'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives': Follow Guy Fieri's lead to over 40 Arizona restaurants
It's no secret that Guy Fieri loves Arizona. He told The Arizona Republic as much when he announced his massive tailgate party in Glendale ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl.
He also opened Guy Fieri’s Downtown Phoenix Kitchen + Bar inside the Caesars Sportsbook betting center near Chase Field in 2022 and plans to open a location in Terminal 4 of Phoenix Sky Harbor. But his love for the Grand Canyon state began years earlier, when he fell for the local dining scene.
He's highlighted Arizona restaurants dozens of times on his Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives," for which he's visited more than 40 Arizona restaurants in metro Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.
If you want to follow in his footsteps to Flavortown, here's a look at all the Arizona restaurants Guy Fieri visited for "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives."
Harkins' 1st dine-in theater is open. And it's even better than I thought it would be
Phoenix restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins & Dives'
Barrio Café
"This is real-deal Mexican," Fieri said of this Phoenix spot. His mouth had "a complete meltdown" when he tried chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's signature dish, cochinita pibil. Pork is slow-roasted in achiote and sour orange juice, wrapped in banana leaves, then topped with pickled onion and pico de gallo.
Barrio Cafe will close at the end of May.
Details: 2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-636-0240. barriocafe.com.
Chino Bandido
You can order teriyaki chicken wrapped in a quesadilla at this quirky restaurant, which has developed a sort of cult following. It offers endless combinations of menu items, which include spicy jerk chicken, chile relleno and jen red pork. Every combo comes with a snickerdoodle cookie. "Definitely in the top 20 most crazy places I've ever been to," Fieri said. "And the food is dynamite."
Details: 310 W. Bell Road, Phoenix. 602-375-3639. chinobandido.com.
Crujiente Tacos
Crujiente Tacos was featured on a sports-themed episode titled "Phoenix Food Fans," which aired in anticipation of the 2024 NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament. Chef Rich Hinojosa showcased Crujiente's roasted mushroom tacos.
Details: 3961 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-687-7777, crutacos.com.
The Duce
This quirky restaurant/store/boxing gym is on the south edge of downtown Phoenix. During his visit, Fieri tried the mac-and-cheese muffins. The noodles were covered in goat cheese, cheddar and gruyere and baked with a panko-Parmesan crust. The hand-held bites come in a basket to share. Fieri also checked out the chicken pot pie served in a glass jar.
Details: 525 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-866-3823, theducephx.com.
Fry Bread House
Guy Fieri visited Native American restaurant Fry Bread House in Phoenix on episode 15 of season 38, titled "Flavor World." He tried Indigenous fry bread and pozole.
Details: 4545 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. 602-351-2345, frybreadhouseaz.com.
Giuseppe's on 28th
Fieri said the Bolognese ragu at this Italian eatery was "crazy good." He also tried the house-made tagliatelle topped with a seven-meat ragu and the osso buco served over fresh pasta.
Details: 2824 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-381-1237, giuseppeson28th.com.
La Santisima
"This is like Mexican Thanksgiving in a taco," Fieri said of the Phoenix taco shop, which features traditional family recipes and a full-fledged salsa bar.
Details: 1919 N. 16th Ave., Phoenix. 602-254-6330, lasantisimagourmet.com.
Los Taquitos Grill
Owned and operated by the Ochoa sisters, this restaurant serves family recipes such as carne asada or shrimp street tacos. The eatery is also known for its homemade salsas, but Guy is the biggest fan of the "killer" carnitas taco and "excellent" savory Bombero sauce.
Details: 4747 E. Elliot Road, Phoenix. 480-753-4370. Also, 7000 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-371-0111. Additional locations at lostaquitosaz.com.
Matt’s Big Breakfast
Matt's is known for its thick-cut peppery bacon, made-from-scratch fluffy waffles and local sourcing. Fieri tried a Belgian waffle and bacon duo, among other hearty dishes.
Details: 825 N. First St., Phoenix. 602-254-1074. Also, 3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602-840-3450. Additional locations at mattsbigbreakfast.com.
Over Easy
This restaurant has a Midwestern atmosphere and eclectic menu with items such as the Wolfpack — a hearty combo of eggs, bacon and cheese sandwiched between two layers of hash browns.
