The Old-School Chain Anthony Bourdain Called A 'Judgement-Free Zone'

Anthony Bourdain was known for unveiling hidden gems and encouraging worldwide travel in the name of well-made and unique foods. If there were a market stand in Colombia selling caldo de costilla or a chef in the Philippines ready to cook him lechon and seaweed salad, Bourdain was there. Through 12 seasons of his hit show, "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," he explored everywhere from Shanghai to Paraguay to Vietnam and beyond, but Bourdain was no stranger to uncovering great places in the United States, either, such as when he visited Sizzler, an old-school steakhouse chain in California that he dubbed a "judgment-free zone."

Sizzler has been a staple of the West Coast since 1958. But it wasn't until 2013 in Season 1, Episode 2 of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" that the chef and documentarian had his first experience at the chain, after meeting up with artist David Choe in Koreatown, Los Angeles. After dining at the steakhouse, Bourdain said (via @topcellitraveler on TikTok) that Sizzler is "a judgment-free zone, where there are no mistakes." 

While we ranked it fairly well on our list of 13 steakhouse chains in the U.S., Bourdain goes on to say that Sizzler is "a world to explore incongruous combinations without shame or guilt." In the episode, he takes full advantage of everything Sizzler has to offer, selecting a steak with the salad bar option, where Bourdain follows Choe as he makes a meatball-stuffed taco.

Sizzler is, first and foremost, a steakhouse. It's easily credited as one of the first places families could go for an affordable steak, even if Choe explains to Bourdain in the episode that eating there as a child was considered as a special treat. The menu is chock-full of hand-cut steaks like a 14-ounce ribeye, 12-ounce New York strip, and 8-ounce tri-tip sirloin, along with a robust assortment of seafood, burgers, ribs, chicken, and complimentary cheesy bread. Sizzler is perhaps most famous for its all-you-can-eat salad bar, which is loaded with not only veggies, but a hot bar of wings, pastas, taco ingredients, and much more. Plus, there's a dessert bar to round out the meal with something sweet.

Del and Helen Johnson opened the first Sizzler in Culver City, California, more than 65 years ago. After taking a trip to Europe and experiencing the various cuisines of the East, the couple came back to the States with a vision of opening a restaurant that could offer high-quality meals with international options. It boomed throughout the decades and became well-known for its overtly cinematic commercials, among the other facts about Sizzler, the steakhouse that helped define 1980s dining. The old-school chain fell on hard times in recent years, but it is in the midst of a triumphant revamp, and even though several locations closed, the restaurant that Bourdain visited on his show is still open today.