All ‘red flag’ items Gordon Ramsay says you should never order at a restaurant

When he’s not yelling at chefs for being sh*t or showing off his own cooking skills, Gordon Ramsay is giving advice to us diners.

The celebrity chef has shared a number of ‘red flag’ items when it comes to looking at a restaurant’s menu.

I mean, there’s no denying that Ramsay knows his stuff. The Kitchen Nightmares star has his own global empire of over 80 restaurants all over the world, serving up all sorts of food from burgers and pizza to his infamous beef wellington.

He obviously doesn’t just eat at his own places, though, having recently backed a new Burger King item and admitted to his own shock at having to splash out on a dish for his wife’s birthday.

But there are certain things he wouldn’t be ordering, it seems.

Ramsay's got a list of red flags. (Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Menu buzzwords

In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, Ramsay said diners should be wary of any restaurant throwing around 'suspicious boasts' about the quality of its food.

Buzzwords like 'famous' or 'best in the country' without any further evidence to actually back them up has his alarm bells ringing as it always makes him wonder: "Who said that? Who named that?"

No-go starter

In a previous conversation with Town & Country magazine, Ramsay claimed that a certain starter may be a bit of a red flag for customers as it might just be a mix of leftovers or previous unsold specials.

"Ask what yesterday's soup du jour was before today's special," he said. "It may be the case that it's the soup du month."

(Clive Rose - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Specific part of the menu

One of Ramsay’s top tips for what to avoid in a restaurant isn’t exactly limited to just one dish, but often an entire list.

Basically, don’t even bother with the specials board if it’s looking even a little suspicious.

"Specials are there to disappear throughout the evening,” the TV favourite chef explained. “When they list 10 specials that's not special."

Basically, if the specials board is long, then it’s basically just another ordinary menu. Not so special.

No specials, no soup but maybe a burger? (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

Burger red flags

Speaking to LADbible about his teaming up with Burger King, Ramsay revealed the red flags diners should be looking for when ordering a burger.

“First of all, when you stuff a burger, you spoil the texture,” the chef said.

“Burgers need to sit and rest. So, when you temper and mess around by stuffing them with blue cheese or courgette- no, keep it simple and don't over-garnish it.”

I mean, we’ve all seen those burgers online now with gooey cheese pouring out the middle or completely camouflaged in toppings – and the chef’s having none of it.

“But the big red flag for me is when you can't f**king see the burger, be careful what you're eating,” he continues.

“Because the secret to a great burger: The bun, top and bottom.

“Then you got some peppery rocket, or some salad, some form of Sriracha, mayo. But you want to see the colour and make sure it’s caramelised.”

Oh, and in case this one wasn’t obvious, Ramsay adds one final red flag: “If it’s grey – any tinges of grey in a burger, get out.”