Salt Lake City Restaurants

The 2002 Winter Olympics cast Salt Lake City in a new, contemporary, more diverse light. Visitors discovered a panoply of cultural influences, brewpubs, ethnic flavors, and progressive chefs. Salt Lake City may not have the depth of restaurants seen in other big cities, but there are a couple of outstanding choices for nearly every budget and cuisine. Restaurants like Lamb’s Grill Café, Hire’s Big H, and Ruth’s Diner trace their roots back five-plus decades, and their colorful proprietors are more than willing to share the history they’ve witnessed from their kitchens. Returning LDS missionaries have brought back their favorite flavors from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with impressive results. Seafood, Japanese, Tibetan, Indian, Spanish, and Italian are all suitably showcased in Salt Lake eateries, and when all else fails, there are great burgers and Rocky Mountain cuisine, a fusion inspired by frontier big game, seafood fresh from the great Pacific ports, and organic produce grown in Utah’s fertile valleys. You'll also find creative wine lists and knowledgeable service. Bakers and pastry chefs defy the 4,400-foot altitude with rustic sourdoughs and luscious berry-filled treats. Multiple weekly summer farmers' markets are thriving, and chefs are building more and more of a food community.

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  • 1. Cucina

    $$$

    Foodies flock to this neighborhood café and food market for creative salads and colorful entrées like ahi tuna poke with guajillo chilies and mango, or lobster gnocchi in a saffron beurre blanc with dandelion pesto and candied oranges. Also on the menu are house-made soups and generous deli sandwiches. Big windows and warm mustard and terra-cotta tones lend the setting some Tuscan-style flair, with seating indoors and out.

    1026 2nd Ave., Utah, 84103, USA
    801-322–3055

    Known For

    • Outstanding list of wines by the glass and bottle
    • Hefty deli sandwiches to go
    • Panna cotta with creative rotating preparations
  • 2. Feldman's Deli

    $

    A bustling space with high ceilings, brick walls, and live music some evenings, this contemporary take on a traditional Jewish deli is in a cheerful neighborhood on the south edge of Sugar House. It's a must for classic dishes—in enormous portions—of Reuben sandwiches, blintzes with fruit compote, matzo ball soup, and everything bagels with smoked sockeye salmon and a schmear.

    2005 E. 2700 S, Utah, 84109, USA
    801-906–0369

    Known For

    • Good local beers
    • Authentic boiled bagels baked fresh daily
    • Rugelach pastries

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 3. Fillings & Emulsions

    $

    Employing a team of world-class pastry chefs, including acclaimed owner and Food Network competitor Adalberto Diaz, this sumptuous little cake shop produces artful and delicious sweet treats. Stop by and treat yourself to a guava tart or a slice of raspberry chocolate cheesecake. There's an additional location in Salt Lake City International Airport.

    1475 S. Main St., Utah, 84115, USA
    385-229–4228

    Known For

    • Colorful French macarons
    • Savory baked Cuban sandwich meat pies
    • One-day classes on myriad topics

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
  • 4. Ruth's Diner

    $

    Families love the gussied-up old railcar that serves as Ruth's dining room and the best creek-side patio in the city—you just have to navigate your way up gorgeous Emigration Canyon to find it. Breakfast (served until 4 pm) has been the diner's trademark since 1930, and it starts with 3-inch-high biscuits followed by massive omelets like the King of Hearts (artichokes, garlic, mushrooms, and two cheeses). In summer the barbecue fires up every Thursday night for ribs, fish, chicken, or whatever the chef concocts, with live music on the patio. Watch the road for deer, moose, and some of the top cyclists in America, who train here much of the year.

    4160 Emigration Canyon Rd., Utah, 84108, USA
    801-582–5807

    Known For

    • Scenic canyon setting
    • Live music on the patio in summer
    • Long wait times on weekend mornings
  • 5. Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade

    $

    This supercasual café with a smattering of sidewalk tables serves up heavenly biscuits in an assortment of ways, from blueberry-biscuit pudding French toast to fried chicken biscuit sandwiches with spicy pickles and mustard. Head to the refreshment stand at one end of the dining room to order a refreshing raspberry, habanero, or mint limeade. There are additional locations in Draper and American Fork.

    54 W. 1700 S, Utah, 84115, USA
    801-953–1978

    Known For

    • Limeades with rotating seasonal flavors
    • Biscuit eggs Benedict
    • Strawberry "tall cake" with fresh cream

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Alchemy Coffee

    $

    In the Liberty Wells district a little west of Sugar House, this eclectically furnished café with cozy armchairs, rotating art exhibits, and high-ceiling rafters is an inviting place to while away a morning or afternoon. Veggie quiche with house-made aioli, thick-cut sourdough avocado toast, and well-crafted espresso drinks provide sustenance, and there's always good music playing.

