Which Salt Lake City Restaurants Are Open on Sunday?

Plenty of them. That is the short answer, and it surprises people who have heard otherwise.

Salt Lake City has a reputation for shutting down on Sunday. It was more true twenty years ago than it is now, and it gets repeated by people who have not tested it recently. On any given Sunday you can eat a tasting menu in Millcreek Canyon, mole in a strip mall on North Temple, biscuits on Central Ninth, or Neapolitan pizza downtown.

We should say plainly that we are one of the restaurants on this list. We own 'mina, on 900 South, and we serve dinner every Sunday, because Sunday in Sicily is the night families eat together and closing never felt right. What follows is how Sunday actually works in this city, which is worth more than any list on its own.

Why does Salt Lake have a reputation for being closed on Sunday?

Because it used to be earned, and reputations outlive their causes.

The assumption is that it comes down to Sabbath observance, and some of it does. That is a real and ordinary thing here, enough so that in 2025 a Utah legislator introduced a bill to stop national franchisors from forcing their Utah franchisees to open on Sundays, after a bakery chain mandated seven-day operation.

But when you check which well-known Salt Lake restaurants are actually closed on Sunday, the pattern does not hold. The ones we could confirm are a Jewish deli, a German deli, a Japanese sushi bar, two Italian restaurants, an Indian restaurant, and a vegan sandwich shop. That is not a religious pattern. That is restaurant people taking a day off.

Which is the honest explanation for most Sunday closures anywhere. Sunday dinner is usually the slowest service of the week. A chef-owned restaurant with one kitchen crew has to pick a dark day, and Sunday or Monday is the arithmetic.

What is reliably open on a Sunday in Salt Lake City?

Four categories, and knowing them is worth more than memorizing names.

Hotel restaurants. The most dependable Sunday option in the city. Hotels have guests who need breakfast, so the kitchen is running anyway. Bambara in the Hotel Monaco, Rouser in the Asher Adams, and the Grand America all serve Sunday. If you need a guaranteed table with no research, start here.

Breakfast and diner institutions. Not one of them closes. Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon has been open since 1930. Penny Ann's, Oasis Cafe, Sweet Lake, Publik Kitchen, Eva's Bakery, Cucina in the Avenues. If your Sunday problem is morning, you do not have a problem.

The Granary, Ballpark and Central Ninth corridor. The newer, bar-forward west side skews open. It is the best single neighborhood to point yourself at without a plan.

Brewpubs. Squatters, Red Rock and their peers run full Sunday service, usually with brunch attached.

The category that skews closed is chef-owned fine dining, and chef-owned Italian most of all.

What is the most common Sunday mistake?

Assuming open means open the way it was on Saturday.

Three traps, in order of how often they strand people.

Brunch-only and dinner-only. Some restaurants serve Sunday brunch and then close for the night. Others skip brunch entirely and open only for dinner. Pago, Finca, Current Fish & Oyster and Himalayan Kitchen are Sunday dinner only. We are too. Looking up "open Sunday" and showing up at one in the afternoon will not work at any of them.

Sunday hours are shorter almost everywhere. A kitchen that runs to ten on Saturday often stops at nine on Sunday. If you want a nine-thirty table, Sunday is the night to check rather than assume.

The same restaurant can differ by location. Pretty Bird downtown closes Sunday at four. Pretty Bird in Sugar House stays open until ten. Same name, same day, six hours apart.

And one broader warning. Restaurant websites are frequently wrong, and they are wrong in the most expensive direction. A well-regarded Salt Lake restaurant closed permanently this July and its website still advertises Sunday brunch today. Anything you read, including this page, is a snapshot. Call if it matters.

Can you get a drink on Sunday in Utah?

Yes, at a restaurant or bar. The confusion comes from a rule that applies somewhere else.

Utah restaurants and bars serve alcohol on Sunday, and Sunday service actually starts earlier than a weekday. A full-service restaurant can begin pouring liquor and wine at 10:30 in the morning on weekends and holidays, against 11:30 on a Tuesday. Bars run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. daily.

What is closed on Sunday is the state liquor store. Every one of them, statewide. That is the rule people half-remember, and it has nothing to do with dining out. If you want a bottle for home, Saturday is your last chance. Grocery and convenience stores sell beer under 5% seven days a week, so Sunday beer is never a problem.

