Now in its 45th season, the Food Network series “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” is finally visiting Rapid City as superstar chef Guy Fieri visits Bokujo Ramen in a new episode airing Friday night at 7:00.
Self-taught chef Justin Warner, winner of the 8th season of the Food Network Star competition show, opened Bokujo Ramen in downtown Rapid City in March of 2021.
Although neither Warner or his wife are Japanese, the restaurant’s website says the couple “met in a Japanese restaurant and Japanese food has been a fundamental theme of (their) partnership ever since.”
They have been to Japan a few times to learn the many ways to prepare ramen, and are eager to showcase their love for the meal and their personal touch for each dish.
Warner describes Bokujo Ramen as celebrating “the flavors of the Black Hills” merged with the tradition of Japanese cooking.
Restaurants featured on DD&D usually see a nice bump in customers are their episode airs, but Warner says he started noticing an increase as soon as word began to spread of Bokujo Ramen’s selection.
This is just the second time Fieri has brought the show to South Dakota. The first was in 2020 in Sioux Falls.