12 Burgers Guy Fieri Loved On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

If you've ever watched an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," you know that this long-running Food Network show is full of hidden gems and the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in every state, all of which have earned some major clout with the locals. And because celebrity chef and host Guy Fieri drives around the country to specifically visit diners, drive-ins, and dives, the good old-fashioned all-American burger is bound to make a frequent appearance.

Among the many, many dishes Fieri has enjoyed at the vast array of restaurants he's visited on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" — which launched in 2007 and is currently at 56 seasons and counting — Guy Fieri has tasted countless hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Some simple and classic, others completely out-of-the-box creations... but so many of them have lived up to Fieri's standards. And a man who has a separate fridge just for condiments and sauces is a man who knows a thing or two about burgers.

So what are some of the juiciest, most flavor-packed burgers that Guy Fieri has loved on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives?" We've gathered a list of winners, from New Jersey to California and everywhere in between. Find out what was so special about each bite, and maybe you can even add some of these beloved local spots to your next road trip itinerary.

Everything's better with butter... and this creative menu item from Crest Cafe proves that's true when it comes to burgers, too. Crest Cafe, located in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego, is a family-owned diner-esque restaurant that's been serving up comforting American classics for over 40 years.

The menu at Crest Cafe is full of creative concoctions, from Blueberry Biscuit Bundt French Toast to a Catfish Po'Boy. But one juicy, buttery creation represented the cafe beautifully when Guy Fieri visited the local spot in "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" back in 2013: the Butter Burger. And Fieri was a big fan.

Crest Cafe's Butter Burger consists of ground beef that's stuffed with a large hunk of homemade herby compound butter — butter, garlic, basil, tarragon, and parsley, and spices. The burger is then thrown on the broiler and topped with more butter, cheese, and garlic mayo before it's sandwiched by a brioche bun. The result is a cheeseburger that's dripping with tons of flavor and ultimate juiciness. "This is a level of juice you probably haven't seen on a burger," Fieri said as he dug in for a buttery bite.

Kuma's Corner is a heavy metal themed burger joint in Chicago that boasts a one-of-a-kind menu, offering a bunch of uniquely crafted burgers named after heavy metal bands. When Guy Fieri visited on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," he said Kuma's Corner is one of those places that "pushes the envelope", and you can tell that's true from the unexpected combinations you'll find on the menu.

What Fieri came to try was Kuma's Corner's Black Sabbath burger, a delicious mess of a burger drenched in slow-cooked chili. The chili itself is made of ground beef, sweated vegetables, a heavy blend of spices, and two types of beer (PBR and porter) to deglaze it all... then finished with three different beans, tomatoes, chocolate sauce, and chipotles in adobo. If that wasn't enough flavor on its own, a heavily seasoned 10-ounce patty gets topped off with a large dollop of the chili, a slice of pepper-jack cheese that gets melted on top, and a few slices of red onion, all sandwiched between a pretzel bun.

Fieri loved the Black Sabbath so much that he named it up there in the top five burgers of the show at the time, which is high praise. Sadly, it's no longer on the current menu, but Kuma's Corner is still serving up some similar creations that would make Fieri proud.

Cave Bistro, a charming farm-to-table spot in a small seaside town in New Jersey, started out as a meal prep operation before the chef turned it into a restaurant that locals have come to love. The bistro puts an emphasis on wholesome, healthy, and thoughtfully sourced ingredients with a menu that's full of elevated, comforting dishes, like Spring Lamb White Bolognese and Confit Dug Leg.

There are currently only two burgers on the menu, but (among many other dishes) the restaurant makes one of them for Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" — and it's just as elegant as the rest of the menu. To make the Grass-Fed Beef-Roasted Marrow Burger, first bone marrow is roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes and then it's scooped out and added to a blend of brisket and chuck beef. The burger is seared on the grill and topped with raclette cheese, and then finished with a slice of homemade herby, garlicky compound butter on a (gluten-free) brioche bun. The burger is literally dripping with rich, delicious flavors from the marrow, meat, and herbaceous butter that Fieri loved.

Another San Diego burger spot makes the list, but this one is a little more out there when it comes to the menu. Crazee Burger, which used to be an Italian restaurant called Tioli's, was taken over by two German restaurateurs who left fine dining and wanted to do something different.

So what's different about Crazee Burger? This unassuming restaurant uses meats of all kinds to make its burgers. While there are plenty of Angus beef patties to be found, there's a whole section on the menu called "Exotic Fare," which lists burgers made from animals like wild boar, buffalo, elk, camel, and ostrich. And Guy Fieri found one burger unexpectedly delicious: the Alligator Burger.

Made very simply of ground alligator meat from Florida and Louisiana, seasoned with just a bit of salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, the alligator patty is thrown on a piping hot grill and topped with a very unique gravy of sorts — a dried fruit curry chutney made by combining water, heavy cream, curry powder, and a medley of dried fruit (bananas, apricots, apples, and plums) — and served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Fieri admittedly didn't think he'd like this one, but was pleasantly surprised by the combo.

The Big Brown Burger is another one that's made the coveted list of Guy Fieri's "top five burgers," as Wallace Station proudly points out on its menu. Located inside an old train station in Versailles, Kentucky, the sandwich and burger joint is a neighborhood favorite that buys local and specializes in Kentucky cuisine made from scratch.

What makes the Big Brown Burger so special? It starts off with a 6-ounce patty made from local beef, which is seasoned with the restaurant's homemade chicken salt (a blend of salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne) and a generous pour of Worcestershire sauce while it cooks. Then, it's topped with cooked ham, bacon, and tomatoes.

It's all sauced with a white cheddar mornay, which is a cheese sauce that's made by adding milk, Vermont white cheddar cheese, salt, and cayenne to a butter-and-flour roux. The burger is a play on the iconic Kentucky Hot Brown, which is an open-faced sandwich made with turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and mornay sauce — but Fieri argues he might like this burger version even better.

Serving up fourth-generation family recipes in a small farming community outside of Denver, Lauer-Krauts is a burger spot that represents German-Russian cuisine, and this place makes burgers unlike anything else you'll find in America.

Aside from a few soups and desserts, Lauer-Krauts makes just three versions of a traditional krautburger — but that's plenty to make the customers happy. A traditional krautburger is essentially a burger "pocket" that's made by stuffing a sweet dough with a mixture of ground beef, onions, and cabbage. At Lauer-Krauts, what makes the krautburgers special is that homemade sauerkraut is added to the mix, which is created by mashing shredded cabbage and salt together, pressing it, and letting it sit for 28 days.

To make the burgers, Lauer-Krauts cooks up a blend of 80/20 ground chuck beef, onions, salt, pepper, lots of cabbage, and that homemade "lauer-kraut." That's all added to a handmade bread dough composed of flour, dry milk, shortening, eggs, salt and yeast. After the dough is kneaded, rested, punched, rolled out, cut into squares, and stretched, it's filled with 1 cup of the beef mixture (and sometimes a slice of cheese), then sealed together and baked for 15 minutes. The result? A delicious, tender, doughy burger-meats-pastry that's so tasty Guy Fieri wonders where it's been all his life.

Back in California, Grill-A-Burger has been a community hot spot in Palm Desert for over a decade — and it's got so many great burgers to offer that Guy Fieri has visited more than once. Run by a family of four, this burger shop features over 30 different burgers on the menu, served a la carte because the creations pretty much speak for themselves.

Throughout his visits to Grill-A-Burger, Fieri has tried popular menu items like the Buddha Burger (a flavorful turkey burger seasoned with curry, soy sauce, and tons of aromatics that's topped off with bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, bell pepper, tomato, and sweet chili mayo) and the Tuscany Burger (a beef patty with bruschetta, parmesan, mozzarella, and basil mayo on a ciabatta bread). But perhaps the most memorable was a burger called Devil's Revenge.

This burger is aptly named, because it's not messing around when it comes to the heat. The key is a homemade habanero relish that's made of garlic, habaneros, tomatoes, red chili flakes, onion, salt, pepper, cilantro, and lemon juice. But the spice keeps building — the beef patty is topped with several types of cooked hot peppers, caramelized onions, chipotle ketchup, pepper-jack cheese, bacon, and sriracha mayo. While obviously extremely spicy, Fieri noted that the burger gave a well-rounded heat, and couldn't have chosen a better word to describe it: dynamite.

Grind Burger Kitchen has been around since 2011, when a husband and wife duo in Louisville started a successful food truck and turned it into a restaurant that grew to flipping 1,200 burgers a week. The menu is small but focused, with a handful of burgers, sandwiches and salads — a more modest selection of dishes that the small kitchen can focus on doing really well.

While most of the burgers on the menu are made with classic beef patties, Guy Fieri went for the Veggie Burger when he visited. A big hit with non-meat eaters and veggie burger lovers, this satisfying veggie burger definitely impressed a meat-eating Fieri, as well. And it's no surprise it tastes great, because a lot goes into this veggie burger.

