TV Restaurants

Is Gorilla BBQ Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 32 Pacifica, California

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Gorilla BBQ is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on October 11, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: Yelp's listing for the address, updated July 2026 with 1,895 reviews, confirms current takeout-only weekend hours matching those posted on the restaurant's own site. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Part 1 — Season 32, Episode 6 Aired

In this takeout episode, Guy Fieri ordered from Gorilla Barbeque, the Pacifica smokehouse run out of a converted railroad car that Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives first featured in a Season 5 episode that aired in February 2009, according to the show's own location listing. The segment returned to the Philly cheesesteak that first caught the show's attention. Gorilla Barbeque, located on Coast Highway 1, donates a portion of its profits annually to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Part 2 — Season 5, Episode 10 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica for the 'BBQ & More' episode (S5E10), which aired 2009-02-09, highlighting the restaurant's smoked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and chicken. Gorilla BBQ operates from a converted orange train car on Highway 1, according to Yelp. According to gorillabbq.com, the restaurant is open Friday through Sunday from noon until sold out, takeout only. According to Yelp, whose listing for the address was updated in July 2026 with 1,895 reviews, the restaurant continues to operate on that Friday-through-Sunday schedule.

Gorilla BBQ asks customers traveling a distance to call ahead for availability, since it often sells out before its posted 8 pm closing time, according to Yelp. The restaurant's own site also lists its phone number and describes the barbecue as smoked in-house, according to gorillabbq.com.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 6
Aired
Title: Takeout: Funky Finds in 'da House · What was featured: Takeout order of Gorilla BBQ's Philly cheesesteak from a converted train car
Season 5, Episode 10
Aired
Title: BBQ & More · What was featured: Smoked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and chicken from a converted train car
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 32 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 32: 32 of 43 still open · 2 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 32 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 2145 Cabrillo Highway

All 892 TV restaurants in California →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com https://www.dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com/gorilla-bbq-california.html
  2. flavortownusa.com https://www.flavortownusa.com/locations/164/gorilla-barbeque
  3. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/gorilla-barbeque-pacifica
  4. gorillabbq.com https://www.gorillabbq.com/
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Record ddd-0192 · checked by Cal Marchetti.