A Look At 3 ‘Triple D’ Restaurants That Have Closed In WNY

You've seen tons of Western New York restaurants on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.' These are the restaurants that sadly didn't make it after being featured.

One of the greatest things about Western New York is the food.  When people move away, it's one of the things they claim to miss the most.  Many of the restaurants here are second to none.  There's a reason why so many of them have been featured on the popular TV show, 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives' on the Food Network.

What is 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives?'

'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives' is a TV show that began back in 2006.  It centers around the host, Guy Fieri, as he visits small, independently owned restaurants, food trucks, and stands that are known to have creative dishes that are loved by the locals.  Fieri will often try the dishes himself and show how they are made by heading into the kitchen with the head chef from that particular restaurant.  It is easily one of the biggest shows on the Food Network.

Which Restaurants From Western New York Have Been Featured On The Show?

As mentioned above, there have been multiple Western New York Restaurants featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.'  There is actually a website that is dedicated to showing all the locations that have been featured.  If you scroll to the bottom of this website, you can see them in alphabetical order.  Some of them include:

Blackthorn Restaurant & Pub - Buffalo

Sophia's Restaurant - Buffalo

Earl's Diner - Chaffee

Grover's Bar & Grill - East Amherst

Mulberry Italian Ristorante - Lackawanna

Pizza Junction - North Tonawanda

Lake Effect Diner - Buffalo

How Many Of Those Restaurants Are Still Open?

It feels like most of the restaurants that would be featured on such a big show for having incredible food would be thriving today.  Unfortunately, that's not the case.  It's a glowing example that shows the restaurant business is more than just the food that is on the plate. Some of these restaurants closed because of other factors that were out of their control like the death of the owner or complications from the pandemic.

Lake Effect Diner ended up closing their doors in 2021.

Earl's Diner closed in 2017 following the death of the owner Earl Northrup.  The building has since been demolished and a new wedding venue has been built close to where it stood.

Pizza Junction shows that it is still open on Google, but is more of a "Virtual Pizzeria" that fills orders online.  They closed their doors after 40 years in the business in 2019.