"It's a funky little breakfast joint. It's the kind of place you wish they had in every town," Fieri said. "It's the perfect to place to roll out to on those Saturday mornings."
Details: 4730 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-468-3447. Other locations at eatatovereasy.com.
Paradise Valley Burger Company
Innovation is at the forefront of this burger joint. The country-fried burger is topped with two fried beef patties, a spicy jalape?o gravy and crispy onions. "It takes the regular everyday burger to another level," Fieri said.
Details: 4001 E. Bell Road, Phoenix. 602-535-4930. paradisevalleyburgercompany.com.
Perk Eatery
Husband-and-wife owners of this northeast Phoenix breakfast and lunch spot fed Fieri breakfast pork enchiladas with New Mexican chili sauce and a fried egg and wine country French toast: two slices of griddled challah with melted brie topped with slow-roasted red grapes and a wine-and-maple syrup.
Details: 6501 E. Greenway Parkway, Phoenix. 480-998-6026, perkeatery.com.
St. Francis (Now Oak on Camelback)
If you're following in Fieri's footsteps, order the Pig Dip at this central Phoenix restaurant. Similar to a French dip, this sandwich is filled with wood-fired pork, Applewood bacon, Gruyere, prosciutto, fennel-onion marmalade and Dijon mustard. It's served on a toasted house-made baguette that soaks up the pork au jus. Fieri said it was in "the top five pork sandwiches I have ever had and the top five dip sandwiches I have ever had."
The restaurant is now called Oak on Camelback.
Details: 111 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-200-8111, oakoncamelback.com.
Tacos Chiwas
This taco shop is the first venture of Armando Hernandez and his wife, Nadia Holguin, both from Chihuahua, Mexico. Hand-pressed corn tortillas are griddled to order and the rajas gordita is the epitome of comfort food, wrote former Republic dining critic Dominic Armato.
Details: 1028 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-358-8830. And, 127 W. Main St., Mesa. Additional location at tacoschiwas.com.
Cocina Chiwas: The team behind this beloved taco shop opens a new restaurant
Wild Thaiger
Olashawn Weaver, who learned from her mother how to cook traditional Thai food, returned to her roots to open the Wild Thaiger in Phoenix. She chose the name to reflect "a culinary adventure." With Fieri in the kitchen, she cooked a customer favorite: wonton-wrapped meatballs made of pork, shrimp and crab covered in a dragon egg sauce. Next up was skewered pork over papaya salad. "Nice and fresh, really bright," Fieri said. "You nailed it."
Details: 2631 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-241-8995. wildthaiger.com.
Scottsdale restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Andreoli Italian Grocer
At this old school Italian restaurant and grocer, head chef Giovanni Scorzo showed Fieri how he makes his own prosciutto, a yearlong process from beginning to end. When ready, it's turned into a sandwich complete with fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers. Scorzo also served up bollito di manzo, the Italian version of meat and potatoes. "Feeds not just your stomach, but it feeds your soul," Fieri said.
Details: 8880 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. 480-614-1980. andreoli-grocer.com.
Bootleggers
This American gastropub and smokehouse in Old Town Scottsdale serves up a pork belly boot dumpling topped with mango chipotle barbecue sauce, one of their most popular dishes. Fieri also got a taste of the French dip sandwich, which he dubbed "my kind of French dip."
Details: 7217 E. First St., Scottsdale. 480-404-9984. bootleggerssmokehouse.com.
DeFalco’s Italian Eatery
This family-owned Scottsdale spot served Fieri an Italian sausage-link sandwich — a pair of house-made pork sausage links topped with tomato sauce, sauteed peppers and onions, all topped with provolone and served on an Italian sub roll.
Details: 2334 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-990-8660, defalcosdeli.com.
Hush Public House
Hush Public House is featured on episode 16 of season 38, called "Bird, Belly and Beef." The episode description reads, "This trip, Guy Fieri's grabbing flavorful meat that runs the gamut."
Details: 14202 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 167, Scottsdale. 480-758-5172, hushpublichouse.com.
