Muertos Cantina — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

So we are kind of stuck in town due to a family member in the hospital. We are pub fooded out, so we wanted to try something different. Mexican food sounded good, but on Sunday, some restaurants were closed and others had low ratings. Then I noticed De Los Muertos in Sugar House. The pictures looked enticing and the ratings were pretty good, so we decided to give it a try. I'll share the pros first and then some minor cons. The food was awesome. It was different but familiar all at once. This restaurant puts a nice twist on their food that I think gives them a leg up over others area Mexican restaurants. They have all sorts of caned or bottled beverages to select from, including adult beverages. They also have a soda fountain. Free refills, yay! The place was clean. Service was perfect. The atmosphere inside is rather cool, but small. There is a large, outdoor courtyard that would be great to sit at in warmer months. When you enter, there are kiosks to the right that are rather intuitive. I like that. You don't have to wait to order your food since you do it on entry (they also have a scannable QR code you can utilize to order your meal). Lol, but I somehow messed up the order by ordering an extra meal and paying for it. The staff cought onto it before they prepared it and asked me if that was intentional. They fixed my error and voided the extra charge even though we had already paid. Now some cons to consider. First off, I felt dumb because I couldn't figure out where to enter the place. There was a door with an open sign next to it, but the outdoor courtyard had a 3 foot tall rod iron fence all the way around it. From the outside it was difficult to spy a gate. I finally found it. The gate had a latch on the inside that was hard to see. Once we opened it we then entered the establishment. A good fix would be to add a sign that says "ENTER HERE" to the outside of the gate. A second con: the overflow seating in place right now is outside the building in an interior hallway. It felt kind of exposed and sterile. Some well placed, fake plants or trees would mitigate that a bit. To be honest, the food is well worth sitting in the hallway if inside seating is not availble.That's all I have for cons. They are minor and would not keep me from going back. We loved the food, the plating, and the quick delivery. You should give De Los Muertos a try. I especially recommend the El Gordito Guapo Birria Taco...

An Old Sugar House Favorite, Now Freshly Reimagined — and Serving Seriously Good Margaritas

Muertos Cantina has brought fresh energy to Sugar House, and we couldn’t be happier. This spot used to be the beloved taco place across the plaza, but it’s now transformed into a full sit-down restaurant with a proper bar—and it’s absolutely worth a visit.

From the moment you walk up, the vibe hits—neon art (think Mexican sugar skulls), a warm greeting at the host stand, and a lively yet stylish atmosphere. When we were offered seats in the bar, I thought, “There’s a bar?!” A quick walk through the saloon doors revealed an old-school steakhouse vibe: red swivel chairs, tall tables, candlelight, and an impressive wall of liquor bottles.

We grabbed a high-top with the perfect view of the action, and our server, Angel, immediately welcomed us with, “It’s Taco Tuesday—$5 tacos and $8 margaritas.” SOLD. We didn’t even know it was happening—best surprise of the night.

Drinks first: a watermelon margarita for me, mango for my other half. I’m not a frozen margarita fan, so I was thrilled when they arrived on the rocks. Hearing the shaker in the background sealed the deal—these were going to be good. And they were: balanced, flavorful, and with just enough tequila to taste. Utah pours or not, they hit the spot.

Chips and a trio of salsas followed, with Angel explaining the heat levels (and correctly guessing I’m a spice lightweight). For tacos, we each had the grilled shrimp, plus I went with the carne asada and my partner chose the chicken mole. Two tacos, chips and salsa, and a margarita made for the perfect dinner—filling without overdoing it.

Angel was fantastic—attentive, friendly, and clearly knew the menu and bar inside and out. He recommended the fajitas for next time, which we’re already planning.

The whole experience was so good I started texting friends about coming back with a bigger group before we’d even finished eating. Even the restrooms impressed—shared sink area, stylish lighting, and Instagram-ready mirrors. The kitchen was bustling when we arrived, and it’s clear this place can handle a lively crowd.

Bottom line: Muertos Cantina is our new neighborhood go-to. The vibe is on point, the margaritas are some of the best I’ve had in Utah (and not cloyingly sweet), and it’s all just a short walk away. Chips, salsa, and quality margs at the bar? Yes, please. We’ll be back—probably...

The staff was incredibly friendly & the restaraunt is very chic however, the food was definitely over priced. I spent $30 on 3 birria tacos, chips & salsa & a fountain drink. The $5 chips & salsa came with no refill & was small. The 3 birria tacos I ordered had such little cheese that I couldn’t even see the cheese on all of my tacos. The cup of consume was so small it was difficult to dip my tacos in. The beef in the tacos wasn’t shredded so each bite the taco would break & I had to shred my own meat which didn’t have a great flavor. The restaraunt is TINY. They initially sat us at a bar which faces a cinderblock wall & the bar stools were so small & definitely only fit for tiny children. Then we got moved to the back but that is out of the actual restaraunt & in the lobby of what looks like an office where we sat on very uncomfortable metal chairs & every table was so close together that the family sitting next to us who had to get up a ridiculous amount of times to chase their child, would push the table into our stomachs every time they got up because there was no room between our table & theirs. We couldn’t even sit in the chairs that backed up to them because there was no room. The drinks are self serve which is fine but when you are so far away from the drink machine, it’s not convinient to walk that far in the middle of your meal for a refill. They said that the menu was on the QR code, they did not explain that you have to order from your phone. We sat there for a half hour waiting for them to take our order. It wasn’t until my friend read the not obvious or big font that said “order here” on the small QR code sticker on the table. They should have mentioned that you order on your phone before we wasted a half hour waiting.. The quality of the food was lower than Cafe Rio by a long shot & double the price & in a smaller space. The only thing that made this even a mildly okay experience was how kind...