Anthony Bourdain's Favorite 24-Hour Dining Spot Was A Southern Classic

The softly glowing golden facade at night is more patriotic and nationally composite than Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" painting. You know it, you love it, it's Waffle House — it's always open, and it never changes. As a New Yorker and an outspoken, diehard lover of his city, it might seem a tad odd that Anthony Bourdain loved his visit to this spot. There are no Waffle House locations in the state of New York or New Jersey, and NYC is home to a semi-famous smattering of classic late-night diners from Waverly to Tom's and Old John's. Some, like the iconic Tick Tock Diner on 8th Avenue, still remain open for 24-hour service. Still, Bourdain loved foods from Filipino sisig to fast food mac and cheese (it's called "range"), and his first visit to Waffle House impressed his palette. 

The famed Waffle House visit occurs during the Charleston, South Carolina, episode of his CNN series "Parts Unknown." Bourdain and Sean Brock, chef and multi-restaurateur, rolled up to the spot (fittingly) after-hours. Upon sitting down, Bourdain remarked, "I am unbelievably, in spite of my world travels, new to the wonders of the Waffle House and unfamiliar with its ways." But, before the end of his meal, he was a lifelong fan, revelating, "This is better than The French Laundry, man."

The 24-hour chain is known for its crave-able waffles — which somehow always taste better than the ones we can whip up at home. They are also famous for hash browns that can be scattered, smothered, covered, or chunked, among other choices. It's a beauty as accessible as it is un-mess-with-able, prompting Bourdain to wax in the poetic way only he could, "It is indeed marvelous, an irony-free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Where everybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or degree of inebriation, is welcomed. Its warm yellow glow a beacon of hope and salvation, inviting the hungry, the lost, the seriously hammered, all across the South to come inside. A place of safety and nourishment. It never closes. It is always, always faithful, always there — for you."

As Bourdain later remarked in his field notes about the Charleston episode, "The South is not a monolith. There are pockets of weirdness, awesomeness...Husk [Brock's restaurant] directly addresses Southern culinary traditions using the best of modern techniques, but always, always respecting the originals and who made them." In a lot of ways, the same could be said of Waffle House. During the diner visit, Brock shared that his love of Waffle House started during his childhood, as patrons can view the kitchen staff as they cook. They also provide Southern hospitality for a notoriously rowdy bunch, sparking his interest in cooking as a whole, and proving how iconic the simple diner really is.