38 Best Restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah

One of two inviting restaurants run by the city's excellent Proper Brewing Company, this contemporary neighborhood bistro on a quiet street in the Avenues is a terrific option for a meal on the terrace on a sunny day or in the postindustrial dining room. Sample the flavorful house-brewed ales paired with eclectic comfort fare like steak frites, Korean pork belly bibimbap, and shrimp and grits. There's a taproom downtown and an additional restaurant in Sugar House.  

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.

Being in a city with a major international hub airport has its advantages, including access to daily shipments of incredibly fresh fish, which are the stars on the menu of this postindustrial former warehouse space with a soaring arched ceiling and exposed rafters and air ducts. Expect seafood sourced from East and West—consider Japanese Kumamoto oysters on the half shell, Gulf shrimp and grits, and Prince Edward Island mussels with house-smoked pork belly. Next door, Under Current bar stays open later.

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.

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.

Set in downtown's Gateway Center shopping village and offering several distinct dining stations and seating at gorgeous carved-wood tables, the city's first food hall opened in 2020 and has quickly become a trendy spot to eat and people-watch. The options are varied and consistently good and include Nashville hot chicken, Belgian-style waffles and crepes, slow-cooked ramen, prodigious lobster rolls, and Japanese-Mexican-fusion izakaya fare. There's also a large outdoor dining area with gardens and flowers, and a multiplex movie theater next door.

Run by a friendly husband-and-husband team who began with a hummus stand at the farmers' market, Laziz has grown into an outstanding full-service Lebanese restaurant in the burgeoning Granary District, with a cheerfully hip plant-filled dining room and street-side terrace. The most delicious strategy here is to make a feast of a selection of small plates: spiced labneh, eggplant baba ghanoush, grilled Halloumi cheese, kibbeh, fried cauliflower with garlic-cilantro pesto, red-wine-braised lamb shank, and maybe a kafta burger or two. The short but excellent wine list features several Lebanese bottles. There's a second location in Midvale.

More than living up to its promise of farm-to-table freshness, this welcoming, microscopic, chef-driven neighborhood bistro capitalizes on local artisan farmers, with big and small plates anchored around simple ingredients like radishes, beets, or mountain stream trout. There's plenty to satisfy big appetites, too, such as bavette steak with duck fat potatoes, and fettuccine with braised hen, sofrito, pistachio, chile, and lemon. You can also dine at a second downtown location at 341 S. Main Street, which serves lunch on weekdays.

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.

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.

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.

You'll often see chef-owner Takashi Gibo behind the sushi bar at this hip and lively Japanese restaurant across from the Gallivan Center. Takashi is known for sublime, melt-in-your mouth sushi as well as a slew of izakaya-style treats, like miso-grilled eggplant, baked marinated sablefish, and shiitake lamb shank in Japanese yellow curry. The list of specialty sushi rolls is long and never lacks for inspiration—try the one topped with escolar, sliced strawberry, spicy sauce, and fresh chilies, with toasted almonds and eel sauce on the outside. The full-service bar serves crisp sake and fine martinis.

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.

Savory Tibetan food at bargain prices is the big attraction at this small, clean restaurant decorated with brightly colored Tibetan flags. You can indulge in hearty entrées such as spicy potatoes, chicken curry, and beef phingsha, a traditional Tibetan dish with vermicelli noodles, potatoes, dried mushrooms, and spices.

In this comfortable, modern dining room with clean lines and a great location near Trolley Square and 9th and 9th, you might whet your appetite with a selection of cheeses or flatbread, but save room for balsamic-drizzled stone-fired pizzas, hearty baked pastas, and roasted half chicken, all of which vie for attention at this chatter-filled Italian eatery. You'll want to linger for the crème brûlée, flavored martinis, and espresso.

Arguably the best culinary destination in the far South Valley, this trendy bistro with exposed airducts and lofty timber-beam ceilings celebrates the region's vibrant agricultural heritage with a menu of seasonally changing farm-to-table cuisine. Steak from Utah ranches and roasted carrots, Korean-fried cauliflower, and other locally sourced ingredients share the menu with craft cocktails and local ales and lagers. 

