Going to restaurants and deciding what to order can be an overwhelming task on its own.
Deciding which restaurant has the tastier dishes, the more sophisticated ambiance, and
how to rate the restaurant is a more tedious but rewarding task. Fancy places are often
synonymous with celebrity chef-ownership. And while we’ve come to expect a degree
of quality and accountability from the chefs we watch on television, sometimes the reality
just doesn’t measure up. So with that in mind, let us look at some of the worst celebrity
chef-owned restaurants.
Fat Cow by Gordon Ramsay
We all know it’s true that Gordon Ramsay may just be the most popular celebrity chef
out there, with the most popular food and cooking videos. Remember his awe-inducing
lobster shelling trick? Or his life-changing scrambled eggs? Well, apparently there are
some things you just can’t teach with consistency. The food at this particular restaurant is
described as "disappointing" as well as overpriced. LA Weekly reviewer Besha Rodell claimed the
food didn't exude the skill Ramsay has. An article in The Telegraph by Keith Perry and
Dan Hyde claim Ramsay's restaurant has overpriced food. Meanwhile, an article in The Guardian
shared the same sentiments, though this time for his other restaurants like Maze in Mayfair
and Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's.
Guy's American Kitchen and Bar by Guy Fieri
It seems that a lot of people - critics, reviewers, and regular customers alike - are up in arms
about Guy Fieri all the time. Most of them have very not nice things to say about both
the man and his cooking. First, a very scathing review by Pete Wells for The New York Times
of Guy's Times Square restaurant "pulled no punches" and asked a lot of rhetorical and
biting questions. Let us just say that the critic's experience was the worst. He explained
that the food has no identity and even less quality. But it’s not just the hoi poloi
that thinks this. Customers in online forums also described this restaurant as horrible.
"Guy Fieri's restaurant needs to burn to the ground," a Sacramento customer by the name
of Melanie wrote. While users Ruthie and Michelle agree, writing "Yuck" and "annoying," One
thing's for sure: as diners, we’re being driven right out by this dive.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal is a celebrated British celebrity chef, known for owning the restaurant
The Fat Duck. The Fat Duck is incredibly prestigious, with three Michelin stars and a reputation
as number one on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2005. But time makes fools of us all,
because apparently, his 2-Michelin starred restaurant Dinner has a reputation as second
worst. Which kinda makes us wonder how exactly these stars are distributed? The hotel dining
room was ranked second worst restaurant in a 2014 Telegraph article sourced from Harden's
2015 London Restaurants list. The article highlights how the Hardens list claims that
Blumenthal’s Dinner restaurant, is second on a list of "Most Disappointing Cooking."
The list is echoed by an ITV article as well. How disappointing!
Gato by Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay may be one of the most popular celebrity chefs out there. He has been on
numerous television shows including Iron Chef America, Beat Bobby Flay, Throwdown! With
Bobby Flay, and many many more. And only very recently, he has been seen in the company
of celebrities, such as Scarlett Johansson. A chef like Flay, who has such a huge following,
is sure to garner a lot of attention to any restaurants he is associated with. Except,
his restaurant Gato has been panned by food critics, a fact that slightly contradicts
how amazing he seems to be on his food shows. According to Ryan Sutton, it's not that it’s
so much terrible as it is boring. He uses words like "ho-hum" and "ghastly" to really
illustrate his disdain for the Mediterranean restaurant. So remember: while Bobby might
win during a lot of Throwdown! With Bobby Flay episodes, he loses some as well in the
real world.
Del Posto by Mario Batali
Mario Batali may have been born in Seattle, but Italy runs through his blood. He is a
very established chef, restaurateur, writer, and television personality. His achievements
and the number of restaurants he's handling seem to speak to his talent and culinary prowess.
He co-owns restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, and Boston, just to mention a few.
But it seems like Batali has met his match with critics like Ryan Sutton, Robin Raisfeld,
and Rob Patronite. In a Cheat Sheet article, it’s revealed that the Del Posto restaurant
is "overpriced and underwhelming." The two Rob's are mightily confused about the restaurant’s
"hundred layer lasagna" which is cut tableside. Besides the apparently strange cutting ritual,
they also failed to discern any kind of real identity for the restaurant.
Imperial No. Nine by Sam Talbot
Sam Talbot is not only known as the sizzling Sicilian American Chef who made it to the
semifinals of Top Chef. He also appeared on the show three times over the next few seasons,
including during an all-star season. He's also known to have worked at restaurants like
Dean and Deluca, as well as appearing on reality television show - The Real Housewives of New
York City. But not unlike his run on the Top Chef show, Sam just couldn't quite make it
to the very top. His restaurant, Imperial No. Nine made headlines for entirely the wrong
reason - a scathing review. Food critic Sam Sifton described the tuna as "inedible" and
having a "spongy funk." The atmosphere of the place was also slammed. Perhaps the criticism
does have a solid basis, as the restaurant has since closed its doors.
Cut by Wolfgang Puck
Anyone who has ever casually flipped passed the Food Network will have seen the face of
Wolfgang Puck, with his optimistic eyes and splendid cooking. The Austrian-born American
chef and restaurateur has a lot of credentials up his sleeve. He has been involved with numerous
cookbooks, restaurants and show appearances (he has even been on CSI!). Wolfgang Puck
has also received several accolades, like a Daytime Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. He is definitely one of the biggest TV chefs ever. But according to one
critic, Wolfgang's restaurant Cut doesn't quite make the cut. Ryan Sutton (who actually
seems to be slaying a lot of celebrity chefs this video) describes the steaks at the restaurant
as quite bland and lacking in flavor. The drinks are described as either "saccharine"
or "forgettable." All in all, his restaurant experience at Cut left him feeling that it
is "not a good restaurant."
