Over the past two decades, 30 Minneapolis restaurants have been featured on the popular Food Network show.
Anyone who has ever been to Minneapolis can attest that it’s a great city for dining out, and now anyone with access to the Food Network can, too. That’s because restaurants throughout the city have been featured on the TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” more than 30 different times.
The show, which is hosted by restaurateur, author, and television host Guy Fieri, has been on the air since 2007. Throughout its tenure, it has highlighted some of the best dishes at hundreds of restaurants, including many in Minneapolis.
Over the years, some of the restaurants featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” have sadly closed their doors, but many are still operating and serving up some of the dishes featured on the beloved Food Network show.
1. Al’s Breakfast
413 14th Ave. SE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 1 Episode 12—“American Cookin’”; Season 10 Episode 4—“You Found Em”
In its nearly eight decades of existence, Al’s Breakfast in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown neighborhood has seen its reputation steadily grow, even if the compact diner hasn’t. With just a 14-seat counter, the small restaurant serves up meals fresh—they don’t have a freezer, microwave, or even a deep fryer.
The restaurant, which serves up classic diner fare, like scrambles, omelets, and pancakes, is open every day from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. It’s been featured on two different episodes of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” including a Season 1 episode that highlighted Al’s Breakfast’s pancake-making process.
2. The Wienery
414 Cedar Ave. South, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 4 Episode 4—“Where the Locals Eat”
Started in the 1980s by a couple who wanted to share their love of Chicago-style hot dogs with the Twin Cities, The Wienery, now owned by KJ and Pat Starr, has been serving up the dish, as well as other forms of cased sausages, for more than 40 years. The Wienery customers can choose from a hot dog, Polish sausage, bratwurst, Italian sausage, vegan tofu dog, or vegan Italian sausage or brat. The restaurant’s menu features more than 18 different styles of toppings, like the Warsaw, which comes with Düsseldorf mustard and sauerkraut, or the Mr. Sunshine, topped with giardiniera and cheese.
But it’s not just about hot dogs and sausages at the casual restaurant; it also offers an all-day breakfast menu with omelets, pancakes, and, of course, the option to add a bratwurst, Polish sausage, or Italian sausage on the side.
3. Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake St., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 4 Episode 6—“Totally Unexpected”
The theme of the episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” that Bryant Lake Bowl was featured in was unexpected locations that serve up great food—and the show couldn’t have found a better fit with the mashup of a bowling alley and restaurant in Minneapolis’ Uptown district. While the restaurant has only been operating at the site since the ’90s, Bryant Lake Bowl has had the bowling alley since 1935, after it was converted from a garage.
The combination bowling alley, restaurant, and theater has a wide-ranging menu, offering breakfast dishes like egg sandwiches and breakfast burritos daily until 3 p.m. It also has sandwiches, three different types of tacos, and a selection of favorites, including a pad thai bowl and vegetarian chili.
4. Victor’s 1959 Cafe
3756 Grand Ave. South, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 4 Episode 9—“Big Flavor”
Cities like Miami, Tampa, and Houston are well-known for their Cuban cuisine, thanks to the large Cuban communities there. While Minneapolis doesn’t have as large of a Cuban community as other cities, it’s certainly home to authentic Cuban food, especially at restaurants like Victor’s 1959 Cafe.
The Cuban restaurant was visited on a Season 4 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” where Fieri learned how to make the restaurant’s picadillo a la Cubana—sauteed ground beef with red and green peppers, potatoes, green olives, capers, and raisins in a creole sauce, served alongside rice, black beans, and sweet plantains.
5. Emily’s Lebanese Delicatessen
641 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 5 Episode 6—“Something from Everywhere”
Since 1973, Emily’s Lebanese Delicatessen has been serving up the best of Lebanese cuisine in Minneapolis. The deli’s wide-ranging menu offers plenty of options, from cabbage rolls filled with lamb and rice to Mediterranean classics like chicken kabobs, appetizers like hummus and baba ghanoush, and, of course, desserts like baklava and crema, a homemade Lebanese custard flavored with orange blossom water.
The deli, which is just minutes outside of Minneapolis’ downtown, is open every day except Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.
6. Kramarczuk’s
215 East Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 10 Episode 2—“Family Joints”
When Wasyl and Anna Kramarczuk immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in the 1940s, they wanted to accomplish the American dream, and they did. The couple opened up Kramarczuk’s in Minneapolis, serving up Eastern European fare, like pierogi, cabbage rolls, and sausages. Now, the restaurant also operates a bakery, serving freshly-baked bread and pastries, and a deli.
