Where to Eat in Salt Lake City
It’s impossible to go hungry or thirsty in Salt Lake City, where the downtown food scene is booming. Here are some tasty destinations for your next visit during ski/snowboard season or after the snow melts. Choices include my personal favorites from many visits, recommendations from the 70+ Ski Club and more from the city’s tourism group, Visit Salt Lake, all where you can eat well in two hours or less, including dessert, if you have room.
Red Iguana
736 W North Temple – Open daily 11 AM – 9 PM and until 10 PM Fri-Sun
Red Iguana is its keeper is a vibrant family-run institution serves up richly complex moles that have developed cult-like devotion among locals. The perpetual line outside isn’t a tourist trap mirage – it’s a gathering of devoted locals and visitors willing to wait for that first heavenly bite of Mole Negro.
- Tip: Reservations are a must, a couple of days ahead. If you can’t get one, head for a spot at the bar, where the full menu is served.
Photo: Visit Utah
Market Street Grill
48 West Market Street – Open for lunch and dinner daily; hours vary daily so check website
This large, bustling restaurant downtown specializes in seafood, including freshly-shucked oysters, salmon, Ahi tuna, which are not local, and Rainbow Trout, which is. West Market Grill also offers seafood salads and soups, and steaks for the occasional carnivore who joins friends at a seafood joint. Groups of a dozen or so can reserve a special section of the restaurant, which is in a landmarked building from 1906.
Café Molise
404 S. West Temple – Open daily for lunch 11:30AM to 3PM, dinner from 5PM.
Also housed in a historic building, the menu here is classic Italian, such as polenta or ravioli with mushrooms. Several of the pastas are house-made, and there’s an excellent wine list, primarily Italian reds and sparkling wines. Save room for tiramisu for dessert.
https://www.caffemolise.com/
The Pie Pizzeria
1320 E 200 S – Open Mon-Sat 11AM to 11PM, Sunday Noon to 10PM
Hidden in a basement near the University of Utah, The Pie is where generations of college students have huddled over massive, cheese-laden pizzas that require serious upper-body strength to lift. The graffiti-covered walls tell stories of late-night study sessions and post-game celebrations, while the Cheese Pull Challenge (an unofficial local sport) continues to claim countless shirt victims.
Feldman’s Deli
2005 East 2700 S | Open Tues. to Sat., 8AM to 8PM.
Step into Feldman’s Deli to be transported from the mountain west to a corner of New York City. This no-frills cafeteria-style temple to Jewish deli tradition that serves up sandwiches so massive they could have their own ZIP code, including piled-high pastrami and corned beef good enough to impress a Manhattan or Brooklyn native. Their knishes and house-made latkes have their own fan club, and locals line up early on weekends to snag them before they’re gone. There’s also a selection of German-style wursts, including delicate Bavarian weisswurst, which is made from veal, not pork.
Yoko Ramen
473 E 300 S – Open for lunch Tues.-Sun., Noon- 3 PM and dinner Tues -Thurs., starting at 4 through as late as 10 PM on weekends.
This isn’t dorm room ramen. Yoko’s steaming bowls feature broths that have simmered for days, house-made noodles with perfect chew, and toppings that transform each bowl into a complete meal for around $15. The tiny space fills quickly on cold evenings when the windows steam up and the scent of pork belly and miso envelops the entire block.
Squatters Pub Brewery
147 W Broadway – Open Mon. – Fri. 11:30 AM – 11 PM, Sat. -Sun. 9 AM – 11 PM
This downtown brewpub is large, loud, and offers an extensive menu of both food, including a variety of burgers, and draft beers brewed in Utah. It’s a solid choice, whether it’s your first plan for dinner or the last place left when there are no reservations or walk-in space to be had anywhere else.
R&R Barbecue
307 W. 600 St., Open Daily 11AM – 10PM
R&R is a no-frills outpost where the bare wooden tables and high-tops don’t compete with the melt-in-your mouth smoked ribs, brisket and chicken. Table setting include a selection of sauces ranging from mild and sweet to call EMS. Sides include traditional BBQ favs such as slaw, hushpuppies and baked beans. Servings are large enough to share, or take the leftovers back to your hotel for tomorrow.
- Tip – This is just one block from the Double Tree Suites hotel where the 70+ Ski Club stays during the annual Ski Safari trip in February, so it’s a good choice if you are too tired to walk far after a day of skiing.
Wanyen
282 W Broadway STE 115 | Open Tues-Thurs, Sun 12 PM – 9 PM, Fri-Sat 12 PM – 10 PM
Wanyen is your new favorite Asian-inspired dessert café, serving thoughtful takes on classic sweets. Their mango sticky rice is beautifully presented with ripe sliced mango and a perfectly chewy scoop of sweet rice. Try new flavors like Midnight Honeycomb or Midnight Hokkaido, their coconut frappe or matcha latte. It’s elegant, comforting, and made to be enjoyed slowly, one bite at a time.
Find more suggestions here for where to eat in Salt Lake City, including breakfast and brunch.
See you on the slopes, or at one of these restaurants. Or both.
- Tips and Tactics for Spring Skiing - March 19, 2026
- Short Swings: Timely Tidbits of Snowy News - March 5, 2026
- Indy Pass Adds 16 Resorts for Next Season - March 5, 2026
As a college student at U of Colorado, I would occasionally meet up with my older brother Malcolm, who was on Alf Engen’s ski school at Alta during his 5 years studying at U of Utah in the late 1960s. With both of us on tight budgets, we were happy to find “all you can eat” options. Two come to mind: First, and by far the best, was a place that charged only 99 CENTS for all you could eat. This deal came with a reasonable proviso: you paid extra for any food you left on your plate! It might have been called “Nalgrins” (spell?). We celebrated one very memorable Thanksgiving dinner there. The “fancier” place charged $2.35 for all you could eat, but had more choices. We ate so much that we could barely walk out of the place! Those were the days! Ken Stebbins
There are a few national restaurant chains which offer all-you-can-eat breakfast pancakes or dinner buffets, but such deals are increasingly more difficult to find at locally-owned restaurants like the ones mentioned here.