One of the most popular neighborhoods in Salt Lake City is Sugar House. The area has undergone significant reconstruction in the past decade seeing many new faces and flavors to hit the streets. You can find everything from burgers to Thai to Italian in Sugar House. Restaurants line the streets – but which one to pick? The following are my personal picks for the a great meal in Sugar House.
SOMI Vietnamese Bistro
Address: 1215 E. Wilmington Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Chinese
Stunning Vietnamese cuisine can be found right in the heart of Sugar House. SOMI is a modern restaurant with an upscale aesthetic and a menu replete with Vietnamese classics. Rice dishes, noodle dishes, fresh salads and a range of Chinese dishes like Peking Duck make for a mouth watering menu. Check out the cocktail wine and beer menu too.
- SOMI Website
- SOMI Instagram
- SOMI news
Pretty Bird
Address: 675 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: fried chicken, sandwiches
The second location of celeb-chef Viet Pham’s Pretty Bird empire. Pham brings his popular menu of Nashville style fried chicken sandwiches, as well as all new tenders and nuggets. If you enjoy spice, don’t be afraid to go hot – the highest couple hear levels are more than manageable. The self ordering, quick serve format makes Pretty Bird a top pick for a fast and easy meal when in a rush – without sacrificing flavor.
Sushi Groove
Address: 2910 S Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: sushi, Japanese
A little out of the center of Sugar House, but only just, one of the funnest restaurants in all of Utah. Get your groove on by order from the fresh sushi board and kicking back to the regular DJs that play at Sushi Groove. The menu at Sushi Groove is packed with creativity and style, and if you don’t see something you like just chat to the team at the sushi counter to create something extra special just for you.
Sara Thai Kitchen
Address: 609 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: Thai
This quality Thai eatery recently made the move from downtown to join the roster of great Sugar House restaurants. My favorite dish to date here has been the Khao Man Kai, a sort of Thai spin on Hainanese chicken. Simply cooked skin-on chicken is sliced and served over steaming Jasmine rice. On the side there’s a pot of liquid that needs no explanation, the surface quivers with rendered chicken fat making it clear this is for splashing over in gloriously waterfall fashion. The finishing touch to the otherwise subtle flavors is an assertive garlic and ginger sauce.
- Sara Thai Kitchen website
- Sara Thai Kitchen Instagram
- Sara Thai Kitchen news
De Los Muertos Mexican Restaurant
Address: 1215 Wilmington Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: Mexican
This fast casual Mexican spot can be found in the very heart of Sugar House, just next to Spitz and SOMI. The compact menu is home to some fabulous burritos as well as light tacos. Local craft beer, an eye catching patio and quick self service ordering make this a must.
Feldman’s Deli
Address: 2005 E 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Cuisine: sandwiches
The fabulous corned beef and pastrami is hand carved daily at Feldman’s and everything that’s not carefully shipped from the East coast, is hand made in house.. From the classic corned beef with mustard through the funky sloppy Joe or soul satisfying reuben – each creation is a masterpiece. Moreover, these enormous sandwiches are enough to share, or split over two meals.
Yanni’s Greek Express
Address: 2761 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: Greek, gyros
This choice is maybe controversial, but Yanni’s is my favorite gyro in SLC. Why? First of all, there’s the choice of red or white sauce – and you can even order both. The white is a traditional tzatziki, while the red is a rich meaty gravy (pictured above). Bonus points for me include the pita bread enjoying a little time on the flat top adding a little extra crisp and flavor. Lastly, the meat at Yanni’s is always juicy without exception. Yanni’s has a drive thru too which makes satiating the craving quick and simple.
Little Saigon
Address: 2021 Windsor Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Home to banging banh mi. If you’re new to banh mi, you’re missing out. This French influenced Vietnamese sandwich is Little Saigon’s standout dish. Start with a crisp French baguette, layer with cilantro, pickled vegis and mayo – then top with your choice of protein; everything from garlic butter steak to tofu lemongrass. Prices are killer too, at just $5-$7.
Wasatch Brew Pub
Address: 2110 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: brewpub
Wasatch sits in arguable heart of Sugar House and has something for absolutely every taste and occasion. Wasatch is open seven days a week, has a huge interior space and exterior patio, an equally huge brew pub menu – and of course – more beers than you shake a stick at.