Aqimero by Richard Sandoval
Just like Sam Talbot, Richard Sandoval is a Top Chef star. And just like Mario Batali,
this celebrity chef owns a lot of restaurants - in fact, he owns more than thirty at our
count! This shows that he really is passionate about food. He's more popular than your average
chef but, perhaps not so surprisingly, one of those restaurants does not quite live up
to the others. And according to food critic Craig LaBan, this is exactly the sort of situation
that Aqimero found itself in. The critic from the Philadelphia Inquirer
described how Aqimero is an "out-of-touch and bungled attempt to create a destination
restaurant that matters to anyone." Harsh words that suggest that this restaurant struggles
to connect with its customers. While not too expensive, the food was apparently not very
flavorful either. It's no wonder that it lacked any sort of identity.
Grahamwich by Graham Elliot
We probably know Graham Elliot best from the MasterChef series, as one of the show’s
formidable judges and hosts. But before he went on to be on MasterChef, he also competed
on other television cooking shows himself, including Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters.
So it is safe to say, he really made a big time, moving on from contestant to judge in
just a couple of years. He's also been named one of the Best New Chefs in Food & Wine in
2004. But can the same be said for his restaurant? Julia Kramer from Time Out Chicago doesn't
think so. She explained that Grahamwich's selection of international sandwiches suffered
from both "repeated failures of execution" and "lack of care in their conception." The
restaurant eventually closed, "unmourned by all," according to The Chicago Reader.
Per Se by Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller is a Michelin star chef. So, it should be unsurprising that he has also
won numerous other awards like the Best California Chef in 1996 and the Best Chef in America
in 1997. Impressively he has seven Michelin stars in total between his three restaurants:
The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Per Se. It seems like Thomas Keller has been blazing
a trail for the last twenty years. But is Per Se past its prime? Many critics seem to
think so. In particular, New York Times critic Pete Wells gave the restaurant two less stars
than his previous four-star review. The dishes are described as "random and purposeless,"
while the yam dumplings were described as "limp and dispiriting." In fact, it just seems
that Wells had nothing good to say about the Per Se experience.
Vandal by Chris Santos
Many food trends have come our way over the years. Some of them have been a blessing,
some frankly, have been completely annoying. There was the deconstructed food trend - from
burgers to coffee. There was the crazy milkshake trend, and the rainbow colored everything
trend too. Lately it's all avocado toast and organic drinks. It seems that Chris Santos'
restaurant Vandal isn't one to fall behind the trends, focusing primarily on mini foods.
Eater's Ryan Sutton described delicacies like mini ramen, mini burgers, and mini knishes.
Though, clearly, Sutton did not see this restaurant in a very positive light, as he follows it
with "you could fit the entirety of Semilla into the men's room at Vandal and still have
space left over." In conclusion, the restaurant was described to be just "a machine to make
money." It seems Vandal was nothing but a gimmick.
Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver
Another one of the more popular chefs to have graced our TV screens, joining the ranks of
Ina Garten, Mario Batali, or Bobby Flay, is Jamie Oliver. The celebrity chef has continuously
advocated for delicious but definitely nutritious food. Besides his cookbooks and television
shows, he is notable for his advocacy of fresh and organic food. Remember that campaign that
he launched against chicken nuggets? Does the food at his restaurant live up to expectations?
It seem not. The restaurant has been getting mixed reviews for a long time. It has been
famous more for its blunders than its successes, including the time they served a customer
with celiac disease some wheat pasta. Reportedly, Oliver himself doesn't even run this restaurant
and the food has the unfortunate combination of being both overpriced as well as underwhelming!
Joanne by Art Smith
Celebrity chef Art Smith has really lived up to his name. His talents have been highlighted
on shows like Top Chef Duels and Iron Chef America. And he has been described as "a genuinely
major talent" by Steve Cuozzo of the New York Post. But Cuozzo, while praising the chef,
has also said quite the opposite about his restaurant Joanne. And unlike the Lady Gaga
album of the same name, which has only received praise, this restaurant didn't quite garner
a similar response. And yes, Art did collaborate with Gaga's parents for the restaurant. Yet,
Cuozzo described the calamari as being like leather and the veal as "unspeakably fatty."
All in all, the restaurant is not a place that food critic Cuozzo would recommend. Maybe
fans of the singer should stick to listening to the album instead.
Firenze Osteria by Fabio Viviani
We know that many Italians really have a passion for their food. The same can definitely be
said for Fabio Viviani, whose passion for food stems from his childhood. From growing
up as a baker boy to becoming a sous chef during his teenage years, Viviani is now a
popular celebrity chef, restaurateur, and wine seller. You could say, he's been cooking
his whole life! But while his appearances on Top Chef may only elicit positive reactions,
the same can't quite be said for his restaurant Firenze Osteria. It came under heavy fire
from critic S. Irene Virbila, who described the restaurant as a tourist trap, the menu
as having no identity and being essentially "Italian food for dummies." The food was described
as "greasy" and "unattractive," while the wine was called "banal and lazy." Firenze
Osteria definitely sounds like a place to skip.
Otium by Timothy Hollingsworth
A lot of Top Chef contestants and favorites have
really blazed a trail on television. By showing their fearless skills and their passion for
food in the heated and pressure-filled kitchens. One of these is Timothy Hollingsworth, a Top
Chef alum who also appeared on the Food Network show Guilty Pleasures. But does his restaurant
Otium live up to his reputation? Critic Rodell from LA Weekly seems to think not, saying
the restaurant seems like a "souped-up version of every trendy restaurant in town." But while
the food isn't entirely disastrous, the service is described as "uncaring." Rodell goes even
further suggesting that the restaurant employs a sort of "caste system" in which one's social
status or looks can garner them more dutiful attention from the staff. Unbelievable!
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