Salt Lake City dining enthusiasts looking for a restaurant have a wide array of restaurants to choose from, including Italian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Greek dining, American bistros, sushi bars, steakhouses, cafés, Asian restaurants, fondue and more. Caffe Molise serves some of Salt Lake City's freshest Italian cuisine in an environment that is great for large groups. When in the mood for Middle Eastern food, the Cedars of Lebanon has some of the best kebabs and tabbouleh salad around. When Guinness and meat pie is calling your name, there's nowhere better to be than Murphy's Bar and Grill. Salt Lake City visitors and locals can find local hotels, attractions, shopping, bars, clubs and various other options, perfect for after-dinner entertainment.
Greek. Aristo's of Salt Lake City is located just a block from the campus of the University of Utah, and is thus a predictably popular restaurant with the student body. However, Aristo's receives high marks from the Salt Lake City dining community at large thanks to its unique take on numerous traditional Greek dishes, all available at student-friendly prices. In addition, Aristo's offers a hefty lunch menu and a broad selection of fresh seafood nightly.
Bambara
202 South Main St., Salt Lake City, UT 84101
American, Fusion / Eclectic. Bambara is popular with the downtown Salt Lake City crowd for several reasons, one being its one-of-a-kind dining atmosphere. The restaurant itself is sculpted into the lobby of the historic Continental Bank, built in 1924. Another reason Salt Lake City connoisseurs give Bamabara such rave reviews is the broad range of continental fusion creations from the recently hired executive chef, Dave Jones. A hefty wine list is the last, but not the least, of this restaurant's better attributes.
Café Madrid
2080 East 2900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84124
Spanish, Tapas. The Spanish fare of Café Madrid is brought to Salt Lake City by award winning executive chef Nacho Basurto and his rotating team of sous chefs traveling in from Spain. Offering an ample selection of tapas as well as a comprehensive entrée menu, Café Madrid has earned awards in the Salt Lake City Community for "Best Bistro" and "Most Unique Restaurant" to name a few. Cafe Madrid is also renown for its list of fine Spanish vintages across a broad price range.
Café Trio Cottonwood
6405 South 3000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84121
Italian. At the Cottonwood neighborhood branch of owner and operating partner Mikel Trapp's triumvirate of popular Italian cafes, Cafe Trio caters to local residents and business folk, offering executive chef Shannon Roark's take on flatbreads, pizzas, pasta dishes and wood- fired entrees all with a focus on fresh and locally grown ingredients. Cafe Trio Cottonwood offers a flexible atmosphere, from intimate to large banquet settings.
Caffe Molise
55 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Italian, Mediterranean. This Italian restaurant offers traditional takes on Italian entrees and fresh pasta dishes, all inspired by the Molise region of Italy. Caffe Molise also offers a solid regionally inspired list of Italian reds and whites. The close proximity to Salt Lake City's downtown entertainment attractions, including the symphony and sports venues, makes this Italian restaurant a popular pre-event destination for Salt Lake City residents out on the town.
Faustina
454 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
American. Family owned and operated, Faustina continues to garner strong reviews from Salt Lake City diners and restaurant critics with a prodigious menu featuring Italian inspired pastas, flatbreads, chops and seafood entrees. Salt Lake City restaurant goers are also quick to point out the California influence on Faustina's cuisine - as well the California prices. But most diners don't mind paying a little extra for Faustina's top-notch food, service and atmosphere.
Fresco Italian Café
1513 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Italian, American. Fresco Italian Café of Salt Lake City is perhaps most noted for its risotto, which varies nightly based on the available seasonal local ingredients and the chef's inclinations. This restaurant also features outdoor candlelit patio dining when the weather permits, and Fresco Italian Cafe was the proud recipient of a 2005 Wine Spectator Award for one of Salt Lake Cities most nuanced wine lists.
La Caille Restaurant
9565 Wasatch Blvd., Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT 84092
Contemporary French. Arguably the finest restaurant in all of the Salt Lake area and the entire state of Utah, La Caille is nationally renown for its contemporary French cuisine and absolute highest end atmosphere and dining experience. Located on an acre of Salt Lake City's Little Cottonwood Canyon area in an 18th century rendering of a French Chateau, La Caille is currently undergoing an ambitious wine acquisition program, attempting to achieve one of the nation's most accomplished wine lists beyond their already highly acclaimed selection.
Log Haven
6451 East Millcreek Canyon, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Contemporary American. Log Haven is consistently awarded Salt Lake City's "most romantic" restaurant, but if there's an award out there that a restaurant could win, Log Haven has won it on both the local and national scene, including the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, seven years running. Located just minutes from downtown Salt Lake City in the Wasatch National Forest's secluded Millcreek Canyon, Log Haven offers a broad selection of traditional and contemporary American cuisine including a wide array of seasonal game.
Lugano Restaurant
3364 South 2300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Italian. Recently awarded the "best Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City" by several local publications, Lugano is known as a Salt Lake City east side locals favorite. But the restaurant, owned and operated by Greg Neville, is widely gaining a reputation for its traditional Italian offerings and its exceptional regional wine list across Salt Lake City and beyond.
Metropolitan
173 West Broadway Ave., Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Contemporary American. Metropolitan is exactly just that: a restaurant featuring both high modern design and cuisine forged into an abandoned warehouse in western downtown Salt Lake City. Metropolitan is a popular restaurant amongst the after work crowd for its "attitude adjustment hour" specials, as well as with downtown Salt Lake City theater and event goers. With a focus on local seasonal ingredients, Metropolitan's team of chefs has racked up an impressive list of accolades, not to mention those received by the management for the atmosphere and the wine list.
Rodizio Grill
459 Trolley Square, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Brazilian Steakhouse. Concept dining with a Brazilian flair is alive and well in Salt Lake City at Rodizio Grill. This distinctive restaurant features an almost endless menu of appetizers - which comes in handy when appetizers are all-you-can eat - and an array of Brazilian waiters armed with skewers of fresh meat and seafood awaiting the signal to serve as diners to flip their red cards to green. It sounds dodgy, but Salt Lake City diners have figured it out and are flocking to Rodizio Grill for the party-like atmosphere and innovative dining experience.
Spencer's for Steaks and Chops
255 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Steakhouse, American. Spencer's for Steaks and Chops of Salt Lake City has received the "best steakhouse" award from Salt Lake Magazine for eight consecutive years. Fans of aged American beef, single malt scotches and rare cigars - the three staples of the Spencer's brand - need look no further than this downtown Salt Lake City restaurant. Located in the Hilton hotel, Spencer's of Salt Lake City features a masculine decor of dark woods and high-paneled booths, as well the atmosphere has been described by some Salt Lake City diners as "boisterous."
Takashi
18 West Market St., Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Sushi, Japanese. Salt Lake City's premier downtown location for Japanese cuisine and fresh sushi and sashimi, Takashi is the brainchild of head chef and owner Takashi Gibo. Takashi, as he and his restaurant are known, pride themselves on fresh seasonal sushi specials, while Salt Lake City restaurant critics and diners mention his selection of Japanese style grilled meats and seafood as a "must try."
Tsunami Restaurant - Sugarhouse
2223 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Japanese, Tapas / Small Plates, Sushi. Popular among the business crowd of Salt Lake City, Tsunami of Sugarhouse has won awards for "best power lunch." Tsunami restaurants boast of two locations - Tsunami operates another restaurant in the Union Heights area of Salt Lake City. Not your everyday Japanese sushi house, Tsunami offers distinctive takes on traditional Japanese favorites and even such domestic staples as baby back ribs.
Switchback Grille
1149 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, UT 84767
American. Located at the entrance to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah, Switchback Grille offers a diverse menu that features the cuisines of France, Italy and the western U.S. Choose from satisfying dishes like bacon-wrapped meatloaf, spit-roasted chicken and grilled rib-eye.
