The BEST episodes of Restaurant: Impossible

Every episode of Restaurant: Impossible ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Restaurant: Impossible!

After combating countless "impossible dinners," Chef Robert Irvine faces a daunting new challenge: save America’s most desperate restaurants from impending failure in just two days with only $10,000. In his new prime-time Food Network series, Restaurant: Impossible, Robert uses creativity and resourcefulness along with a lot of muscle in his fight to rescue these restaurants and give hope to the owners and their employees. Day one of the extreme mission begins with a thorough business assessment as Robert launches the restaurant into full service, closely observes the staff and kitchen, and determines their weakest spots. Then, he springs into action by updating the menu, retraining the staff and implementing aesthetic changes with the help of his design team. To ensure a packed house for the grand re-opening at the end of day two, Robert hits the streets to tell the community about the improved restaurant. Will the ruthless schedule, tight budget and ambitious task overcome Robert’s lofty goals, or will this tall order result in restaurant triumph?

Last Updated: 1/10/2024Network: Food NetworkStatus: Ended
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Stella's Italian Restaurant
star
9.53
40 votes

#1 - Stella's Italian Restaurant

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/8/2012

Chef Robert Irvine is in Stratford, Conn., to help Michael and his mother, Camille, keep their 15-year-old restaurant, Stella's, alive. Despite the exhausting 90 hours a week Michael is working, he is clueless about his food costs and lacks the leadership skills to manage his staff. From the management to the decor and everything in between, Robert must give Stella's a complete overhaul or else its doors will certainly close.

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Del's
star
9.36
45 votes

#2 - Del's

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/29/2012

When Chef Robert Irvine visits Del's in Pittsburgh, PA, it's clear that the biggest issue with this failing 62-year-old icon is not the food or décor, but owner Marianne. Under the stress of losing the family heirloom, Marianne lashes out at her staff, driving away customers and earning a terrible reputation in the neighborhood. Can Robert save Marianne from herself and the restaurant from its imminent closing?

Watch Now:Amazon
Italian Village
star
9.35
43 votes

#3 - Italian Village

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/1/2012

Chef Robert Irvine arrives at Italian Village in Milmont Park, Pa., hoping to uncover the keys to returning the 30-year-old staple to its early glory days. Not only will he need to overhaul the menu and dark interior, but he will need to fix the control issues hurting the business and the family behind the restaurant.

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Woody's Tupelo Steakhouse
star
9.30
47 votes

#4 - Woody's Tupelo Steakhouse

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/7/2012

When Chef Robert Irvine first sees Woody's Tupelo Steakhouse in Tupelo, MS, it's clear why owner Feather and her mom, Tricia, are drowning in debt. The dining room is a dusty, dark cave and the horrible tableside service is worse than the mediocre food. With only two days and $10,000 can Robert re-establish the restaurant into a Tupelo dining destination?

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Valley Inn
star
9.29
41 votes

#5 - Valley Inn

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 10/10/2012

The Valley Inn restaurant. opened 40 years ago by Faye and Frank, Sr, is now being run by sons Dennis and Frank Jr. Frank Sr's death and a difficult economy, has left the family downtrodden and the restaurant struggling.

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Zandi's Grill
star
9.27
44 votes

#6 - Zandi's Grill

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/25/2012

Chef Robert Irvine quickly realizes that Zandi's Grill in Millersville, Md., isn't just failing because it's in a hard-to-find location, with lackluster food, poor service and tired decor. It's failing because sisters and owners Yvonne and Evette have completely lost their passion for the restaurant and are watching it decay before their eyes. While Chef Robert can come up with a new look and a new menu, will he be able to give Yvonne and Evette the tools they need to successfully run the business?

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Paliani's Restaurant
star
9.27
45 votes

#7 - Paliani's Restaurant

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/12/2012

Chef Robert Irvine travels to Burton, Mich., where he's on a mission to rescue a single mom, Marina, and her restaurant, Paliani's, from demise. Paliani's has a kitchen in disarray, a dining room that's a disgusting mess, and an owner who doesn't realize her own role in its downfall. Robert needs to use every penny of the $10,000 budget and every second of the two-day deadline to help turn Paliani's into Burton's new hot spot!

