Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations : Shows : TravelChannel.com

No Reservations Season 8 Remix

See our favorite moments from Season 8 (2012) of No Reservations. 01:00

Relive Beirut With Tony

Tony and the crew experienced a little more than they bargained for in Beirut. 05:44

Tony's Favorite French Fries

Recipe courtey of Executive Chef Carlos Llaguno

Show Extras

Blast From the Past: No Reservations

Vietnam

"I'm happy with all our Vietnam shows -- probably because I’m always so ludicrously happy to be there. I could just watch the B-roll from those shows all day. It’s a good place to work, a good place to eat. A good place to be." -- Tony Bourdain

Beirut

"The 2006 Beirut show obviously holds a special place in the memories of all who were involved. Like the war that broke out around us, it happened unexpectedly. That experience changed those of us who were there. And it changed subsequent shows. We never, from that point on, forgot how arbitrary life and death can be, and how harsh life can be for the people we leave behind when we head safely home with our cameras." - Tony Bourdain

Cleveland: Harvey Pekar

"Harvey Pekar. We wanted to celebrate and step inside the life of Cleveland’s greatest chronicler in the style of American Splendor. It took a lot of work and pre-production to do that. But I’m very proud of the result. Not least because I believe so fervently that the late, great Pekar was a uniquely American, wonderful and important man whose life deserves celebrating and remembering. My love for Cleveland is absolute. I may not love it for the reasons some might like -- but I love it just the same. I am honored that Harvey, may he rest in peace, liked the show." -- Tony Bourdain

Hong Kong

Hong Kong, particularly the scene where a third-generation noodle maker practices his craft, rocking painfully and disfiguringly on his bamboo pole under the faded photos of his parents, encompassed everything I believe to be good and true about people who choose to make food the very best they can. It was a beautifully shot and edited sequence -- one of our very best. If our show is principally in the business of celebrating cooks -- wherever they may cook -- and in whatever circumstances -- then this was as good an example of our work as we could ask for." -- Tony Bourdain

Montana

"Montana, which opens with the great American author and poet Jim Harrison reading from his work, would have been a proud achievement for that alone: Jim Harrison is in it. That’s enough. But it’s also where I started to look at those parts of America so different than my own -- cowboy country, gun country, red state, Palin bumper sticker America , with a genuine affection I’d previously only felt for Vietnamese and South Americans and Europeans." - Tony Bourdain

Sardinia

"Sardinia was a risky show, because it was so personal, and I had a whole new Italian/Sardinian family looking over my shoulder -- and more perilously -- I had chosen to include my wife. My wife’s father’s family in the mountain towns of that incredibly beautiful island were the best "fixers" any one could have hoped for. The cinematography was incredible. And the editors, in spite of the fact that I was sitting in their laps for much of the cut and making their lives miserable, responded with a beautiful and heartfelt love letter to what is for most people an unfamiliar culture." - Tony Bourdain

Venice

"Venice was where we were really hitting a golden period for cinematography, I think. Using film lenses and adhering to a stylebook shamelessly lifted from works like Don’t Look Now and The Comfort of Strangers, we’d do things like wake up very early in the morning to shoot in Piazza San Marco -- intending to make the usually crowded Venice look empty and haunted. It’s an example of a show that came out just as we’d planned, looked and sounded like we wanted it to, and it also had the advantage of being filled with great characters and food." - Tony Bourdain

Rome

"Probably my favorite show of all of them. My proudest achievement. Why” Because it was so suicidally stupid. Because no one wanted it. Because everybody thought it was a bad idea to do a show in Rome—that most beautiful and colorful of cities—in black and white. : Instead of run and gun hand held cameras and fast editing, we shot stationary, with film lenses. Instead of no lighting and barely acceptable sound, we lit as if in a studio, made frequent use of subtitles." - Tony Bourdain

El Bulli

"It was the most important restaurant in the world -- in its last days. And the greatest culinary artist of this or last century, Ferran Adria, had agreed to open his life and his kitchen to us. So it was important to get it right. We threw everything we had at it. Every camera, every technical innovation -- every creative idea we could come up with. We got the right guy -- the best guy -- Jose Andres -- to come along and show us, through personal reminisces, what it all meant -- and why it was important." - Tony Bourdain