Whether for a flavor-packed snack or a hearty meal, head to this bustling hole-in-the-wall café near the Salt Lake City and County Building for some of the best fried chicken in the city—this Indian-spiced treat is available with veggie curry and rice, hummus and pitas, or in a salad. You'll find plenty of other tasty Indian and Middle Eastern dishes here, too, including falafel wraps, chicken shawarma, vegetable samosas, and masala chai. Alcohol isn't served.

For more than 40 years, this lively microbrewery inside Trolley Square has offered delicious pub food, house-made beer, loft seating, a sheltered patio, and lots of music and noise. It also offers a great view of the sunset through floor-to-ceiling windows. The menu gets creative with sandwiches such as salmon with pickled ginger-cucumber slaw, whole-meal salads, and Southwestern fare like citrus chicken tacos.

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.

Downtown's largest restaurant patio—with its tranquil reflecting pool, canopy of ornamental trees, and eye-catching murals—is an idyllic setting for boozy weekend brunch with friends, dinner and drinks before a show at nearby Abravanel Hall, or a late-night snack between dance clubs. The reasonably priced contemporary American food is consistently good, too, from the braised Wagyu beef Benedict with truffle Mornay sauce at brunch to ahi tuna tartare and cashew-kimchi bowls for dinner. There's a comfy indoor dining area, too, but it's the outdoor space that makes Ivy & Varley special.

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.

There may be no better place in the valley to order a monstrous burger (with intriguing toppings like hickory-smoked pastrami or peanut butter and bacon, plus house-baked buns) and wash it down with a local beer or a shot of whiskey. At this rollicking tavern near Smith's Ballpark baseball stadium, bacon lovers drool over the house-made slices on many signature burgers, but it's hard to resist Fungus Amongus, a burger with mushrooms sautéed in red wine and garlic, topped with Swiss cheese. Dozens of beers and whiskeys are served, including several from Park City's High West distillery.

Located in something of a food desert amid the chain hotels southwest of Salt Lake City International Airport, this terrific adults-only gastropub—since it is inside Uinta Brewhouse Pub—serves elevated comfort fare. A nice option before or after a flight or on your way to or from Great Salt Lake State Park, Nomad doles out well-executed takes on comfort classics, from fish-and-chips to falafel salads. There's a second location, Nomad East, near Wasatch Hollow ( 1675 E. 300 S).

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.

Sample small boldly flavored plates of yakisoba noodles, hamachi crudo, eggplant yakitori, and miso-glazed salmon at this airy, high-ceilinged Japanese restaurant in Sugar House. Ozora also offers a nice range of sushi rolls and sashimi. Save room for a slice of strawberry-and-yuzu cheesecake.

As its name hints, this usually packed Downtown fast-casual eatery with counter service and a small seating area specializes in poultry, and the menu couldn't be simpler. Pick your spice level (from medium to the excruciatingly fiery "hot behind"), choose either a quarter bird or a boneless-chicken sandwich, and add some sides if you'd like (crinkle-cut fries, cider slaw, pickles). Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can is the only beer served, but there's canned wine, too. Additional locations are in Sugar House, Midvale, and Park City.

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.

Head to this popular restaurant on the border between the Avenues and Central City—its brick walls and gorgeous artwork create a warm, inviting vibe—for authentic Thai fare. Starters like minced-fish cakes with red curry paste and Thai beef salad are perfect for sharing, and the main dishes—such as barbecue sweet-soy pork, pineapple fried rice, and duck in red curry sauce—arrive in generous portions.

Along the Jefferson Street restaurant row in the Granary District, this sleek, contemporary space serves creative, beautifully presented vegan cuisine, much of it with Italian and French preparations. Dishes like mushroom Alfredo with wild mushrooms and house-made ravioli with butternut squash and brown-butter consommé are both hearty and robustly flavored.