16 metro Phoenix restaurants on Guy Fieri's show

New episodes of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" are back on the Food Network on Friday, July 11.

In the season premiere, Guy Fieri eats Hawaiian dishes with Gene Simmons from the band Kiss in Culver City, Calif.

The blond, spiky-haired host didn't make a stop in Phoenix this season, but he has been here many times before. Here's a list of where he has visited and what he has tasted.

Details: 7 p.m. Friday, July 11, on Food Network. Check local listings. foodnetwork.com.

Joe's Farm Grill

Ingredients go from ground-to-grill at this Gilbert restaurant located in the heart of Agritopia. The flatbread base on the barbecue chicken pizza is grilled instead of baked, then topped with a four-cheese blend of pecorino romano, mozzarella, fontina and blue cheese. Add grilled chicken, red onion, tomato, apple-cider smoked bacon, Joe's Real BBQ sauce and fresh basil and you've got what Fieri called a "Cobb salad on top of a pizza."

Details: 3000 E. Ray Road, Gilbert. 480-956-1121, joesfarmgrill.com.

Barrio Cafe

"This is real-deal Mexican," said Fieri of this central Phoenix spot. When he tried the cochinita pibil — meat that has been slow-roasted in achiote and sour orange juice, wrapped in banana leaves, then topped with pickled onion and pico de gallo — Fieri said claimed his "mouth is having a complete meltdown."

Details: 2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-636-0240, barriocafe.com.

Thee Pitts Again

Low-and-slow is the modus operandi at this Glendale barbecue joint. Catfish, shrimp, pork and whole turkeys are first covered in a spice rub, then cooked in a mesquite smoker. The house barbecue sauce is a mixture of brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and ketchup.

Details: 5558 W. Bell Road, Glendale. 602-996-7488, theepittsagain.com.

St. Francis

If you're following in Fieri's footsteps, order the Pig Dip at this Phoenix restaurant. Similar to a French dip, this sandwich is filled with wood-fired pork, applewood bacon, Gruyere, prosciutto, fennel-onion marmalade and Dijon mustard. It's served on a toasted house-made baguette that soaks up the accompanying pork au jus. Fieri said it was in "the top five pork sandwiches I have ever had and the top five dip sandwiches I have ever had."

Details: 111 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-200-8111, stfrancisaz.com.

La Piazza al Forno

When Fieri featured this pizzeria, he put downtown Glendale on the pizza map. Pizzas here are VPN-approved, meaning they meet artisanal standards set by Italy's Verace Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza) association. From crust to temperature, the process is strictly controlled. Fieri ate the Mediterranean pizza and tried the baked spaghetti pie, which looks like lasagna but is made with spaghetti noodles.

Details: 5803 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale. 623-847-3301, lapiazzaalforno.com.

Perk Eatery

Husband-and-wife owners of this Scottsdale breakfast and lunch spot fed Fieri three dishes, among them the breakfast pork enchiladas with New Mexican chili sauce and fried egg, and the wine country French toast, two slices of griddled challah with melted Brie topped with slow-roasted red grapes with a wine-and-maple syrup.

Details: 6501 E. Greenway Parkway, Phoenix. 480-998-6026, perkeatery.com.

The Duce

This quirky restaurant/store/boxing gym is on the south edge of downtown Phoenix. During his visit, Fieri tried the mac-and-cheese muffins, made with noodles covered in goat cheese, Cheddar and Gruyere and baked with a panko-Parmesan crust. The hand-held bites come in a basket to share. Fieri also checked out the chicken potpie, served in a glass jar.

Details: 525 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-866-3823, theducephx.com.

DeFalco's Italian Eatery

This family-owned Scottsdale spot served Fieri its Italian sausage-link sandwich, a pair of house-made pork sausage links topped with tomato sauce, sauteed peppers and onions, all topped with provolone and served on an Italian sub roll.

Details: 2334 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-990-8660, defalcosdeli.com.

Haus Murphy's

This German spot in Glendale is known for large portions of hearty Bavarian-style foods, including many types of schnitzel, sauerbraten and apple strudel, and a festive polka band Fridays and Saturdays.

Fieri said of the chef, "Have you ever seen chef Brett (Hoffmann)? He's a 6-foot-5 version of me. I was standing there and it was like me and mini me. They serve a great product. That dude has won more competitions probably than anyone we've met. He's got trophies holding doors open because he has to do something with them."

Details: 5739 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale. 623-939-2480, hausmurphys.com.

Matt's Big Breakfast

Known for: at-home atmosphere, thick-cut peppery bacon, made-from-scratch fluffy waffles and local sourcing.

Details: 825 N. First St., Phoenix. 602-254-1074, mattsbigbreakfast.com.

Los Taquitos Grill

Owned and operated by the Ochoa sisters, the restaurant serves family recipes such as carne asada or shrimp street tacos and is known for its homemade salsas.

Details: 4747 E. Elliot Road, Phoenix, 480-753-4370; 7000 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-371-0111. ltgrill.com.

Chino Bandido

You can order teriyaki chicken wrapped in a quesadilla at this quirky restaurant, which has developed a sort of cult following. There are more than 96,000 combinations of menu items, which include spicy jerk chicken, chile relleno and jenred pork. And every combo comes with a snickerdoodle cookie.

What Fieri said: "Definitely in the top 20 most crazy places I've ever been to. And the food is dynamite. The jade red chicken makes my mouth totally water."

Details: 15414 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, 602-375-3639; 1825 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, 480-889-5990. chinobandido.com.

Roberto's Mexican Food

Fieri visited this family-owned Mexican restaurant when it was still located inside a gas station. It has new digs now at an Anthem shopping center, but it is still serving carne asada, al pastor pork, spicy green sauce and menudo, a traditional soup with tripe (stomach), onion, garlic, Guajillo peppers and hominy.

Details: 39510 N. Daisy Mountain Drive, Anthem. 623-465-1515, robertosaz.com.

Giuseppe's on 28th

Fieri said the Bolognese ragu at this Phoenix Italian eatery was "crazy good." He also tried the housemade tagliatelle topped with a seven-meat ragu and the osso buco served over fresh pasta.

Details: 2824 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-381-1237, giuseppeson28th.com.

Over Easy

Stop by for the Midwestern atmosphere and eclectic menu with items, such as the Wolfpack, a hearty combo of eggs, bacon and cheese sandwiched between two layers of hash browns ($8).

What Fieri said: "It's a funky little breakfast joint. It's the kind of place you wish they had in every town. It's the perfect to place to roll out to on those Saturday mornings."

Details: Locations Valley-wide. eatatovereasy.com.

Curry Corner

This mother-and-son-owned Pakistani restaurant in Tempe is near the Arizona State University campus. Farah Khalid, or Mom, made tandoori chicken tikka, a traditional roasted spiced chicken dish; a flatbread called naan; and Farah's special mint chutney.

Details:

1212 E. Apache Blvd. 480-894-1276, currycornertempe.com.