It starts with an array of roasted vegetables: Ground cauliflower, ground Brussels sprouts, ground shiitake mushrooms and yellow onion. Those are added to a mixture of chickpeas (ground with potato starch), quinoa, lentils, toasted pumpkin seeds, sorghum, lemon juice, oats, and a robust spice blend (made with 11 spices). The patty is then deep fried, and served with smoked ketchup, tomato, lettuce, and onion. "That doesn't eat like any other veggie patty I've had," Fieri said on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," praising the veggie burger for its "phenomenal texture" — nutty, crunchy, and creamy all at once. "I wanted it to be that good." And it was.

The Union Woodshop is a woodsy, vibe-y smokehouse an hour outside of Detroit that's gained attention from people all over the country ever since Michigan native Kid Rock introduced the place to Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." And it's easy to see why the locals (celebrity or not) love this BBQ joint... everything is slow-smoked, house-made, and cooked with care.

The menu is an extensive one, full of smokehouse meats, tons of classic BBQ sides, handheld burgers, sandwiches and burritos, and the restaurant's signature "Pizza Coco." The Porker, featured on the show, is one massive burger creation that'll send any pork lover to hog heaven. Its patty is made of pork that's fresh ground in-house, double-smoked Michigan maple bacon, a house-made Texas hot link, cold-smoked cheddar cheese, pickled chilis, and "South Carolina" mayo. Fieri was decidedly impressed, and Kid Rock loved the meal so much it made him dance.

Sacred Beast is a modern diner of sorts offers an eclectic selection of dishes that you probably won't find anywhere else in Ohio or beyond. The restaurant delivers on elevated comfort food with global influence, big flavors, and impressive creations.

Like the Dirty French burger — essentially a tastier French onion soup in burger form — that wowed Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." The menu item itself sounds gourmet but simple enough: A single burger with gruyere cheese, caramelized onion, au poivre sauce, and mornay sauce. However, when you get a front row seat inside the kitchen, you see how much time goes into developing the deep flavor in each element of this delicious burger.

The chicken stock is simmered for up to 18 hours, to then make a neck bone gravy which is slowly reduced; the neck bone gravy is then added to butter, peppercorns, brandy, and heavy cream to make the au poivre sauce. Separately, the mornay sauce cooks for another 30 to 35 minutes before gruyere and parmesan are blended in. Two thin patties are crisped up, topped with gruyere, and sandwiched between a potato bun complete with caramelized onions, dijonnaise, and a ladle-full of both sauces. Fieiri was pretty much blown away. He loved it so much he got goosebumps, so it's safe to say the Dirty French is definitely one for the books.

The Devil's Revenge isn't the only burger in town that's dishing out the heat. At Lankford's Grocery & Market in Houston, Texas, a mom and pop grocery and burger shop that's been around since 1937, there are a couple of flaming hot burgers on the menu courtesy of the restaurant's house-made "habanero mustard sauce." And, of course, Guy Fieri had to stop by to try one of the menu items promised to set his mouth on fire: The Firehouse Burger.

It's all about the signature habanero mustard sauce at Lankford's. It's a three-pepper hot sauce that's made with jalapeños, Serranos, and habaneros (picked from the market's backyard garden). The peppers are cooked in vinegar until they're soft, then blended together with garlic, onions, and radishes, and finished off with yellow mustard. The Firehouse Burger also features a cayenne butter (heavy on the cayenne) that's spooned over the half-pound patty as it cooks and then topped with American cheese. The habanero mustard sauce is smeared on the bun, and the burger is stacked with jalapeños, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles.

So how hot was it? Fieri's tongue literally went numb while eating it, but he thoroughly enjoyed eating this burger nonetheless.

To round out this flavorful group of burgers, it's a combination you definitely wouldn't expect and most likely haven't tried... but maybe you should. In Logan, Utah, Sabores International Cuisine is a little restaurant started by a Mexican chef who's got "presidential chef" on his resume. Just like the name implies, this restaurant serves up dishes from all over the globe; you'll see Peruvian Lomo Saltado listed right next to Thai Tom Yum Noodles on the menu, and whatever cuisine you're craving, you're likely to find it.

One of the more unexpected concoctions that Guy Fieri tried when he visited the restaurant on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" was Sabores's popular Peanut Butter Burger. Fieri came into this one a little skeptical, because this actually wasn't his first peanut butter burger — and he did not enjoy the last one. Luckily, this peanut butter burger went over much better.

The burger at Sabores has a generous helping of peanut butter smeared on the bun, but it's cut with a homemade chipotle aioli and some sriracha sauce. The burger is topped with pepper-jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Although he wasn't convinced going in, Fieri was a fan of how the chipotle aioli and sriracha balance out the rich, sweetness of the creamy peanut butter and kept going back for more.