Guy Fieri Loves Filming Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives In This World-Famous City

Food Network star Guy Fieri has been around the United States and back again multiple times while filming more than 50 seasons of his famous show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." While he has primarily filmed episodes of his show in the USA, Fieri has also taken things international multiple times, visiting locales like Cuba, Canada, Spain, Mexico, and Italy. The celebrity chef considers Italy to be the best country for fine dining, and he feels Mexico is the best destination for affordable cuisine. On a stateside level, though, there's one city he especially loves filming in: the Windy City of Chicago.

Fieri has visited well over 1,000 restaurants in U.S. cities from coast to coast on "Triple D," but, as he revealed, Chicago stands out as his all-time favorite, with its easy navigability, rich history, and abundant culture. Fieri has also referred to Chicago as the most underrated food city, and he has featured dozens of Chicago restaurants on "Triple D" over the years.

It's Chicago's cultural diversity that has resulted in its equally diverse food offerings. Influxes of immigrants from all over the world, coming to Chicago in waves beginning in the 1800s, led to the creation of global communities, like Chicago's Little Italy and Greektown neighborhoods. With the diverse population came wonderfully varied cuisines from all across the globe. In Chicago today, just about every nation in the world is represented as far as culinary offerings go. One can find Ethiopian food, Middle Eastern cuisine, French food, Chinese, and Indian fare, and much, much more. And, of course, there is lots of Italian food to be enjoyed (one of Fieri's favorite types of cuisine). In fact, Italian beef sandwiches are a must-have food to try in Chicago.

Guy Fieri has featured a diverse array of Chicago restaurants on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," from Mexican bistros and barbecue joints to Korean eateries, Costa Rican restaurants, and fusion spots with crossover international offerings. But one Chicago restaurant stands out as his all-time favorite.

Fieri has Italian ancestry, so it perhaps comes as little surprise that his favorite Chicago eatery serves up Italian food. Per an interview with Travel + Leisure, the Windy City restaurant Fieri likes best is called La Scarola, which he featured on season 34, episode 3 of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," as well as on an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Triple D Nation." Restaurant co-owner Armando Vasquez was additionally featured as a competitor on a special Thanksgiving episode of "Guy's Grocery Games" on Food Network.

One visit was all it took to make Fieri a lifetime customer at La Scarola, and now he makes a point of visiting the restaurant whenever he's in Chicago. Among the abundant, traditional Italian offerings on the establishment's robust menu, Fieri's favorite dish is the Veal Chop alla Gabe, which features a 10-ounce veal chop that is pounded thin, breaded, and pan-fried before being finished with a combination of garlic, parsley, lemon, and extra-virgin olive oil. It is then arranged atop diced Italian potatoes.

Great cuisine is definitely the pathway to Guy Fieri's heart, and he and Vasquez have forged a relationship outside of being simply a restaurant patron and restaurant owner. The two chefs have hung out and cooked together in the La Scarola kitchen, and Vasquez even traveled to Los Angeles to be present when Fieri received his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.