which was actually in a container of sauce.
15:04 "That is a raw dead lobster. That is disgusting."
15:07 Honestly, we're not sure if the pigeon in the kitchen
15:10 was the most or least gross thing about this place.
15:13 At least it was still alive.
15:15 "That don't smell. That lobster's fresh, even though it died."
15:19 Number 2. Seascape.
15:21 The owner describes his restaurant as the Titanic, a luxury boat that's sinking.
15:27 We're not sure about the luxury part, but it's definitely a disaster.
15:30 In this kitchen, Gordon discovers some of the grossest stuff in the history of the show,
15:35 including the usual bugs, mold, and rotten food.
15:38 There's also so much sludge and grime on the walls
15:41 that it looks like the place really hasn't been cleaned since the Titanic sank.
15:46 Furthermore, the kitchen staff spills things and acts like nothing happened.
15:50 And to top it all off, they serve moldy pesto.
15:54 But hey, pesto's green already, right?
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16:14 Number 1. Casa Roma.
16:18 Gordon had to wait a long time for his food to complete the taste test at the start of this episode.
16:23 But after going behind the scenes, he likely wished it had never arrived.
16:32 The fridge in this place was so bad that it made Gordon throw up.
16:35 In classic bad restaurant style, food was unlabeled, moldy, and rancid.
16:45 Some of it was so bad that it stuck to Gordon's hand.
16:48 We've heard of ribs sticking good, but we've never heard of hands sticking good.
16:52 The chef in this place just did not care,
17:01 putting stomachs everywhere at risk. So, it was almost a relief when he got fired.
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17:24 [Music]