Every San Antonian has a shortlist of local dining spots they know and love, but some standouts and their chefs have managed to grab the national TV spotlight. Whether it’s been via culinary shows on Food Network and the Cooking Channel or a PBS travel program, these establishments and their chefs have raised the media profile of SA’s food scene.

The Cove 606 West Cypress St., (210) 227-2683, thecove.us Guy Fieri first visited The Cove during season four of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for the “Totally Unexpected” episode. Yep, Fieri really loved that The Cove is a restaurant, car wash, laundromat all in one. He loved it so much that he came back and had a Latin-spiced lamb burger as part of the “Best from the Road” episode where he revisited all of his favorites. Photo via Instagram / thecovesa
Nacho Aguirre: Delice Chocolatier and Patisserie 946 N Loop 1604 W #145, (210) 545-2200, delicechocolatier.com Co-owner of Delice Chocolatier and Patisserie Nacho Aguirre, was named champion during the fourth season of the Food Network’s reality show Spring Baking Championship. You can try some of Aguirre’s delicacies for yourself at his Belgian-inspired bakery located on San Antonio’s North Side. Photo via Food Network
La Panadería 301 East Houston St., (210) 592-6264, lapanaderia.com Back in summer 2017, Guy Fieri stopped by the then-brand new La Panadería in the heart of downtown. The season 27 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode titled “A Passport of Flavor” looked at the authentic bakery that serves up real-deal sourdough just like in old school Mexico City. Guy also made the bakery’s best-selling item, the tequila almond croissants. Photo via Instagram / lapanaderia
Emily Hersh: Jardin 555 Funston Pl, (210) 338-5100, jardinsatx.com San Antonio chef Emily Hersh appeared as a contestant during the 20th season of Fox TV’s Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns, hosted by Gordon Ramsay. Formerly of Jason Dady’s Jardín Restaurant at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Hersh now resides in NYC ahead of opening a new vegan barbecue concept. Photo courtesy of Emily Hersh
Paciugo Gelato & Caffe 340 E Basse Rd, (210) 832-8820, paciugo.com Paciugo Gelato & Caffè was featured on the Cooking Channel’s Cheat Day USA, a show that follows bodybuilding Dinner: Impossible host Robert Irvine as he seeks out the “craziest, most indulgent, most deliciously decadent meals” between gym days. The unique shop is known for its ice-cream sundaes that bear uncanny resemblances to savory Italian fare. Photo via Instagram / nerdyyogimolly_tx
Luther’s Cafe 1503 N Main Avenue, (210) 729-5093, lutherscafe.com Luther’s is a fave for late-night eats and drag shows that give us life. The Main Avenue spot was featured on the “Ooey, Gooey and Cheesy” episode of Burgers, Brew & ‘Que for its meatloaf sandwich wrapped in crispy bacon and drenched with an egg. Photo via Google Maps
Tim McDiarmid: The Good Kind Southtown 1127 S St Mary’s St, (210) 801-5892, eatgoodkind.com Owner of The Good Kind and Tim The Girl Catering appeared on the 50th season of the Food Network’s hit show, Chopped last year. You can check out some of the celebrity chef’s dishes at her popular Southtown eatery. Photo by Dawn Hoffman
Two Bros. BBQ Market 12656 West Avenue, (210) 496-0222, twobrosbbqmarket.com It’s safe to say that all of Chef Jason Dady’s restaurants got national attention when he appeared on Top Chef: Texas in 2011 and Iron Chef Gauntlet in 2017. Dady’s cherry-glazed baby back ribs have especially gotten attention as they’ve been featured on the Food Network’s site, too. Photo via Instagram /
Mark’s Outing 1624 E Commerce St, (210) 299-8110, marksouting.com This Eastside joint known for colossal burgers made an appearance on the Cooking Channel’s Cheat Day USA, a show that follows bodybuilding Dinner: Impossible host Robert Irvine as he seeks out the “craziest, most indulgent, most deliciously decadent meals” between gym days. Photo via Instagram / marksouting
Geronimo Lopez: Botika 303 Pearl Pwky #111, (210) 670-7684, botikapearl.com San Antonio Chef Geronimo Lopez was featured on season 50 of Chopped on the Food Network. Known for his Peruvian fusion cuisine, you can try one of his noteworthy plates at Botika, located at the Pearl. Photo via Facebook / Botika Restaurant Credit: Facebook / Botika Restaurant
