Eating well in Salt Lake doesn’t always have to mean a three-figure check. Happily, some of the city’s most memorable meals are the ones that deliver big flavors, generous portions, and local character — all for $25 or less.
From the up-and-coming niche spots to tried-and-true stalwarts, you’ll find that value dining on the Wasatch Front can be every bit as satisfying as a splurge.
Dig into our choices for the top five meals under $25, proving that great food should be accessible to everyone. These spots showcase what quality, creativity, and value look like when they come together on a plate.
But the budget-friendly culinary adventure doesn’t stop at just five, we’ve dished up fifteen honorable mentions for savvy diners who know that there’s a buffet of choices that blend delicious bites and excellent value around Salt Lake.
Sal Y Limon Modern Taqueria
Sal Y Limon serves up incredible flavors with great value in mid-valley. Nothing on the menu here is over $16, and most items come in well under the $10 mark, yet deliver the taste and presentation of high-end sister restaurant Sol Agave.
Try some gourmet tacos like the grilled octopus (pulpo alas brasas) with fresh tomato mint salsa and avocado, or the alambre steak with grilled onions, mushrooms, and melted cheese. And you don’t need to be vegetarian to fall in love with the crispy potato tacos in sweet enchilada sauce topped with fresh cabbage and pico. Mix and match a couple and you’ll still be comfortably under the $25 mark, leaving room for a side of elote and a refreshing agua fresca.
If street tacos have your heart, try the asada seared to perfection, juicy chicken, or tender carnitas dressed up at the salsa bar. You can easily enjoy a few of them paired with chips and melty queso fundido for lunch or dinner.
Sal Y Limon’s quality ingredients and gorgeous presentation makes this spot a great value. You’ll leave full, satisfied, and ready to plan your next visit.
1076 East Fort Union Blvd., Midvale, UT
Bruges Belgian Bistro
Want to be transported straight to Belgium but without the plane ticket? Head to one of three locations of Bruges Belgian Bistro for authentic recipes and quality ingredients that blend Old World charm with memorable food, art, and affordable prices.
On the sweet side, the Liege waffle is Bruges’ signature offering. Made with pearl sugar that caramelizes as it cooks, the chewy waffles are available in vanilla or cinnamon flavors and come topped with fresh fruits, ice cream, crème fraiche, and other dessert additions. Don’t miss the Waffle Monster or other adorable food faces. You can also get your sweet waffle made hearty by adding eggs and bacon, sausages, or fried chicken for well under $15.
Balancing out the sweetness is another Bruges signature offering: frites served with house-made dipping sauces that make a filling snack. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, their twice-fried Belgian fries come with a dozen accompanying sauces to choose from, including garlicky aioli and tangy andalouse.
To make those frites a meal, try the Machine Gun Sandwich featured on “Man vs. Food” that delivers a custom-blended spicy merguez beef and pork sausage on a toasted baguette with fries and andalouse dipping sauce for $14. Housemade meatballs and chicken tenders also serve as protein additions to those fries.
Regardless of your waffle and/or frites pairing, Bruges is home to the perfect sweet-and-savory combination of Belgian delights that let you indulge in a decadent dining experience that feels like a European escape, all without going over budget.
336 West 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
2314 S. Highland Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Parea
This lunchtime fast casual spot is a new spinoff from Manoli’s. At Parea, the focus is on Mediterranean-inspired salads, gyros, and grab-and-go items that are a part of the higher-end menu just down the street. Shop through the cooler items, order a hand-stacked gyro that Manoli’s experimented with during the pandemic, and people watch out the front windows. The gyro, available as a handheld, plate, salad, or bowl for $17 or less, offers a choice of lamb, pork, chicken, or falafel and comes with house pita.
Get a taste of Manoli’s hummus, muhammara, tzatziki, and htipiti (roasted red pepper and feta) as part of the taverna menu that’s available after 3 pm for happy hour sustenance. The meze dip and pita platter lets you try three dips you can share or savor as a full meal on its own. Then, take some with you from the cooler for a meal later in the week. Wines for $9 and $8 beer alongside dolmades with tzatziki and spanakopita round out the late afternoon bites and are a great post-work stop or pre-evening start.
If you love the creativity of Manoli’s and want to recreate it at home or take it on the go, Parea is the place for anyone craving Mediterranean flavors without stretching their budget. Plus, they have the best gyro in town!
320 E 900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Feldman’s Deli
Feldman’s is a kosher-style Jewish delicatessen known for its towering sandwiches and New Jersey deli fare at reasonable prices. Now operated by the second generation of the Feldman family, the deli celebrates East Coast traditions that satisfy even the hungriest appetite.
If you’re craving breakfast and you’re lucky enough to get a hand-rolled bagel before they sell out every morning, try the lox platter with a schmear, tomato, capers, cucumber, and red onion. You’ll have enough money for the housemade potato latkes with applesauce or sour cream as a side, even if you don’t have enough stomach space.
