The Spoke on Center — Restaurant in Moab

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – “Parking's a nightmare, the mojito slaps, and that ain’t no bánh mì.”

“Come for the vibe, stay for the ranch, and please stop calling pulled pork on a hoagie a bánh mì.”

Let’s kick things off the Moab way: hot, crowded, and impossible to park. If you’re heading to The Spoke on Center, expect a nice block-and-a-half desert death march just to get to the front door—especially in peak tourist season. But once inside? Clean. Chill ambiance. AC actually works. And the bathroom? Surprisingly nice. Solid 7/10. No panic if nature calls mid-meal.

🥃 Mojito – 8.1

$13 in Utah, so we’re all just pretending that makes sense. But credit where it’s due—it was crisp, refreshing, and well-balanced. Would absolutely order again... while mentally flipping off the “small government” Republicans who somehow love big liquor control when there’s cash to skim. Looking at you, Utah Legislature. 🙃

🥖 Pork Bánh Mì (Sandwich Score – 6.3 / Bánh Mì Score – 4.2)

Let’s be clear: this is not a bánh mì. American pulled pork + American BBQ sauce ≠ Vietnamese sandwich. The pickled veg tried to save it, but the hoagie roll, overpowering sweet BBQ, and total absence of actual bánh mì flavor just missed the mark. Still—as a generic BBQ pork sandwich? Not terrible. But don’t gaslight me by calling it a bánh mì. We have eyes. And taste buds. I wouldn’t order it again, but I wasn’t offended. Just… disappointed.

🍟 Fries – 6.4

A little cold. A little limp. But tasty. Honestly, kind of like your friend who’s always late but still fun to hang with.

🥣 Ranch – 7.5

Now this is where The Spoke redeems itself. Creamy, herby, full of flavor. I’m a ranch guy—I judge it like wine—and this one was legit. Always order it with your fries. Maybe even your sandwich. Maybe even sip it like a cocktail. I won’t judge.

🤝 Service

The place wasn’t packed—maybe 20 to 30 people in a space built for over 100—so things were moving at a calm pace. Our server? Cordial, efficient, but cold. He checked in. He took the order. He brought the ticket. He did everything right—just none of it with warmth. Not rude. Not inattentive. Just… like we were mildly interrupting his internal monologue. So yeah, service was okay—technically on point, just lacked the welcome-home vibes.

Bottom line: 🚗 Parking is a pain, but once you're in, it’s pleasant enough. 🥖 The “bánh mì” needs an identity crisis intervention. 🥣 The ranch deserves a standing ovation.

Three stars. Not the best spot in Moab, but worth checking out—just maybe stick to burgers and cocktails. And stop lying about...

The food was great. The service during the meal was as expected. We saw our waitress about 5-6 times. Nothing crazy, just a normal expectation that was met.

However, when we left, I only tipped 10%. (Low I know, but for less than 40 mins of work.. more on that later)

After we left my family saw the ice cream shop in the corner and we stopped there for ice cream.

The waitress chased me down and was extremely aggressive and wanted a confrontation. It was really unprofessional and awkward not only for my family, but for other guests and workers there. She proceeded to berate me for giving such a “lousy” tip.

About 15 minutes later, after eating our ice cream, I decided I wanted to talk to her and give her a bigger tip ($50) because she was clearly upset. so I walked back into the restaurant and pulled her aside. She was incredibly aggressive and rude and continued to berate me for not giving her enough of a tip. I explained that I didn’t think the amount of service that was given was not worth 20-30% tip ($20-$30)

I may be the Ahole in my view, but I don’t think tipping culture has gotten out of hand. 20-30% is an outrageous expectation.

Before I was even able to tell her that I wanted to help her out, even though I think her behavior was incredibly unprofessional,and give her a $50 extra tip, so $60 in total, she told me that people like me are not welcome here at this establishment.

We have been one other time and the food was great.

We will not be back. I ended up still giving her the tip and she grabbed it out of my hand and continued to be rude to me and berate me.

She claimed that she deserves more and that management only pays them $2/hr.

If this is true, please don’t expect your customers to subsidize...

We spend time in Moab a few times per year; mostly to hike, mountain bike, and participate in events. We love this amazing town with so much adventure and history. It's been nice to see the cuisine in town improve over the years, both in terms of options and quality.

We finally made it to The Spoke after a 50-mile trail run. We were starving. Here's our assessment:

Ambiance: the design elements are not complimentary. It has really cool retro chandeliers and a clock made from old bike wheels; yet it also has super contemporary features that distract from the aforementioned retto design elements. The most confusing part is the dainty European velo pictures in quaint vilages on the North wall--what's up with that? This is Moab! A bike town with its own rich cycling history, genre, and caché. Why hearken back to Europe? Why not decorate with vintage mountain bikes and trails? Anyway, it's confusing.

Food: We really wanted to love the food. The menu has a wide variety of typical American grub. We ordered a burger, salad, and wings. Unfortunately, the meat on the burger and the wings lacked juiciness. In fact, they were quite dry. The Wedge Salad was a highlight. It was unique and tasty.

Service: very pleasant service. Our server was kind enough, but forgot to bring sauce with the wings. Nothing notable otherwise.

Price: maybe a little high for the quality, but pretty reasonable.

We will certainly give The Spoke another shot, probably many more times. I think it has a lot of...