Holiday Specials

"Our last in a series of Holiday Specials was a high watermark of sorts. It has always been my belief that the pursuit of excellence in television is impossible if one does not regularly seek to cause terror and confusion at one’s network. The network’s sweetheart, Samantha Brown, playing herself as a crazed, vengeful, alcoholic and homicidal shut-in, pumped a bullet into my leg (spraying blood on a stuffed kitten) between pouring schnapps into a bowl of Fruity Pebbles." - Tony Bourdain

Cajun Country

"The pig slaughter and boucherie in the Cajun Country show is a personal favorite. It starts with a prayer. And it’s a scene I’m most grateful to the network for -- for leaving it alone. Pretty disturbing stuff to see a pig shot close-up to the brain. It’s ugly, and painful. But that’s what happens when you take a life for your dinner. And somebody, somewhere does -- every time you order a pork chop. We always work extra hard whenever we shoot in New Orleans or Louisiana -- to do right by them -- as they have been egregiously failed by so many others. Also, we love the place ferociously." -- Tony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's All-Time Favorite Episodes

Brooklyn Travel Guide

Dominican Republic Travel Guide

"Blanca – post-scene with Brandon Hoy and Chef Mirachi." -- Tony Bourdain

"With fishermen Frankie, Tony and Captain Vinnie, who appears to be wondering who I am." -- Tony Bourdain

"Ralphie Balzano taking me for a ride in the Buick. We could be brothers." -- Tony Bourdain

"Yes, in my head I'm pretending I'm in The Wire right now." -- Tony Bourdain

"With 'Omar Little' and 'Marlo Stanfield' at Gloria's -- they look cool. I look like an excited child." -- Tony Bourdain

"Tragically, I'd never been on the Cyclone at Coney Island before this show." -- Tony Bourdain

"Here, I'm refusing to get off the Cyclone because I'm having so much fun." -- Tony Bourdain

"Cameraman Jeremy Leach is struck dumb by the beauty of Brooklyn Fare's chef's table." -- Tony Bourdain

"And that, ladies and gents, is a wrap!" -- Tony Bourdain

No Reservations: Brooklyn Journal

Tony Bourdain on the rollercoaster Cyclone on Coney Island

Anthony Bourdain prepares to ride Coney Island's Cyclone for the first time.

Tony Bourdain has a meal with restaurateur Eddie Huang at Pok Pok.

Tony Bourdain at Randazzo's Clam Bar in Sheepshead Bay with chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone.

Close-up shot of a roasted pig at Primorski restaurant off Brighton Beach Avenue.

Tony Bourdain in Sheepshead Bay.

Tony Bourdain in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn with local Ralph Balzano.

Tony Bourdain with music artist Talib Kweli at Roberta's.

Tony Bourdain with Lloyd Lederman of Jay and Lloyd's Kosher Deli.

Tony Bourdain at Gloria's West Indian cuisine restaurant with actors Michael Kenneth Williams and Jamie Hector.

Exterior shot of Jay and Lloyd's Kosher Deli in Sheepshead Bay.

Close-up shot of duck with kumquat at Blanca restaurant.

Tony Bourdain with good friend Zamir Gotta on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach.

Tony Bourdain with brothers Sunny and Ralph Balzano at Sunny's Bar in Red Hook.

Tony Bourdain, Dave Pasternack and fishing buddies with the catch of the day.

Tony Bourdain having clam strips at Ruby's bar in Brighton Beach.

No Reservations: Brooklyn Pictures

"Lechon, it's what's for dinner." -- Tony Bourdain

"Villa Mella, it's THE place to go for chicharron while in the DR." -- Tony Bourdain

"How DO they keep the beer so cold here?" -- Tony Bourdain

"Is there anything more magical than sancocho?" -- Tony Bourdain

"My friend Ivan -- he knows how to make an entrance." -- Tony Bourdain

No Reservations: Dominican Republic Journal

Chimichurri sandwiches at Chimi el Caco in Santo Domingo.

Tony and local filmmaker Juan Basanta at Meson D' Bari restaurant.

An outside shot of the beautiful Meson D' Bari.

