Utah Valley has good restaurants, and Salt Lake City has more of them, closer together, with later hours and more of them open on Sunday. For a night out from Provo or Orem, the trip is about 45 miles and just under an hour by car, or a FrontRunner ride on any day but Sunday. This page picks fourteen Salt Lake restaurants and groups them by where your evening already is: downtown near a show or a game, on North Temple near the train, on the east side, or up a canyon.
No taste notes here: what follows is where each place is, when it is open, what Google lists it as, and how far it is from the train, as of October 2026. Hours change, so confirm before driving. For Utah County tables instead, see our date-night restaurants in Utah Valley.
Getting there
By car. OpenStreetMap routing from downtown Provo, without traffic: about 52 minutes to the Market Street block downtown, 54 to Pago on 900 East, 55 to Red Iguana, and about an hour to Log Haven. I-15 north of Lehi is where weekday evenings slow down.
By FrontRunner. UTA runs FrontRunner Monday through Saturday, so Sunday is a car night. The two stops that matter are North Temple, about 0.8 mile on foot from Red Iguana, and Salt Lake Central, about 0.9 to 1.7 miles from the downtown restaurants below (walking distances by OpenStreetMap routing). TRAX covers the gap downtown. Check the last southbound train before booking anything after 8. Our FrontRunner day trip guide covers the stations, fares and the walk.
Downtown, before a show or a game
The downtown restaurants sit within a few blocks of the Eccles Theater, Abravanel Hall, the Salt Palace and the Delta Center. Book at least two hours before curtain or tip-off.
1. Takashi
18 West Market Street. A Japanese and sushi restaurant on Market Street, a short block off Main. Lunch Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. weekdays and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday. About 1.2 miles on foot from Salt Lake Central.
2. Valter's Osteria
173 West Broadway (300 South). An Italian restaurant that Google lists at its top price level, with dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. It is the dress-up dinner on the west side of downtown, about a mile from Salt Lake Central and a few blocks from the Delta Center.
3. The Copper Onion
111 East Broadway, Suite 170. An American restaurant open seven days: lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays (10:30 a.m. on weekends) and dinner 5 to 10 p.m. nightly. The weekend daytime hours make it a Sunday option downtown.
4. Himalayan Kitchen
360 South State Street. A Nepali and Indian restaurant open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, and 5 to 10 p.m. on Sunday; closed Wednesday. Note the Wednesday closure before planning a midweek show night around it.
5. Salt & Olive
270 South 300 East. An Italian and European restaurant open every day from 11:30 a.m., until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Among the latest-closing sit-down dinners on this page.
6. From Scratch
62 East Gallivan Avenue. An American restaurant on the Gallivan Center block, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until 10 on Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. The closest table on this list to the Gallivan plaza.
7. Red Rock Brewing, Downtown
254 South 200 West. A brewpub with a full American menu, open daily: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until midnight Friday and Saturday (opening 10:30 on Saturday), and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. The latest kitchen on this page and a few blocks from the Delta Center, which makes it the after-the-game table. About 0.95 mile from Salt Lake Central.
8. Urban Hill
510 South 300 West. A restaurant Google lists under fine dining and brunch: dinner nightly from 5 p.m. (4:30 on Friday and Saturday) until 9:30, plus weekend brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. About 0.9 mile on foot from Salt Lake Central, the closest downtown restaurant here to the FrontRunner station.
Our Delta Center game-night guide covers parking and the train home for a Jazz or Mammoth night.
North Temple, by the train
9. Red Iguana
736 West North Temple. The Cardenas family's Mexican restaurant, known on its own site for its signature mole dishes, open daily: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It takes reservations on its website, which is worth using; the site's own tagline calls the food "worth the wait." It is about 0.8 mile on foot from the North Temple FrontRunner station, the shortest train-to-table walk on this page. The family also runs Red Iguana 2 and other locations listed on the same site.
The east side: 900 East and Sugar House
These are car trips, and they reward a dinner that is the whole evening rather than a pre-show meal.
10. Pago
878 South 900 East. A restaurant and wine bar near 9th and 9th that Google lists in the upper price range, open nightly 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday included. It is about 54 minutes from downtown Provo by car.
11. Saffron Valley, Sugar House
479 East 2100 South, Unit C. An Indian restaurant with a lunch buffet and dinner service: Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., weekends 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 (until 9 on Sunday); closed Monday.
12. Blind Rabbit Kitchen
1080 East 2100 South. An American restaurant in Sugar House open daily, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, which makes it a weekend brunch and dinner option in one.
13. Mumbai House
2731 East Parleys Way. An Indian restaurant on Salt Lake's east bench, open Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday. It is the easternmost stop on this list, about 55 minutes from Provo.
Up the canyon
14. Log Haven
6451 Mill Creek Canyon Road. A restaurant and event venue in Millcreek Canyon, open for dinner every night, 5 to 9 p.m. (from 4:30 on Saturday). It is about an hour from downtown Provo by car, the last few miles up the canyon road, so this is a drive-only evening. Google lists it at the upper price level, and it also hosts weddings and events.
The Sunday version
If Sunday is the only night, ten of the fourteen are options: Red Iguana, The Copper Onion, Salt & Olive, Red Rock Brewing, Urban Hill (brunch and dinner), Himalayan Kitchen (dinner only), Pago, Saffron Valley, Blind Rabbit Kitchen and Log Haven. Takashi, Valter's, From Scratch and Mumbai House are closed. Remember there is no Sunday FrontRunner, so plan to drive. Salt Lake's food halls, such as HallPass at The Gateway and Woodbine Food Hall, also open on Sundays.
Make an evening of it
- Dinner and a show: the downtown cluster puts the Eccles, Abravanel Hall and Capitol Theater within walking distance. In December, our Christmas in Salt Lake guide pairs dinner with Temple Square and the Nutcracker.
- Dinner and a game: Red Rock, Valter's and Urban Hill are the closest to the Delta Center.
- Just dinner: Log Haven or Pago, with no clock to watch.
- Weighing a move north? Our Provo vs. Salt Lake City comparison covers the rest of the difference.
Related Guides
- Things to Do in Salt Lake City From Provo
- Game Night at the Delta Center From Utah Valley
- Christmas in Salt Lake From Utah Valley
- Best Date-Night Restaurants in Utah Valley
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to drive from Provo to a Salt Lake City restaurant?
Can I take FrontRunner to dinner in Salt Lake City?
Which of these Salt Lake restaurants are open on Sunday?
Is there a good Salt Lake restaurant for a special occasion?
Do I need reservations?
Where can I eat near the Delta Center before a game?
Is there Indian food worth the drive to Salt Lake?
What's the latest I can eat on this list?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- FrontRunner service (operates Monday through Saturday), Utah Transit Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Red Iguana: home (Cardenas family recipes, mole, reservations, locations), Red Iguana. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Google Places listings: addresses, hours, categories and price levels for all 14 restaurants; North Temple and Salt Lake Central station locations, Google Places. Checked October 20, 2026.
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (drive times from downtown Provo; walking distances from FrontRunner stations), Project OSRM / OpenStreetMap. Checked October 20, 2026.
