All the Best 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' in Las Vegas

Over Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives many seasons, Guy Fieri has made more than a dozen pit stops in Las Vegas, the city he once called home during his college days. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas grad, bold TV personality and Mayor of Flavortown himself even has his own restaurant right on the Strip. So, we’ve rounded up 15 of the most mouthwatering, “off the chain” dishes featured throughout years of cruisin’ through Sin City.

No culinary cruise through Vegas would be complete without a trip to Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar, known for its signature Trash Can Nachos. This over-the-top flavor bomb is built layer by layer inside a giant tin can. It starts with crispy tortilla chips and a generous pour of Super Melty Cheese — a bold blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack, Oaxaca and Asadero cheese loaded with jalapeños and pico de gallo. Then come the hits: tender smoked pork (or carne asada), slow-cooked black beans, Cotija cheese, red onion, radish, cilantro and jalapeños, all drizzled with cool crema. Stack it high, flip the whole thing onto a platter and, boom, you’ve got a nacho explosion straight outta Flavortown.

Located at The LINQ Hotel + Experience on the Las Vegas Strip, Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar is an obvious can't-miss when visiting Sin City. And like some of the locals have described it, "it's like Guy [himself], with a lot of energy here, they've taken Vegas fries to another level." Crispy golden sidewinder fries tossed in Frank's RedHot powder and Buffalo seasoning, topped with crumbled blue cheese and a fresh nest of shaved carrots and celery, served with tangy bleu-sabi and house Buffalo sauces for dipping.

When it comes to the BBQ Maui Wowie at Those Guys Pies, every ingredient complements the others perfectly. And each ingredient is meticulously prepared, too, starting with the in-house-made BBQ rub for the main topping — pork — a blend of brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, a little cinnamon, cayenne pepper, garlic, crushed red pepper, granulated onion and coarse ground pepper.

Once mixed, the pork is rolled and smothered with the rub, then refrigerated for 24 hours before going into the smoker for roughly 16 more. The result? A tasty BBQ pulled pork, cured bacon, fresh pineapple and jalapeño pizza that hits every note. As Guy so bluntly put it after his first taste, “This is legit pizza, man. I would drive up to The Lakes (Those Guys Pies' West Lake Drive location) just to get this.”

As long as it’s tender and tasty, that’s all that counts — and the burnt ends at John Mull’s Meats & Road Kill Grill are to die for. While Guy raved about the brisket beef ends, it’s the restaurant’s patrons who really couldn’t get enough. One called them “to die for.” Another described them as “mouthwatering, with wonderful flavor.” A third referred to them as “everything you want in a bite.” With all the rave reviews from locals, it’s no wonder this off-the-beaten-path spot has become a must-visit for BBQ lovers in Las Vegas.

The secret to the Tandoori Chicken at Chickpeas Mediterranean Café is in the sauce — and we all know in Guy's eyes that sauce is sacred. Starting with strained yogurt and mixed with chaat masala, garam masala, coriander, cumin powder, fennel, fresh lemon juice, kashmiri chili peppers (which gives it that beautful red color), kosher salt, tumeric, ginger, garlic paste and olive oil, the marinade is rubbed all over the chicken and put on the vertical rotisserie for about an hour and a half. Succulent, tender and juicy Cornish hen white and dark meat marinated in Tandoori sauce and served with yellow rice? Yes, please!

If the Mayor of Flavortown says your dish is “very flavorful,” you know you’re heading in the right direction. A “must try,” according to the restaurant’s menu, the What’s Zaap? Noodle (Mama Kee Mao Talay) is prepared with “mad technique” — a spicy stir-fried ramen loaded with shrimp, scallops, mussels, squid, garlic chili, green peppercorn, and fresh herbs and veggies, all topped with WZTF’s Devil Spice. It’s the kind of dish that keeps Guy — along with locals and vacationers alike — coming back for more.

One word: dynamite. That’s how the Mayor of Flavortown described the Beef Quesa Birria Chilangos at Letty’s de Leticia’s Cocina, just five to 10 minutes from the top of the Strip. These tacos are dipped in rich birria sauce and packed with Oaxaca cheese, onion, cilantro and tender birria beef — served with consommé (that carries “a dish done at the highest level” over the top), salsa verde and a side of Mexican rice.

The Flavortown Express never skips a pork stop, so you know you’ve gotta check out Fat Choy. Their No. 1 seller, the pork belly bao — or, as Guy calls it, “the real deal” — is packed with pickled and sauteed mustard greens, hoisin sauce, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. The pork belly is marinated in a house-made blend for 24 hours, cooked at 300°F for three hours, compressed overnight and seared in a pan until perfectly browned on both sides.

These crepes don’t just impress — they live up to the restaurant's name and exceed all expectations. That’s right, Crepe Expectations is servin’ up some of the best crepes this side of the Eiffel Tower. Loaded with perfectly cooked sauteed cinnamon apples and blended with rich caramel, The William Tell packs a one-two punch that'll take your taste buds on a rich, melt-in-your-mouth ride to Flavortown.

When a spot has pizza in the name, you might not expect much else, but Naked City Pizza proves otherwise. Their Buffalo-style pies are a hit, sure, but it’s not the only thing they knock out of the park. The Beef on Weck — tender beef dipped in au jus and piled onto a kummelweck roll — is a total crowd-pleaser. Served medium rare and seasoned just right, it’s the kind of sandwich that keeps locals and visitors coming back for more.

Speaking of those Buffalo-style pies, Naked City Pizza’s are "money," with slices that are not too thin, not too thick and have just the right combination of airiness and crispiness. Dad’s Giambotta is loaded with Italian sausage, crispy oregano potatoes, onions, roasted sweet peppers, mozzarella, Parmesan, red sauce and finished with fresh basil. Cooks for 10 to 12 minutes at 550°F — and voila!

As many people know, Las Vegas is a melting pot of all foods — and the next stop on the list will have you doing a double take. It’s a butcher shop but not your average butcher shop. That’s because NoButcher serves up “bomb” vegan meats in Vegas. Dealing out deli goodness in the gambling capital of the world, NoButcher’s The Greek comes packed with flavor, featuring gyro NoMeat, tzatziki sauce, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions on a crispy ciabatta roll.

As Guy puts it, the Nabeyaki Udon at Osaka Japanese Bistro is “perfectly prepared,” featuring a peeled, deveined, stretched and fried shrimp — elongated to make it more presentable and to keep it from curling up when dipped in tempura batter. Named after the type of pot it’s cooked in, nabe — a Japanese hot pot — the Nabeyaki Udon, along with the shrimp tempura, also includes chicken, udon noodles, fish cake, spinach, green onions, fresh shiitake mushrooms and an egg (except in Guy’s case, of course — we all know he’s got the ick for eggs). Served in a screaming hot bowl, the whole thing comes together in a homemade broth Guy calls “outrageous."

House of Dutch Pot brings Caribbean flavor and flair to America's Playground, where "every dish tells a story of rich Caribbean heritage and bold island flavors." Loaded with authentic seasoning that blends jerk sauce with spices and fresh herbs, their signature, flavor-packed Jerk Chicken is slow-cooked to let the marinade soak in and sizzle over the grill.