Guy Fieri, a name known across the globe and one of the Food Network’s most adored celebrity chefs, has made his rounds in the area over the last several years, nationally recognizing some of Daytona's most popular restaurants and best kept secrets on the hit series, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The “Mayor of Flavortown” and "Triple D" traveler has dined all across Volusia County, making several pit stops in Daytona Beach, Ormond and New Smyrna Beach, among other neighboring towns.
Who knows, the famous foodie might just be planning his return — fingers crossed — and there’s never a bad time to revisit some of the chef’s most delicious moments in the Sunshine State. With hundreds of breakfast, lunch and dinner destinations at our fingertips here in "The World's Most Famous Beach," let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back at which local favorites previously caught the star’s attention.
Each featured restaurant's season, episode and episode title is listed as it appears on Max, Apple TV, Food Network GO and other streaming platforms.
Arepita Beach
174 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach; 386-675-2288, arepitabeachfl.com
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Arepita Beach made its "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" debut in the final months of 2022. Located in historic downtown Daytona, the Beach Street eatery was born from a Venezuelan husband-and-wife duo, who had originally worked as janitors when they moved to the U.S., before eventually opening their own restaurant in the heart of Daytona Beach. The first-time venture for owner and chef Cesar Altamar has proven wildly successful, with locals on and off screen praising the eatery’s authenticity and uniqueness to the area.
In the episode, Fieri can be seen indulging in the Patacon, featuring seasoned shredded beef, cabbage, tomatoes, ham, soft cheese and homemade garlic sauce sandwiched between two fried and flattened sweet plantains — an “enormous” but “delicious” shareable dish. However, Arepita Beach’s offerings extend beyond the filmed favorite, offering an array of meat-, cheese- and bean-stuffed arepas, empanadas, burgers and desserts.
Season: 43
Episode: 11
Title: “Stuffed, Smoked and Wrapped”
Millie's Restaurant and Catering
3218 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores; 386-275-1492, milliesrestaurant.com
Millie’s Restaurant and Catering made its on-screen mark in the same "Triple D" season, catching Fieri’s attention with its sea-to-table, farm-to-table approach to dining. In a previous conversation with The News-Journal, Chris Chibbaro, who owns the restaurant alongside his wife Amy, described Millie’s as a place people can depend on and trust with life’s most precious moments — a community space where passion persists.
And that passion, it seems, was evident through every smoked and grilled bite of Millie’s famous alligator ribs the Mayor of Flavortown scarfed down. The “tender” and “meaty” selection, a first-time favorite for Fieri, came dressed in a rum-infused barbecue sauce with sliced jalapenos and green onion, ultimately described by the star as “one of the best ways I’ve ever had gator, if not the best.”
Beyond its smothered ribs, Millie’s menu includes the local fish collars — which Fieri also feasted on; the fish sandwich; scallop pasta; shrimp 'n' grits; and the Florida Sweet Rum BBQ Burger.
Season: 43
Episode: 11
Title: “Stuffed, Smoked and Wrapped”
Panheads Pizzeria
113 S. Orange St., New Smyrna Beach; 386-428-8738, panheadspizzeria.com
Fieri brought his appetite just south of Daytona, when he paid a visit to New Smyrna Beach’s Panheads Pizzeria. During his trip to the rock-themed eatery, Fieri spoke with chef and owner Eric Ross who opened the funky shop with his sister in an effort to carry on the recipes of their beloved Italian grandmother, Mabel. As Ross noted, Panheads showcases a “pizza-based menu with other specialties” and not only slow smokes its own meats, but creates its own rubs, homemade dough, sauce and “special cheese blend.”
During his visit, Fieri had a front-row seat to the creation of Panheads' Seek & Destroy flatbread pizza, which layers smoked brisket, caramelized onions, a mozzarella/provolone cheese blend, creamy horseradish drizzle and fresh basil. While Fieri tries to locate a mixer, Ross noted that all dough — "300 pounds a day" — is made by hand, yielding a “delicate” pizza that customers crave.
