2 Best Restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah

Visitors are sometimes taken aback to find stunningly authentic, richly flavorful house-made moles, chile verde, carnitas, and other self-described "killer Mexican" dishes in Salt Lake City, and especially in a rambling old yellow-brick building on the other side of I–15 from Downtown. But the lines out the door attest to the longstanding adoration of the Red Iguana, which in addition to doling out great food also serves first-rate premium margaritas, good Mexican beers, and delicious and free salsa and chips. If the crowds have you feeling blue, try the satellite outpost, Red Iguana 2, which is just two blocks away and has many more tables.

You can't miss this tiny lime green joint, marked by an old sticker-covered car off Fort Union Boulevard and often packed with skiers from the nearby Cottonwood canyons. The kitchen serves tasty, inexpensive Mexican food—including house special fish tacos, handmade tamales, burritos, and plenty of chilled Mexican beer. It seats less than 50, but there's a handy drive-through window for takeout if scoring a table proves challenging.