Two Utah-specific things worth knowing before you sit down. At a restaurant you have to order food to be served alcohol. At a bar you do not. And there are two restaurant license types: full-service can pour spirits and cocktails, limited-service is wine and beer only. It is worth asking when you book, because the menu will not always tell you. We hold a full-service license, so cocktails are available on Sunday like any other night.

Which Salt Lake City restaurants are closed on Sunday?

Confirmed on their own websites, so you can plan around them:

Valter's Osteria, downtown. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Stoneground Italian Kitchen, downtown. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Chunga's, west side. Closed Sunday and Monday.

That list is shorter than it should be, and the reason is worth saying out loud. Restaurants publish the days they are open far more reliably than the days they are closed. Several more well-known names appear to be dark on Sunday, including at least one of the city's most celebrated, but we could not confirm it from the restaurant itself and we are not going to guess at somebody else's hours in print.

Where can you actually eat this Sunday?

Every entry below was checked against the restaurant's own website in September 2026. Listed alphabetically within each group.

Sunday dinner, something special

Current Fish & Oyster, Central City. Seafood. 5:00 to 9:00.

Eva, downtown on Main. Small plates. 5:00 to 10:00.

Finca, 15th & 15th. Spanish tapas. 5:00 to 9:00.

Log Haven, Millcreek Canyon. Brunch 10:00 to 2:00, dinner 5:30 to 9:00.

'mina, 900 South. Sicilian. 4:30 to 9:30. Ours.

Pago, 9th & 9th. Seasonal American. 5:00 to 9:00, no brunch.

Rouser, downtown in the Asher Adams. 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 10:00.

Table X, Millcreek. Tasting menu. 5:00 to 10:00.

Urban Hill, Post District. Brunch 10:00 to 2:00, dinner 5:00 to 9:30.

Sunday dinner, no occasion required

Bambara, downtown in the Hotel Monaco. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hearth and Hill, Sugar House. 10:00 to 9:00.

Himalayan Kitchen, downtown. 5:00 to 10:00, dinner only.

HOG & Tradition, 900 South. Dominican barbecue. 11:00 to 8:00.

Laziz Kitchen, Granary. Lebanese. 12:00 to 8:00.

Nomad East, 15th & 15th. Wood-fired pizza. 3:00 to 9:00.

Red Iguana and Red Iguana 2. Mole. 11:00 to 9:00.

Saffron Colonial, downtown. Indian. Lunch and dinner.

Squatters, Sugar House. Brewpub. 10:30 to 10:00.

Taqueria 27, downtown. 11:30 to 9:00.

Zest Kitchen & Bar, downtown. Plant-based. 10:00 to 8:00.

Sunday morning

Cucina, the Avenues. 8:00 to 4:00.

Eva's Bakery, downtown. 8:00 to 3:00.

Oasis Cafe, Central City. 8:00 to 9:00.

Penny Ann's Cafe, Ballpark. 7:00 to 2:30.

Publik Kitchen, Liberty Wells. 8:00 to 2:30.

Ruth's Diner, Emigration Canyon. 8:00 to 9:00.

Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade, Central Ninth. 8:00 to 4:00.

Quick answers

Are restaurants open on Sunday in Salt Lake City? Yes, many. The city's reputation for closing on Sunday is out of date. Hotel restaurants, diners, brewpubs and most of the Granary and Central Ninth corridor are open, though hours are usually shorter than Saturday.

Can you buy alcohol in Utah on Sunday? At restaurants and bars, yes. State liquor stores are closed every Sunday statewide. Grocery and convenience stores sell beer under 5% ABV seven days a week.

What time can restaurants start serving alcohol on Sunday in Utah? A full-service restaurant may begin serving liquor and wine at 10:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays, an hour earlier than the 11:30 a.m. weekday start. Bars serve from 10:00 a.m.

Do you have to order food to drink in Utah? At a restaurant, yes. At a bar, no. That is the practical difference between the two license types.

Where can you get Sunday brunch in Salt Lake City? Log Haven, Urban Hill and Bambara serve full Sunday brunch, and the breakfast institutions are all open. Most brunch service in this city ends by 2:30.

Are Italian restaurants open on Sunday in Salt Lake City? Some. Valter's Osteria and Stoneground are both closed Sunday and Monday. 'mina is open Sunday from 4:30 to 9:30.