It’s easy to work up an appetite while visiting Utah’s national parks. After all, where else in the world can you go whitewater rafting through khaki-colored river canyons, hike among staggering rock formations and go four-wheel-driving in remote desert landscapes all in the same trip? While food options inside Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef are limited or non-existent, plenty of eateries around these parks welcome visitors from all walks of life with diverse cuisines, typically crafted with fresh ingredients and often served with cold, Utah craft beer. Options range from wood-fired pizzas cooked in a literal wagon to James Beard-nominated farm-to-table dining. If you’re as excited for the state’s outdoor wonders as you are for a filling meal afterward, here are 10 of the best restaurants near Zion and the rest of Utah’s national parks.
Centro Woodfired Pizzeria
Near Zion and Bryce Canyon
50 W. Center Street
Cedar City, Utah
centropizzeria.com
Who among us doesn’t pine for a hearty pizza after a long day on the trail or a few nights of backcountry camping? Cedar City’s Centro Woodfired Pizzeria, just an hour north of Zion National Park’s main entrance and 90 minutes from Bryce Canyon, takes its thin-crust pies to the next level with enduring family recipes and an oven that imbues each pizza with just the right level of char. Best of all: Centro is open all year long.
Most of the pizzeria’s ingredients are sourced from Utah farmers and made in-house, including a hand-crushed tomato sauce and home-made fennel sausage, and are then thoughtfully combined for a wide range of creative pizzas. Whatever you order, it all pairs well with a fresh salad, craft beers and an extensive wine list.
Pro tip: Save room for dessert. The Nutella “piegato” consists of folded pizza dough that’s been filled with the hazelnut cocoa spread and baked in Centro’s wood-fired oven; the finished product is topped with whipped cream and a Nutella drizzle for one of Cedar City’s most decadent desserts.
Zion Brewery
Near Zion
95 Zion Park Boulevard
Springdale, Utah
zionbrewery.com
The Zion Canyon Brew Pub, one of two outposts from Zion Brewery, may be among the most scenic pubs in the United States. Utah’s first craft brewery sits just outside the main entrance to Zion National Park, and the area’s red rock peaks loom large over the bustling patio.
Even if the views were all Zion Canyon had going for it, that’d be enough. But the brewery distinguishes itself with an elevated pub menu that showcases regional flavors (including bison meatloaf topped with a stout-infused demi-glace) and a wide range of fresh fare (such as a Mediterranean chickpea salad and a lean, locally sourced elk burger). A balanced selection of craft beers, meanwhile, trends toward traditional styles; hazy IPAs, lagers, brown ales and other easy drinking brews dominate the taplist.
Pro tip: You can’t go wrong with whatever you order, but save room for a dish served with Zion Canyon’s bacon jam, made with jalapeños and the brewery’s own stout. And if possible, asking for a seat on the scenic patio is a no-brainer.
Giff’s Barbecue
Near Zion and Bryce Canyon
297 W. Center St.
Kanab, Utah
facebook.com/people/Giffs-Barbecue
The veteran-owned Giff’s Barbecue is a food truck-turned-restaurant in the heart of Kanab that has earned plenty of praise among locals for its tender smoked meats.
Vegetarians won’t find much to nosh on at Giff’s, where even the salads are topped with your choice of chicken, brisket or pulled pork. So it’s no surprise the restaurant’s food menu is dominated by a satisfying blend of smoked meats (including brisket, chicken, ribs and pulled pork) that are available in a variety of combination plates. The eatery is open all year long and offers house-made takes on a handful of classic side dishes (such as baked beans and macaroni and cheese) alongside a few surprises (including a Utah specialty: Dutch oven potatoes).
Pro tip: Arrive early (soon after Giff’s opens at 11:30 a.m.). Given the nature of barbecue, you never know when your favorite dish might sell out before day’s end.
Kanab Creek Bakery
Near Zion and Bryce Canyon
238 W. Center Street
Kanab, Utah
kanabcreekbakery.com
Ease into the day with a wood-fired, fresh-baked treat from Kanab Creek Bakery. The locally minded bakery, sourcing most of its products from regional producers, draws on European influences for an appetizing food menu that includes flaky croissants, a decadent croque madame, classic scones, a variety of savory breads and more. It all pairs well with the bakery’s piping-hot coffee selections. Grab breakfast to-go on your way to the parks, but be warned, these dishes never taste better than when enjoyed under sunny skies on Kanab Creek Bakery’s breezy patio.
Pro tip: Walt Thirion, co-founder at Kanab Creek Bakery, is a landscape photographer and conservation advocate who operates a gallery and displays his work in a studio next door. Stop in after your meal to browse Thirion’s striking images, many of which showcase the landscapes of southern Utah.
Backroads Bistro
Near Bryce Canyon
5 N. Main Street
Panguitch, Utah
facebook.com/p/Backroads-Bistro
Variety is the overarching theme at Backroads Bistro, which sits in the geographic heart of Panguitch and just 30 minutes from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. The casual eatery, open year round, boasts an eclectic menu that draws on global influences and offers a little something for everyone. Menu items at the friendly, wood-paneled diner include a pasta dish topped with green Thai curry sauce, tacos filled with fresh salmon and a filling Cuban sandwich slathered with a tangy Sriracha lime aioli. Occasional specials include fresh doughnuts on Tuesday mornings and sushi on weekends when ahi tuna and salmon are available.