Watch Now:Amazon
Whistle Stop
star
9.23
43 votes

#8 - Whistle Stop

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/3/2012

Linda, a former employee, bought the business when the previous owners abruptly shut down. It proved a poor investment and she has used her inheritance to keep the doors open.

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Valley View
star
9.20
49 votes

#9 - Valley View

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/14/2012

The Valley View Restaurant in Quarryville, PA is failing for a litany of reasons. This tiny diner located in the heart of Amish country is suffering from an outdated décor and menu, as well as reeling from structural issues. But Chef Robert Irvine's biggest challenge to turn this business around will be in changing the family roles of the three generations of women running this business into the ground.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Main Dish
star
9.20
45 votes

#10 - The Main Dish

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/18/2012

Chef Robert Irvine heads to The Main Dish in Meridianville, Ala., where he finds a family desperate for help. Owners Lynn and Ken bought the restaurant five years earlier because Ken loved to cook, but with no restaurant experience at all, the couple is now working 80 hours a week and in more than $50,000 debt.

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Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant
star
9.20
45 votes

#11 - Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/29/2012

Chef Robert Irvine heads to Lebanon, N.H., to help husband and wife team Nick and Maria save their six-year-old Mexican restaurant, Gusanoz. Locals flocked to Gusanoz to taste Maria's authentic Mexican food, but growing pains got the best of the restaurant, which suffered in food and operations quality, leaving a huge, expensive mess for Robert to clean up. Can Robert and his team give Gusanoz a new life -- and Maria a renewed passion for her business?

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Chatterbox
star
9.20
46 votes

#12 - Chatterbox

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/15/2012

Chef Robert Irvine often sees restaurant owners with little experience and lofty ideas of how to run a restaurant, but Lynn, the owner of Chatterbox in Windham, New Hampshire, takes the cake. A former stay-at-home mom, she used her late husband's life insurance policy to open up a restaurant, hoping to provide for her five children. Robert has just two days to give the well-intentioned but naive family the tools and skills to run a successful family business.

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Anna Maria's
star
9.19
48 votes

#13 - Anna Maria's

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/22/2012

Chef Robert Irvine has seen many dirty and neglected restaurants, but none have made him physically ill like Anna Maria's in Scranton, PA. The Italian eatery's glory days, and last apparent cleaning, were 25 years ago, and owners Jack and Mary, with their son Tucker, are in over their head trying to keep the doors open. Chef Robert Irvine's biggest challenge will be getting the kitchen up to code with only $10,000 and two days.

Watch Now:Amazon
Bronk's Bar and Grill
star
9.11
46 votes

#14 - Bronk's Bar and Grill

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/5/2012

Chef Robert Irvine's next mission brings him to the small town of Lake City, Minn., where Erik and Tracy are only a month away from losing their 11-year-old restaurant, Bronk's Bar and Grill. An untrained staff and frozen food in the kitchen, and a generic design in the dining room are just some of the challenges Robert must battle armed with two days and $10,000

Watch Now:Amazon
Frankie's
star
9.11
47 votes

#15 - Frankie's

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/5/2012

Chef Robert Irvine heads to Frankie's "by the tracks," a 30-year-old staple in Three Rivers, Mich., which was purchased by then best friends Jay and Tina 13 years ago. The stress of owning a failing business has corroded Jay and Tina's relationship to the point where they are unable to be in the same room with each other, much less run their restaurant successfully. Robert has only two days and $10,000 to fix the fractured relationship responsible for the root of Frankie's problems.

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Longbranch Steak and Seafood
star
9.09
46 votes

#16 - Longbranch Steak and Seafood

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/11/2012

Chef Robert Irvine heads to Fayetteville, Ga., to try and keep Longbranch Steak and Seafood in business. Owner Lisa was given the restaurant two years ago as a wedding gift from her husband, and she has been struggling financially and emotionally ever since. Chef Robert races against the clock to clean the filthy kitchen, whip the subordinate staff into shape, and give Lisa the confidence and tools to run a successful restaurant.

