The 11 Best Restaurants In Texas Featured On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

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Texas: where the only thing bigger than the belt buckles are the barbecue ribs. However, Texas cuisine has a lot more to offer than its unique barbecue. From the famous chocolate cake at The Driskill Hotel in Austin to decadent bowls of chili –– the official food of Texas –– The Lone Star State has a whole world of amazing dining options.

It's no wonder, then, that Guy Fieri has visited many times for "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." With nearly 100 different Texas restaurants under his belt, Fieri has sampled dozens of dishes from across the state, from El Paso to Houston and Austin to Dallas.

But not all of the legion of foods that Fieri has tried are made equal. As good as many of these meals have been, only a handful of the restaurants can truly rank among the best. So which Texas "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" locations stand out from the rest? Empanadas in San Antonio? A grocery store in Houston? Slow-smoked brisket in Dallas? Whatever your taste, Texas has it, and these are the best places to get it.

Opened way back in 1937, Lankford Grocery and Market has been providing good food and vibes to the people of Houston for nearly nine decades. It wasn't until the 1980s, though, that the second generation of this family-owned and operated local institution gradually shifted the grocery store into the restaurant it is today.

And what a restaurant it is. Guy Fieri was clearly impressed when he visited Lankford Grocery and Market in 2009. He dug into not one but two of the establishment's signature dishes during his visit –– the Texas Chicken Hash and the Firehouse Burger –– and came away singing praises for both. "Ah, that's great," Fieri said after sampling the hash on a bed of crushed-up fried tortillas. "The extra kicker? That cheese sauce. It's almost like a Mexican alfredo. You gotta try this."

He was also blown away by the Firehouse Burger –– one of the best burgers we've seen on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." After taking a bite of the burger, which features a sauce made with three types of pepper, Fieri exclaimed, "Oh, that is hot ... My mouth is, like, literally on fire right at this point." Now that's a hot spot you gotta eat at!

midtown.lankfordsburgers.com

(713) 522-9555

88 Dennis St, Houston, TX 77006

Alice Harper is an authentic local legend. Known to everyone as "Ma," Harper owns and operates Ma Harper's Creole Kitchen in San Antonio, something she's been doing since the early '90s. She's also beloved in the community for her Second Chances program, which gives job opportunities to people on probation. And even though she herself turned 96 in 2025, she told KSAT that she doesn't plan to stop any time soon.

That's good news for anyone who likes good food. Guy Fieri certainly ranks among that number. He had the honor of trying out some of Ma Harper's signature gumbo, cornbread, fried pork chops, and red beans and rice, which the legend herself prepared for him when he visited the restaurant in 2018 for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Of course, she pressed Fieri into service, making him work for the meal as her sous chef. "Gotta be fast today," Fieri puffed as he helped her make her special recipe for cornbread. "A little more work than I anticipated doing today!"

But when he got to taste the gumbo, all that hard work was worth it. "That is every bit of what you want a gumbo to taste like," he said. "All that big, rich flavor coming out of that seafood. It's silky, it's tender. I can't eat this fast enough!" 

facebook.com/maharperscreolekitchen/

(210) 226-2200

1816 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78208

Fat Tummy Empanadas in San Antonio is a true home-grown operation. Norah Saleh and her husband Gustavo Plache first found success making and selling the classic Argentine food out of a convenience store in the area. That eventually led to a popular food truck, whose success allowed them to open the brick-and-mortar Fat Tummy Empanadas restaurant in 2018.

The secret of the establishment's success remains its devotion to down-home cooking, with all of its empanadas made from scratch. That devotion was on full display when Guy Fieri visited in 2018 shortly after the restaurant had opened. Plache showed Fieri how he makes empanadas using his grandmother's recipe. And the results were dynamite. "The dough is really good. The filling is fantastic. And the chimichurri goes with it perfect," Fieri said. "Not overly spicy. For anybody who hasn't had an empanada, this is where they need to start. It doesn't get any better than that."

Fat Tummy Empanadas offers a variety of both savory and sweet empanada options on its menu, as well as an array of classic Argentine sandwiches, including milanesa, choripan, and lomito. If that doesn't get your mouth watering, nothing will.

fattummyempanadas.com

(210) 396-7288

2922 W Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78207

Texas is synonymous with cattle –– especially eating them. And though Guy Fieri has visited all sorts of Texas barbecue joints on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," few of them delivered that pure barbecue experience quite like The Pit Room in Houston.