Their signature half-pound Sloppy Joe sandwich rings up at $17 and can easily feed 2 people with a side of Jersey boardwalk fries. Stacked corned beef and pastrami are layered with coleslaw and Jewish rye for a jaw-stretching bite.
From dinner specials to the comforting matzo ball soup in rich chicken broth, Feldman’s nourishes both the body and soul with their friendly family vibe that often includes live music performances. Even if you didn’t grow up with East Coast deli culture, Feldman’s will make you feel at home with the comforting cuisine, generous portions, and a full, memorable meal for less than $25.
2005 E 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Strada
Love Matteo but can only afford it on special occasions, or want some of his special brand of Italian for lunch? Meet Strada. Made in the same kitchen as the food at Matteo, Strada offers a fast-casual downtown option for salads, pasta, paninis, and dessert where nothing on the menu is over $20 (except a full bottle of wine).
Here, you can twirl seven different kinds of fresh pasta in six sauces. Dunk your gnocchi in pesto, coat your fusilli in rich Bolognese — it’s up to you, and you’ll likely still have leftovers. You can also bite into nine different panini sandwiches. From the catering sensation #33; chicken parm with vodka sauce and pesto, to the #8; tartufo truffle grilled cheese, you can get most of them in half or whole sizes, then make a half a meal by adding a side salad or dessert and a drink for $16.
End any meal with a scoop of gelato or a beautiful cannoli. Or take some to go to make your dinner at home a little more decadent.
Strada delivers excellently prepared Italian cuisine in a casual and quick location that makes workday lunches, weeknight dinners, and casual get-togethers completely reasonable while enjoying the same quality of ingredients and attention to detail you get at Matteo.
30 E Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Honorable Mentions
Tuk Tuk’s
Dishing up some of the best Thai food at multiple locations along the Wasatch Front, Tuk Tuk’s has a wide-ranging menu, spice heat levels from 0 to 5, and shareable portions for under $20.
Mercato Kitchen
Newly opened in Woodbine, Mercato Kitchen serves up hearty Italian strombolis loaded with fresh ingredients, baked until golden brown, that deliver crunch, big flavor, and huge portions at wallet-friendly prices.
Koyote
Visit this inventive, chef-driven Japanese izakaya for flavorful small plates and ramen bowls for less than $20 plus sake and beer.
Chile-Tepin
With entrees comfortably under $20, Chile-Tepin has long delivered authentic Mexican flavors in the form of fajitas, chile relleno, and chimichangas to downtown diners.
Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade
Fluffy biscuit sandwiches, biscuit-based entrees like the Hoss, and creative limeade drinks are all part of a hearty and wallet-friendly breakfast, brunch, or lunch.
Slackwater
Unusual pizza combinations with a relaxed, rolled-up garage door vibe, every pie is less than $15 at locations all along the Wasatch Front.
Pho 777
Need big flavor for less than $20 on the west side? Pho 777 serves authentic Vietnamese food including steaming bowls of pho and noodle dishes in sharable portions.
Rancho Market
Inside this Hispanic market in locations around the Salt Lake valley, head to the kitchen where they are cooking up menudo, pozole, and ceviche for about $15 each, and then do your grocery shopping too.
Landmark Grill
This breakfast diner recently moved to a new location and got a liquor license so your short stack and Greek breakfast can now be paired with a bloody Mary. Everything on the menu, from omelets to eggs benedict, is under $15.
The Pearl
Creative Asian-inspired flavors in the form of shareable small plates, noodle dishes, and cocktails offered at lunch, brunch, and dinner and priced under $20 in the Central 9th District.
Ruth’s Diner
A local institution since 1930, you’ll find diner-style comfort food including mile-high biscuits served inside an old trolley car or on the sprawling patio in Emigration Canyon with nothing on the menu over $20.
Hires Big H
A true Salt Lake classic, enjoy nostalgic carhop service delivering classic drive-in Big H burgers, crispy onion rings, and frosty root beer, all under $15.
Pretty Bird
Chicken is what happens here, and you can get a hot chicken sandwich, nuggets, or tenders combo with a side and soda for less than $20.
Finn’s Café
Head to Sugar House for value-worthy Scandinavian comfort food like Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, or Scandinavian breakfast with red trout for breakfast and lunch.
Red Iguana
A Salt Lake institution known for its award-winning moles, smothers everything in one of their legendary sauces, as you marvel at the fact that most entrées are still under $25 despite their national acclaim.
Millie’s Burgers
A Sugar House landmark turning out the valley’s most iconic burgers, golden fries, and thick shakes. Family-owned and family-friendly, this is fast food at its finest, the kind that reminds you why Millie’s has been a Salt Lake staple for generations.
Feature Image: The Rhapsody: A golden Liège waffle creme fraîche, and warm Belgian chocolate from Bruges Belgian Bistro.
