6 Iconic Pizzas Guy Fieri Tried On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives
Guy Fieri, the ubiquitous Food Network host who eats and talks at length about it for a living, is known for his signature show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," (affectionately called "Triple D" by fans), which casts him as the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Flavortown." Fieri jumps in a convertible and motors from one 'greasy spoon' dish to the next, spending time with the chefs as they make him a meal to eat.
Since 2006, Fieri has visited over 1500 restaurants and tasted countless dishes, including a figurative ton of pizzas. It's a given that not all of these are "off the hook," in Fieri-speak, but if they're really not good, they don't make it to air. On the other hand, Fieri has stumbled across some pizzas that are nothing short of iconic. There, I said it. These are pizza icons. And I don't throw that word around lightly.
1. Duck Bacon Flatbread Pizza at Pastabilities in Syracuse, New York
On "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Season 16, Episode 2, Guy Fieri stopped by Pastabilities in Syracuse, New York, a local favorite since 1982 that's still going strong — if the lengthy wait for a table is any indication. (Pro-tip: they take limited reservations and there is a wait list procedure.)
The Duck Bacon Flatbread Pizza is described on the menu as "house-cured, smoked duck bacon, Humboldt Fog aged goat cheese, mozzarella, tart cherries, shallots, pomegranate drizzle, [and] cracked black pepper." All of this sits on flatbread baked at the restaurant's adjacent bakery, Pasta's Daily Bread. Fieri approved, exclaiming, "The crust on this flatbread is righteous." He didn't stop there. According to Fieri, it was more than a mere home run of a pizza. In fact, Fieri dubbed this pie: "Probably one of the best duck dishes I've ever had."
But don't just take the Mayor of Flavortown's word for it. There are plenty of raves about this pie out there, including an Instagrammer, who posted, "Hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had."
(315) 474-1153
311 S. Franklin Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
2. The Lady ZaZa at Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis, MN
In Triple D, Season 14, episode 1, Guy Fieri visits Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis, which was opened in 2013 by Ann Kim, a James Beard Award-winning chef. Kim wood-fires her pizza in a showstopping copper Le Panyol oven from France that she says costs more than a car. Is it worth it? You bet.
There are a number of unique pizzas on the menu, but the standout is the Lady ZaZa, featuring homemade Korean sausage and kimchi, plum tomato sauce, gochujang paste, serrano peppers, scallions, and toasted black and white sesame seeds. To make this pie even more bespoke, the kimchi is flavored with spices imported from Korea by Chef Kim's mom.
Fieri's verdict was: "Wow. You got a little sweet, a little salt. You got some crunch. Without question, this is way up there." Instagram user theculinarymistress also gave the Lady ZaZa the highest praise, posting, "I think if my Korean mother was a pizza, she would have been a Lady Zaza pizza from @pizzerialola." Fortunately, they take reservations.
(612) 424-8338
5557 Xerxes Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410
3. White Bean and Steak Pizza at Tin Roof Grill in Sandy, Utah
White bean purée, basil pesto, grilled marinated flat iron steak, fresh basil, caramelized red onion, and tomatoes — on a pizza. In the words of Guy Fieri: "Back up. Wait a second. What'd you just tell me?" Whoever dreamed up that combination: icon.
Fieri found this oddball, but scrumptious pie on the menu at Tin Roof Grill in Sandy, Utah during Triple D Season 19, Episode 7. His verdict: "That's a meal of a pizza." Since that verdict came down, Tin Roof — where everything is made from scratch — began taking phone reservations, and, based on the reviews, diners seem to agree with the Mayor of you-know-where. One Facebook user opined, "We had to try the White Bean and Steak Pizza, because it's something different. I liked it. It's unique." We're confident that they meant 'unique' in a good way.
9284 S 700 E, Sandy, UT
(801) 566-3931
4. The Thud-Butt at Little Bettie Pizza & Snacks in Memphis, TN
In "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Season 38, Episode 4, Guy Fieri introduces the world to the Thud Butt Pizza. The amusingly-named pie can be had at Little Bettie Pizza and Snacks, located inside the massive Wiseacre Brewing Company in Memphis, TN. A pizza place inside a brewery? Brilliant, since it's a scientific fact that pizza and beer are made for each other. And at Little Bettie, the two businesses are symbiotic; the chef uses the beer wort (the pre-fermentation liquid beer base that gives a beer its distinctive qualities) in their pizza dough. Little Bettie is serious about their crust, and Fieri approved, declaring, "The dough is legit."