Fieri visited the establishment for a 2021 episode of the show. But Texas native Michael Sambrooks first opened The Pit Room five years earlier to fulfill a dream. Sambrooks went to school for restaurant management at the University of Houston and worked in several area restaurants before opening The Pit Room, which brought all of his barbecue ideas together in one place. That means top-quality meat and custom smokers to deliver a product that falls off the bone and into your mouth.

That also includes making sausage in-house, something Fieri and his special guest, "Six Million Dollar Man" star Lee Majors, discovered firsthand. After Sambrooks gave Fieri a detailed walkthrough of how he personally makes the jalapeno cheddar sausage in-house, Fieri and Majors chowed down on the sausage dinner, which also included freshly made sides like chicharrones. But it was the sausage that had Fieri and Majors clamoring for more. "It's dynamite," Fieri said. "Just the right amount of heat in my opinion. Great snap to it." Majors, on the other hand, fanning his tongue to relieve the heat from the sausage, said, "It's bionic." 

thepitroombbq.com

Multiple locations

Since it opened in 2000 by Robert and Sheila Fleming, Magnolia Pancake Haus has grown into a San Antonio institution. Over the years it has expanded and evolved, opening two additional locations and an event venue that hosts everything from birthday parties to weddings. Try that at an IHOP!

But the real sliding doors moment came when Guy Fieri visited Magnolia Pancake Haus in 2011 for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and shone a national spotlight on the restaurant. Ironically enough, it wasn't the establishment's "World's Best" pancakes that really made a lasting impression on Fieri –– it was the corned beef hash. "I've chased this flavor profile my whole cooking career," Robert said while showing Fieri how he makes the brisket for the dish. Safe to say, the chase is over. "There's an orchestra of flavor," Fieri raved after trying a bite of the hash. "It is the way it's supposed to be done."

If corned beef isn't your thing, don't worry, Magnolia Pancake Haus has a whole world of hash, from turkey to vegetarian options. It also serves up a variety of pancake, waffle, French toast, and egg options, meaning there's a breakfast platter waiting for every taste.

magnoliapancakehaus.com

Multiple locations

Named one of the best barbecue restaurants in the state by Texas Monthly magazine, Slow Bone was opened by Chef Jeffery Hobbs in 2013. Though this Dallas hotspot proudly caters to both carnivores and vegetarians, it's the meat that draws most people in, skillfully cooked in a special smoker nicknamed "Miss Jessie."

That's what brought Guy Fieri to Slow Bone when he visited the restaurant in 2025 for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." And Hobbs delivered, personally cooking up the restaurant's signature Texas Nail sandwich for Fieri. Heaped high with brisket, beer cheese, mushroom duxelles, caramelized onion, green chili, red onion, and lime crema, the Texas Nail is a flavor grenade that goes off twice: once in your mouth and again in your stomach. "This is hillbilly beef Wellington," The Food Network star said, another one of Guy Fieri's best one-liners. "The brisket is so unbelievably tender ... It's a gourmet meal disguised as a brisket barbecue sandwich."

Setting Slow Bone apart from other barbecue joints is its innovative use of world cuisine to create a new palate of flavors you won't find in your average meathouse, like sriracha aioli and mushroom béchamel. "Barbecue's got its lane," Fieri said, "and [Cheff Hobbs is] driving a hard right into another world. ... It is outstanding. I gotta create a new state inside of Flavortown."

slowbone.com

(214) 377-7727

2234 Irving Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207

Desert Oak Barbecue in El Paso was built out of a dream and a lot of very hard work. Growing up in Italy, Richard Funk dreamed of one day going to Texas. After finally moving to El Paso, his wife, Suzanne, introduced him to classic wood-fired barbecue cooking. It became an obsession that led to a food truck and eventually a brick-and-mortar location.

Guy Fieri visited Desert Oak BBQ in 2019 for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Fieri was especially impressed with the restaurant's old-school feel, with the pit master feeding logs of oak into the massive smoker by hand to ensure every bite tastes like it was cooked over an open flame.

But he was even more impressed with the results. Fieri sampled a dish the restaurant calls El Paso Stuffed Potato. This isn't just any old baked potato, though. Stacked high to the heavens with cheese, beans, and brisket, and topped off with a fire-roasted jalapeños, this monster delivers many food groups and makes you feel like you just discovered a new one. "There's a lot more going on in this than what most people would call the average stuffed baked potato," Fieri said. "The whole thing is a package deal, man, besides the fact that it's not a human size. It's like four human sizes. Excellent."

desertoakbarbecue.com

(915) 309-4322

11411 Gateway Blvd, W El Paso, TX 79936

You can't easily put Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery in a box. A hybrid pizza place, sandwich shop, and brewery, this San Antonio mainstay was the brainchild of college buddies Holland Lawrence and Marc Fogelsong. Rather than limit themselves to just one offering, they mapped out a plan from the get-go to combine all three of their passions. And the connecting thread? Sourdough.

