Salt Lake City and the surrounding area has an awesome variety of restaurants no matter what your favorite type of food is! All of these restaurants are within 20 minutes of downtown Salt Lake City so make sure to check some of them out on your next visit! I’ll keep updating this list as I explore more for you guys. Also just a heads up, most breakfast and brunch restaurants always have a really long wait, some take reservations but unfortunately you usually just have to get there early or wait. Most of the lunch and dinner options have a reservation option. 

Breakfast:

Pig & a Jelly Jar- The best waffles ever! There are two locations, one in Sugarhouse area and one in Cottonwood Heights

Bruges Waffles and Frites- Also amazing waffles plus fries! All sorts of different toppings from sweet to savory.

Waffle Love- More waffles! Can you tell that’s my favorite breakfast food? Haha! Pretty similar to Bruges Waffles but there are more locations 

Whiskey Street- Amazing brunch on the weekends! More unique savory meals plus some originals and they serve mimosas and such. 

The Park- Super cute little diner type restaurant with awesome prices and honestly everything is good there. 

Lunch + Dinner:

Squatters- This place is tied for our favorite place to go eat, we honestly are here or at Wasatch their sister company every week! My go to is always the soft pretzel to start and then either the Spinach Blueberry Salad with Sirloin or the Tatonka Chicken Sandwich while my husband loves the Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken and the Cobb Salad. 

Wasatch- Our other top favorite! Squatters and Wasatch are sister companies so they share the same beer list but their menus are different! They also have my favorite soft pretzel! My go to is the ABCLTS sandwich with a Hell’s Keep Beer and my husband’s favorites are the Chicken Flautas and the Wasatch Burger. 

Porcupine Grill- At the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon, this is the best place for an after ski day dinner and drink. During the summer they also have their patio open with a great view of the mountains and sunset. 

Hogs Wallow- Sorta looks like a dive bar but they always have live music going on the weekends, their food is great and the beer is cheap! 

Blue Lemon- I think of it as a fancy fast food restaurant, but they have awesome healthy options for a decent price plus they do breakfast now as well! 

The Pie Pizzeria- The famous SLC pizza place that all the locals love. Their original location is by the University but they also have quite a few other locations scattered around. 

SmashBurger- I’m not a huge fan of burgers but my husband is so this is our compromise! They are the most healthy burger place i’ve found and have a lot of options for “Non burger people” with chicken and vegan options as well. They also have a lot of vegetable choices for sides. 

Tres Amigos Mexican- Honestly its main reason for being my favorite is because they have cheese dip, which it is very hard to find real cheese dip out here! Everything else is great as well and their prices are a little less than other sit down mexican restaurants in the area. 

Red Iguana + Blue Iguana- They are the same but they have two locations that differ a little bit. I’ve only been to each of them once but all the locals love them and the wait is usually really long which means they must be good haha. I liked them, just a little more expensive. 

Mint Tapas and Sushi- Great sushi place farther from downtown, not nearly as busy as some others. 

Happy Sumo- Our most frequented sushi place! This one is near Big Cottonwood Canyon and we love it, it’s closer to our house than our top favorite plus less busy so we end up coming here the most. 

Lone star Tacos- Pretty authentic cheap mexican food drive through, they all have all the basics!

Sapa- Our favorite sushi place! They have the cutest outdoor area in downtown and we haven’t been disappointed yet. It is slightly pricier and very busy but super worth it I promise. 

Dessert:

Chip Cookies- They have new flavors every week, a smaller selection than Crumbl but still great! 

Crumbl Cookies- They switch cookie flavors every week! There is always something new and exciting plus they can deliver! 

Capo Gelateria Italiana- I recently started loving gelato and this has been my favorite spot so far. 

Doki Doki- The best rolled ice cream! Custom make your flavor and toppings.

Bruges Waffles and Frite- I don’t know about you guys but I love waffles for dessert! 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory- Great ice cream, fudge, chocolates, milkshakes, pretty much anything that you could wish for! 

Bars:

Purgatory- More industrial feel, great food and drinks.

Whiskey Street- Sit down bar but they also have the best brunch! Drinks are amazing. 

Lake Effect- The best nachos around! 

White Horse Spirits and Kitchen

Cheers 2 U- They have a pool table which is pretty fun!

Squatters- As seen above for lunch and dinner but it is a brewery! Our favorites are Hell’s Keep, Guava Rosa, and Apricot Hefeweizen.

Wasatch- Same as Squatters! 

Twist Bar- Really popular with the younger crowd, they have a patio and large two story area inside. Usually really busy. 

London Belle- Classier but small space.

Keys on Main- Awesome dueling piano bar in downtown! Some fun entertainment with less of a ‘bar” feel.