10 Of The Best Breakfasts Guy Fieri Tried On Diners, Drive-Ins, And Dives

Guy Fieri may be known for skipping his morning meal, but we've got the Mayor of Flavortown to thank for introducing us to some of the best breakfast joints in the United States. Judging by what we've seen through 54 seasons of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," the man clearly has a knack for finding the best and heartiest morning treats, so strap in.

Barring one spectacular exception, don't expect to see any eggs or sunny-side ups on this list. Eggs are famously one of the foods that you won't catch Guy Fieri eating. Luckily, there are plenty of other equally luscious classics, from a hearty Hangover Burger to a ramped-up version of traditional biscuits and gravy, an incredibly decadent rum baba donut, and even vegan French toast. We're taking you on a road trip around Boston, Georgia, Idaho, and a few other states in between, to give you a serious case of the food feels with the best breakfasts Guy Fieri tried on Triple D.

If your breakfast tastes run towards the sweet, you're undoubtedly familiar with the ins and outs of dulce de leche, that thick and creamy caramel sauce that tastes like a syrupy shot of bliss. If you've no idea what we're talking about, you're going to want to fix that pretty fast. The best way to do this, if you're anywhere around Columbus, is by dropping in to Katalina's Too for a taste of their Dulce De Leche Pancake Balls, made famous by none other than our guy on Season 48 of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."

Guy Fieri's reaction to sinking that first bite? That it's absolutely fantastic. The pancake balls may be Katalina's Too's claim to fame, but the rest of the menu is just as tempting. The fried chicken sandwich receives an equally glowing review with Guy concluding that this chicken is worth writing home about. The secret? Chef and owner Kathleen "Katalina" Day uses mostly local, organic produce to create a menu that revolves around Southern classics, and describes her place as offering five-star food in a diner's atmosphere.

katalinas.com
(614) 689-8896
3481 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Biscuits and gravy is a Southern staple, and if you're looking for the best in the United States, Guy Fieri might just have found a contender. Be warned, though, the Extreme Double Sausage Biscuits and Gravy served at From Scratch is as hearty as it gets, so make sure you show up with a strong appetite. Guy rose up to the challenge beautifully in Season 21, enthusiastically saying, "the biscuits are the bomb" (via YouTube) before the episode even digs behind-the-scenes and into the kitchen of this Carmel diner.

The name kind of gives the game away; From Scratch is beloved by its regulars because it offers homemade, delicious meals — all made from scratch, naturally. It's an approach that Guy Fieri is fully behind, calling the menu "old school in hyperdrive." He means this in the best possible way, and as viewers, we get the feeling that he just can't have enough of one particular item: The Extreme Double Sausage Biscuits And Gravy. Guy gives the phrase "digging in" new meaning, only pausing for long enough to compliment the chef on a job excellently done. We'll just say this. The way Guy lovingly describes the dish has us all drooling and planning a trip to Carmel stat.

fromscratchrestaurant.com
(831) 625-2448
The Barnyard Shopping Village, Carmel, CA 93923

Let's say it as it is. If you're a committed carnivore, there are probably very few vegan recipes that will make you want to go plant-based. Enter Season 31, Episode 6 of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." With people saying that the Pingala Cafe's chef, Trevor Solomon, should be the driver of the vegan bus to Flavortown, a visit from Guy Fieri was clearly a must. The main star of this show? The Vegan French Toast Puffs. This take on regular French Toast is enough of a hit to literally make some customers wax poetic. Just take it from one lady's reaction (via YouTube), when she said, "The French toast puffs are everything you want in a French toast, that French toast has never delivered to me before."

Guy's verdict? He starts off by saying that they actually have a better texture than most French toasts, which is already high praise. Then he goes one better, saying that this isn't just any regular French toast, and compares it to a Christmas cookie. Clearly, Chef Trevor has cracked the secret of vegan food done right.

pingalacafe.com
(802) 540-0110
1353 North Ave, Burlington, VT 05408

You know what to expect when Guy Fieri walks into a restaurant, takes a look at the seriously sinful stacks of pancakes surrounding him, and his eyes light up. Except, plot twist: Season 12 of Triple D sees the Mayor of Flavortown hitting the Magnolia Pancake Haus not for the pancakes, but mostly for the Corned Beef Hash. What follows is a love letter to the classic comfort food that — surprise, surprise — is usually topped with two eggs. 

Guy's verdict on the dish that owner and chef Robert Fleming described as a life-long quest couldn't have been more glowing. "It's an orchestra of flavor, it's the way it's supposed to be done," he said (via YouTube).  On Yelp, diners' enthusiasm is equally vocal, with one writing that, " The corned beef hash ... is the perfect breakfast."

What about those eggs, though? The classic corned beef hash recipe is typically served with two eggs on top, done over easy. You won't be surprised to learn that there's no sign of them in the version Guy is served. It was probably the right choice.

magnoliapancakehaus.com
(210) 496-0828
2070 N Loop 1604, San Antonio, TX 78232

Locally sourced meat meets the best hangover cure ever with this burger that'll spin morning-after blues right on their tail. It's so excellent that Guy Fieri rolls out his ultimate accolade (via YouTube), saying, "Burger's dynamite." Oh, and the fries? "Gangster."

The original episode aired in Season 24, but Guy loved it so much he went back for another episode after the original owner and chef, Suzette Megyeri, retired and handed the reins to her son. Happily, he knows the value of don't fix what ain't broke, and Guy found everything to be exactly the way it was.

