Guy Fieri's Best Moments On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

When it comes to comfort television, nothing quite compares to "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." For years, Guy Fieri has been road-tripping across America in his Camaro, shining a spotlight on small, family-run restaurants and chowing down on all kinds of great meals. But while the food is obviously the centerpiece, it's Guy himself who makes the show unforgettable. He keeps us coming back to watch and inspires many people to visit Triple D-featured restaurants as well.

I feel uniquely qualified to rank some of the best Guy Fieri moments from Triple D. During the pandemic lockdown in early 2020, while many people were learning TikTok dances, baking sourdough, and making whipped coffee, I dove headfirst into Food Network marathons. In a span of just a couple of months, I watched nearly every episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" — and when I wasn't watching Triple D, I was binging "Guy's Grocery Games." After that many hours, I feel like I've earned honorary superfan status. So, based purely on my Flavortown-fueled opinion, here are some of Guy Fieri's best moments on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

In season 35, episode 5, "Getting Funky in Flavortown," Guy Fieri visited Sweet Melissa, a vegetarian cafe located in Laramie, Wyoming. As he walked up to the cafe, he shared a short but sweet intro, remembering his sister, Morgan, who passed away from cancer in 2011. Morgan was a vegetarian, so Guy and his family love to eat vegetarian food often in her memory.

Sweet Melissa specializes in plant-forward takes on classic comfort foods, like crab(less) cakes, cashew queso, buffalo cauliflower wings, and more. Melissa made Guy a vegetarian meatloaf using lentils. As they prepared the dish, Guy shared, "I get mental for the lentil." As he tried his first bite, he said, "This right here is like the most tender, moist meatloaf you could find. I mean, it's got great texture, great chew ... really delicious." He also tried a veggie banh mi, made with mushrooms.

In season 40, episode 2, "From Breakfast to the Boot," Guy Fieri and his son, Hunter, visit Katalina's, a brunch restaurant located in Columbus, Ohio. Katalina's serves five-star food in a diner atmosphere, and its claim to fame is the made-to-order pancake balls. Local customers rave about them, and they're available in three flavors: Nutella, pumpkin-apple butter, and dulce de leche.

While restaurant owner Kathleen Day demonstrates how she makes the pancake balls, Guy and Hunter are a bit skeptical about the process at first, although they're definitely intrigued. They lightheartedly joke together while playing small pranks on Kathleen, like hiding her chopsticks. Their genuinely fun father-son dynamic is especially evident in this episode, and it's heart-warming to watch.

The pair first tried the decadent dulce de leche pancake balls, served with local maple syrup and sweet and spicy bacon, and described them as "outstanding," "awesome," and "dynamite." Next up was pumpkin-apple butter pancake balls, which were equally impressive. Kathleen finished up with a lunch option, an "everything but the chicken sink" sandwich — a southern-fried chicken cutlet served on homemade brioche French toast with sweet and spicy bacon and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Guy (now thoroughly convinced) praises Kathleen's creativity, energy, and unique take on brunch hits to end this segment.

Season 35, episode 17, "From Chicken to Cheesesteak," features a segment on Gabino's Creperie, a small walk-up window restaurant tucked away in a back alley in Palm Springs, California. Guy Fieri seemed slightly skeptical at first and admitted that breakfast foods aren't really his thing, which tracks, given his known aversion to eggs. But he ended up visiting the restaurant solely based on a recommendation from his friend, Mark Tadros, and soon realized it was worth the trip.

Guy learned that what makes Gabino's unique is that, unlike most creperies, this place specializes in savory stuffed crepes. With non-traditional menu items like chicken Caesar salad crepes, turkey and cheddar crepes, and even a Philly cheesesteak crepe, each option is flavor-packed and unexpected. While restaurant owner Marcel Ramirez demonstrated how to make the cheesesteak crepe, Guy was admittedly impressed — so much so that he video-called his friend Mark and thanked him for the recommendation, saying, "I've never seen crepes like this. You hooked me up, brother. I appreciate it."

Gabino's isn't the only impressive West Coast restaurant featured on Triple D, though. California is home to dozens of must-try "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" hotspots. If you're planning a visit, it might be tough to narrow down your top picks from the dozens of options, but these 18 restaurants are worth checking out.

In season 40, episode 8, Guy Fieri and his son, Hunter, take a trip to Joya's, a Bengali-American restaurant outside of Columbus in Worthington, Ohio. In addition to the food itself, what makes Joya's stand out from the crowd is that its owner and head chef, Avishar Barua, is no stranger to Flavortown or cooking shows, having previously competed on "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Top Chef."

