Crown pastrami burger
The Crown pastrami burger is a quarter-pound cheeseburger loaded with hot pastrami, lettuce, tomato, onion and Thousand Island dressing on a sesame bun.
Where: Crown Burgers, Apollo Burger, Red Iguana
Salt Lake City eats off two currents that meet downtown. Mexican moles at Red Iguana on North Temple, codified by the Cardenas family since 1985, are Utah's most awarded plate. Crown Burgers, opened by Nick Katsanevas and John Katzourakis in 1978, codified the Utah pastrami burger that now defines the city's casual canon, served at seven locations across the metro. Fry sauce, mayo cut with ketchup, dates to a 1948 Arctic Circle order and is on every burger counter. Beyond the canon, Takashi Gibo on Main Street has run downtown's sushi room since 2004, Briar Handly runs HSL on East 200 South, Scott Evans pioneered farm-to-table at Pago in the 9th and 9th neighborhood in 2009 and now anchors Finca, Casot and Emigration Cafe. Manoli Katsanevas runs Greek small plates on Harvey Milk Boulevard. Pioneer Park's Saturday Downtown Farmers Market runs June through October with over 300 vendors. Salt Lake's craft brewing scene anchors at Squatters Pub since 1989 and runs through Epic, Uinta, TF, Proper, Kiitos and Red Rock.
Eat your way through Salt Lake City
Map of Salt Lake City
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Salt Lake City, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Where to eat in Salt Lake City: editor-picked starting points
5 institutional venues to anchor a Salt Lake City food trip
- Takashi - Japanese sushi, chef Takashi Gibo
- HSL - New American, chef Briar Handly
- Pago - Farm-to-table new American, chef Scott Evans
- Veneto Ristorante Italiano - Italian, chef Marco Stevanoni
- The Copper Onion - New American gastropub, chef Ryan Lowder
Must-try Salt Lake City dishes
- Crown pastrami burger - The Crown pastrami burger is a quarter-pound cheeseburger loaded with hot pastrami, lettuce, tomato, onion and Thousand Island dressing on a sesame bun
- Fry sauce - Fry sauce is Utah's defining condiment: roughly equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup, sometimes with sweet pickle relish, served with every order of French fries from Crown Burgers to Apollo to fast-food drive-throughs statewide
- Red Iguana mole - Red Iguana's mole sauces are the Salt Lake Mexican canon: mole negro, mole verde, mole amarillo, mole poblano and four to six other variants rotating
- Funeral potatoes - Funeral potatoes are a casserole of hash brown potatoes, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar cheese and crushed cornflakes or potato chips
- Utah scone - The Utah scone is a yeasted dough deep-fried into a puffy, hollow square or oval, served hot with honey butter, jam or savory chili
Best Salt Lake City neighborhoods for food
- Downtown - Main Street, the State Capitol axis and Temple Square
- 9th and 9th - Walkable residential dining row at the corner of 900 East and 900 South
- 15th and 15th - Smaller residential cluster of restaurants and shops at the corner of 1500 East and 1500 South
- Sugar House - Indie-leaning residential commercial district south of downtown around Sugar House Park
Must-try dishes in Salt Lake City
The plates that define eating in Salt Lake City.
Fry sauce
Fry sauce is Utah's defining condiment: roughly equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup, sometimes with sweet pickle relish, served with every order of French fries from Crown Burgers to Apollo to fast-food drive-throughs statewide.
Where: Crown Burgers, Apollo Burger, Pretty Bird Hot Chicken
Red Iguana mole
Red Iguana's mole sauces are the Salt Lake Mexican canon: mole negro, mole verde, mole amarillo, mole poblano and four to six other variants rotating.
Where: Red Iguana, Red Iguana 2
Funeral potatoes
Funeral potatoes are a casserole of hash brown potatoes, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar cheese and crushed cornflakes or potato chips.
Where: Crown Burgers, Red Iguana, Pat's Barbecue
Utah scone
The Utah scone is a yeasted dough deep-fried into a puffy, hollow square or oval, served hot with honey butter, jam or savory chili. Unlike British scones.
Where: Penny Ann's Cafe, The Park Cafe
Pretty Bird hot chicken sandwich
The Pretty Bird hot chicken sandwich is a Nashville-style fried chicken thigh dusted with cayenne-based hot powder, layered on a brioche bun with pickle and slaw, in five heat levels from plain to face-burning.
Where: Pretty Bird Hot Chicken
Where to eat Pretty Bird hot chicken sandwich in Salt Lake City →
Restaurants to know in Salt Lake City
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Salt Lake City.
Red Iguana
Red Iguana on West North Temple, the Cardenas family's Mexican room since 1985 and Utah's most awarded restaurant, runs the state's defining moles.
Signature: Mole negro, Mole verde
Takashi
Takashi on Market Street, chef-owner Takashi Gibo's downtown sushi room since 2004, runs Salt Lake's defining omakase at the bar plus a full Japanese menu.