Pro tip: When the weather cooperates, angle for a seat on the bistro’s patio; it’s ringed by colorful planter boxes and offers plenty of shade.
Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm
Near Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante
20 State Route 12
Boulder, Utah
hellsbackbonegrill.com
There are few more iconic Utah restaurants than Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, which sits just 40 miles south of Capitol Reef National Park and near the border of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. For more than two decades, the James Beard-nominated eatery has dished a wide range of entrées with locally sourced produce, meats and other ingredients.
Hell’s Backbone is so committed to offering a locally minded dining experience, it grows most of its own produce at an on-site garden and a six-acre organic farm. Local ranchers, meanwhile, provide the grass-fed meat for the restaurant’s dishes. The seasonally driven menu, largely reflecting a mix of Southwestern and Western influences, changes often throughout the season, which runs March through November, so diners always enjoy the freshest possible meal.
Pro tip: Take a taste of Hell’s Backbone back home with you. The restaurant sells a variety of pantry staples that includes pancake and biscuit mixes, spice rubs and a chile sauce mix.
Kiva Koffeehouse
Near Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase and Capitol Reef
7144 State Route 12
Escalante, Utah
kivakoffeehouse.com
As good as the coffee is, there’s one undeniable star at Kiva Koffeehouse, which sits along Scenic Byway 12 and within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: the views. Whether lounging alongside a nearly floor-to-ceiling window or on the shop’s patio, it’s hard not to marvel at the cinnamon-hued slickrock and jagged peaks that seem to extend toward the horizon in every direction.
Hungry? Open between mid-March and late October, Kiva’s food menu spotlights a changing mix of breakfast dishes, light bites (including soup, salads and sandwiches) and appetizing desserts. It’s all made in-house, from fresh chocolate chip cookies to rich eclairs.
Pro tip: The coffee drinks and food items are all excellent, so our best suggestion is to enjoy your drink on-site while soaking up panoramic views.
Chihuahua Garcia Mexican Grill
Near Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase and Capitol Reef
425 E. State Route 12
Escalante, Utah
facebook.com/p/Chihuahua
It’s impossible to miss Chihuahua Garcia Mexican Grill, housed in a bright blue food truck that sits alongside Scenic Byway 12 in the parking lot of the Escalante Home Center hardware store.
If you’ve been hiking all day and need sustenance, you’ll be glad you stopped in for the cart’s small but mighty menu of Mexican classics that includes street tacos, burritos that seem large enough to share and quesabirria tacos (filled with stewed birria beef and cheese). Highlights are numerous, but the fish taco is stuffed with cod that’s been baked, rather than fried, for more pronounced flavors. The food truck is open year round, other than a short closure around the holiday season.
Pro tip: If you’re looking for Mexican fare that goes beyond tacos and burritos, consider the daily special; common offerings include pork ribs in green sauce, enchiladas, pork tamales (served around the holidays) and chile rellenos slathered in a mild red sauce.
Mad Pita Express
Near Zion
2376 Red Cliffs Drive, Ste. 316
Saint George, Utah
madpita.com
Don’t let the strip-mall nature of Mad Pita Express fool you: The eatery serves a variety of well-crafted Greek and Mediterranean staples with a much-appreciated attention to detail. Gyros, kebabs, scratch-made falafel and a handful of salads comprise most of the menu; meat is sliced from the restaurant’s rotisserie for maximum freshness, and the baklava is baked with locally grown pistachios. Enjoy it all in a festive dining room that’s outfitted with wicker chairs and adorned with plenty of hanging plants. Mad Pita Express is open year round, making it an essential stop on the way to or from Zion National Park.
Pro tip: What it lacks in authenticity, the Phylly Cheesesteak pita makes up for with a playful flavor profile. The sandwich comes filled with grilled onions, green peppers, tomatoes, jalapeños and fresh gyro meat, rather than the more traditional beefsteak.
The Pizza Wagon
Near Zion
765 W. State St.
Hurricane, Utah
The Pizza Wagon sits along the main drag in Hurricane and is exactly what it sounds like: a wood-fired pizza oven sitting atop a wheeled wagon. But to leave it at that sells short the Pizza Wagon’s inventive pies and the jovial atmosphere around the unique eatery.
Protected from the elements by a small wooden shack, the oven churns out an array of impressive pies; some lean traditional (like the margherita pizza), while others reflect a hodgepodge of global influences (including the Italian Cowboy, topped with traditional red sauce, mozzarella, smoked bacon, red onion and a drizzle of barbecue sauce). Diners can take their pies to go or eat at one of a few picnic tables on the gravel lot.
Pro tip: The Pizza Wagon, open year round, is a local favorite. That’s reflected in wait times that can top two hours in the height of summer; try calling your order in beforehand at 435-327-2503, or give yourself time to relax before digging in.
