Parthenon, a popular Greek restaurant in Washington, D.C., was the first restaurant to be featured in Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service. Was Ramsay able to help the struggling business and turn things around? Is Parthenon still open? Here's what we know.
Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service is a departure from Kitchen Nightmares in that the celebrity chef is being called to restaurants by an unknown insider informant and given behind-the-scenes access so as to help the struggling businesses to overcome challenges.
In the case of Parthenon, the insider revealed that the owner and family patriarch has been letting things go at his restaurant for years. Parthenon has been struggling to stay afloat while the family works to keep it running, and they needed Ramsay's help to see that his family, and his son in particular, are ready and willing to step up and take over.
Here's the episode description from the May 21 episode: "In Gordon Ramsay’s all-new series, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, Gordon infiltrates struggling restaurants under the cover of night with the help of a secret insider to gather raw, unfiltered evidence and get a 360-degree view of the major issues facing each restaurant. In his first mission, Gordon spies on Parthenon, a beloved family-run Greek restaurant in Washington, D.C. Once a pillar of the community, this restaurant’s decor, utilities, and hygienics are severely out of date. Gordon’s assignment: embolden the owner to modernize and pass the torch of his nearly four-decade legacy to his son."
We're happy to report that as of this writing, Parthenon is still open.
We took a look at the restaurant's website, which features a very enticing menu for the restaurant and a separate pub menu for the bar.
As of publication, the restaurant holds a 4.5-star rating on Google Reviews (425 reviews), with many diners praising the great food and staff. One longtime customer lamented the changes in the Greek salad while another guest noted in a 4-star review that the bread was "meh," leading to a comment from Junior and the Parthenon staff asking for feedback to make sure they earn the fifth star next time around. That same guest added that "the restaurant just got an extreme makeover by Gordon Ramsay and is definitely worth a visit," leading the owners to mention how proud they are to be "part of the recent transformation" with Ramsay.
Needless to say, we're thrilled to know Parthenon is thriving after Gordon Ramsay's intervention!
Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET/PT on Fox. You can watch episodes on-demand on Hulu.