Fat Tummy Empanadas 2922 W Commerce St, (210) 383-6415, fattummyempanadassa.com During a busy fall season, Guy Fieri did himself some good by visiting Fat Tummy Empanadas with Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Watch the “From Sandwiches to Stroganoff” episode to see Fieri get his fill of these delicious empanadas. Photo by Ron Bechtol
The Magnolia Pancake Haus 606 Embassy Oaks Ste 100, (210) 496-0828, magnoliapancakehaus.com Magnolia has gotten a shoutout from celebrity chef Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives twice so far, y’all. On “Ultimate Bacon Fest,” Guy traveled across the country and ended up at this San Antonio spot for bacon waffles. Yum! Then, on “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner,” Magnolia’s dominance in the morning meal sector was highlighted for its old school pfannkuchen from a decades-old recipe. Photo via Instagram / magnoliapancakehaus
Sofia Tejeda: Mixtli Progressive Mexican Culinaria 812 S. Alamo, Suite 103, (210) 338-0746, restaurantmixtli.com Formerly of San Antonio’s Eilan Hotel & Spa, Sofia Tejeda competed in the Food Network’s Girl Scout Cookie Championship in 2020. Born in Mexico City, Tejada’s baked goods focus on edible works of art with amazing taste. Now, she helms the pastry program at nationally-lauded eatery Mixtli Progressive Mexican Culinaria. Photo via Instagram / florecerfemme
Smoke Shack 3714 Broadway St., (210) 957-1430, smokeshacksa.com Josh Denny brought his Ginormous Food to San Antonio and was sure to spotlight Smoke Shack. As part of the “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” episode, Denny stopped by this Broadway ‘cue spot and tried the Big Mac Daddy. You know, the two-foot-long bun topped with pulled pork, brisket, sausage links, sauce and meaty mac & cheese. More recently, Guy Fieri stopped by SS for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for the “Burgers, Bacon and BBQ” episode. Photo by casual.epicure via Instagram / smokeshack
El Remedio Taco Truck 2924 Culebra Rd, (210) 621-3112, facebook.com/ElRemedioSA/ One of San Antonio’s favorite food trucks, El Remedio, was also featured on Cheat Day. The spot is known for its Mexican-Asian fusion cuisine and has several SA-area locations. Photo via Instagram / elremedio_sa
Johnny Hernandez: La Gloria, la Fruteria-Botanero, and Burgerteca La Gloria, Multiple Locations, La Fruteria, 1401 S Flores St., Ste. 102, (210) 251-3104 Burgerteca, 403 Bluestar #105, (210) 635-0016, chefjohnnyhernandez.com/restaurants The well-known San Antonio chef competed against celebrity chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network TV show, Beat Bobby Flay — the fourth chef hailing from the Alamo City to do so. Photo courtesy of Johnny Hernandez Credit: Courtesy Photo / Johnny Hernandez
Luna Rosa Puerto Rican Grill y Tapas 2603 SE Military Dr #106, (210) 314-3111, lunarosatapas.com As part of a FN show titled Triple D Nation, Guy Fieri returned once again to SA. For the “Piling on the Pork” episode, Fieri sampled Caribbean nachos and chuleta kan-kan pork chops. Photo via Instagram / lunarosatx
Texas Pride Barbecue 2980 TX-1604 Loop, Adkins, (210) 649-3730, texaspridebbq.net In season three of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy Fieri was sure to hit up Texas Pride for the “All Kinds of BBQ” episode. Guy totally recommends the best-selling brisket paired with a side of baked beans. Photo via Instagram / stevefanningphotography
Jesse Kuykendall: Ocho at Hotel Havana and Milpa Ocho, 1015 Navarro St, (210) 222-2008, havanasanantonio.com/restaurant-and-bar/ocho Milpa, 5253 McCullough Ave, (210) 990-2349, facebook.com/milpaattheyard Known locally as Chef Kirk, Jesse Kuykendall won the Food Network’s popular cooking show competition, Chopped, during season 47 — becoming the only San Antonio chef to win the competition so far. Photo by Nina Rangel
Dignowity Meats 1701 E Houston St, (210) 462-1496, dignowitymeats.com It should come as no surprise that Guy Fieri came to town to spotlight the East Side gem that is Dignowity Meats. As part of his famed Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Fieri stopped by for the “Regional Recipes” episode, billing the spot as an East Coast-Texas deli known for its smoked meats. Photo by Lizzy Flowers Credit: Lizzy Flowers
