The essential episodes of Restaurant: Impossible
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Restaurant: Impossible — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Chef Robert Irvine is in Palmyra, NJ to see if he can save a 60yr old family restaurant from failure. Paul Villari 3rd took over his family's restaurant from his father 15 years ago and has watched as the customer base has literally died off. Paul has been unable to bring a new customer base in and has found himself on the brink of having to shut down this neighborhood icon. With outdated décor and a disastrous kitchen, it's a race to the finish as Robert tries to put Villari's back on the path to success. Will he succeed or will this be Restaurant: Impossible?
- 02
Chef Robert Irvine receives a plea from Stephanie, the bar manager of the Copper Still CD Vodka Lounge and Eatery in Crestwood, Ill., which hasn't turned a profit since opening eight months ago. Owner Christina has put her heart and soul into the restaurant, but its failure has strained her marriage with her husband, Dominic. When Robert attempts a double ambush by showing up unannounced, Stephanie is furious she wasn't included and refuses to help. Robert must work alone to solve the financial problems, marital woes, and also deal with an unexpected theft.
- 03
Chef Robert Irvine heads to Starlite Restaurant and Pizza in West Orange, N.J. after receiving a plea from the owner Patty's son. Patty has worked there since she was 13 years old and considers it home, but hasn't made a profit in almost ten years despite cashing in her retirement and mortgaging her home. When Robert arrives, he finds an extremely dirty kitchen and an old-school staff that is completely unwilling to change, including Patty herself. Will Robert be able to return this beloved restaurant to its former glory, or will the Starlite shine no more?
- 04
Chef Robert Irvine has his work cut out for him when he arrives in Ridgeland, Miss. Rossini's Cucina Italiana is absolutely filthy, and even worse, owners Lori and Toni seem to have given up. Robert has to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty in order to clean up this small-town restaurant.
- 05
Robert Irvine heads to Las Vegas to work his magic at A Pizza Melody. The owner's anger issues have turned his dream of owning his own restaurant into a nightmare, and his husband has spent almost $1 million trying to make it a success, to no avail.
- 06
A model and a former poker player opened Cafe No Fur in Las Vegas, Nev., but they're so stuck in their dysfunctional ways that the restaurant is on the verge of folding after only two years. Robert Irvine must get them to change their stubborn ways or all bets are off on the restaurant's survival.
- 07
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.
- 08
Robert Irvine is in Geneva, N.Y., at Cosentino's Ristorante, where co-owners Bill and Nancy are struggling to save their family restaurant. Their marriage is collapsing under the weight of an unbalanced workload while their inexperienced son, Dom, serves unappetizing food. They need to make real changes and learn to respect one another if Robert is going to save their business.
- 09
A rift between the owner of The Anchor in Louisville, Tenn., and his daughter threatens to sink the restaurant.
- 10
Robert Irvine visits Z Fish House in landlocked Loudon, Tenn., where the owner, Ed, needs a life preserver. Robert helps Ed rediscover his passion and lead his staff to success.
- 11
Robert helps two friends save their restaurant and their relationship.
- 12
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.
- 13
Katie has bitten off more than she can chew at Grille No. 13 in Waldorf, Md. She's $350,000 in debt and has no time to spend with her infant daughter. Robert Irvine must teach Katie to work smarter if he's going to save this Irish pub and help her reclaim her time with her baby.
- 14
Chef Robert Irvine rolls into Colorado Springs, Colo., where the chef and owner of Momma Pearl's Cajun Kitchen is on the verge of losing his wife and his business if he can't shed his arrogant alter ego. His over-the-top persona in the kitchen has alienated family and staff and threatens to derail Robert's efforts to help him. Robert has to find the real person hidden beneath the surface if he has any chance of saving this failing business and crumbling marriage.
- 15
The owner of the Dutch Treat in Franconia, NH, has lost the desire to keep his family restaurant going; his wife is more than willing to help, but no matter what she and Robert Irvine do, the Dutch Treat doesn't stand a chance without a manager.
Shows like Restaurant: Impossible
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Food·Drama·ComedyThe essential episodes of The Bear2022–present·Hulu
Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. - 02FoodThe essential episodes of Hell's Kitchen2005–present·FOX
In Hell's Kitchen, aspiring chefs are put through an intense culinary academy to prove they possess the right combination of ingredients to win a life-changing grand prize. - 03FoodThe essential episodes of Top Chef2006–present·Bravo
Top Chef is a competition show in which chefs competing against each other in various culinary challenges, judged by the team of professional chefs and notable people from food industry. - 04FoodThe essential episodes of MasterChef2010–present·FOX
Three celebrated food experts put the latest group of contestants through a series of challenging elimination rounds and turn one home cook into a culinary master. - 05FoodThe essential episodes of MasterChef Australia2009–present·Network 10MasterChef Australia is an Australian competitive cooking game show consisting of a group of hopeful contestants that cook and present food to judges in order to win the title of MasterChef Australia.
- 06FoodThe essential episodes of Bar Rescue2011–present·Paramount Network
Bar Rescue follows Jon Taffer, one of the country's top restaurant and bar consultants, will give failing establishments one last chance to succeed.