    390 E. 1700 S, Utah, 84115, USA
    801-322–0735

    Known For

    • Diverse crowd
    • Sweet chocolate chai lattes
    • Almond and chocolate croissants
  • 7. Bambara

    $$$$

    In an ornate former bank lobby adjacent to swanky Hotel Monaco, the city's most esteemed hotel restaurant is as notable for its setting as for its exceptional food. The kitchen crafts big plates of seasonally sourced modern American fare, including seared elk loin with berry compote, sea scallops with corn and cannellini beans, and fillet of beef with duck-fat potatoes and truffle aioli. A marble-fronted exhibition kitchen, big windows framed in fanciful hammered metal swirls, and a definite "buzz" make Bambara a hot spot even after many years. You can also dine in the bar, or simply enjoy a cocktail while cozied up in a velvet-lined booth.

    202 S. Main St., Utah, 84101, USA
    801-363–5454

    Known For

    • Stylish, see-and-be-seen dining room
    • Lavishly prepared steaks and seafood
    • Outstanding wine list

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch
  • 8. Eva's Bakery

    $

    Skip the overpriced breakfast at your downtown hotel and make a beeline for this enchanting Parisian-inspired boulangerie with tiled walls, marble café tables, and sidewalk seating out front. Start the day with beet-avocado toast, stuffed French toast oozing with lemon cream cheese and blueberry compote, or a fruit tart or almond croissant. The espresso and cold brew are first-rate, too.

    155 S. Main St., Utah, 84101, USA
    801-355–3942

    Known For

    • Short walk to Gallivan Center and Temple Square
    • Exquisite French pastries
    • French toast stuffed with lemon cream cheese

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 9. Oasis Cafe

    $$

    From early morning to well into the evening, a selection of fine teas and espresso drinks, big breakfasts, and healthful entrées draw regulars to this café and its serene patio courtyard, and also to adjacent New Age bookstore and gift shop, the Golden Braid. The menu leans toward vegetarian and seafood selections, such as multigrain waffles and eggs Benedict Florentine in the morning and sesame-blackened ahi with sticky rice and peanut stir-fry with udon noodles later in the day. There's a nice wine selection, too.

    151 S. 500 E, Utah, 84102, USA
    801-322–0404

    Known For

    • Short stroll to the Avenues and City Creek Park
    • Diverse, New Age vibe
    • Seasonal house-made sorbets
  • 10. Salt Lake Roasting Company

    $

    Since 1981 the Roasting Company has sourced, bought, imported, roasted, and sold dozens of varieties of coffees. Great pastries, desserts, light breakfast and lunch fare, free Wi-Fi, and friendly, knowledgeable staff make this a Salt Lake institution. You'll detect the distinctive aroma of their coffee in the lobby of the public library, where there's a satellite location.

    820 E. 400 S, Utah, 84111, USA
    801-363–7572

    Known For

    • Lots of space to spread out and work, read, or socialize
    • Great selection of herbal teas
    • Opens very early

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
  • 11. Swen's

    $$$$

    With its sleek, contemporary vibe, warm lighting and wood accents, open kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the fantastic ski terrain, this upscale restaurant in the ritzy Snowpine Lodge is Alta's hippest dining destination. The kitchen takes a farm-to-table approach to its hearty but creative mountain fare, with standout dishes like hamachi crudo and a succulent peppercorn-crusted rib-eye steak with mashed potatoes and Merlot-braised mushrooms. Service is top-notch.

    10420 E. Hwy. 210, Utah, 84092, USA
    801-742–6014

    Known For

    • Breathtaking mountain views
    • Filling breakfasts
    • Impressive wine list

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Mon. and Tues. No lunch, Reservations essential
  • 12. The Park Cafe

    $

    Drop by this long-running café with a wall of windows facing the leafy trees of Liberty Park for a leisurely breakfast or lunch before strolling amid the greenery or visiting Tracy Aviary & Botanical Garden. Specialties include vegan hash with grilled potatoes and avocado, the bacon-and-egg-filled pancake sandwich, and a variety of burgers. Portions are formidable, too.

    604 E. 1300 S, Utah, 84105, USA
    801-487–1670

    Known For

    • Friendly neighborhood atmosphere
    • Breakfast served all day
    • Cheeseburgers smothered in pork chile verde sauce

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 13. Tulie Bakery

    $

    This cozy neighborhood bakeshop between Trolley Square and 9th and 9th turns out absolutely ethereal cookies (the salted caramel bars are legendary), tarts, and cakes, as well as sandwiches on soft and crusty savory breads. The soppressata and provolone and prosciutto-fig-gorgonzola sandwiches are among the favorites, and there's a full roster of espresso drinks and fine teas. There's a second location south and east, near Wasatch Hollow.

    863 E. 700 S, Utah, 84102, USA
    801-883–9741

    Known For

    • Fine Japanese green teas
    • Breakfast toast with apricot honey and garlic chevre
    • Olive oil–orange cake with brown-butter buttercream

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner

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