Oquirrh Restaurant — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

TLDR: Oquirrh is a must-visit restaurant that blew us away with every dish. Highlights included the perfectly balanced Oquirrh Salad, the life-changing milk-braised potatoes, and the best “mac and cheese” ever (the wild mushroom Canestri pasta). They accommodated my wife’s celiac beautifully, and their zero-waste philosophy adds even more to their charm and, incedently, the flavor profiles of their dishes by reusing byproducts from other dishes/components. Incredible flavors, enjoyable service, and sustainability make this a new favorite for date nights and hosting. 5 stars, no doubt.

Last night, my wife and I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Oquirrh, and I can confidently say it’s a restaurant we’ll continue to frequently visit for a long time. Every dish was an experience, combining bold flavors, thoughtful textures, and an inspiring commitment to sustainability. Here’s the breakdown of our incredible meal:

A great way to start is with the Oquirrh salad. The acidity, salt, and delightful crunch created a perfect balance that had a surprising and satisfyingi mouthfeel. It was fresh, unexpected, and an balanced.

This dish deserves a standing ovation. Quite possibly the best potatoes I’ve ever had. The combination of shallots, house-made ricotta, green onions, and a beautifully fresh broth poured tableside was nothing short of blue-ribbon. The textures were perfect, creamy yet structured depth of incredible flavor. This dish makes the short-list for a last meal. No notes.

The clams were served in a subtle yet complex broth that was tasty but my favorite part were the broth-soaked Brussels sprouts that accompanied it, earthy, tender, and, as always, packed with flavor.

I hope I don’t offend the chef when I say this is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. It’s not mac and cheese, buuut it gives you a good idea. The wild mushrooms, aromatic herbs, and the cheese blend were a masterclass in indulgence. Each noodle was perfectly coated in a creamy, flavorful sauce that managed to leave minimal residue on the bowl, but every ounce of flavor in the dish. It was rich, satisfying, and unfairly delicious. We want to explore more of the menu, but it’s hard to imagine going here and not ordering this every time.

We wrapped things up with a budino that was a delightful blend of vanilla and coffee.

My wife has celiac and they were incredibly thoughtful and accommodating. They made sure everything was safe for her, which we deeply appreciated. The service overall was friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and efficient, making the whole experience even more enjoyable. The wine they recommended for my wife she LOVED and got multiple glasses (a rarity for her).

Oquirrh also has a zero-waste philosophy. Leftovers came in a Whole Foods bag, which at first seemed quirky but made total sense when they explained their efforts to minimize waste. From reusing ingredient byproducts to crafting incredible broths and ricottas, their approach is both admirable and adds a level of layered, deep deliciousness that I rarely come across.

Oquirrh is a masterpiece of a restaurant. Every dish was intentional, creative, and downright delicious. It’s clear the powerhouse couple behind this gem have poured their hearts into every detail, and it shows. This is obviously a passion for them. My only regret is waiting so long to try it. This is officially a new favorite for date nights and taking out friends and family.

If you haven’t been yet, make a reservation and prepare for a dining experience that will blow you away. You’ll leave with a full stomach, a happy heart, and a newfound respect for the...

I had been wanting to go here for some time. The inside is quaint and warmly lit. It is a small little place, so reservations might be a good idea, especially on the weekends. The menu rotates often based on seasonality and what is available, as they are locally sourced, something I love in a restaurant. I went with a group of coworkers, so we were able to order a good amount of the menu.

For appetizers we ordered the House Sourdough Bread, which was melt in your mouth and warm with delicious butter. We ordered two rounds of this because it was that good. So simple but so good. Don't get too carried away because it is really easy to go hard on the bread and feel full right away. But this bread paired well with the Mussels and Frites. The jus the mussels sat in was an ultimately delicious combination of butter, white wine and garlic, which I ended up slurping like soup I loved it so much. And made great dipping for the bread. The mussels were fresh, the frites were sweet potato with an aioli drizzled on top that was unique and highly flavorful. The sweet potato was a fun twist on the regular yukon gold frite.

The roasted cabbage was good. An uncommon way of preparing cabbage and they did a good job with it. This served as the gluten free option for our gluten free coworker (without the Caraway Crumble). She also ordered the Milk Braised Potatoes as her gluten free entree (which I did not try but wanted to include for other GFers out there needing ideas of what to order.)

For my entree, I shared the House Made Leek Ash Canestri Pasta (adding the 10g of Winter Black Truffles because company credit card) and the Sherry Glazed Duck Breast. The pasta was rich and flavorful, almost smoky in a way, the truffles were dried (different than I was expecting but delicious nonetheless), the pasta was certainly fresh. The dish was a titch dry but flavorful. But the duck took the win I will say. It was delightfully fatty and crispy, flavorful, the brussels sprouts were very tender and bursting with flavor, the rutabega puree was very background noise for me but a good dipping for the duck and the sprouts. I wish there had been more considering it was $40 but me and sharing partner agreed on the delicacy in its preparation.

The desserts (which I cannot recall their names because they are not listed on the website) were tasty. We went for the locally sourced middle eastern pistachio one with the cotton candy on top. I loved everything about it but could have done without the cotton candy as it added too much sweetness to this nutty crumbly cup. But the cotton candy made it visually stunning. Truly extravagant. We got the chocTaco of sorts which was good, was also locally sourced, but was not as coffee heavy as I was hoping. Nonetheless a great sweet treat at the end of our coursed meal over cups of freshly brewed coffee which was not a second thought, good quality coffee that was not burnt nor had been sitting...

Oquirrh was the WORST dining experience of my life. No exaggeration. I have dined in small and big, high end and casual restaurants in many major cities and small towns across the US (I spent 7 yrs in NYC), and many parts of Europe, East and South Asia. But not once in my life have I ever come close to the horrendous treatment that my partner and I received by the owner of Oquirrh!

We were waiting for our mains for a long time, and upon noticing that the tables that arrived after us had already been eating through their mains, my partner asked the owner what was taking so long. She was terribly rude and arrogant and told him flat out that it had only been 15 mins, suggesting that we were lying. She didn't bother telling us when we could expect the food, let alone apologize for any delay on their end. She then started blaming us for the delay because we had changed tables! [We were initially seated at a corner table right under a loud speaker (which high-end restaurant puts a table under the speaker?) so, we asked to be moved. They then placed us at a table that was surrounded by other people on three sides, all less than 6 feet apart. That was not safe, of course, so we asked to be switched back to the previous table right under the loud speaker.]

When we responded that it had been longer than 15 mins, she yelled, "I am not going to argue with you!" and, literally, Walked Off - as though she was not the owner but some random person at the restaurant, and as though we were in a setting where she had no responsibility for engaging with her customers, let alone taking care of them.

Clearly we wanted to leave right away. She charged us full price for all the meals we'd ordered - said she has camera footage to back up everything. This again was so PATHETIC - policing her customers as though they are beneath her and have done something wrong. Clearly, she needs serious schooling in customer service and public relations!!!

I am sure their food is decent. and I am sure their wait staff is fine and I am sorry that they have to put up with such an emotionally volatile owner. I know it's a tough time for restaurants and I feel sorry for Oquirrh. But NO ONE has to put up with disrespect and violation of basic human decency - let alone any abuse and zero responsibility from the owner!!!

We've encountered managers and owners before who are opinionated and proud and even rude, but no owner or manager has ever ANTAGONIZED us before. It's truly deplorable! Further, it's Salt Lake City, so we are used to being the only people of color in a room, but given how other white people were being attentively served and catered to by the owner made us feel especially awful about her exceptionally atrocious behavior towards us!

Truly the worst...