Los Barrios 4223 Blanco Road, (210) 732-6017, losbarriosrestaurant.com Los Barrios has gotten plenty of Food Network attention thanks to celebrity chef Bobby Flay. On the second episode of FoodNation with Bobby Flay, he visited restaurants across the Alamo City, some of which have since closed. At Los Barrios, Flay cooked with chef/owner Diana Barrios-Treviño and prepared a “Tex-Mex Fiesta.” On the “Puffy Tacos” episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, he learned all about puffy tacos as Los Barrios. Flay ended up losing to the San Antonio chef because he didn’t use fresh masa. Photo via Instagram / losbarriosrestaurant
Leo Davila: Stixs & Stone Stixs & Stone, 5718 B Wurzbach Rd, (210) 592-1187, stixs-stone.business.site Leo Davila, chef-owner of San Antonio eatery Stixs & Stone, recently made his television debut while appearing on the Food Network’s competition show Big Restaurant Bet. Davila has worked at several restaurants around town, and was one of the Current’s “5 San Antonio Chefs You Need to Know” in 2019. Photo courtesy of Leo Davila
Pharm to Table 611 S Presa St, (210) 802-1860, pharmtotable.life Known for its veggie focused cuisine and Ayurvedic approach, Pharm Table was featured on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love. Photo via Instagram / pharmtable
Dough Pizzeria Napoletana 6989 Blanco Road, (210) 979-6565, doughpizzeria.com Dough may be prized for its… dough, but it was actually the Blanco Road’s pork that landed it on season 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Guy Fieri stopped by to try the homemade pork sausage and prosciutto during the “Porktastic” episode. Photo courtesy of Dough Pizzeria Napoletana
Tycoon Flats 2926 North St. Mary’s Street, (210) 320-0819, tycoonflats.net Season two of Burgers, Brew & ‘Que brought host Michael Symon to Tycoon Flats. In the “Brisket for Breakfast” episode, he tried the St. Mary’s Strip restaurant’s signature fried apple bacon bleu cheese burger. Photo via Instagram / tycoonflats
Carnitas Lonja 1107 Roosevelt Ave, (210) 455-2105, carnitaslonja.com/ Known for serving up authentic Mexican carnitas, this Southside spot was featured on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love. Photo via Instagram / carnitas_lonja
Soluna 7959 Broadway Street, St #204, (210) 930-8070, solunasa.com Crave host Troy Johnson brought the Food Network show to this Mexican spot for its “Spicy Food: Taste the Pain” episode. Over at Soluna, Johnson tried the restaurant’s chips and the “extra spicy” salsa made from a mix of hot peppers. He even made his own salsa blend, which may have fallen a bit short from Soluna’s. Photo via Instagram / solunasanantonio
De Wese’s Tip Top Cafe 2814 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 732-0191, facebook.com/tiptopcafesanantonio Tip Top Cafe has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives not once, but twice! Guy Fieri honored this Fredericksburg Road spot as a timeless classic that is family run. In another episode, Fieri highlighted its place a comfort food classic, particularly concerning the roast pork. Photo via Instagram / d.reyes.tx
Bun ‘N’ Barrel 1150 Austin Hwy., (210) 828-2829, bunnbarrel.com Whatever you may think about it, the fact remains that Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has paid a visit to Bun ‘N’ Barrel. As part of the “Grillin’ and Smokin’” episode, Guy Fieri stopped by the longtime drive-in for the burgers and smoked brisket made with Thai heat. Photo via Instagram / moneyshotphoto
Moroccan Bites Tagine 5714 Evers Road, (210) 706-9700, moroccanbitestagine.com Guy Fieri brought his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to San Antonio in season 12 for the “From Kraut to Couscous” episode. Over at Moroccan Bites, Fieri was all about couscous at the family-run restaurant. Photo via Instagram / texlokman8
Big Lou’s Pizza 2048 S WW White Road, (210) 337-0707, biglouspizza-satx.com Most people remember when Big Lou’s was featured on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, but the East Side pizza spot also made an appearance on the first-ever episode of Ginormous Food with Josh Denny. Titled “Everything’s Bigger in Texas,” national viewers got to see Big Lou’s 62-inch pizza that’s as big as a table. Photo via Instagram / biglouspizza
Beto’s Alt-Mex 8142 Broadway Street, (210) 930-9393, betosaltmex.com Guy Fieri was sure to some to San Antonio for the “Latin Street Food” episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. During his season 12 visit, Fieri tasted Beto’s modern take on empanadas, which come in 14 different varieties. Photo via Instagram / betosaltmex