Anthony Bourdain and cameraman Jerry Risius take an ATV to El Cabito restaurant , just outside of Las Galeras.

A fisherman's fresh catch of the day in Santo Domingo.

Tony admires the view at Playa Rincon.

Tony and Ruben Lamarche wait in line for chicharrón (pork rinds).

A beautiful shot of the lagoon at Playa Rincon.

Tony is impressed with the spit-roasted lechon at Lechonera el Monumento in Santo Domingo.

Tony and Ruben Lamarche enjoy the sancocho (stew) prepared by a neighborhood legend called "The Brain."

Tony and cameraman Jerry Risius at El Cabito cliff restaurant.

Tony and Dominican film producer Ivan Herrera in Boca Chica beach.

No Reservations: Dominican Republic Pictures

Dominican Republic

No Reservations: Brooklyn

Off The Charts

Tony walks with Rocinha local, Paulo Amendoim.

Tony and local chef/restaurant owner Danni Camillo enjoy fried sardines and seafood soup at Bar Urca in Rio de Janeiro.

Zach Zamboni films outside of Bar Urca.

Zach Zamboni and Todd Liebler pull up a chair while filming Tony at Ipanema Beach.

Tony takes in Ipanema Beach.

Rocinha, the largest favela (shanty town) in Rio, is home to thousands of impoverished people.

Tony watches as some children from Rocinha fly kites on Paulo Amendoim's rooftop.

Tony learns that conditions in the favela of Rocinha are improving -- electricity and water have been installed where there had been none, and a constant police presence has helped keep the drug lords out of power.

Tony and his wife, Ottavia, have lunch at the CADEG Market.

Tony with Dolores, a Rio native, at Mirante da Prainha.

Tony talks with his wife, Ottavia, before her Jiu Jitsu fight.

Tony talks with Igor Gracie and Bruno Neves. The Gracie family is responsible for the Instituto Kapacidade, a school that teaches kids from the favela the basics of Jiu Jitsu.

Tony sits down to a dinner of Feijoada – a traditional bean stew with beef and pork -- with his wife and Valquiria (right) at the home of Igor Gracie’s mother.

No Reservations: Rio

See Episode Guide

Vietnam 2

Vietnam is a clash of cultures mixed with a hectic urban pace and people who are serious about eating. Tony decides to relocate for a year to write the great Vietnamese novel.

Wednesday, Jan 28
2 | 1c
Sweden

Tony is off to investigate Sweden, "a land of contrasts." He is hoping to dispel the myths of tall blonds, Swedish meatballs and ABBA.

Thursday, Jan 29
9 | 8c
Provence

Provence's simplistic lifestyle and approach to food is one of its most captivating and salient qualities. Tony becomes enamored with its culture and cuisine, stressing fresh and superior ingredients like wine, cheese, bread and beautiful cuts of meat.

Thursday, Jan 29
10 | 9c
Ukraine

Tony and friend Zamir Gotta team up for a trip to the former Soviet Republic, the Ukraine. They tour Chernobyl and the radiated ghost town of Pripayat, explore a once top-secret port for Soviet submarines, drink vodka and enjoy green borscht.

Thursday, Jan 29
11 | 10c
Ukraine

Tony and friend Zamir Gotta team up for a trip to the former Soviet Republic, the Ukraine. They tour Chernobyl and the radiated ghost town of Pripayat, explore a once top-secret port for Soviet submarines, drink vodka and enjoy green borscht.

Friday, Jan 30
2 | 1c
Hawaii

Arguably the most exotic state in America, Hawaii's beaches and easy life have intrigued Tony. But will the cuisine?

Saturday, Jan 31
10 | 9c
Madrid

Tony visited Madrid, Spains capital city, during the 2010 World Cup when this large and diverse country came together.

Saturday, Jan 31
11 | 10c
Emilia Romagna

Tony travels to Emilia Romagna, the "breadbasket of Italy," with acclaimed NYC chef Michael White. In a red Ferrari California, the 2 travel across the region, sampling the foods that make this part of Italy great.

