The BEST episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown season 8

Every episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown season 8, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown season 8!

Bourdain traveled across the globe to uncover little-known areas of the world and celebrate diverse cultures by exploring food and dining rituals. Known for his curiosity, candor, and acerbic wit, Bourdain took viewers off the beaten path of tourist destinations – including some war-torn parts of the world – and met with a variety of local citizens to offer a window into their lifestyles, and occasionally communed with an internationally lauded chef on his journey. We can all hope to find ourselves to enjoy a life as amazing as Anthony Bourdain did. Rest in peace.

Last Updated: 2/29/2024Network: CNNStatus: Ended
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Japan with Masa
star
7.93
202 votes

#1 - Japan with Masa

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/13/2016

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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Sichuan with Eric Ripert
star
7.91
210 votes

#2 - Sichuan with Eric Ripert

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/16/2016

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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Hanoi
star
7.87
292 votes

#3 - Hanoi

Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/2016

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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London
star
7.81
248 votes

#4 - London

Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/23/2016

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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Houston
star
7.73
186 votes

#5 - Houston

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/2016

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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Minas Gerais, Brazil
star
7.65
116 votes

#6 - Minas Gerais, Brazil

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/27/2016

Bourdain explores the Brazilian heartland, home to baroque architecture, lush hillsides and mineiro cuisine which includes broiled chicken served in a sauce made using its own blood.

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Buenos Aires
star
7.62
173 votes

#7 - Buenos Aires

Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/20/2016

A carouse through Argentina, where chicken is considered vegan and psychoanalysis is a part of everyday life. An inculcation to the thinning middle class, successful integration of multiculturalism and to their pastimes such as weekly carnivals, amateur football and laid back airplane counting.

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Nashville
star
7.61
204 votes

#8 - Nashville

Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/2016

Bourdain absorbs the tastes, sights and sounds of music city, from chef Josh Habiger's Catbird Seat and Bolton's famous hot chicken, to a night of cooking, drinking and rocking out with singer Alison Mosshart, and her bandmates. The episode features performances by The Kills, Dead Weather and Margo Price.

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Rome
star
7.41
147 votes

#9 - Rome

Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/4/2016

Bourdain visits Rome and his Roman holiday takes a cinematic turn, influenced by tour guides actress Asia Argento and director Abel Ferrara, and a host of larger-than-life Romans who take him inside a Rome for the locals.

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