It’s been decades since Wasyl and Anna Kramarczuk opened the restaurant, but things are still done pretty much the same way. Every sausage, pirozhki, and loaf of bread served by Kramarczuk’s is handmade from scratch, and with locally sourced ingredients, when possible.
7. Colossal Cafe
2315 East Como Ave., St. Paul
Featured in episode: Season 10 Episode 13—“Sandwiches Plus”
When Colossal Cafe was featured in a Season 10 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the focus of the episode was on sandwiches. That made the Minneapolis-based restaurant a perfect fit because it has an impressive sandwich menu, from classics like a Reuben or a BLT to more inventive fare like a house-smoked trout sandwich or a vegetarian muffuletta. But it doesn’t just offer sandwiches. Colossal Cafe has a colossal menu and also serves up breakfast staples, baked goods, and an assortment of coffee and tea options.
The Minneapolis Colossal Cafe location closed permanently in 2018 after co-owner John Tinucci retired, but owner Elizabeth Tinucci still operates two locations in St. Paul. Both locations are open every day, from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
8. Pizzeria Lola
5557 Xerxes Ave. S, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 14 Episode 1—“Triple D All Stars”
For Ann Kim, the owner and chef behind Pizzeria Lola, the dream was simple. She wanted to quit her job, open up a wood-fired pizza restaurant, and most importantly, name it after her dog. The result of that dream is Pizzeria Lola, which Kim and co-owner Conrad Leifur opened in 2011.
The food is a combination of flavors: customers can grab a traditional pizza, like the margherita or sweet Italian, which is topped with red sauce, fennel sausage, mozzarella, provolone, red onion, and peppadew peppers. Or, they can mix it up and try one of Pizzeria Lola’s Korean-inspired pies, like the Korean BBQ, topped with beef short rib, mozzarella, scallion, arugula, soy-chili vinaigrette, and sesame.
9. Smack Shack at the 1029 Bar
603 North Washington Ave., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 14 Episode 2—“Streamlined Sammies”
A lot has changed throughout the 1029 Bar’s history. The landmark of the city’s Northeast neighborhood, the bar has been around for nearly a century, but one of its most recent changes was adding the Smack Shack, a lobster roll joint that operates out of the storied bar.
The Smack Shack at the 1029 Bar, which was featured on a Season 14 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” is best known for its lobster rolls, which come in several varieties. Its menu also features burgers, soups, salads, and other seafood dishes, such as the shrimp po’boy, served with cucumber, aioli, tomato, onion, greens, and hot sauce.
10. Broder’s Cucina Italiana
2308 West 50th St., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 14 Episode 3—“Crankin’ Up the Classics”
After a trip to Italy inspired their taste buds and love for homemade pasta, Molly and Tom Broder opened Broder’s Cucina Italiana in 1982, and have been serving up their take on some of the country’s most beloved dishes ever since. Years later, the restaurant still serves up authentic pasta dishes, salads, stromboli, and pizza.
Visitors can also bring the Broder’s Cucina Italiana experience home with them. The restaurant offers one-pound packages of frozen pasta, freshly-cut pasta, pizza kits, sauces, and dressings for customers to pick up or bring home to recreate their favorite dishes.
11. Buster’s on 28th
4202 South 28th Ave., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 23 Episode 8—“Beef It Up”
Minneapolis residents were dismayed when Buster’s on 28th closed in 2013 after a storm caused a fire. But the restaurant reopened a year later, serving up the same classics that made it a neighborhood favorite since its opening in 2007.
The restaurant was featured in a Season 23 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” focusing on beef dishes, of which Buster’s on 28th offers plenty. Its menu features several burger options, as well as the steak sandwich, which comes topped with bacon, caramelized onions, and blue cheese and is served alongside potato chips.
12. George & Dragon Pub
813 West 50th St., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 23 Episode 10—“Finger Lickin’ Food”
Saint George, a Christian martyr well known in legends for slaying a dragon, is the patron saint of England. So it only makes sense that George & Dragon Pub, a restaurant in Minneapolis named after that legend, would have an English-inspired menu.
The restaurant, which opened in 2011, is modeled after a traditional English pub, and its menu follows suit, with fish and chips and salads named for several members of the British royal family. But, George & Dragon Pub sneaks some American fare in, too, with the All American Burger that’s topped with American cheese, homemade pickles, and mayonnaise.
13. Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub
2716 East 38th St., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 23 Episode 12—“Piggin’ Out”
Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub in Minneapolis’ Standish neighborhood refers to its food concept as upscale blue collar, which perfectly fits within the ethos of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The show, which highlights small, independent restaurants that serve up delicious takes on comfort food, featured the Minneapolis restaurant in its 23rd season.
