MARCATO Kitchen — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

I am a product of the greater Philadelphia area and as such, a consummate hater of well… all things. but specifically foods that aim to represent classics from home. So when I heard marcato kitchen was making Strombolis (a lesser-known but deeply beloved Philly staple) I relished the idea of dunking on something so close to home. Then to find out they were putting Cubano ingredients or beets or… bahn mi of all things into them. I was skeptical to say the least.

I wanted a chance to hate on each iteration so a few friends and I ordered just about everything.

I wanted the student to be my favorite before I even walked in the door. Basic pepperoni and cheese, classic. It’s all i wanted a Stromboli to be. The time and expertise put into the dough shines brightest through the simplicity of the fillings. The crispy exterior dough, brushed with garlic oil and sprinkled with salt, gives way to soft folds of dough, cheese and pepperoni nestled inside. Truly an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. This is an absolute requirement if you want to understand the nuance of the form.

Papa marries with another hometown favorite, sausage and peppers to make something truly special. A staple of any family gathering with fennel sausage, bell peppers, and onions braised together then topped with provolone and mozzarella is just right. And the bright pop of pickled onions perfects it.

The Cubano is where I started to get skeptical. Can’t tell you how wrong I was. As it turns out a Stromboli is a damn delicious analog for the pressed Cuban bread this Miami classic is famous for.

It would be easy enough to just toss some ingredients from the others together and call it a veggie Stromboli but marcatos vegetarian option is no afterthought. Grilled broccolini brings a new level to the rightfully established combination of roasted beets, goat cheese, and candied walnuts.

If the cubano assuaged some of my skepticism the bahn-boli dip made me a convert. This is unbelievably good. Taking my first bite I was struck by just how perfectly marcato has replicated the taste and texture of philly pizza shop Stromboli. Then my teeth sunk into tender brisket and the pickled veggies, herbs, and sauces that have brought bahn mi to its place in the pantheon of global sandwich traditions. It was incredible, and with a dip into the reduced pho-style broth glazing my second bite I was blown away by just how perfectly it all works together. Eat this!

Marcato kitchen is inside of square kitchen, a culinary incubator. Their hours are limited and it can be a little harder to find than a traditional restaurant but it’s so worth it. orders are online only through their website and doordash. I would definitely suggest ordering and picking them up. Kris and Kyle will likely be more than happy to explain their love of Strombolis and food in general.

Worth mentioning Strombolis not only reheat well but once cooled can be sliced shortwise and served room temperature. great for holiday party finger food.

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My husband and I checked this place out today as we're always hunting for new spots to try out. We were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by this place- it has certainly been a very very long time since we've found something in the valley that was this special and it definitely brought a breath of fresh air and high hope into the SLC culinary space. We got the teacher, ricotta gnocchi, and the cauliflower caesar salad- all of which were probably some of the most memorable pieces that we've had in SLC for awhile that you can tell were crafted by a chef who genuinely understands the balance of very well-designed food, flavors, textures, presentation (even in a to-go container) and mostly this art. SLC lacks the quality of food and art Marcato Kitchen has to offer and I am very excited to see where this concept goes because it was genuinely beyond impressive and well exceeded our expectations.

We ran down to a coffee shop 5 mins down the street and ate at a communal table where everyone sitting around us was asking where and what we were eating because everyone was so impressed at the presentation of how good the food looked in to-go containers and everyone sitting around immediately all said they needed to try this place out because of how beautiful the food looked. My husband and I attested that it tasted even better than it looked and highly recommended giving it a shot. The ingredients were incredibly fresh, unique and stunning flavors, perfect temperature even after taking it to go, and each component complimenting the next. Absolutely breath-taking across the board in every possible way- we were jaw dropped and speechless, honestly.

Note that the kitchen is located in a shared an industrial kitchen space and is not designed for sit-down or dine-in, you order your food at the kiosk outside the kitchen and the chef prepares it fresh for you, it takes about 15-25 minutes based on what you order but then you take it to go. It is in a somewhat warehouse environment but you enter through the front doors and there is a little kiosk in the middle towards the back on a table where you place your order. We were greeted by I believe the chef, who was very warm and had such lovely vibes. We will absolutely be back to try the other menu items, hoping they continue this concept as it's quite perfect but I wouldn't be surprised if they released into a full restaurant concept eventually because these guys would absolutely crush it in SLC. We are very very lucky to have quality and art this good available to us in a casual concept where easily accessible. Thank you, Marcato kitchen, for completely making our weekend today and truly providing an experience that will be added to our memories to cherish and recommend which is so incredibly difficult to come by these days in the culinary space. What a blessing to have this talent in our city- thank you, we...

YES 👏🏼 CHEFFFF 👏🏼 This review is LONG overdue as I've been a huge fan of Marcato Kitchen since they first opened and I finally needed to share my love for these bolis with the world!! Chef Kyle's creations are like no other stromboli or calzone (not the same but often confused) or sandwich that I've ever had. There is literally nothing that I crave more often than Marcato Kitchen.

First, the dough.... I don't know how he does it, but somewhere in that 72 hour(!!) fermenting process, he has managed to perfect the recipe to be soft and flavorful on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside, and never ever soggy (even as leftovers!).

The second thing that sets these bolis above the rest are the unique flavors and premium ingredients. Like, WOW. You can tell that the chef has some serious culinary chops, has a true passion for coming up with creative new dishes and a devotion to putting out the perfect product with every thing he does.

Here are a few of my favorite things to order but first a couple of pro tips: 1. There are always new specials to try and you DON'T want to miss them. 2. Order with friends so that you can slice & share and try as many flavors as you can! 3. When we order, we almost always get a few extras to freeze and reheat in the oven because they're somehow almost EVEN better when you re-bake them later and honestly, I just always want to have a backup boli on hand! :-)

OK, now my faves! You seriously can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but these are my current go-tos:

CUBANO – I didn't even know that I was a fan of Cubanos until I tried Marcato's Cubano Stromboli! The pickles have that PERFECT crunch, and the passionfruit mustard?! I honestly have no words 🤤

BULGOGI BOLI – 🤤🤤🤤 A really lean, thinly sliced brisket, marinated & caramelized with pears, onions, garlic and sesame plus gochugaru glazed onions, spicy aioli and provolone cheese. The pear is a surprising but incredible ingredient; just the perfect thing to lighten up the flavor profile.

MUSHROOM BOLI (V) – One of the two current vegetarian options (the other is the GIVE ME THE BEET, also delicious!) but even if you're not vegetarian, you should add one of these to your order!!! This one is like, melt in your mouth delicious, and even gets 5 stars from our friend who notoriously dislikes mushrooms! Don't sleep on this one!

If you're looking for something that is more of a traditional Italian style & flavors, check out THE TEACHER, HOT FOR TEACHER & THE STUDENT, but if you're looking for creative, out-of-the-box flavors that you'll want to come back for again and again, just try them all!! 😃

Marcato Kitchen is currently doing pickup & delivery out of Square Kitchen, but I really hope to see it's own dedicated location in the future and I can't wait to see what else the uber talented Chef Kyle comes...