The Best of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’: 8 Episodes to Whet Your Appetite

If there’s anything that a sudden influx of free time afforded us, it was time to try new things and pick up new hobbies. Many people turned to baking and bread-making (I’ll admit, I dabbled) while others learned new instruments or took up knitting.

After I got the bread-making out of my system, I decided instead to start watching food-related series. Rather than the typical cooking shows, where you watch people make food, I discovered the food docuseries, and the exciting opportunity to watch people eat food.

Sounds boring? Wrong! The beauty of the food docuseries is that you get to experience a variety of cuisines all from the comfort of your home, and watch as somebody else tries a dish that you would consider iffy.

The best of these, in my opinion, is Somebody Feed Phil. The Phil in question? Phil Rosenthal, comedian and the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. Phil is like your quirky uncle if your uncle was well-traveled, a little awkward, and gut-wrenchingly funny.

Somebody Feed Phil is quite literally a family affair. Phil’s brother Rich is amongst the crew, and his wife and children appear in a few episodes. The best guest stars, however, are his parents. Though his mother sadly passed between seasons, his father, Max, knows how to land a well-timed joke.

In a year when so many of us were at home more than normal, and with many travel plans put on hold, Somebody Feed Phil provided a welcome reminder of the world beyond our current events. Phil not only travels to tourist hotspots, but he also heads to some cities off the beaten path that you and I might not know much about.

While each episode certainly revolves around food (Phil is hungry!), Somebody Feed Phil does a great job at reminding us that traveling to foreign lands provides a unique opportunity to learn about cultures other than our own.

In many ways, it’s more than just a series about food, it’s about the idea of sitting down to enjoy a meal with friends and family surrounding us. The fact that the series takes place in some of the most stunning locations across the globe is just an added bonus. 

Somebody Feed Phil is a hidden gem on Netflix and one that is easy to dig into, especially if you’ve got the travel bug. The seasons are short, with only 22 total episodes, but each one is a delight.

If you’re looking for a little escapism, are still bummed over canceled travel plans, or are just getting sick of your local takeout you won’t want to miss Somebody Feed Phil.

Don’t believe me? Watch these eight episodes to get started, and I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

1. Phil Goes to Marrakesh (Season 3)

Morocco is known for its stunning colors, from the variety of spices in their famous markets to the accents of Majorelle Blue, a color invented by a French artist who lived in the city.

While Somebody Feed Phil is a docuseries, there is a certain suspension of belief that you have to employ. For example, Phil & Co. will have access to certain luxuries that an average joe may not.

A prime example in the Marrakesh episode is the hotel that Phil is staying, where he enjoys a traditional Moroccan breakfast. There, Phil meets Mohamed, an employee of the resort. One of the best parts of Somebody Feed Phil is how authentic it seems.

Phil meets Mohamed at his hotel, then invites the young man to show him some of his favorite food spots around town, getting a true local’s perspective. It’s the impromptu friendships made on this show that make the show great.

2. Phil visits the Mississippi Delta (Season 4)

It’s always a little more exciting to watch a food/travel docuseries where they visit a place that feels more attainable to you. As is the case with many of the episodes Phil films around the United States, the Mississippi Delta episode is full of comfortable familiarity.

Whether it be his trip to a small town cafe, where he dines with a group of old men at the so-called “table of knowledge” or his trip to a Memphis institution, where he joins a communal table with some regulars, Phil always finds community at each destination.

The highlight here? Doe’s Eat Place, a truly blink-or-you-miss-it restaurant that employs “Aunt Flo,” who can hold her own with the comedic chops coming from Phil.

3. Phil goes to Singapore (Season 4)

Singapore really had its cultural moment after 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians movie became a hit at the box office. In the film, the city is portrayed as an extravagant metropolis, full of excitement around every corner.

Much is the same in Phil’s adventures in the city. The episode opens in the city’s international airport, which is home to the world’s largest indoor waterfall. As Phil mentions, I wouldn’t be mad if I had an extended layover in that building.

In this episode, Phil also has the opportunity to meet with one of the stars of the aforementioned Crazy Rich Asians, Tan Kheng Hua (Rachel’s mom in the film), to visit another magical Singaporean landmark, Gardens By the Bay, an incredible indoor jungle.

One of the standouts of the trip to Singapore, which you would recognize if you’ve seen Crazy Rich Asians, is the building that looks like a boat atop three skyscrapers, the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Like many other remarkable buildings along the Singaporean skyline (and the indoor airport waterfall), this feat of engineering was born from the mind of Moshe Safdie.

While Phil was unable to speak with Safdie, he does have access to the lead architect from Safdie’s firm, a woman named Charu Kokate. The pair have a fascinating discussion on how architecture and design play a part in the community of a city.

If it wasn’t on your travel bucket list before, after watching this episode and the amazing food and markets that Phil visits, Singapore will definitely be on your list of places to visit.

4. Phil goes to Venice (Season 2)

If there’s one thing that Phil is not good at, it’s physical exercise. So what do the producers of the show (aka his brother Richard) make him do? Physical tasks! My favorite example of such is when Phil becomes a gondolier in Venice, Italy.

The charming thing about Venice gondolas is the fact that an actual Venetian is guiding you along the canals, taking you through the city from a unique perspective. A casual viewer probably doesn’t realize how difficult that task is. Especially in the open water!

Phil’s adventure as a gondolier leaves him with a sore back and a hungry appetite, remedied by some classic Italian foods — gelato & cheese! You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like Italian food, which is why the Venice episode of SFP is universally enjoyable.