On the episode, Fieri sampled the smokehouse’s 18-hour porketta sandwich, which featured pork roast that had been smoked for 18 hours, topped with smoked Swiss and sauteed onions on an egg bun.
14. The Herbivorous Butcher
507 1st Ave. NE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 25 Episode 3—“Creole, Cold Cuts and Crepes”
Normally, when a restaurant has the word butcher in its name, vegetarians know to stay away—but that’s not the case at The Herbivorous Butcher, a vegan butcher shop located in northeast Minneapolis’ St. Anthony neighborhood. The Herbivorous Butcher isn’t just any vegan butcher shop—the unique concept is actually the country’s first, after the brick-and-mortar restaurant opened in 2016.
The spot is owned and operated by brother and sister Aubry and Kale Walch, who wanted to recreate some of their favorite Guamanian dishes using all-vegan ingredients. Customers can pick up some of their favorite vegan meats, such as seitan-based Korean ribs, soy jerky, and plant-based pepperoni. Or, try one of its ready-to-eat options, like an Italian cold cut, made with pepperoni, capicola ham, pastrami, mozzarella, pickled cherry peppers, red onion, mayo, and spices.
15. Surly Brewing Co.
520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 25 Episode 4—“Chew and Brew”
When Surly Brewing Co. opened on its Minneapolis brewery in 2014, it broke ground in more ways than one. To get approval to build the brewery, the company, founded in Brooklyn Center, had to work to change the law that banned breweries from selling beer on the same premises where it was made.
After sponsoring the bill to finally make taprooms legal, the brewery moved to Minneapolis and opened an upstairs level where customers could order pizza, in addition to their brews. The taproom offers New Haven-style pies, as well as appetizers and salads.
16. Holy Land
2513 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 25 Episode 5—“Global Greats”
Holy Land opened in Minneapolis in 1986, but it was a dream for much longer than that. More than a century ago, Abu Saeed perfected his recipe for pita bread, and his passion for cooking, and love of hard work culminated in his grandson, Wajdi Wadi opening up Holy Land after immigrating from Kuwait.
The restaurant has been serving up Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food to customers since, offering traditional dishes like zatar pie and tabouli salad, as well as some less traditional fare, like double cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks.
17. Red Wagon Pizza Co.
5416 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 25 Episode 6—“Sausage, Seafood and Shawarma”
For Red Wagon Pizza Co. co-owner Peter Campbell, pizza is a love story. He made his first homemade pizza at the age of 2, and began a tradition with his grandparents to have pizza every Friday night.
The love story continued in his adulthood, when Campbell, alongside his wife, Jacquie, opened Red Wagon Pizza Co. What started as a weekly pizza tradition with his grandparents became a family tradition for Campbell, his wife, and their kids. But now, pizza has become even more of a family tradition. Opened in 2014, their restaurant offers a wide assortment of pies, from the traditional, like the double pepperoni, to the less traditional, like the McLovin’It, which features hamburger meat, cheddar and American cheese, diced onion, lettuce, pickles, sesame seeds, and burger sauce.
18. Hai Hai
2121 University Ave NE, Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 40 Episode 9—“From Vietnamese to Vegan”
Chef Christina Nguyen is a self-taught chef known for her take on Venezuelan street food, especially with her Minneapolis-based restaurant Hola Arepa, which started as a food truck in 2011. But when Nguyen opened Hai Hai, she looked to inspiration from the dishes that she grew up eating.
The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen wanted to serve Southeast Asian street food at her second restaurant, Hai Hai. It’s safe to say the restaurant does it pretty well, having won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2024. The restaurant doesn’t just serve traditional standards like pad thai and pho; instead, it offers a unique take on the cuisine, with menu items like Indonesian-spiced grilled pork and coconut shrimp toast.
19. Oro by Nixta
1222 NE 2nd St., Minneapolis
Featured in episode: Season 40 Episode 12—“Dough-lightful Dishes”
Oro by Nixta is one of the city’s newer restaurants, first opening in 2023, but it’s already one of its most beloved and acclaimed. The restaurant was named Restaurant of the Year by the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2023, was a semifinalist in the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2024, and was featured in an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” just a year after opening.
The Mexican restaurant’s mission is to make corn the star of its menu, preparing the plant in unique ways, paired with seasonal ingredients, like pescadillas, a fish empanada made with a corn-based dough and filled with walleye, avocado salsa, and chipotle mayo.