Slanted Rice Vietnamese Bistro
Located in the heart of Scottsdale, this bistro offers modern and traditional Vietnamese food. It's owned by Hue Tran and Ty Chu. The Tran family is behind Rice Paper in Phoenix and Saigon Kitchen in Surprise. Fieri called Slanted Rice “a legit Vietnamese spot that cooks up specialties like killer clay-pot chicken.”
Details: 6149 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480 696-3116, slantedrice.com.
Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market
Opened in 2012 inside a gas station/car wash, Tom's Thumb is an unlikely destination for barbecue in the Valley. But its melt-in-your-mouth brisket, pulled pork and Kansas City barbecue sauce are hits among customers, including Fieri.
Details: 9393 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale. 480-513-8186. thethumb.com.
Mesa restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Aloha Kitchen
Mesa's Aloha Kitchen appeared on an episode of the show titled "Rollin’ in the Dough,” which first aired March 2, 2018. It featured a dish called Manapua, Hawaii's version of cha siu bao, which are Chinese buns filled with barbecue pork, and Kalbi, Korean-style short ribs.
Details: 2950 S. Alma School Road, Mesa. 480-897-2451, alohakitchen.com.
Republica Empanada
The empanadas at this popular Mesa spot give customers a taste of Latin America with more than a dozen sweet and savory combinations. Jinette Meraz cooks for Fieri on the “Mom’s Kitchen” episode of Triple D, which aired in December 2017.
Details: 204 E. First Ave., Mesa. (480) 969-1343. republicaempanada.com.
Chandler restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Aunt Lena's Creamery (Closed)
The family-run gelato shop served Fieri apple pie gelato, cannoli gelato and red wine sherbet when he visited on "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives." The shop closed in 2009.
Details: Closed, formerly at 4040 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler.
Tempe restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Bonfire
Bonfire Craft Kitchen and Tap taped a sports bar-focused episode for season 39 of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," which aired in anticipation of the 2024 NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament.
Details: 1617 W. Warner Road, Tempe. 480-306-6801, bonfirektap.com.
Curry Corner
At this family-owned Pakistani restaurant in Tempe is near Arizona State University, Farah Khalid made tandoori chicken tikka, a traditional roasted spiced chicken dish, naan and her special mint chutney for Fieri.
Details: 1212 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. 480-894-1276, currycornertempe.com.
Gilbert restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Grubstak (Closed)
The Gilbert restaurant was featured on the episode titled "All Kinds of Comfort," in which Fieri dined on chilaquiles and fries topped with BBQ braised beef, applewood smoked bacon and cole slaw.
Details: Closed, formerly at 384 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert.
Joe's Farm Grill
Ingredients go from ground to grill at this Gilbert restaurant in the heart of Agritopia. The flatbread base on the barbecue chicken pizza is grilled instead of baked, then topped with a four-cheese blend. Add grilled chicken, red onion, tomato, apple-cider smoked bacon, Joe's barbecue sauce and fresh basil — and you've got what Fieri called a "Cobb salad on top of a pizza."
Details: 3000 E. Ray Road, Gilbert. 480-956-1121, joesfarmgrill.com.
Dining guide: Every single restaurant in Epicenter at Agritopia
Sal's Gilbert Pizza
In the episode "Roadtrippin," which aired during season 22, Fieri visited the NY-style pizzeria that specializes in in baked ziti pizza and chicken marsala pizza.
Details: 1150 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-633-2226, gilbertpizzaaz.com.
Old Mill Avenue is dead. Long live the old Mill Avenue: OG Tempe restaurants enter new era
Glendale restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Haus Murphy’s
This German spot in Glendale is known for large portions of hearty Bavarian-style foods, including many types of schnitzel, sauerbraten and apple strudel. "They serve a great product," Fieri said.
Details: 5739 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale. 623-939-2480, hausmurphys.com.
La Piazza al Forno (La Piazza Famiglia)
When Fieri featured this pizzeria, he put downtown Glendale on the pizza map. Pizzas here are VPN-approved, meaning they meet artisanal standards set by Italy's Verace Pizza Napoletana association. From crust to temperature, the process is strictly controlled. Fieri ate the Mediterranean pizza and tried the baked spaghetti pie, which looks like lasagna but is made with spaghetti noodles.
