I’ve done it. After a year and nine months, I can finally say I have eaten at or bought takeout from every local restaurant on the Salt Lake County stretch of Redwood Road.
When I embarked on this project in January 2024, my goal was to eat at every local restaurant on that part of Redwood Road in one calendar year.
But this west-side thoroughfare is an ever-changing place, with restaurants opening and closing all the time, and I found that trying to keep up was like fighting to stay on top of quicksand.
(One building at the corner of 3500 South and Redwood in West Valley City was a taco place when I started my reporting, then it became a Greek burger place, then changed into a Colombian restaurant. I visited all three.)
Plus, I got pregnant in February this year, and it was hard to keep up with a schedule of visiting restaurants when I was exhausted, not feeling well, and frankly, having specific ideas about what I wanted to eat.
In all, between Salt Lake City’s Westpointe neighborhood to the north and South Jordan to the south, I ate at or got takeout from 74 restaurants along Redwood Road for this project, which my editor and I named the Redwood Road Challenge.
The first restaurant I went to was the Soup Kitchen at 1411 S. Redwood Road in Salt Lake City on Jan. 3, 2024. (At one point in my reporting, I said I had started at Pho 777 — but my notes show it was actually the Soup Kitchen.) I finished by getting takeout from La Yaquesita at 4848 S. Redwood Road in Taylorsville on Sept. 26, 2025.
The Redwood Road process
For the Redwood Road Project, I referenced a helpful list of every active food service permit issued by the Salt Lake County Health Department where the business address included the word “Redwood.” I crossed out convenience stores, caterers, schools, movie theaters, mobile food units, care centers and big chains, like McDonald’s. About every six months, I would request an updated list.
I decided not to count bars that serve food, because they aren’t accessible to everyone. I also didn’t count food businesses that don’t provide a complete sit-down meal, like boba shops, snack stands, coffee shops, ice cream shops, doughnut shops, juice bars, etc.
I usually went into these Redwood restaurants anonymously, unless I was writing a larger feature about them or including them in a roundup. And The Salt Lake Tribune reimbursed me for the cost of the food and mileage to get there (which it does for all the meals I order as I report this beat).
Some of the food was stellar, a lot of it was just OK, and some of it was just flat-out bad. But I focused more on highlighting the restaurants that were doing things right, instead of criticizing the ones that could use some work.
Why I did this project
Reporting about food can get real snooty, real fast. It’s easy to just write about the restaurants that can afford good marketing. Often in Salt Lake City, that means restaurants on the east side.
And if you want me to get really real, it’s easy for a white person (like me) to stay on “their side of the tracks” and just write about food that’s prepared by other white people.
But I wanted to get out there, and find the good food that wasn’t being written about. I wanted to find the little mom-and-pop places that are making the food that they know and serving their cultural communities.
And most of all, as a new food reporter, I wanted to learn about food. And there’s no better place in Utah to get that food education than the diverse restaurants on Redwood Road.
My Redwood top 10
At the suggestion of a follower on Instagram, where I’ve been periodically posting photos from my Redwood adventures, here is my list of the 10 best restaurants on Redwood Road, not ranked in any particular order:
Burgertory • 3197 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City • This horror-themed burger joint serves aptly named burgers like The Hellraiser and, my favorite, the Exorswiss & Mushrooms. (Burgertory now has a second location in Tooele, at 140 E. 200 South.)
El Morelense • 2470 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City • Completely hidden inside the Latino Mall on the west side of the street, El Morelense wins the distinction of serving what I thought were the best al pastor tacos on Redwood Road.
Ogie’s Cafe • 3515 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City • This cozy diner is the kind of place where the servers know the regulars by name, and folks chat over cups of hot coffee and plates of pancakes and eggs.
Siragusa’s Taste of Italy • 4115 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville • Founded by an Italian chef from Chicago, this restaurant specializes in “back East Italian” that’s creamy, cheesy and comforting.
Dee Garden Thai Kitchen • 7098 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan • This Thai restaurant is plain on the outside and charming on the inside, like so many on Redwood, and a spot I’ll always remember as the place I tried mango sticky rice for the first time — and loved it.
Pho 777 • 3585 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City • Home to what I deemed to be the best pho on Redwood, Pho 777 simmers beef bones, brisket, seasonings, onions and spices for over 24 hours to make its pho broth.
Habibi Grill • 3460 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City • Blink and you’ll miss it situated back from the street, Habibi Grill is a beautifully decorated restaurant that serves Pakistani food in generous portions.
BFF Turon Pinoy Food Rocks • 8860 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan • This Filipino restaurant serves its homey food “turo-turo” style, or cafeteria style, and you can sample a lot of different dishes before committing.
Wild Peru • 4631 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville • In my notes, I wrote that this Peruvian restaurant was “one of the best on Redwood,” and I stand by it. When I visited, I ordered a delicious dish called chaufa con lomo saltado that I still think about: stir-fried beef with onions and tomatoes, served with chicken fried rice.
Honolulu Grill • 8860 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan • Located right next door to BFF Turon, Honolulu Grill is the best Hawaiian-inspired food I found on Redwood. When I visited for lunch, the place was packed — always a good sign.
What I learned about Redwood
• The part of Redwood Road I reported on is basically a giant food hall that stretches across a county. Some of the types of ethnic food I sampled were Afghan, Honduran, Salvadorian, Pakistani, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Peruvian, Somalian, Colombian, Thai and many more.
• As a white English speaker, I was a guest in most of these businesses and needed to act accordingly. I tried to be respectful and polite, go in with an open mind, and ask questions. (It was also helpful that my dining companion speaks Spanish.)
• Never judge a restaurant by its signage, exterior, interior or atmosphere. I found a great hidden sandwich place (That Sandwich Shop, at 55 N. Redwood Road, Suite E) whose signage was literally a piece of paper on the door. There are a lot of great restaurants on Redwood in ugly strip malls, like Catrachos, at 3584 S. Redwood Road, in West Valley City. And I found yummy Somalian food in the back of a cluttered market that had no vibe to speak of, at Nutrition & Ethnic Foods, at 3197 S. Redwood Road in West Valley City. (If you want the best atmosphere and vibes on Redwood, though, go to Chopfuku, at 7869 S. Redwood Road. It’s really beautiful.)
• Of course I knew this going in, but it’s so important to support local businesses. Some of these Redwood restaurants are so small, or so niche, it’s incredible they’re in business at all. The chains will always be there, so next time you’re hungry, head to Redwood Road and spend your money at a business that really needs the support.
My Redwood Road Project stories
• Five Mexican restaurants on Redwood Road worth dining at.
• At a horror-themed burger spot in West Valley City, the mouth-watering food will thrill you.
• You need to try these 5 hidden gem restaurants on Redwood Road.
• Four dynamite Asian restaurants to visit along Redwood Road.
• Ogie’s Cafe has changed over the years, but the Redwood Road diner is still ‘a friendly place.’