The firecracker behind Shirley's Tippy Canoe, Shirley Welton, has turned this former biker bar into a haven for what Guy calls "real food that's real deal." That includes homemade sloppy joes, polish sausage and The Captain's Plate — a seafood feast with prawns, salmon, oysters and more.

Fish is rarely fresher than at this restaurant inside a fish market. Owner Ryan Rogers, a former fisherman, wanted to serve the freshest seafood in the Pacific Northwest. Most of his dishes come from Oregon-based fishing boats, including wild-caught-crawfish pie, along with Dungeness crab that Guy samples right off the boat.

In a first for his show, Guy visits a 100 percent vegan eatery. This cafe “veganizes” Southern-style comfort food with tasty results. Guy says even diners who dislike vegan food will dig the Eugenewich, which features fried Surata tofu and a smoky sauce. The frozen peanut butter pie is also a hit.

Chef Melissa McMillan, aka Chef Mel, has appeared twice on Guy’s Grocery Games. She opened Sammich because she missed the food she used to get in Chicago. Try the Chicago Italian Beef, served wet with classic giardiniera and roasted peppers and the Pastrami Zombie made with their house-brined, smoked and steamed pastrami. “This is like sandwich revolution,” Guy said.

The folks of Ashland have Chef Birong Hutabarat and his wife Leslie Hutabarat transporting them to Indonesia in the heart of Oregon. They specialize in super flavorful curries that incorporate spices brought back from fresh markets in Indonesia

Take a trip through the food carts featured at The Bite on Belmont in Portland, Oregon and stop at Viking Soul Food for a taste of some big Scandinavian flavors. A popular item is the thin lefse potato bread which can be wrapped with all different fillings. Guy tried the meatball lefse which is topped with a Scandinavian cheese sauce, sweet and sour cabbage and white cabbage. “How have I existed this long without having this?” he asked.

For fresh and simple Mexican fare in Ashland, Agave is the place to go. Guy loved the Winter Squash and Portobello Tamales with house made red tamale sauce and thought the Carnitas Torta was dynamite.

The Country Cat enticed Iron Chef winner Brad Farmerie with its home cooking and warm hospitality, but the cast-iron skillet fried chicken and red flannel hash keep him coming back. The shatteringly crisp fried chicken is served with an insane pecan-topped spoon bread that Chef Farmerie calls “layers and layers and layers of delight.” The red flannel hash, is a bright mixture of red beets and corned beef bound with sour cream and seasoned with freshly grated horseradish. The fuchsia mixture is pressed in a hot pan until it is an amalgamation of crispy, crunchy bits and then topped with a fried egg.

Guy also spoke highly of the fried chicken. "It's everything you want fried chicken to be," he said.

Described by its culinary team as “rock 'n' roll and tattoos,” The Original Dinerant offers a modern take on '50s and '60s diners by way of amped-up American favorites featuring local and seasonal ingredients. Creative riffs on the classics include a cheese-smothered beef slider patty served between two piping-hot halves of a glazed housemade doughnut. Another standout is the chicken and waffles that Guy called a “contender for the title.” Jalapeno-and-cheddar-studded buttermilk waffles come heaped with crisp chicken confit and drenched in smoked maple syrup.

Chef and owner Greg Schwab broke free of the corporate world to bring seasonal and regional seafood favorites to Portland, Oregon. His take on cioppino is packed with seasonal, local fish and topped with a crispy, fresh Dungeness crab cake.

Ironwork furnishings round out The Industrial Cafe and Saloon's menu of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Guy devoured the chipped beef and pastrami Reuben. As for the corned beef, it's built from the ground up with locally raised cattle, courtesy of Lucky Tough Land Cattle. How's that for fresh?

Guy stopped here to sample authentic Swiss dishes without stepping foot outside of the United States. Co-owner Jennie Wyss is carrying on the culinary legacy of her Swiss-born father by serving true European cuisine. Standouts include the spaetzle and paprika schnitzel. “I can’t shovel this in my face fast enough,” said Guy of the buttery, crunchy egg noodles and the paprika-laced pork medallions. He also raved about the emince zurichoise, a thinly sliced pork sirloin that comes smothered in a mushroom-studded sauce.

At Otto's they're serving up 50 different kinds of sausages 7 days a week. The old-fashioned hot dogs are "tender and creamy," according to Guy. Besides assorted bratwursts, deli meats like corned beef and roast beef are also available. For his sandwich, Guy got the "killer" smoked pastrami.

Chef Megan Sanchez and husband Alec Morrison started out delivering tacos but fell in love with tortas after a trip to Mexico. At Guero, they work to infuse deep flavor into all aspects of these traditional Mexican sandwiches. The Masa y Papa is a vegetarian option stuffed with a fried masa and potato pancake, tamarind roasted tomatoes, avocado, onion, cilantro, queso botanero, cabbage and pickled onion. “That might be one of the best vegetarian Mexican tortas I’ve ever had,” said Guy. “I’d order that every day.”

Co-owners Emily Anderson and Chef Paul Davis looked to their roots when creating the menu at this homey spot. While Anderson’s California sensibility translates as a preference for fresh produce, Midwesterner Davis favors comfort food classics. He steps up housemade buttermilk biscuits by smothering them in a tomato gravy made from his grandmother’s Appalachian recipe. Crushed tomatoes are brought together with evaporated milk, whole milk and flour to make a velvety gravy that Guy called “top-notch.”