Guy was shocked to learn that quite literally everything in Avishar's restaurant is made from scratch — even down to the spice blends and the chili oil. He and Hunter were equally impressed by the time and dedication Avishar puts into making each dish. After trying the house-made chicken nuggets and fried rice, Hunter high-fives the chef before going in for a third bite, and Guy says, "You're kidding me. This is the biggest flavor bomb I've ever had on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.""

Avishar follows up with a Bengali chap cheese, where he even makes the bread from scratch. The Fieri guys are at a loss for words at first — a rare occurrence — but inevitably give it high praise as well, with Hunter calling it "a magic sandwich." Guy ends the segment by looking directly at the camera and saying to the viewers, "I don't know what you have planned for tomorrow, or for the rest of the month, but I'd be making my way to Columbus."

On Season 31, episode 6, "Savory with a Side of Sweet," Guy Fieri features Pingala Cafe, a vegan restaurant in Burlington, Vermont, run by Trevor Sullivan. The meal starts strong with the crunchwrap supreme, to which Guy again shares that he "gets mental with the lentil." This black bean-lentil chili crunchwrap is also stuffed with a cashew cheese sauce and a "n'avocado mash" — a creamy chickpea-green pea spread that tastes suspiciously like guacamole, without the avocados. After his first bite, Guy calls the crunchwrap "outstanding" and says, "out of all the vegetarian/vegan items I've had in my life, this is easily in the top five, if not top three." But he doesn't stop there. After another few bites, Guy continues raving about the crunchwrap, saying, "I would challenge anybody who doesn't think they like vegetarian/vegan, to come down here and try this. It's remarkable. Get on a plane and come to Vermont remarkable."

Next up, Guy was blown away by the coconut-banana French Toast Puffs, a fresh take on French Toast, similar to bread pudding. Guy shares, "It has a better texture than most French Toast. I don't know what to say, bro ... It's everything you want. It's like banana bread gone wild." Overall, the segment really made me start considering a trip to Vermont, which is exactly what "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" intends to do. And though many Triple D episodes lean heavily on meat, grease, and barbecue, I really like how Guy isn't afraid to feature restaurants like Pingala to remind viewers that plant-forward food can also deliver serious flavor.

In season 10, episode 4, "You Found Em," Guy Fieri stops in at Metro Diner, a cozy coastal diner in Jacksonville, Florida. Chef Mark Davoli walks him through some of the diner's greatest hits, starting with its signature dish: the Iron City Meatloaf. This three-meat dish is baked, then grilled, and it left a lasting impression. Guy said, "I think diners across the world need to take a lesson on this one." The other featured dishes were even more notable, including the Pittsburgh steak salad, piled high with fries, and the "Yo Halla on the Square," a stuffed French toast.

Fast-forward 15 years, and Metro Diner has grown from a single Jacksonville gem to a widespread hit with nearly 70 locations across 12 states. The national spotlight from "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" truly helped put Metro on the map and played a huge role in its lasting success. Despite the massive growth, the spirit hasn't changed. I've had the chance to eat at several Florida locations, and each one carries that same mom-and-pop energy while sticking to what it knows best: classic comfort food that leaves a smile on your face.

After winning season 2 of "Food Network Star" and achieving success on his first Food Network show, "Guy's Big Bite," Guy Fieri repeatedly turned down Food Network's offers to host another show — until they pitched the concept for Triple D. This list wouldn't be complete without including season 1, episode 1 — the episode that started it all. In this episode, Guy Fieri visits a woman named Naylene Dillingham at her restaurant, Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery, located in Tarpley, Texas. 

This episode is quick to grab your attention once you learn that Naylene's restaurant is anything but conventional. Guy stands in awe, watching Naylene as she cooks for a weekend dinner crowd in her tin-roofed shack attached to a general store. She feeds people in the parking lot, and there's no menu — diners get whatever she feels like cooking that day.

Guy learns that Naylene serves anywhere from 130 to 145 meals each night from her little shack, and her customers keep coming back because her food is such a hit. Notable dishes from this feature include the "cabrito" burger (Spanish for "little goat") and the chicken-fried lamb chops, which Guy declared, "may be the best lamb chops I've ever had." Naylene's story is so iconic that Guy has featured the restaurant on three follow-up episodes since the original aired in 2007. The restaurant remains successful nearly 20 years later and has since expanded, with a new owner, Marsha Jo Sheedy. But, new owner or not, the experience is the same. As Marsha Jo shares, "We're not fancy. We just love food."