Saffron Valley
Address: 479 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Cuisine: Indian
This third location of the popular Indian eatery is maybe owner Lavanya Mahate’s finest yet. Like every other location the menu showcases lesser known dishes from the Indian sub continent, which means you’ll have tons of fun discovering new flavors. The chic modern interior is bright and comfortable and up from you will also find a display case of baked goods from the businesses sister business, Biscotts. Come for something like the picture Thali above, and when you leave, make sure you grab a sweet treat to go!
Spitz
Address: 1201 Wilmington Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: Mediterranean, gyros
Just across the plaza from SOMI, check out this Mediterranean inspired hang out with an edgy vibe. Doner kebabs are the name of the game here but there are other treats too such as Street Cart Fries (fries loaded up with more toppings than is sane) and vibrant salads. The restaurant sports local beer, wine and has a hip, trendy crowd around the clock.
Sugar House BBQ
Address: 880 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Cuisine: BBQ
Now in its second location, but still in Sugar House proper, one of SLC’s oldest BBQ joints. Open daily the restaurant turns out brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey and an array of sandwiches, salads and specials. There’s also beer, wine and cocktails. Yep, ribs and rye. Open seven says a week there’s no excuse for not getting your Q on.
Who did we miss?
If you think we’re missing a really great addition to this list, please email us at stuart@gastronomicslc.com – we’d love to hear from you. Let us know who you think should be on this list and why. If you have a really great picture of one of more dishes, please send that too! We’re always excited to check our more businesses!
Sugar House Utah questions
Is Sugar House walkable?
In terms of the core of Sugar House, it’s a very walkable area. You probably want to head to the heart of Sugar House which is roughly 21st South and 13th East. From there you will be surrounded by bars and restaurants galore.
How far is Sugar House from downtown SLC
In an Uber or Lyft and light traffic, plan on about 10-15 minutes travel time in either direction. During rush hours, you can expect to add another ten to fifteen minutes on top of that.
Is Sugar House expensive?
Relatively speaking, Sugar House is one of the most expensive areas in Utah. This applies to house, food, drinks and everything else. The neighborhood is one of the most trendy and rapidly developing – seeing massive redevelopment over the past decade.
Where and what is Sugar House
As Sugar House is one of the most popular neighborhoods in all of Utah, its no wonder that folks try to extend the boundaries to hopefully include themselves. We think the following boundaries make sense, as does Google Maps, where the image comes from. For reference, you might also hear about the ‘Sugar Hood’, that’s the area roughly outside of Sugar House proper itself.
And yes, it’s Sugar House, not SugarHouse.
Bars in Sugar House
Fancy a tipple after you’ve dined? There are plenty of bars in the Sugar House neighborhood to take care of you if so. With the major reconstruction of Sugar House in recent years the bar scene has changed dramatically. Here are some of our own personal favorites for libations in Sugar House:
ACME Bar Company
Home to one of the best cocktail programs in Utah, and found just on the edges of Sugar House. Welcome to ACME where tiki inspiration and flair reigns supreme. The bar offers an ever evolving cocktail list, and is helmed by some of the most talented mixologists in the state. I wrote about the bar in detail, in this story.
Craft By Proper
This is a one of a kind spot in Utah – and is located right in the very heart of Sugar House. Craft By Proper is Utah’s only, Utah beer only, bar. Everything poured here comes from one of the brewers on our fabulous brew scene. Ran by Proper Brewing Co the bar showcases the best of Utah with 36 draft options, and more than 200 selections by can and bottle.
Sugar House Pub
A funky hang out dive bar that looks small from the front, but inside, this place goes back quite a ways. There’s a relaxed vibe here, and if you sit up at the bar area you’ll feel quickly welcomed by the regulars. Towards the back of the space is a games room with pool tables etc.
Quarters Arcade Bar
Part bar, part arcade. Mix together in one glass and stir for a good time. The Sugar House location of Quarters is an offshoot of their downtown SLC original and is every bit as good; some might say even better? The ground floor is host to an affordable walk up bar, as well as pinball galore. Upstairs you’ll find seating and a whole host of arcade machines.
Wasatch Brew Pub
We mentioned this restaurant above as a great place to eat, and it serves just as well for drinks. At the front of this restaurant is a bar area, both a long bar to perch up at, or a comfy lounge area with sofas. If you stop by for drinks make sure to ask what seasonal specials are on draft, Wasatch/Squatters beers brew some of the finest beverages in the city.
All of the above three have full liquor licenses so pour beer, wine and liquor. See our Utah Liquor Laws page for info on navigating the drinks scene in Utah.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.
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