Signature: Omakase nigiri, Tempura
HSL
HSL on East 200 South, chef-owner Briar Handly's downtown wood-fire-driven New American room, runs seasonal New American cooking from a multi-time James Beard semifinalist chef.
Signature: Wood-fired vegetables, Family-style plates
Pago
Pago on 900 East, Scott Evans' 45-seat farm-to-table flagship in 9th and 9th since 2009, codified Salt Lake's seasonal local-ingredient tier.
Signature: Seasonal vegetable plates, Wine pairings
The Copper Onion
The Copper Onion on East Broadway, chef-owner Ryan Lowder's New American room since 2010, anchors downtown's gastropub tier with seasonal scratch cooking.
Signature: House-made pasta, Burger
Stoneground Italian Kitchen
Stoneground Italian Kitchen on East 400 South, chef Paulie O'Connor's downtown room since 2000, runs wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta with an Italian wine list.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House-made pasta
Where to eat by neighborhood
Downtown (downtown/main-street/downtown-slc)
Main Street, the State Capitol axis and Temple Square. Takashi sushi since 2004, HSL on East 200 South, Three Pines Coffee on Main, Eva's Bakery, Bar X and Beerhive Pub anchor the downtown grid.
Best for: Fine dining, Sushi, Cocktails, Cafes
9th and 9th (ninth-and-ninth/9th-and-9th/ninth-east)
Walkable residential dining row at the corner of 900 East and 900 South. Pago since 2009 anchors farm-to-table dining; Manoli's Greek small plates is around the corner on Harvey Milk Boulevard. Emigration Cafe and Publik Kitchen run the cafe block.
Best for: Farm-to-table, Greek, Brunch, Coffee
15th and 15th (fifteenth-and-fifteenth/15th-and-15th)
Smaller residential cluster of restaurants and shops at the corner of 1500 East and 1500 South. Scott Evans' Finca and Casot Spanish tapas and natural wine bar anchor the block; Tulie Bakery runs a second location here.
Best for: Spanish tapas, Wine bar, Bakery
Sugar House (sugar-house/sugarhouse/sugar-house-park)
Indie-leaning residential commercial district south of downtown around Sugar House Park. Sugar House Coffee, Tulie Bakery's 700 South room and the 2100 South commercial strip define the daily eat.
Best for: Coffee, Brewpubs, Casual
Granary District (granary-district/granary/ballpark)
Adaptive-reuse industrial district south of downtown anchored by TF Brewing, Kiitos Brewing, Fisher Brewing and Water Witch cocktail bar. Manoli's, Stoneground and Publik Coffee's roastery on West Temple.
Best for: Breweries, Cocktails, Pizza
Central City (central-city/central-9th/central-ninth)
Central 9th and the State Street corridor between downtown and 9th and 9th. Vertical Diner since 1998, Mark of the Beastro vegan bistro inside The Beehive on State, Caputo's Market & Deli's flagship at 314 West 300 South.
Best for: Vegan, Italian deli, Music venues
When to come hungry in Salt Lake City
Peak food season: May through October for the Pioneer Park Downtown Farmers Market every Saturday. Utah peaches from the Brigham City Pacific Garden orchards August through September, Hatch chiles from New Mexico late August into September, fall apple pressing in October. Greek Festival in mid-September. Pioneer Day on July 24. Utah cherries from Brigham City in late June. Ski season November through April brings Wasatch resort dining into focus.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30 to 14:00. Dinner 17:00 to 21:30, with most kitchens closing at 22:00 on weekends. Brunch peaks 09:00 to 14:00 at The Park Cafe, Penny Ann's Cafe and Eggs in the City. Most bars close at 01:00 by Utah law. Sunday hours are reliably reduced across downtown and 9th and 9th; many independent rooms close one weekday too.
Tipping: Tip 18 to 22 percent on the pre-tax total at sit-down restaurants. Counters and bars get $1 to $2 per drink or 18 to 20 percent. Tasting menus at fine dining rooms may add service charge automatically; check the bill. Utah's bars often require a $5 club membership at the door which is fast to obtain and tip-friendly.
Salt Lake City food, FAQ
What food is Salt Lake City known for?
Salt Lake City's signature dishes include Crown pastrami burger, Fry sauce, Red Iguana mole, Funeral potatoes, Utah scone. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
What are the best food neighborhoods in Salt Lake City?
TableJourney editors map Salt Lake City by district. Downtown, 9th and 9th, 15th and 15th, Sugar House are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Where should I eat fine dining in Salt Lake City?
Editor picks in Salt Lake City include Takashi, HSL, Pago, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
Are there food tours in Salt Lake City?
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Salt Lake City, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
Does Salt Lake City have good vegetarian or vegan food?
TableJourney's Salt Lake City dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.