Guy Fieri's Triple D Trip To Bunk Sandwiches Still Has Portland Talking
Over years of filming "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," Guy Fieri has amassed a few favorite spots along the way — like Bar-B-Q King in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Momocho in Cleveland, Ohio (which he's visited on the show a whopping four times). When he's swinging through the Northwest, Fieri makes a point to hit one Portland sandwich shop known for fully-loaded, made-from-scratch sammies with major attention to craft, detail, and creativity. A longtime favorite, Fieri helped put Bunk Sandwiches on the map back in 2009, and, by extension, the Portland food scene at large.
In an episode of his hit Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" (Season 7, Episode 1), Fieri pays a visit to Bunk Sandwiches, located at 1028 SE Water Avenue in Portland, Oregon. During the episode, Fieri digs into an elaborate sandwich loaded with salt cod, sliced and fried chorizo, herbed mashed potato puree, and marinated olives, inspired by Spanish tapas. Chowing down, Fieri notes that the dimensional sando just "continues to open up" as he chews. "There's so many components to it. If you're going to have a gourmet sandwich — I don't even want to call it 'gourmet;' I want to call it 'funkalicious' — Get the funk at Bunk." It's especially high praise considering that, if Fieri doesn't like a meal he eats, the footage of him eating it doesn't go on the show. Fieri calls Bunk "A righteous handmade sandwich joint," raving, "When I come back to Portland, I'm comin' to Bunk."
Guy Fieri helped put Portland's food scene on the map in the 2000s
The impact of the celebrity foodie's visit is still considered an important moment in the evolution of the city's food scene, as attested by a recent write-up in local news outlet Portland Monthly. The outlet names Bunk Sandwiches as one of "The 25 Restaurants That Made Portland," writing, "Portland was not a food city in the year 2000. Over the past quarter century, these restaurants changed that." Founded by Nick Wood and Tommy Habetz, Bunk Sandwiches opened its doors in 2008; Fieri visited in 2009. In the years since, Bunk Sandwiches has springboarded other local enterprises like Bunk Beer Hall in Tigard's Bridgeport Village, and Bunk Bar, a haven for Portland's local music scene. The official Bunk Sandwiches Instagram account boasts over 14,000 followers and regularly posts menu updates and show flyers (dinner and a concert, anyone?).
While the salt cod sammy Fieri swooned for isn't currently listed on the Bunk website's menu, other honorable mentions include the massive Italian Cured Meats sandwich with Bunk marinated peppers ($13.50) and, for plant-based eaters, the Mushroom & Mozzarella Melt with whipped ricotta and truffle salt ($12.75). Top Chef Masters winner Chris Cosentino names Bunk's pork belly Cubano ($13.25) on fellow Food Network television series "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," praise shared by the multiple Yelp customer reviews that mention the Cubano. Rip a side of baked mac and cheese or loaded waffle fries, and you're on your way to Flavortown.