So what made The Skirted Heifer special enough to warrant Triple D drop-ins? The answer may lie in the sourcing of the meat, which comes from grass-fed cattle raised in Colorado itself. It fully satisfies any concerns an ethical eater, including Guy Fieri himself, may come up with. The diner temporarily closed down in February 2024, after a car accident destroyed half its facade, but has now reopened.

skirtedheifer.com
(719) 421-7182
204 N Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The whiff of sweet bakes, like your grandma used to make, is guaranteed to fire up a solid serving of nostalgia. This is exactly what Ryanne Carrier, owner and chef at Dulce Dough, was banking on when she opened her breakfast hangout on St Simons Island. Ryanne opened the eatery, which is 100% focused on desserts, as an homage to her grandmother. Customers can't get enough, saying that the Dulce Dough feels exactly like visiting the baker grandma you wish you had.

Now, Guy is not exactly a big dessert person, but he too can't resist the nostalgia factor. The Rum Baba donut literally has him raving, especially due to the complexity of its ingredients. The process is laborious: It takes about 1½ hours to prepare the batter, which has to rest overnight before the process continues. The aged rum and homemade apricot jam add some magic, and it's all finished off with caramelized pineapple jam and pineapple lime juice.

Guy's reaction to this sugar-bomb is uncharacteristic of his typical tastes, which are more savory — he says, "The caramelization of the rum is spot on, the Dulce is great ... but it's the pineapple that kind of ties everything together ... delicious" (via YouTube). The store removed this particular donut from the regular menu but they had to bring it back after viewers were left jonesing for it.

dulcedoughbakery.com
(912) 771-8487
1624 Frederica Road, St Simons Island, GA

Here's another breakfast bomb that you're unlikely to manage to replicate at home. Not unless you're up for taking an hour just mixing dough. The level of work involved in preparing this Bagel BLT undoubtedly places the Bagelsaurus in Boston in a class of its own. How long does it actually take to prepare the entire dish? Six days, Guy jokes. It may be an exaggeration, but it's still a long time. The dough even needs to rest overnight before you get to throw it in the oven. We can feel the awe in Guy's voice when he describes it as a labor of love in Season 39. 

As praise from Guy Fieri goes, it doesn't get better than this, as he says, "It's one of the best we've had in the show. Light, tender, great chew." (via YouTube). He praises the acidity of the oven-roasted tomatoes, contrasting with the spiciness of the jalapeños, and the cream cheese. He ends up calling the chef Mary Ting Hyatt the most dangerous woman. So dangerous, in fact, that she won the episode when Guy later invited her on his show "Guy's Grocery Games."

bagelsaurus.com
(857) 285-6103
1796 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Owner and chef Josh Petty is known for whipping up classic Southern flavors with a new twist at his Wilmington breakfast joint, Cast Iron Kitchen. The ace up his sleeve is a collection of original recipes learned from his grandmother. It's as authentic as it gets, and we all know that Guy Fieri has a definite soft spot for honest recipes. Yet, this is another entry that swims against the current in terms of Guy's usual tastes, given that he's not much of a biscuit aficionado. This particular recipe's reputation, however, is hard to ignore, and Guy dives in, saying, "This is nice and fluffy, nice crust on top ... It's the kind of dish you fall asleep in. Tremendous heart to this place, it's the real deal" (via YouTube).

The dish features crispy fried chicken, applewood smoked bacon, sausage gravy, and a runny egg on a fluffy biscuit. You won't be surprised to learn that Guy swapped the egg out for an extra scoop of gravy. Josh was later invited on "Guy's Grocery Games," but didn't win.

castiron-kitchen.com
(910) 821-8461
8024 Market St, 6 & 7, Wilmington, NC 28411

In the words of the folks at Food Network, if Guy can actually find it in himself to try a dish with egg in it, well then, you know it must be good! The breakfast and lunch joint that serves this wonder is Perk Eatery, and is owned by husband-and-wife team Carmen and Pauline Martinez. It's famous for its slow-roasted pork breakfast enchiladas, with the pork marinated overnight in a spice rub, roasted for 4½ hours, and served with a New Mexico chili sauce, spicy cilantro jalapeño sauce, house-made chipotle ricotta, zesty black beans, and fried eggs.

Sounds like a lot, right? And yet, the enchiladas sure work, with Guy saying the sauce is right on point, with just the right degree of heat and sweetness. "Call it a breakfast enchilada ... call it whatever you want, just don't call me late for it," he quipped. Customers agree, with one diner on TripAdvisor putting it succinctly, writing, "Enchiladas for breakfast? Oh yeah! ... delicious." Is this the only time we'll see Guy Fieri lapping up a breakfast classic with eggs on top and loving it? Perhaps, even though he doesn't resist one dig. The eggs are a complete waste of time, he tells a highly amused Pauline.

perkeatery.com
(480) 998-6026
6501 E. Greenway Pkwy, #159, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Could the best start to the day be shaped like a squishy, gooey pecan roll with indulgence drizzled all over? Those of us with a solid sweet tooth are probably nodding away vigorously right about now. For Season 11 of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," Guy Fieri hit upon what must be the gooeyest, squishiest, pecan-heavy roll we've ever seen. It's certainly the biggest. We could've watched this entire episode on mute and still figured out that Guy was totally in awe, purely based on his facial expressions.

The Mayor of Flavortown's words are just as eloquent. "Such great texture to the dough, the sugar and the caramel ... almost candy," he says, "but pecans are rocking, and it's not just a sprinkle dinkle that's a fistful of pecan ... Awesome" (via YouTube). Possibly the best part? The pecan roll is so huge that the Food Network came up with this gem: Trust Guy Fieri to find a pecan roll as big as his head.

jimmysdownthestreet.com
(208) 765-3868
1613 Sherman Ave, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814