The Copper Onion — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

We came here for my first time after wanting to come here for years. Came for a very special anniversary which was communicated, & they were even less attentive than you’d expect for just normal service walking into somewhere. Made a reservation & it’s almost like it took longer. We ordered our appetizer & dinner & the appetizer took over 40 + mins to even come out then even longer for our meals when tables nearby had things come out quickly. Understandable with communication but we felt ignored. Not checked on, had to actually wave down our waitress & most the time she was busy talking to coworkers. Drink ran out entirely mid meal, wasn’t offered or asked about a refill at any point. Didn’t ask us about dessert until a while after we had finished everything. Would have ordered dessert happily as again, it was a special anniversary and we really wanted dessert, but feared that since we weren’t even given the option until all was said & done & no offer for a refill on drink plus the time it took for all else combined with lack of attention/service, we didn’t want to sit & wait another full hour or more nor spend another penny here. Unsure if it was because we were sat in the very corner, but tables right next to us seemed to get faster, more attentive service so I don’t think so. Overall we had a great anniversary besides my spouse feeling bad for even making a reservation here which is not okay, so it is really unfortunate & sad that this experience which should have been a good one, took from that. When looking back on this anniversary, I’ll definitely remember the poor service & lack of getting to celebrate as it didn’t seem to matter. Even if just the notes were overlooked (why ask if there’s a special occasion if it’s going to be ignored?), it was still below par. Again, food is alright but not good enough to tolerate how we were treated. Won’t be returning due to everything else. Would put 0 stars if possible. Waitresses name started with an M. It left such a bad taste in our mouths that I actually wanted to ensure no one else comes here for a special event only for it to be ruined/ignored. Was able to sit and leave this entire review at the table in between the time we asked for our check & the time it took just to even pay to leave. Disappointed. I also typically don’t leave reviews but again don’t want anyone else to come here for a special occasion or any occasion for that matter to spend money and be treated this way. Edit to add I did speak with a manager whose name also started with an M, she was very kind, apologetic & asked if there was anything they could do to make it up but unfortunately we wanted to leave as soon as we could & you can’t really go back in time to a special day so nothing will really make that up. Please pay attention to your...

What I like about Copper Onion is the location. There’s a constant flow of people. Not hurried. Not slow either. Just moving with a rhythm of their own. You can sit and watch them pass by for a long time. Cinephiles, mostly. People who’ve just left the theater down the street. Maybe an independent film. Maybe something more obscure. Their faces seemed reflective, as if the movie hadn’t quite let them go yet.

The trout came, its skin perfectly crisp. It rested on a yogurt sauce—thicker, with the tang of labneh—and lentils that tasted faintly of earth and stone. There was something about the combination that suggested the Mediterranean, though I couldn’t quite place where. It was good. Very good, even. But part of me wondered if the dish wanted for brightness. A clearer note to cut through the softness. The charred lemon, the small green garnish—they helped, but didn’t quite answer the question.

A few weeks ago, I’d had trout at The Foundry Grill at Sundance, and again at Bambara inside Hotel Monaco. Both were fine. This was better. Without question.

My husband ordered the burger and fries. A humble choice. But the burger was done just right. Sometimes, that’s enough.

We started with patatas bravas. The sauce was nice. Nothing unexpected, but comforting. He also had the romaine salad. It was fine. Some things are simply fine.

As for cocktails, I ordered two Space Cowboys. Lately, it’s the best cocktail I’ve had. Smooth. Fresh. There’s something satisfying about drinking Aperol outdoors in the summer, under an open sky. Maybe it’s the color. Maybe it’s the bitter-sweetness.

We finished with chocolate pudding. Lush. The kind of texture that lingers on your tongue a moment longer than expected.

One of the best parts of the evening was our server. His name was Paul.

There was an ease to him—unforced, genuine. He noticed things. The kind of person who brings you what you need before you know to ask.

By the end of the night, I realized that his presence had quietly shaped the whole experience. A good server does that—like a steady hand beneath the surface of the evening. You don’t always see it, but you feel it.

By then the light had dimmed. People still passed by, silhouettes now. Somewhere nearby, someone was playing music—soft, almost unnoticeable. We sat a little longer, without saying much. Sometimes that’s the best way to...

Randomly visiting SLC and this place popped up on my TikTok when I was thinking about dinner. Weird. Anyway! Service was beautiful! We were sat immediately at 630p on a Saturday, lucky us. Requested outside then requested inside about 10 minutes after we were sat. The wind had picked up heavily in a short time so we decided to be pains. Our server was happy to change our seats, didn’t have us feeling bad about it at all. All service was absolutely lovely. I was most excited about the small plates/shareables so we started with the house sour dough with whipped ricotta and salted peppers, grilled asparagus, and crispy goat cheese salad. It was all great! The crispy goat cheese salad was the highlight of the meal, perfectly crispy cheese with a mouth puckering dressing that balanced everything out nicely. The bread and whipped ricotta and peppers was a close second. The salted peppers were no joke, make sure you have water. The spice was perfect, the salt is what burned my mouth. But still very good. The grilled asparagus needed another minute or two on the grill but all in all was very tasty and a valuable break from the salt. For entrees we both ordered pasta, I had the cacio a pepe and my husband had the bolognese. The pasta portions were really small, so be aware of that. Wasn’t a problem for us because of all the starters we had. His bolognese was really good. Al dente pasta and a spicy, flavorful, creamy sauce. And here comes the sad part….the cacio a Pepe was the worse pasta I’ve ever been served in a restaurant, and we’ve eaten at Olive Garden soo… I think it was microwaved, shockingly. It was inedible. Dry, crusty, rubbery, weird. Like the pasta you take to work and accidentally microwave too long. I was pretty baffled but also too full and satisfied to care much. I didn’t complain. All in all would definitely return here but we’d stick to the small plates, things where they shine! The bill was crazy cheap, even...