These PA restaurants found fame on Food Network. Here's a foodie bucket list of must trys
Are you hungry for a new foodie-inspired bucket list?
If watching Bobby Flay throw down with a hometown chef or Guy Fieri bite into a juicy burger makes you want to head out on your own culinary adventure, then you’re in luck.
We’ve put together a list of eateries featured on Food Network shows over the last three decades, so you can try them all and decide for yourself which place has the “best bite” you’ve ever eaten.
In Pennsylvania alone, more than 90 restaurants have appeared on 23 Food Network shows, including 17 local hotspots on the long-running Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, while The Best Thing I Ever Ate has stopped in the state 15 times since it started airing in 2009.
Among these eateries, three can be found nearby in Bucks and Montgomery counties:
Guy Fieri visited Daddypops in ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’
Scrapple took center stage when Guy Fieri paid a visit to Daddypops in a 2008 episode of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.’ Giving it the blind taste test, Fieri tries the regional favorite two ways — grilled and deep fried.
Today, Daddypops continues to be a landmark in downtown Hatboro, capturing that classic diner feel with its dining car exterior and vintage details throughout the inside — including a jukebox, telephone booth and several vintage cash registers.
Lucky Cupcake Company competed in ‘Cupcake Wars’
Joanne Jarin, the owner of The Lucky Cupcake Company in Lahaska, put her baking skills to the test in a 2011 episode of ‘Cupcake Wars,’ which aired less than a year after starting her business.
Today, Jarin is still at it, specializing in filled cupcakes and custom cakes, as well as doughnuts, cookies, pies and other desserts. She also hosts private classes, summer camps, birthday parties and other special events. Her shop is now in Peddler's Village.
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‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ returns for a stop at the Pineville Tavern
The Pineville Tavern was featured in a 2011 episode of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ where Guy Fieri tries the Wrightstown restaurant’s snapper soup, a popular item that can still be found on the menu today.
In the 13 years since, the Pineville continues as a family-run business, owned by Andrew and Mary Lou Abruzzese, who have upgraded the tavern in recent years with the opening of its takeout store and the addition of a garden dining area.
How many restaurants have captured the attention of Food Network celebs?
More than 3,000 restaurants, cafes and bakeries have appeared on almost 70 television shows airing on the Food Network.
This list was compiled by the USA Today Network in Pennsylvania using the Food Network’s website directory of restaurants featured on their programming, articles or image galleries. Only restaurants that appeared on a television program were included in the list.
While California and Texas have the most eateries featured on the network with about 632 and 398 businesses, respectively, Pennsylvania and New Jersey rank among Food Network's top 10 most visited states.
Philadelphia is the 7th most popular city in the country for Food Network programming with 62 restaurants. That’s about two fewer appearances than in Las Vegas, Nevada, and about eight more than in Brooklyn, New York.
Outside the the city of brotherly love, the Food Network has featured over 30 other diners, canteens and chop houses in the Philadelphia suburbs and several stops through central Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh.
The Lucky Cupcake Company is one of 10 shops in Pennsylvania that have appeared in Cupcake Wars, which has featured at least 325 sweet shops and bakeries across the country.
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New Jersey has had 81 businesses featured on the Food Network through 23 different programs, including the Yellow Submarine, in Maple Shade, and Carmen's Deli, in Bellmawr, both appearing on the same episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
The Jersey Girl Cafe, in Hamilton Township, and the Vincetown Diner were two of 23 stops on Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives, which made New Jersey a tie for eighth most-visited state by the program with Hawaii.
New York, Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois have been the three most visited cities in the country with 241, 132 and 110 appearances, respectively.
Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.
Reporter Michele Haddon covers local news, food and dining, small business, economic development, community revitalization, art and culture for The Intelligencer and Bucks County Courier Times at PhillyBurbs.com. Please considering supporting local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ultimate guide to Pennsylvania restaurants featured on Food Network