The Thud Butt is a hand-rolled New Haven-style thin crust, non-red sauce pie with mortadella, ricotta cream, black pepper honey, crushed pistachio, pecorino, and a "healthy dollop" of stracciatella cheese. This pizza has been on Little Bettie's menu from the beginning, and with good reason. Fieri's verdict? "It's a different dimension of pizza." Or, as one Triple D guest so succinctly put it, "It's not regular pizza. It's a Thud Butt." The glowing reviews weren't only for the cameras, either. One Instagram poster raved, "That pizza is so good it's stupid." In other words, Thud Butt, it's stupid good.
(901) 334-9411
398 S B.B. King Blvd, Memphis, TN 38126
5. Roasted Carrots Pizza at Weights and Measures in Houston, TX
In Triple D's Season 40, Episode 9, Guy Fieri heads to Weights and Measures, where he dives into even more exotic pizza territory. Meet Roasted Carrot Pizza. Yes, it sounds weird, but before you grimace and move on — spoiler alert — Fieri announced on air, "That is probably in the top 3 most unique pizzas I've ever had in my life."
You know you're in uncharted pizza territory when you learn that the base of this pie is a French soubise sauce. Then there is Gruyère cheese, Fresno pepper, and, of course, thin-sliced carrots marinated in orange zest, honey, butter, orange juice, and olive oil before roasting.
Once the pizza comes out of the wood-fired oven, the pie is sprinkled with dukkah, an unexpected-for-pizza Moroccan spice blend that works wonders with asparagus and other vegetables, as well. At Weights and Measures, they roast and blend their own dukkah; everything here is homemade.
But how is it? Fieri summed up the Roasted Carrot Pizza experience saying, "Outstanding. The tang of the Gruyère, the sweetness of the caramelized carrot, the spice of the Fresno. Without the dukkah ... it wouldn't be the same. It's giving me goosebumps." Houston Press agrees, naming this pie to its list of "100 Favorite Houston Dishes." Fortunately, Weights and Measures takes reservations.
(713) 654-1970
2808 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77004
6. The Dilly Dilly at Hungry Robot in Fairbanks, AK
Did you know that pickles pair well with pizza? But don't take our word for it. In "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Season 38, Episode 9, Guy Fieri tested this hypothesis at The Hungry Robot in Fairbanks, AK, where they offer a pickle-studded pizza pie called the Dilly Dilly. Sounds weird, but over on Reddit, footypjs emphatically stated, "Try the Dilly Dilly. Pickles on a pizza sound ... weird, but it's out of this world."
It's not just the pickles that give this pie its flavor. Hungry Robot makes its own sweet Italian sausage, which is then crumbled onto the pie. It already sounds like a fantastic pizza, then they add mozzarella, and what they call "Dilly Drizzle," a Ranch-based white sauce with plenty of zing. Fieri described it as, "That's like Ranch gone wild. You get me a spoon, I'll just eat this as a cold soup." We're down with that. Still, that's not even all the sauce that goes onto this pie. There's also house-made roasted garlic white sauce and, finally, lots of pickles.
After a 90-second visit to the birch wood-fired pizza oven, the pie gets a light dusting of Parmesan, Romano, and dill, plus a drizzle of the Drizzle, and the pizza is complete. But is it good? Heck, yeah, at least according to Fieri, who declared, "That's a destination pizza." Fairbanks, Alaska, save us a seat.
https://www.thehungryrobot.com/
(907) 347-8117
910 Old Steese Hwy, Suite C, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Methodology
How did I choose the pies for this piece? First, I revisited the definition of 'icon'. Worthy of veneration, every pie on this list both surprised and wowed "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" host Guy Fieri, has impressed social media users, and, finally, made this writer want to immediately set off on a self-guided tour de pizza.
The secret ingredient that elevated these pies above the rest was their unique flavor. They're not clones or even first cousins of other pizzas, and they reflect the creative culinary sensibilities of their chefs and owners. These are pies that, upon first reading their menu description, made me (and often Fieri) say, "That's nuts." But after my initial hesitation, I found myself in a food loop thinking things like, "Kimchi pizza. Kimchi pizza. Must have kimchi pizza." That's my definition of iconic.