You’d be hard-pressed to find a more reliable eatery than a Waffle House. A gold beacon in the night — open for 24 hours all seven days of the week and every single holiday — it doesn’t discriminate. Take any exit ramp in the Southeast, and there’s likely one waiting for you to dig into a stack of waffles or a hash brown bowl. It’s a humble chain restaurant to those familiar, but to Anthony Bourdain, it was a culinary experience he claimed was “better than the French Laundry” (per Parts Unknown), a three-star Michelin restaurant.
During a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for his show “Parts Unknown,” Bourdain joined chef Sean Brock for an evening escapade to Waffle House. He was charmed by the novelty of a casual diner that cooks food in front of customers like an All-American waffle teppanyaki. Almost everything is prepared on a large griddle where one breakfast food can soak up the flavors of another, creating a cohesive and savory meal.
In an episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” he reflected on the trip with the late night host, a Charleston local. When asked by Colbert about trying popular dishes in the city’s food scene, Bourdain remarked, “I had all of those things [referring to local cuisine], but more important than anything: I discovered the glories of the Waffle House… I had the best time there.”
The whimsy of a late-night trip to Waffle House
Anthony Bourdain made sure to make the most out of his first Waffle House trip by ordering several different menu items. Of course, he tried the pecan waffle smothered in butter and syrup. Pecans are common in several Southern desserts, and they add a nutty touch to the sweet waffle batter and syrup. This made a good starter for the real stars on the menu: the steak, eggs, and hashbrowns.
Bourdain then ordered the patty melt: a slab of cheesy hamburger with grilled onions on Texas toast. It impressed him enough to order both thin-cut pork chops and a T-bone steak afterward, separated only by a side salad with Thousand Island dressing. The only sauce he needed was the creamy yolk from the sunny-side-up eggs and hash brown grease. There’s a reason this Georgia-based chain has a museum in its honor.
He appreciated the informal nature of the restaurant for its hospitality, inviting “the hungry, the lost; the seriously hammered all across the South to come inside a place of safety and nourishment.” And indeed it was nourishing. Multiple courses during a single visit were enough to cement Waffle House as one of Bourdain’s favorite Southern restaurants.
