Happy Hour Pricing for the Budget Conscious

Ever since STK Steakhouse SLC opened the day after Christmas in 2023, I’ve been intrigued and have wanted to go there. The prices, however, kept me away. I’m talking $108.00 for a ribeye steak without sides, $39 for their shrimp cocktail, and $24 for parmesan truffle fries, to name but a handful of the pricey dishes at STK. Needless to say, it’s pricing far beyond this food writer’s budget.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is a way to dine at STK without breaking the bank. It’s called Happy Hour. And Happy Hour at STK is more than just an hour: It runs on weekdays from 2:30 to 6:30 PM, until 5:30 PM on weekends, and again from 9 PM to closing Sunday through Thursday. That’s a lot of hours to indulge in STK’s budget-minded Happy Hours.

During STK Happy Hour guests can avail themselves of a bargain menu with dishes priced at $3, $6 and $9. Obviously, you’re not going to get a 16 ounce ribeye for 9 bucks. But you can, for example, enjoy a Lil’ Burger & Truffle fries for a mere $6 – less than you’d spend for a burger and fries at McDonald’s.

So, my wife and I recently enjoyed Happy Hour in the opulently decorated STK SLC without permanently wrecking our household budget. And I can guarantee – to paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger – “we’ll be back!” Service is outstanding, the ambiance is second to none, and the Happy Hour cuisine is excellent. Best of all, we managed to enjoy six different Happy Hour dishes and a bottle of wine for about $120 – less than some of the steaks COST on the regular dinner menu. 

Oysters on the Half Shell

I love oysters on the half shell and so a half dozen oysters priced at $3 each was a no brainer. The briny bivalves came with standard accoutrements: mignonette, cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, horseradish, and a mini bottle of Tabasco. 

Complementary Pull-Apart Bread

One nice touch during Happy Hour is the complementary mini loaf of STK’s famous pull-apart bread with blue cheese butter and chive dipping sauce, which comes piping hot in a cast iron skillet. The bread is so airy, soft and buttery it seems almost criminal. 

Crab & Corn Fritters

The $3 section of the SKT Happy Hour menu includes the aforementioned oysters, tater tots, and delicious crab & corn fritters – four of them with remoulade sauce and minced chives for 3 bucks. To give you an idea of what a good value Happy Hour at STK is, consider that an order of tater tots – $3 during Happy Hour – is priced at $24 on the dinner menu, although I’m certain that portion sizes are larger during dinner service.  

Waygu Meatballs

The $6 section of the Happy Hour menu includes choices like a short rib quesadilla, pastrami salmon cones, Lil’ Brg & Truffle Fries, Mushroom Arancini, and my favorite: Waygu meatballs. This was a pair of jumbo size beef, pork and veal meatballs in a heavenly homemade-tasting chunky tomato sauce, topped with fried basil leaves and minced chives –  a real bargain for 6 bucks. 

Tuna Tartare Tacos

Then we moved onto the $9 menu, which included beef tartare, Japanese A5 Wagyu taco, popcorn chicken, crispy calamari, jalapeño pickled shrimp cocktail and a dish my wife really loved: a pair of tuna tartare tacos with crispy taro taco shells, Hass avocado, honey-soy emulsion and microgreens.

The bar area at STK is gorgeous, and a great spot to enjoy Happy Hour and STK’s vast selection of cocktails, beer, spirits, wine and such, including mocktails. The selection of wines by the bottle is especially impressive, with 14 sparkling wine choices alone, and some 26 domestic Cabernet options. And, if you’re really lucky, you’ll get a superb server like Colby assigned to your table. He and the entire staff at STK – including managers Marcus and Sam – made us feel more than welcome, even though we weren’t there to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, which is easily done. 

Steak & Frites

Additional items from the $9 Happy Hour menu are an STK cheeseburger: beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, special sauce, pickle and chips; as well as a mini portion of steak & frites: three perfectly cooked medium-rare slices of oh-so-tender steak and a handful of frites with Bearnaise sauce.

In addition to Happy Hour, STK also offers a prix fixe Power Lunch Menu priced at $45 for three courses: starter, entree and dessert. Starters on the Power Lunch Menu include baby gem Caesar, blue iceberg salad, and tuna tartare tacos. Entree choices include a 6 ounce filet, steak frites, STK NY Strip sandwich, chicken breast sandwich, maple-rubbed salmon, or mushroom tagliatelle. For dessert, there are STK sweets to go. So you see, there ARE ways to dine affordably at a very expensive restaurant like STK; it’s all just a matter of timing. 

Culinary quote of the week: “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” – Julia Child