Beneath the bleached blonde hair and signature backwards sunglasses, Guy’s also carved out a different niche for himself in the food service industry. During the pandemic, his efforts raised over $20 million for unemployed restaurant workers led which The New York Times to hail him as an “elder statesman of Flavortown” — a long way from the brash young competitor on The Next Food Network Star, a show that launched his television career decades ago.
Related: Guy’s Famous Beef Enchiladas
Although Diners, Drive Ins and Dives began as a look at America’s most beloved old-school bastions of good eats, the show has expanded in its subsequent seasons to include restaurateurs doing creative takes, often scratch-made, on not-so-basic comfort foods. Over the years, Guy and his team have also started exploring beyond regional Americana into the polyglot of cuisines and cultures that make up the culinary landscape today. From real-deal Ethiopian to traditional Thai food, Guy’s crossed the country in his red Camaro and has often wandered outside its borders to far-flung Italy and close cousin Canada. The next time Guy ventures north, here are some spots we think he should visit across Canada.
Food Network
Dosa Corner — Vancouver, BC
Whether he’s watching chefs twirl a pizza or pull hand-made noodles, Guy has always had a penchant for flair. Watching dosas being made at Vancouver’s Dosa Corner would be a nice camera-ready moment, as the paper-thin slightly-crispy sheets made out of a batter of rice flour and lentils are carefully shaped and folded or rolled around filings or served plain. The family-owned restaurant spotlights different types of dosas, such as Mysore dosa with coconut chutney or a homestyle soft dosa with potato filling.
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Angel’s Drive-In — Calgary, AB
Angel’s Drive In seems tailor made for a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives appearance. The drive-in has been operating since 1999, but it’s got an attitude straight out of the 50s, complete with old-school milkshakes ranging from root beer to bubble gum. Toss in some burgers straight off a classic diner menu and pair it with some curly fries if you’re feeling fancy. Oh, and did we mention the Chevy convertible (red, of course) parked on the roof?
Related: The Top 10 New Foods You Must Try at Calgary Stampede 2023
Peter’s on Eglinton — Mississauga, ON
You may experience a disruption in the space-time continuum when you step into the Peter’s on Eglinton dining room — the entire restaurant is a throwback to a gentler time of wood-paneled walls and upholstered booths. Over the years, Guy’s been to countless numbers of family-run restaurants, and he’s sure to enjoy the giant, two-hands-needed smoked meat sandwiches and enormous portions of homemade apple pie (we’ll be sure to ask them to leave the eggs off his breakfast platter, though, since he’s not a fan).
Food Network
Beautys — Montreal, QC
As much as Guy loves people doing new things with food, he’s also a sucker for traditional joints — and it doesn’t get much more traditional in Montreal than lining up for brunch at Beautys Luncheonette (no apostrophe needed, and no reservations accepted). The luncheonette has been around since 1942 and the iconic Mash-Mash, an omelette with salami, green peppers, onions and a bounty of other ingredients, is such a seller that it’s been the subject of cease and desist letters and was trademarked in 1989.
Related: 10 Montreal Spots to Visit for the Ultimate Food Tour
Mallard Cottage, — St. John’s, NL
If there’s one thing that Guy seems to appreciate, it’s a small local restaurateur making a difference in their community by doing something rooted in local terrain (although he’s unlikely to use the word terroir on the show), and Todd Perrin’s Mallard Cottage in St. John’s, Newfoundland fits that bill. Although it isn’t strictly a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives staple, chef Perrin (a former Top Chef Canada competitor) built his dream restaurant in an official heritage site and one of the oldest wooden buildings in Canada.
Watch Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives, Saturdays at 9PM ET/PT on Food Network Canada. Also Available on STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels, fuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream.