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Local Chefs
Thanks to a growing farm-to-table and craft dining scene, star local chefs like Viet Pham (Pretty Bird) and Ryan Lowder (Copper Common) and the dedication of celebrity business owners like Ty Burrell, when visiting Utah you'll find the right dish to pair with your adventure.
There are a lot of incredible dining choices in Utah, no matter the season. You'll discover a thriving local food, craft brew and mixology scene, whether coming to Utah for The Mighty Five® national parks (check out Moab, Boulder, Springdale and St. George in Southern Utah), staying on the slopes for The Greatest Snow on Earth® at foodie destinations like Deer Valley and Sundance, or crashing at a hotel in downtown Salt Lake, Ogden or Provo for walking access to multiple restaurants, galleries, venues, bars and breweries.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Salt Lake City one of America's 5 New Foodie Cities for 2014. Park City perennially claims multiple award winners among its 100+ restaurants and bars. Ogden, gateway to three ski resorts including Snowbasin, has grown out of its railroad-town heritage and blossomed into an outdoor recreation destination with a vibrant downtown dining scene. Off the Wasatch Front, Logan (in the north) and Cedar City (in the south) have college-town atmospheres, which means great local establishments for refueling.
Read the Stories
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5 Road Trip-Worthy Restaurants in Kanab, Utah
Written By Andrew Dash Gillman
4 minute read
Hungry for a culinary renaissance? Or a small-town staple? Whatever you’re craving, fuel your outdoor adventures at these favorite Kanab restaurants.
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A Sweet-Tooth’s Guide to Downtown Provo
Written By Visit Utah
3 minute read
We’ve set out on a walk in search of Provo's best treats. We were not disappointed.
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Artisan Cheese in Red Rock Country
Written By Darby Doyle
8 minute read
Two decades ago, Randy Ramsley traded his Dockers-and-tie city job for a 50 acre plot of land that he called a “Garden of Weedin” and the dream of establishing a sustainable farmstead. Now travelers from all over the globe know the small market and counter-service restaurant at Mesa Farm as a refreshing “must-do” respite seemingly plunked in the middle of nowhere on Highway 24 east of Capitol Reef National Park.
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Best Après Ski Bars in Park City and Beyond
Written By Austen Diamond
4 minute read
Want to master the art of après? Here’s your guide to the best après-ski bars in Park City and the Wasatch Front.
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Curry, Fine Wine, Dining at 11,000'
Written By Austen Diamond
Fred Barbier is Director of Resort Dining at Snowbird Resort restaurants. Find out what goes on in the kitchen and why you need to eat a meal here.
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Discover the Breweries of the Wasatch Front
Written By Matcha
5 minute read
Over the past two decades, Salt Lake’s breweries have grown into a culture all their own. Here’s what you need to start planning a pub crawl with this collection of Salt Lake’s most popular breweries.
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Eating Up Mount Timpanogos
Written By David Vogel
3 minute read
Learn about the Utah farms near Mt. Timpanogos that produce luscious lettuce and artisan cheese. Make your own plans to “eat up” Mt. Timpanogos!
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Heber Eats
Written By Paula Colman
4 minute read
Heber Valley is a basecamp for adventure with none of the crowds! With restaurants, bakeries, yurt dining and more there is never a shortage of places to eat.
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Hell's Backbone Grill
Written By Matcha
Boulder, Utah sits at the edge of wilderness, but Hell's Backbone Grill culinary ethics and farm-to-table cuisine puts most city dining to shame.
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Kiva Koffeehouse
Kiva Koffeehouse is a welcome stop for fresh food and espresso tucked on a hillside down a dirt driveway near milepost 73 on the scenic byway.
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Meet the Women Leading Utah's Food and Beverage Renaissance
Written By Darby Doyle
When it comes to food and beverage in Utah, there are key influencers who have been the proponents of change, growth, and the role of women in Utah’s food scene.
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Mesa Farm Market
Best local shops and healthy eats near Moab and Capitol Reef. Try the goat cheese!
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Navajo: Fry Bread, Tacos, Pizza
Despite its troubling origins, Navajo fry bread is an inspired food of the nation’s people, and it can be found in many forms with various names around the southwest.
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Short List: Local Salt Lake City Nightlife Picks
Make the most of winter's shortened daylight by extending your Utah ski trip into the night. Sure, some resorts offer incredible night skiing — so, okay, after that — but then the night really gets going in downtown Ski City.
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The Hills are Alive With the Scent of Whiskey
Written By Cody Kirkland
4 minute read
The first of several legal Utah distilleries since 1870 is the High West Distillery. Tour the facility, enjoy a tasting, build your flight and have a burger.
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The Spice of (a New) Life
Written By Austen Diamond
4 minute read
Some of the best food in Salt Lake City is served in the Spice Incubator Kitchen. Come visit this international culinary kitchen for a treat to your taste buds.
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Utah Spirits Tours
Written By Darby Doyle
5 minute read
Utahns have rediscovered distilling. Sample the merchandise on a gin distillery tour, stay for dinner and taste Utah whiskey, vodka and more on other tours.
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Utah’s Fruit Way: Harvest Time Along Old Highway 89
Written By Darby Doyle
6 minute read
Headed to Bear Lake, Golden Spike National Historical Park or the Bear Lake Migratory Bird Refuge? Stock up with fresh road-trip snacks and dinner provisions direct from family-run farm stands, all within a stone’s throw of the region’s many historic farms and orchards.
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Utah’s Women Make History
Written By Darby Doyle
5 minute read
Walk in the footsteps of Utah’s earliest women’s suffrage leaders at sites throughout downtown Salt Lake City. Along the way, view public art installations commemorating voting rights and stop at trail-adjacent local women-owned businesses.
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Utah's Rum Underdogs
Written By Darby Doyle
6 minute read
Utah distilleries are becoming very popular. Distillery 36 is rising to the top of the list. Drink in their story and then let’s toast with Brigham agricole rum!
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Want Wine? Utah Has an App for That!
Written By Paula Colman
Introduced in 2019, the UT DABC App for Apple or Android, allows customers to search for and locate any wine, beer or spirit in its entire Utah-statewide inventory.
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Welcome to the 5%: Liquor Laws Support Utah's Vibrant Craft Brew Scene
Written By Matcha
While Utah still has some unconventional liquor laws on the books, they aren’t an impediment to enjoying the local creations. So raise a glass to your next trip to Utah — you won’t be disappointed.
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Where to Eat and Drink in St. George
Written By Elainna Ciaramella
6 minute read
As you explore St. George and Greater Zion seeking excellent food, coffee and drinks, you’ll want to add these top restaurants to your list.
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Where’s the Meat?
Written By Darby Doyle
5 minute read
Taking the blue highways, finding a local diner or picking up fresh fruit from a family-run farm store gets us that much more in touch with the flow of seasons and feeling grounded in our sense of place as we travel. And shrinking the circle of our food sourcing has become a priority for many people even, and especially, while on the road.
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Women in the Wild: Transformation and the Outdoors
Written By Paula Colman
11 minute read
Paula Colman joins a weekend retreat for women in Moab, Utah, that has an eye-catching mission: Build your tribe. Connect with your inner spirit. Transform body, mind and spirit around the theme: “Ignite the Flame Within.” Follow along as she seeks her authentic self and learn how to find your own Tribe.
"Food is incredibly personal. Aside from it being nourishment, it tells a lot about who I am."
- Viet Pham, Chef and Restauranteur, Owner of Pretty Bird Hot Chicken
Utah's Local Food Fuels an Exciting Culinary Scene
Excerpted and Adapted from Business in Utah
Slowly and quietly, like a tiny green shoot pushing through dark soil, Utah's food scene has been blossoming over the past few years. Where once there were only a few booths at the Downtown Farmer's Market in Salt Lake City, now there are hundreds. Dozens of other markets are taking over corner lots in local neighborhoods and flourishing in cities outside the capital. Many vendors who got their start selling bundles of arugula at the Saturday market now stock numerous restaurant kitchens.
Utah is entering a new era of culinary tourism and the driving force is local food. The Beehive State is now known for artisan cheese, beer, milling, grass-fed beef and more — it's changed so much over the past few years. The change is bringing world-class chefs back to Utah, such as Ryan Lowder of The Copper Onion Group. These chefs use local ingredients at their award-winning restaurants.
Salt Lake's rising stardom is also attracting investors to the boutique restaurant and bar business. One example is Ty Burrell of TV series "Modern Family" who was recently featured in Food & Wine magazine with Utah-based star Chef Viet Pham (who beat Bobby Flay on "Iron Chef America") promoting their new artisanal sausage and craft Beer Bar in downtown Salt Lake City
Pago, in the hip 9th and 9th neighborhood of Salt Lake City, opened in 2009 with a "farm-to-table" mission and a clear vision of highlighting local and artisan foods. Owner Scott Evans is passionate about finding and featuring new artisans, so much so that he calls Pago a "love letter to local foods." The food that Chef Phelix Gardner prepares [chef at Evans' Finca] clearly embraces that love as the restaurant has almost a cult-like clientele and has been recognized several times by national publications, including The New York Times, Food & Wine magazine, The Washington Post, Bon Appétit and others.
Favorite Local Foods from Locals' Favorite Chefs
La Nay Ferme
Frog Bench
Zoe's Garden
Pleasant Creek Ranch
Rickenback Ranch
Duvall Farms
Meyer's: Certified Piedmontese all natural beef
Clifford Farms
Heirlooms & More
Worden Produce
Pierre's Bakery
Beehive Cheese
Creminelli Fine Meats
Caputo's Blossom Hills
Drake Farms
Green River Produce
Ballard Hog Farm
Mountain View Mushrooms
Oakdell Farms
Slide Ridge Honey
Redmond Salt
Shepherd's Goat Dairy
Rimini Roasters
Uinta Brewery
Gold Creek Farms
Red Barn Cider Mill
Amour Spreads
Eva's Boulangerie
Solstice Chocolate
Morgan Valley Lamb
Koosheram Trout
Epic Brewing
Caffe Ibis Coffee
Charming Beard Coffee
Millcreek Cacao
Cup & Cardigan Coffee Roasters
6 Days
Foodie Journey
In a place that’s known for its red rock landscape, it’s incredible that local chefs can coax such a feast of fresh food from the desert.
Community, Food and Drink, Hiking, Scenic Drives/Road Trips, Support local, Urban Experiences, Wellness
Highlights
- Mesa Farm Market
- Hell's Backbone Grill
- Farm-Fresh Dining