Orlando is far from just chain restaurants and places built to rob tourists. Roadside gourmand Guy Fieri knows this for a fact and he’s paid plenty of visits to the City Beautiful and surrounding areas to show off some of our best holes in the wall, greasy spoons and food trucks.
Munch’s Restaurant & Sundries
3920 6th Street South, St. Petersburg
| (863) 984-1918
This St. Pete diner has held on just fine without Fieri’s peroxide-scented endorsement. It’s been serving breakfast to hungry Tampa Bay residents for more than 60 years. Still, a shout out on the Food Network is never bad for business.
Photo via Munch’sFat Ones
Varies | 1-844-4FATONE
It’s rare that Guy Fieri goes to a place with a star chef. And Orlando’s own Fat Ones has a star chef in the truck (of a sort). The hotdog stand is the brainchild of Joey Fatone of N*Sync.
Photo via Fat Ones/FacebookTampa Bay Brewing Company
1600 East 8th Ave, Tampa
| (813) 247-1422
Fieri doesn’t seem to be taken by trends, favoring the well-worn and time-tested to the flashy and new. The restaurants that appear on Triple D lean toward meat and potatoes. And it doesn’t come much more meat and potatoes than this Tampa stalwart, offering up interesting beers with rib-sticking meals since 1995.
Photo via TBBC/InstagramTaco Bus
1821 State Road 559, Polk City | (863) 984-1918
Taco Bus has suffered a hit to its reputation, after many people felt the quality declined when the chain began to spread as far as Orlando. The original location in Tampa featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and, following the closing of its Orlando location, the closest outpost is now in Polk City.
Photo via Taco Bus/InstagramBuya Ramen
911 Central Ave, St. Petersburg | (727) 202-7010
This ramen and whiskey hotspot featured on Season 27 of Triple D. The fancy noodle shop is far from a dive, with high-end outposts in Miami and Berlin.
Photo via Buya/InstagramSaigon Noodle and Grill
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
101 N Bumby Avenue | (407) 532-7373
This authentic Vietnamese hotspot was featured on the show’s “Burgers, Beef and Barbecue” episode, aired in May of 2017, where Guy Fieri and Justin Warner enjoyed some specialty pho and some Shaking Beef. Owner and Chef Thuy Vincent Nguyen shared some homemade recipes and his personal experiences about building his restaurant in the City Beautiful.
Photo via Saigon Noodle and Grill/FacebookWillie’s Pinchos
1718 N Goldenrod Road | (407) 601-3373
Willie’s Pinchos is a frequent highlight of our lists of off-the-beaten-path Orlando restaurants. This Puerto Rican, strip mall hot-spot is perfect for the mission statement of Guy Fieri’s flagship show. Willie Garcia, yes the Willie, brought plantain mofongo and the jibarito sandwich to the table.
Photo via Willie’s Pinchos/FacebookSe7en Bites
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
617 Primrose Drive | (407) 203-0727
This frequent ‘Best of Orlando’ contender wowed with their pies on an episode themed around women-led restaurants.
Photo via Se7en Bites/FacebookThe Meatball Stoppe
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
7325 Lake Underhill Road | (407) 270-6505
Also featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives was Orlando’s The Meatball Stoppe. Chef and owner Isabella Morgia di Vicari and her restaurant were on the show’s “Wonder Women” episode, aired in April of 2017, which featured an all-female lineup. The show follows Fieri as he road trips around the United States in search of the best diners, drive-in restaurants and dive bars.
Photo via The Meatball StoppeThe Pastrami Project
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
175 E Par Street | (321) 804-2686
This Jewish deli-on-wheels was part of Triple D’s “Multicultural Cooking” episode, aired in April of 2017, where owner George Markward presents Guy Fieri with New-York Style pastrami sandwiches, bagel and lox and reuben tacos.
Photo via The Pastrami ProjectMrs. Potato
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
4550 S Kirkman Road | (407) 290-0991
Orlando’s Mrs. Potato was featured on the show’s “Turkey, Taters and Dogs” episode which aired in May of 2017. The restaurant specializes in, you guessed it, potatoes. If you’re looking for recommendations, take one from the Mayor of Flavortown himself who called the Rosti Potato “ridonkulous.”
Photo via Mrs. Potato/Facebook
