As your standard millennial female ski blogger, it’ll shock literally no one that I love brunch. Give me an extra-spicy bloody mary, a fancy eggs benedict and a side of bacon and I’m in. So now that we’re all settling into Utah’s mud season, and I’m cruising up to Snowbird for afternoon laps instead of hustling for first chair, you can often find me on the weekends trying to persuade anyone and everyone to join me for an 11 a.m breakfast.
Whether you’re in Park City, Salt Lake City or Ogden, there are excellent options for pancakes, omelets and mimosas throughout the state. Below are just a few of my favorites.
Five5eeds – Park City
Take a break from the grab-and-go breakfast burritos for the best iteration of a hipster breakfast spot I’ve found in Utah. Start with one of their drinks from a robust catalog of kombuchas, smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices and coffee, and pair it with their PC Superfood Grain Salad (salad of wild rice, quinoa, farro, charred corn, jalapeño, chai soaked goji berries, baby kale, toasted almonds, vinaigrette, feta, egg and bacon) for a perfect healthy breakfast with an Australian twist. While I always usually stray toward Five5eeds’ lighter options, if you’re feeling something a little heartier, their burger is one of the best I’ve found in town.
Alta Lodge – Little Cottonwood Canyon
As Alta’s first ski lodge founded in the 1940s, this old-school hotel is right at the base of the Alta Ski Area and features a killer Sunday brunch setup with live jazz. Sit back and take in the views while you gorge yourself on options like Belgian Waffles with a Fresh Berry Compote or a Vietnamese Tofu & Rice Noodle Salad alongside a bacon bloody mary. Alta Lodge also gets bonus points because after you stuff yourself full of food, you can walk right outside and hike off those calories. (Check out a few of our favorite hikes in the area for ultimate wildflower viewing here.) Or you can head back upstairs and take a nap. Your choice!
SWEET LAKE BISCUITS & LIMEADE – Salt Lake City
This adorable spot has become a go-to for Salt Lake residents—so much so that it keeps expanding and now has three spots around the city. Everything is local, organic and made from scratch, so you can feel good about inhaling their Biscuit Bread Pudding French Toast (blueberry biscuit bread pudding sliced and dipped in batter) because the biscuit dough is made in-house and the Titanic Chicken Sandwich (buttermilk bathed cage-free fried chicken breast, local cheese, Daily’s bacon, YeeHaw Park City spicy pickles, mustard and toasted Stone Ground potato chip-encrusted bun) because all of the ingredients are sourced from just around the corner from the restaurant. If you’re looking for a boozy brunch, their Chandelier (house limeade, 801 Unita Pilsner on ice, topped with sparkling wine) is a fab breakfast cocktail—but their limeade is awesome just on its own too.
STEIN ERIKSEN LODGE’S GLITRETIND RESTAURANT – Park City
Yeah, you think you’ve eaten a hotel breakfast buffet before, but I guarantee you’ve seen nothing like Stein’s. Located at the Silver Lake base of Deer Valley Resort, roll out of bed on Sundays and dive into the most insane selection of breakfast food before a day skiing, hiking or biking on the mountain. Charmingly called the Skier’s Buffet, Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley Glitretind Restaurant features the relatively predictable (yet delicious!) omelet bars, salad options and pastries, but then it adds on an unbelievable display of sushi, sashimi, smoked seafood, heirloom meats, oysters, charcuterie, cheeses and more. It’s a hungry person’s heaven, and I revel in it.
SLC EATERY – Salt Lake City
One of my favorite restaurants in the valley, this spot now offers one of the coolest brunch menus I’ve ever seen. Everything on the menu is a twist off of standard brunch fare, so instead of your normal eggs benedict, try the Okonomiyaki Benedict—a Japanese cabbage pancake topped with ham, sweet soy, poached eggs and a togarashi hollandaise. Their Tres Leches French Toast is also to die for, which will pair swimmingly with their Frosé (Sugarhouse vodka, elderflower liqueur, strawberry simple syrup, rosé) this summer. Ridiculous.
THE BICKERING SISTERS – Ogden
Heading up towards Ogden? Give The Bickering Sisters a shot—a fun diner run by (you guessed it) sisters just off Ogden’s Historic 25th street. Everything is freshly made, and it has a cute outdoor patio that makes for a solid refueling spot after a spring day hike. Their French Toast Sandwich is a perfect blend between sweet and savory (bacon, cheddar, scrambled eggs on orange custard French toast), but if you’re feeling more lunch-like during your weekend brunch, the Bickering Chicken Salad (roasted chicken, granny smith apples, walnuts, celery, scallions and mayo on whole grain) with their spicy Thai peanut slaw as a side is a great choice.
NEW GOLDEN DRAGON – Salt Lake City
I'm going off the beaten path here to highlight my favorite brunch option in Salt Lake. I debated on sharing this—it’s already crowded enough on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but it’s so good you can’t skip it. New Golden Dragon is one of SLC’s coveted dim sum houses, where you can dine on dumplings, steamed buns and chicken feet to your heart’s content. While the servers usually push carts around stacked sky-high with delicious treats (just point and they’ll put the dish on your plate), during COVID they’ve transitioned to menus. Now you receive a ticket where you tally how many Shanghai buns, scallop dumplings and chives cakes you want and servers bring them over to your table until you're stuffed. It’s an adventure of a meal, but so good.
SILVER FORK LODGE – Big Cottonwood Canyon
Now that summer is coming around again, mount up that trusty road bike, and pedal on up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Silver Fork Lodge and Restaurant. Tucked into the side of a mountain, this rustic spot has an endless amount of character and a delicious breakfast. Because you’ve biked, you definitely earned their Bananas Foster French Toast. But even if you didn’t bike, you should probably order it anyway.
Of course, there are a myriad of brunch places scattered around Salt Lake City, Park City and the Ogden Valley and I didn’t even touch on Provo or the Heber Valley yet (please try Communal or Afterword—they’re both amazing), so I’ll keep eating and report back as I drink more mimosas and chow down on waffles this summer for purposes of journalistic integrity. Stay tuned.