The restaurant has since been renamed La Piazza Famiglia.
Details: 5803 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale. 623-847-3301, lapiazzafamiglia.com.
Thee Pitts Again (Closed)
"Low and slow" is the M.O. at this Glendale barbecue joint. Catfish, shrimp, pork and whole turkeys are first covered in a spice rub, then cooked in a mesquite smoker. The house barbecue sauce is a mixture of brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and ketchup. The restaurant closed April 4, 2020, after 40 years of business in Arizona, according to a Facebook post.
Details: Closed, formerly at 5558 W. Bell Road, Glendale. 602-996-7488, theepittsagain.com.
Tim Finnegan's Irish Pub
Tim Finnegan's Irish Pub was featured on episode 5 of season 39, "Phoenix Food Fans." The Irish pub showcased its popular shepherd's pie.
Details: 17045 N. 59th Ave., Glendale. 602-875-8331, timfinnegans.com.
Anthem restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'
Tortas Chano
Fieri visited this family-owned Mexican restaurant when it was still located in a gas station. It has since moved to an Anthem shopping center, but it is still serving carne asada, al pastor pork, spicy green sauce and menudo, a traditional soup with tripe, onion, garlic, guajillo peppers and hominy.
Details: 39510 N. Daisy Mountain Drive, Anthem. 623-465-1515, tortaschano.com.
Flagstaff restaurants Guy Fieri visited
Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery
A season six episode of "DDD" brought Fieri to Flagstaff, where he ate at Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery. The brunch joint was established in the '90s and continues to serve authentic diner food. Fieri called the Southwestern beef stew a "cornucopia of flavors."
Details: 1500 E. Cedar Ave., Suite 40, Flagstaff. 928-779-2187, brandysrestaurant.com.
Fat Olives
Fat Olives, the pizzeria from chef John Conley, was featured on the episode "Old Faces, New Places." The restaurant is known for is Belgio Dulce pizza, made with brussels sprouts, house-made Calabrian chile oil, honey and pistachios on a cream base.
Details: 2308 E. Route 66, Flagstaff. 928-853-0056, fatolivesflagstaff.com.
Salsa Brava
Before Fat Olives, chef Conley appeared on the Food Network show for his other restaurant Salsa Brava, known for its Navajo taco, tableside guacamole and coconut shrimp.
Details: 2220 E. Route 66, Flagstaff. 928-779-5293, salsabravaflagstaff.com.
Tucson restaurants Guy Fieri visited
Chef Alisah's
Chef Alisah's Mediterranean restaurant was featured in the season 28 episode "Seafood and Savory." The menu includes Bosnian favorites like cevapi and gulas.
Details: 5931 N. Oracle Road, Tucson. 520-887-5305, alisahrestaurant.com.
Inca's Peruvian Cuisine
Fieri visited Inca's in season 28, where he raved about the seco de carne con frijoles and the lomo saltado.
Details: 6878 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson. 520-299-1405, incasperuviancuisine.com.
Renee's Organic Oven
Renee's Organic Oven owners Steve and Renee Kreager offer Italian classics with a twist, such as a spinach dip calzone that Fieri described as "a cross between the best jalapeno popper you’ve ever had, a gigantic perogi and a chicken sandwich."
Details: 7065 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson. 520-886-0484, reneestucson.com.
Rocco's Little Chicago Pizzeria
Rocco's specializes in Chicago-style pizza, most notably the Kitchen Sink pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions. Fieri ordered it deep dish, but it also comes thin or stuffed.
Details: 2707 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson. 520-321-1860, roccoslittlechicago.com.
Zemam's (Closed)
On the episode "International Intrigue," Fieri said of the restaurant, “each one of the dishes is individually its own little song and what comes together is the Ethiopian musical.”
Details: Closed, formerly at 2731 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson. zemamsrestaurants.com.
Dining to-do list: 100 essential restaurants in metro Phoenix
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow @EndiaFontanez on Twitter.
Grace Palmieri, Priscilla Totiyapungprasert and Jonmaesha Beltran also contributed to this story.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives:' Arizona restaurants Guy Fieri visited