Sunday, Feb 1
10 | 9c
No Reservations: Japan

Tony Bourdain heads to Japan for the gastronomic event that is, "Cook it Raw," which brings together some of the best chefs in the world and throws them into an unfamiliar environment with unknown ingredients. Tony bears witness to it all.

Sunday, Feb 1
11 | 10c
Emilia Romagna

Tony travels to Emilia Romagna, the "breadbasket of Italy," with acclaimed NYC chef Michael White. In a red Ferrari California, the 2 travel across the region, sampling the foods that make this part of Italy great.

Monday, Feb 2
1 | 12c
No Reservations: Japan

Tony Bourdain heads to Japan for the gastronomic event that is, "Cook it Raw," which brings together some of the best chefs in the world and throws them into an unfamiliar environment with unknown ingredients. Tony bears witness to it all.

Monday, Feb 2
2 | 1c
Ghana

Tony heads to Ghana. The old Ghana, a land of forts and slavery, is a strong contrast to the modern-era Ghana, a culture filled with food and music.

Monday, Feb 2
9 | 8c
Cambodia

Tony visited Cambodia 10 years ago with what he now views as a narrow perspective of the world. Now he sees the parallel between Cambodia's development since then and his own maturation and seeks to reconnect with this historically rich country.

Monday, Feb 2
10 | 9c
Ireland

Ireland is steeped in history and traditions, both oral and written. Tony is here to dispel the myths that it has the worst food on the planet.

Tuesday, Feb 3
9 | 8c
Sardinia

Tony visits Sardinia, his wife's homeland, and gets a lesson in what it means to be Sardinian. Tony learns that Sardinia really is its own country with a strong island mentality.

Tuesday, Feb 3
10 | 9c
Chile

Chile's cuisine reflects its topographical diversity. Tony not only samples this delicious cuisine but also does some exploring in this land of extremes.

Tuesday, Feb 3
11 | 10c
Dominican Republic

Nearing toward the end of his final tour, Anthony Bourdain travels to the Caribbean for fresh fish and more in the Dominican Republic.

Tuesday, Feb 3
12 | 11c
Korea

Nari, an employee at Tony's office, has been bothering him to do a show on her native South Korea. Tony gives in to the pressure and, next thing you know, they're in Seoul and the adventure begins.

Wednesday, Feb 4
9 | 8c
Vancouver

Tony is in Vancouver, British Columbia, home to a thriving film industry, gorgeous scenery, and an evolving food scene.

Wednesday, Feb 4
10 | 9c
Indonesia

Tony Bourdain is undertaking a culinary journey of epic proportions. He is traveling to Indonesia to experience the delicious cuisine and the beautiful culture.

Thursday, Feb 5
9 | 8c
Back to Beirut

Anthony Bourdain returns to Lebanon to film the show he was meant to do in 2006, when he was stuck in the middle of an intense conflict, causing him to cut the trip short.

Thursday, Feb 5
10 | 9c
US Desert

As the sun scorches overhead, Tony hops into his classic Thunderbird and hits the open road of the US Desert, hoping to learn more about the region and its food.

Thursday, Feb 5
11 | 10c
US Desert

As the sun scorches overhead, Tony hops into his classic Thunderbird and hits the open road of the US Desert, hoping to learn more about the region and its food.

Friday, Feb 6
2 | 1c
Argentina

Patagonia lies at the lower tip of South America. Amid a field of ice caps and glaciers, Tony arrives at "the end of the world," but chooses to begin his journey in colorful Buenos Aires.

Friday, Feb 6
9 | 8c
Lisbon

Once the center of the richest empire in Europe, Lisbon now faces one of the worst financial crises in the EU. But even as it struggles with rising debt and unemployment, Tony finds out that Lisbon is experiencing a cultural and culinary renaissance.

Friday, Feb 6
10 | 9c
Paris

No Reservations kicked off its very first episode in the City of Light 6 seasons ago. For the 100th episode, Tony and the crew return to Paris, the city where it all began.

Saturday, Feb 7
11 | 10c

About the Show

In his Emmy Award winning series, Anthony Bourdain travels the globe to explore the cities, villages and countries that offer life’s truest surprises.

Meet Anthony Bourdain

About the Host

He writes, travels and he's hungry for more.

Anthony Bourdain's Bio

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