5. Phil visits Rio de Janeiro (Season 4)

Another standout from the most recent season of Somebody Feed Phil is his trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Production timed the filming of this episode perfectly with Carnival, so essentially Mardi Gras on steroids.

Obviously having made the trip in pre-COVID times, the sheer number of people who party in the streets for Carnival was incredible to behold. It’s certainly another one of those bucket list experiences for some people, and seeing how much fun Phil has, I don’t blame them!

While in most episodes of SFP the cooked meals look the most appealing, in this trip to Rio, the fruits really steal the show. The colors of the different fruits, some we don’t even have in America, are stunning and will make your mouth water, guaranteed.

Something I didn’t realize until watching this episode was how many cultures fused together in Rio to influence their city. For example, Rio has a heavy indigenous and African influence that really comes through in some of their foods.

Like on some of his other travels, Phil invites two members of their local crew to dine with him at a local establishment and try Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil, with him. Again, it’s the inclusion of real local voices into the show that makes episodes exciting to watch.

Rio gives Phil another opportunity to show off his physical prowess, this time on a Paddleboard in the bay. Let’s just say he tries his best, and curses at his brother in the process.

Phil’s final stop is to an authentic Brazilian steakhouse, very similar to the ones they’ve brought to America, complete with the little red-light/green-light coasters you get to ask for more meat. Maybe in the end it’s not so different after all.

6. Somebody Feed Phil in Dublin (Season 2)

When in Ireland…drink beer! If you’ve ever visited the Emerald Isle, or seen travel guides (or even that one episode of Parks and Rec) you know that the country is famous for being home to some of the biggest brands in the beer industry.

Case in point – Guinness! Phil has the opportunity to meet with an official Guinness bartender, and learn how to master “the pour.” He also finds himself in a classic Irish pub, making small-talk, and quite witty toasts, with locals of Cork.

One of my favorite recurring themes in the Somebody Feed Phil episodes is the “let’s put Phil in an uncomfortable situation and see how he reacts.” The situation in question on the Dublin trip? Bee Keeping.

Phil visits the Allen family farm, a famous Irish cooking family, who also run a cooking school on the farm grounds. The grounds are BEAUTIFUL, and the food that she prepares him looks divine. The beekeeping is only mildly intimidating, and Phil only seems to upset a few of the bees.

Dublin is one of my favorite episodes of Somebody Feed Phil because Phil gets a little introspective. He visits the Greystones, where he meets twins Stephen and David Flynn, and a group of locals who dive into the (cold!) seawater every morning at dawn, as a way to reboot each morning.

Spoiler alert! Phil will return later, after feeling changed by meeting the Flynn brothers, and after making a few of his other stops, to join the twins in their morning dive. Because at the end of the day, we want our travels to “help us come back changed, right?”

7. Phil takes Copenhagen (Season 2)

Denmark is a country that, I think, is underappreciated by the States. To be completely honest, there is almost nothing I know about the nation, other than what the flag looks like, courtesy of a deep appreciation for the Winter Olympics.

Curiously, Somebody Feed Phil is not the first reality series I’ve seen that visits Copenhagen, though it’s not an overwhelmingly popular destination by any means. This is, however, the first time I’ve learned about typical Danish dishes.

In his visit to Denmark, Phil is joined by his wife and two children, to celebrate his daughter’s birthday, and as a celebration, we’re taken to Trivoli Gardens, which can only be described as if Disney World stripped away all of the characters and was left with beautiful scenery.

Life in Copenhagen looks lovely, and the breadth of seafood dishes featured in this adventure is sure to make anyone a pescatarian.

8. Phil in San Fran (Season 4)

One of Phil’s most recent stops, a part of season four, is San Francisco. According to Phil, San Fran used to be called “the Paris of the Pacific” in the early 1900s. After the giant earthquake and fire of 1906, an Italian immigrant, AP Giannini, helped the city rebuild via bank loans. That bank turned into today’s Bank of America. See? Not just a show about food!

If you’ve never had the chance to visit San Francisco, or are wondering if it’s worth your travel list, I assure you it is. I had my first-ever Krispy Kreme donut in the city, so it will always have a piece of my heart!

Is San Francisco famous for baked goods? I’m not sure, but Phil and his friends do spend an awful lot of time eating sugary snacks and then working them off on the steep climbs through the city.

Phil also gets to spend time with Dominique Crenn the first female chef to ever be awarded three-Michelin stars, who you may recognize if you’ve ever seen Netflix’s Chef’s Table. Crenn has a few restaurants in the city and later rejoins Phil as he visits San Francisco’s Family House, an extended-stay hotel for families with children sick in the hospital.

San Francisco is also known for its proximity to wine country, so Phil takes a day trip out to Napa to visit an old friend Thomas Keller. Phil had a part in the movie Spanglish, in which Thomas had a small role as “culinary consultant.” Who knew that was a thing?

Keller’s most famous restaurant is The French Laundry, which Phil takes the audience behind the scenes into the kitchen. It’s always fascinating watching chefs work, and especially so in such a grand setting. Each piece is intricately thought out and perfected so that guests have a one of a kind experience.

Phil tries his hand at being a sous chef (which is really just him snacking on the decadent foods) and watching him struggle to flip over some chocolate desserts was both relatable and made me respect the actual professionals.

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At the end of the day, Somebody Feed Phil is more than a show about some comedian who gets to travel the world, cracking jokes and eating envy-inducing meals.

Phil reminds us that the secret to life is to always keep making friends, wherever you go, whether at home or on your travels, to connect with people from different backgrounds than your own. You just might learn something.

Have you checked out Somebody Feed Phil yet? Which travel destination is your favorite? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! 

You can find Somebody Feed Phil streaming on Netflix.

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