Zest Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

Zest catered our wedding, and truly went above and beyond what would be expected of any caterer.

In the months preceding the wedding, Casey worked with us to design a seasonal, local, plant-based menu that would win over people who normally include animal products in their diets. We had a tasting dinner at Zest, in which they brought us over a dozen amazing things to try, and Casey sat down personally with us to finalize the menu. He was flexible, creative, and completely willing to work within our budget. We are still in shock that we were able to afford the quality of the food he provided.

A few weeks before the wedding, Casey facetimed with us at the venue to study the kitchen space. On the day of the wedding, Casey and his team drove over an hour from Salt Lake to our venue in Heber City to cook food for over 90 people on site. They had done huge amounts of preparation before even coming to the venue, and then worked with precision, speed, and calm. Casey and his team brought a kind and calm energy to their interactions with each other and our guests.

They prepared absolutely mindblowing, incredibly fresh, flavorful food. Guests told us they went back for seventh helpings of deviled avocados, cheese biscuits, and stuffed mushrooms, and cashew cheeses during the cocktail hour. The entrees (raw zucchini manicotti, masala brussel sprouts with silvered almonds, thai coconut curry with black rice, and macaroni and cheese) were served family style by the chefs, and people could not stop talking about how delicious everything was. The team prepared menus, which they laid out at each table. They also prepared mini carrot and chocolate beet cakes for dessert that they laid out after dinner, and which were all gone by the end of the night, after people had multiple helpings. They were constantly checking on how people were doing. One of our guests was a chef, and stated that the team from Zest blew him away.

Several of our guests followed a gluten free diet and expressed gratitude for attending the first wedding where they could eat everything that was served. Another guest with a sesame allergy was personally cared for by Casey and his team, who brought her a special plate to ensure no contamination had occurred.

When a two year old guest who especially loved the food conveyed this to Casey and his staff, they took the time to show him around the kitchen, answer his questions, and encourage him in his dream to be a chef--even though they were under time pressure. We adored everything we ate on our wedding day, and we were so touched by the kindness and generosity of the Zest team. They prepared the most delicious food we've ever eaten, and it was affordable, healthy, environmentally responsible, and cruelty-free. They packed up our left overs and even left a card in the fridge. Casey and his team at Zest (thank you to Ian, Basti and Trayson) are the best of the best. We were so lucky to have them prepare the food for our wedding, and we look forward to celebrating many future anniversaries at their wonderful...

I used to love Zest Kitchen & Bar. It was one of my favorite places for years, and I loved to rave about how wonderful it was to friends, family, and coworkers. My partner and I knew we would miss it when we moved out of state. One reason it was so special was that this was the place where we had our first date. It was also one of the places that coincided with my food allergies and organic/health standards. The ambiance was exceptional, and the food was fantastic. But it was not like it was when we left Utah over a year ago. My partner and I visited Utah for a family event. We looked forward to stopping by Zest for my partner's birthday celebration and reminiscing about the special time near the commencement of our relationship. However, our recent experience was a stark departure from our previous visits, leaving us deeply disheartened and questioning the changes at Zest.

Reserving the Birthday Cake: I had high hopes when I ordered a whole cake (Chocolate Beet Cake--my partner's favorite) and made a reservation for a night we would be in town. Sadly, the communication about reserving the cake was not up to the professional standards I had come to expect from Zest. However, I still looked forward to the reservation and picking up the cake for my partner's birthday.

Our Reservation & Visit: The reservation and service in the restaurant were far from satisfactory, which was a significant disappointment, especially considering the special event we were celebrating. The food (Masala Cauliflower Wings) was a letdown, and the alcoholic beverage (Blackberry Stormy) we shared was average. We were shocked that the server did not check our IDs, which is a severe oversight, given that it is a legal requirement to check ID's in Utah.

The Price: The price paid was not worth the experience or cuisine. A tip, though given, upon reflection of the subpar service and terrible food (excluding the cake), was not deserved. The Atmosphere: The change in environment, ambiance, and decor left much to be desired.

The Positive Note: The cake was the only thing that made it worth it. It was the one thing that brought us back to what we remembered and fell in love with in the first place.

Unfortunately, we do not see ourselves returning to Zest, provided the...

I'm not sure what happened to this place. My wife has a lot of food intolerances. This place always brought her joy. I kid you not, the desserts literally made her cry the first time we ate there. We don't live super close, so this is always the special occassion restaurant we'd go to, then COVID happened, and it's probably been about 3 years since our last visit.

I booked us a nice weekend getaway in Salt Lake and this was dinner for Friday night for our 20th Anniversary. We ordered an appetizer, soup, and 2 entrees, and a drink from the bar. First thing wrong, everything was brought out at one time. What's the point of appetizers and soup/salad if everything is going to come out at once? So, we didn't really get to enjoy anything hot. Second thing wrong, we ordered the queso dip for an appetizer. It tasted really weird and the chips were stale. We let the server know this when he came back at the end of the meal, I mean, why come back when you give everything all at once to the table. The server did come back after that saying he did try the appetizer and it definitely was not right. He took off the app and comp'd one of the 2 desserts we got. We took the desserts back to the hotel. Mind you, I used to pick up the carrot cake on the way home from work as a treat for my wife sometimes, because she loved it so much. The carrot cake wasn't the same as before. It was not as good. The chocolate, caramel hazelnut torte was okay, but there was no caramel to be found. Missing? Not a lot to begin with? who knows?

I hope they can get this sorted it out, because it was one of the few places my wife can eat without taking charcoal. Oh, and another thing. The menu on their website does not match what they actually had. I was hoping for chips and guacamole, tomato soup and Jackfruit tacos. No tomato soup was available, no chips and guac, and the tacos didn't sound as good as to what was...