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Moss' Prime Rib & Spaghetti House
star
9.06
52 votes

#17 - Moss' Prime Rib & Spaghetti House

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/8/2012

When Chef Robert Irvine gets to Moss' Prime Rib and Spaghetti House in Elyria, OH, he soon realizes that the problems of this restaurant go beyond the subpar food. Owners Robert and Sandi are bullish and stubborn, refusing to accept the help that their struggling business needs. Can Robert and his team rebuild this struggling restaurant and the family behind it in two days?

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Poco's on the Boulevard
star
8.96
49 votes

#18 - Poco's on the Boulevard

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/21/2012

Chef Robert Irvine is heading to Kansas City, Mo., to save a once flourishing family restaurant and repair the relationship between two sisters. Poco's on the Boulevard once served delicious, authentic Latin food, but since the death of chef/owner Poco, her daughters Claudia and Dana have been struggling to maintain the restaurant's food quality and profits.

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Rohrer's Tavern
star
8.96
49 votes

#19 - Rohrer's Tavern

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/28/2012

Chef Robert Irvine heads to North Bend, Ohio, to help revive Rohrer's Tavern, a local staple for more than 60 years. Current owner Lisa has faithfully stuck to the legacy of Rohrer's to a fault: tried and true customers are still around, but the lack of new patrons has put Lisa one month away from closing this local icon.

Watch Now:Amazon
Community Hub In Chaos
star
8.67
12 votes

#20 - Community Hub In Chaos

Season 18 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/4/2021

Robert heads to Buffalo to save Park Vue Soul Food Bar and Restaurant.

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Cajun Seafood Crisis
star
8.64
25 votes

#21 - Cajun Seafood Crisis

Season 16 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/20/2020

The Balcony restaurant in Larose, La., is one of the oldest Cajun seafood restaurants in the bayou. The owner has worked there for 28 years, but her friendly relationship with the employees has cost her their respect. Now, Chef Robert Irvine needs her to become the boss she's never been, or she'll lose everything she's worked for.

Watch Now:Amazon
Big Trouble in Tennessee
star
8.54
13 votes

#22 - Big Trouble in Tennessee

Season 19 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/1/2021

Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar in Cleveland, Tenn., has turned from a dream into a nightmare, and it's costing owners Tom and Sabrina their marriage. With Tom on the brink of another heart attack, Robert Irvine has 48 hours to help him change his ways so he can be the husband and leader that the restaurant needs to survive.

Watch Now:Amazon
Hoffman's Bistro
star
8.48
69 votes

#23 - Hoffman's Bistro

Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/11/2012

Chef Robert Irvine's intervention of Hoffman's Bistro and Patisserie in Santa Cruz, Calif., couldn't come soon enough. The 10-year-old venture is more than $2 million in debt, and the stress on the family-run business has resulted in a tense and uncomfortable environment for employees and customers alike. Chef Robert's drastic plan to completely overhaul the restaurant is needed to save the business, but with only two days and $10,000, will they be able to reopen without alienating customers and tearing the family apart?

Watch Now:Amazon
Friends in Need
star
8.47
15 votes

#24 - Friends in Need

Season 18 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/18/2021

Robert Irvine arrives at Dunbar's Creole Cuisine in New Orleans to find a restaurant full of history but in dire need of his help. The livelihood of two families depends on the success of this legacy restaurant, and with no systems in place, no set roles and the restaurant matriarch refusing to change, Robert has his work cut out for him.

Watch Now:Amazon
Revisited: Helping Our Own
star
8.41
22 votes

#25 - Revisited: Helping Our Own

Season 17 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/28/2020

Robert Irvine returns to Rosie's Cafe in Escondido, Calif., where he previously helped the owner, Kaitlyn, revive her failing restaurant. She has since suffered a near-fatal car accident, and Robert comes back to pull off a spectacular event -- breaking every rule in television if necessary -- to help this Restaurant: Impossible family member with her mounting medical bills.

Watch Now:Amazon