Fieri ultimately praised the tender creation, calling it “so mindful and so chef’d.”
Panheads offers an array of other flatbreads and over a dozen specialty pizzas, as well pasta dishes, like Grandma Mabel’s Gnocchi — a butter-, onion- and bacon-layered “melt in your mouth” favorite that Fieri feasted on next.
Season: 43
Episode: 10
Title: “Burger, Bird and Meaty Italian”
The Garlic
556 E. Third Ave., New Smyrna Beach; 386-424-6660, thegarlic.net
The Garlic, described as an Italian Country Grille, was also among Fieri’s stops during his famous food tour. While visiting the “magical” New Smyrna Beach restaurant, Fieri is shown speaking to owner and “funk master” Jeff Gehris, his wife, Paige, and executive chef Michael Perri, who, together, bring to life The Garlic experience.
Fieri was prepared a 1-pound, bone-in pork chop, cooked at roughly 700 degrees in a wood-fired oven, topped with pineapple curry chutney and served alongside roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables. He fawned over the chop’s dry rub and sear, praising the “spot-on dish” for its “moisture, smoke and just the perfume of it.”
While The Garlic’s enchanting garden-like atmosphere makes it an iconic favorite in Volusia County, its tastefully curated menu also sets a standard. The eatery offers a range of chicken, steak and seafood plates, as well as pasta dishes like the spiced pasta puttanesca and spuntitori Italiano — another favorite of Fieri — combining homemade meatballs, Italian sausage, pork, pulled beef and rigatoni.
Season: 43
Episode: 10
Title: “Burger, Bird and Meaty Italian”
Third Wave Café & Wine Bar
204 Flagler Ave., New Smyrna Beach; 386-402-7864, thirdwavensb.com
In a later episode, we see Fieri take things beachside in New Smyrna, where he stops by Third Wave Café, and for Flagler Avenue regulars, this visit comes as no surprise. During the show, Third Wave’s head chef David Moscoso fills Fieri in on his "Spanish country, farm girl"-style cuisine — a description that both caught the celebrity chef by surprise and piqued his interest.
Chef Moscoso goes on to prepare a pastrami beef rib board for Fieri, a 14-hour smoked selection, served charcuterie-style with house-made sauerkraut, pickles, mustard, “dynamite” Thousand Island dressing and paprika-rubbed applewood smoked cheddar cheese.
“The whole thing sings,” Fieri said of the dish, with restaurant guests praising its tanginess and texture variety.
Third Wave also showcased its burrata-topped wood-fired pizza, which Fieri gleefully indulged in. The eatery offers an exceptional array of casual and special-occasion wines and classic co*cktails, alongside an ever-changing menu of globally-influenced cuisine with steak, chicken and seafood plates for every palate.
Season: 44
Episode: 2
Title: “Rolled and Holed”
Rose Villa Southern Table and Bar
43 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach; 386-615-7673, rosevillarestaurant.com
Described by on-screen diners as “the jewel” and “centerpiece” of downtown Ormond Beach, Rose Villa Southern Table and Bar is another local gem whose classic comfort food left Fieri craving seconds. During the 2022 episode, the celebrity chef heads to the kitchen with Rose Villa co-owner and chef Sylvia Herrera — who described her plates as “Southern inspired” with “French influence.”
Chef Herrera starts out with a bourbon barbecue bone-in pork chop, served with house-made tree fruit chutney, goat cheese grits and fresh vegetables. Fieri praised the chop’s tenderness, rich flavor and “good sear” — a perfect pairing with ”the tang” of the grits and chutney’s sweetness.
The vintage spot, originally a home dating back to 1901, is known around town for its elevated menu of fried, sauced and buttered bites, including the house-smoked pork belly and biscuits; bouillabaisse — a “cooked-perfectly” seafood plate Fieri also devoured; the signature Southern fried chicken; shrimp and grits; and lobster-layered fried green tomatoes.
Season: 44
Episode: 1
Title: “Eastern Southern”