While even the brick-oven pizzas are made with sourdough, when Guy Fieri visited the restaurant in 2025, he opted for a more classic sourdough experience by sampling the pastrami Reuben. Made with thick slices of brisket rather than traditional thin-sliced corned beef, the Reuben blew Fieri away. "I like that big meaty texture of it, it's a lot different than the thin slice," Fieri said. "The pastrami cut that way is genius. Great texture, great chew. The sauerkraut is not overpowering. The out-of-this-world Russian dressing. All day long, bro. Delicious!"

And, of course, you can get everything on the menu with a tall glass (or two) of the house-brewed beer. Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery makes an array of brews, including pilsners, stouts, lagers, porters, pale ales, and foeders. What more could you ask for?

wildbarley.com

(210) 455-9982

8403 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209

When you hear the name "The Jerk Shack," you probably think of a roadside hovel where the chefs sling meat off an ancient stove held together by hope. But The Jerk Shack in San Antonio defies all stereotypes, both in its food and its clean, homey atmosphere.

Founded in 2018 by military veteran and Culinary Institute of America graduate Nicola Blaque, this establishment has racked up high-profile recognition from magazines like GQ and Southern Living, with the crowning touch coming in the form of a prestigious Bib Gourmand commendation from the Michelin Guide. And Chef Blaque has likewise shot to fame, named Chef of the Year by CultureMap San Antonio in 2021 and earning a James Beard award nomination for Best Chef Texas in 2023.

In other words, this place is serious, and Chef Blaque brings top-notch Caribbean food to Texas. That dedication is what brought Guy Fieri to The Jerk Shack when he visited for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" in 2024. And he wasn't disappointed when he tried the restaurant's signature jerk chicken. "Your technique is great. The barbecue sauce is spot on," Fieri said. "You put enough char on this, you get the smokiness. There's great depth of flavor all through this, great spice, not too much." Add in the massive sides of masala fries and mac and cheese, and you've got both a meal and an authentic Jamaican experience.

thejerkshacksatx.com

(210) 776-7780

10234 TX-151 Ste 103, San Antonio, TX 78251

North of the border, most people understandably associate Mexican food with either corn or flour tortillas. Whether it's a taco, burrito, or enchilada, tortillas are the traditional building blocks for many Mexican dishes. Nevertheless, Mexico is a big country, and different regions have different culinary traditions.

Enter the torta, a type of Mexican sandwich made on a fluffy, crusty bread roll. And more specifically, the torta ahogada. A favorite staple of the city of Guadalajara, this "drowned sandwich" is a popular –– and very messy –– street food, as it's a sandwich doused in and served in a chili sauce. It's delicious, but not the easiest thing to find outside of the Mexican state of Jalisco.

Unless, of course, you are in San Antonio, Texas. That's where Ro-Ho Pork and Bread is located. Guy Fieri visited in 2024 and got a first-hand taste of this unique regional delicacy courtesy of the restaurant's founder and owner, Jorge Rojo, who demonstrated for Fieri exactly why his torta ahogada was named the Best Sandwich in Texas by Food & Wine in 2021. "This is outrageous," Fieri said after biting into the sandwich, which features carnitas, refried beans, and hot sauce in a freshly made birote roll. "That roll is outstanding. That is such a quintessential part to this ... the beans are ridiculous ... that's great!"

ro-hoporkandbread.com

(210) 800-3487

8617 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78217

Located in Houston is an unexpected slice of paradise. Opened in 2019, The Toasted Coconut is a destination hotspot for locals looking to get away from it all: half tiki bar and half luau, the restaurant serves up cocktails, tropical rock, and island-inspired fare in equal measure.

Guy Fieri kicked back at The Toasted Coconut with a honey butter chicken biscuit when he visited in 2021 for an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." The biscuits are made on site, by hand, and the honey butter gets an extra spicy kick from some chili crisp. Add in some battered and fried chicken, and you've got a dish that had Fieri singing its praises. "Dynamite. The chicken is delicious. Great crunch," he said. "That's, like, an exceptional chicken and biscuit."

Beyond the food, the establishment has a robust selection of cocktails, wines, and other alcoholic beverages. If that's not enough, there's also a speakeasy, for the rare "bar inside another bar" experience. And, of course, you can also get a classic old-fashioned cheeseburger. After all, what would paradise be without one?

gettoastedhtx.com

(713) 485-4775

1617 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77006

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