The Guy Fieri Restaurant Anthony Bourdain Once Read For Filth

As a well-respected chef, author, and travel documentarian who ate dishes around the world, Anthony Bourdain was bound to dislike some foods and restaurants that others found enjoyable. The late celebrity chef was among the most influential food critics of the 2000s and 2010s and was frequently applauded for his honest opinions of his peers during his time in the spotlight. In fact, he often found himself criticizing their food, restaurants, personalities, and media tactics. One of the people on the receiving end of Bourdain's heat was Guy Fieri and his New York City restaurant, Guy's American Kitchen and Bar.

The host of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" (and one of the highest-paid chefs on cable), Fieri is beloved by many for his unique take on food criticism. But Bourdain tore into him and his Times Square establishment during an appearance on SiriusXM's Opie and Anthony show back in 2012. During the discussion, it became abundantly clear that Bourdain took issue with Fieri's restaurant, primarily due to its unnecessarily high prices.

Anthony Bourdain brought up Guy Fieri's new (at the time) restaurant location during the radio show, expressing his bewilderment by its very existence. "I'm fascinated by the Guy Fieri terror dome they just opened up," Bourdain said about the scale of the NYC restaurant, adding, "Six hundred seats, something like that? And a gift shop? ... First of all, he single-handedly turned the neighborhood into the Ed Hardy district, which I'm a little pissed off about."

Bourdain then expressed his disdain for the high prices at Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, saying, "All of these poor bastards see him eating cheap food on TV, they go in there, and it's what, $18 for a f***ing hamburger? The french fries are like $12? By the time you buy a drink, you're out of there."

While Bourdain didn't talk about the restaurant much further, his harsh feelings against Guy's American Kitchen and Bar were vindicated by the masses. Considered one of the most noteworthy flop restaurants opened by a celebrity chef, Fieri's "terror dome" closed down in 2017 — merely five years after its grand opening and was lauded as a tourist trap.