Best Restaurants in Moab, Utah (Full Review)
Last Updated on April 29, 2024 by Kelly
Moab, Utah, is the gateway city to both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. We planned on visiting both parks, so we knew we’d be spending a good amount of time in Moab. After a day full of adventuring, nothing was better than refueling with an amazing meal. In this post, we’re sharing our picks for the best restaurants in Moab. We highly recommend that you visit these spots during your own trip!
These are listed in no particular order. If I had to choose a couple of favorites, I’d personally choose Doughbird (we still talk about the fried chicken sandwich) and Moab Diner (the green chili was amazing).
Moab Diner
The Moab Diner is famous for its signature green chili, and it did not disappoint! We couldn’t get enough of their green chili. We seriously couldn’t stop talking about how good it was! When you visit the Moab Diner, we recommend that you get a bowl of it. Their green chili is also slathered on many of their burritos, sandwiches, and more.
The Moab Diner has been a part of Moab for a long time. It was first named the Poor Boy Drive-Inn in the early 1960s. Since then, it has evolved from a burger joint, to an ice cream parlor, to the diner it is today. It’s clearly a popular place, so plan to get there early to avoid a wait. It was packed when we visited, so we ended up getting our meal to-go and walking back to our hotel to eat. (A really great incentive for staying in town is to be within walking distance of these great restaurants!)
We ordered a bowl of the green chili (pictured below) and the Kokopelli Chicken Dinner ($5.75 and $11.50 as of this posting in 2021). The green chili photo may not look especially beautiful, but trust us it tastes amazing. Next time we go back we want to try the Green Chili Cheese Fries and the Breakfast Burrito. Pretty much anything covered with their green chili would be delicious!
Doughbird
Doughbird specializes in donuts, chicken sandwiches, and coffee. We visited for breakfast and made sure to return the next day for lunch as well. We rarely go to the same restaurant twice while on vacation, because we like to try different places, but we had to come back to try more flavors of donuts as well as their crispy chicken sandwiches.
When planning your trip, just note that as of this writing, they are closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. They open at 7am for donuts. They start serving chicken sandwiches at 11am.
When we visited, we tried four different donuts over the course of two days: The Red Velvet, Choco Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Glazed, and Cronut (half glazed with chocolate). After a lot of deliberation, our two favorites were the Red Velvet and Chocolate Glazed. The Red Velvet has great texture: crispy on the outside and cake-like on the inside. We liked the Chocolate Glazed because the yeast dough rose higher than any other donut we have seen and it was delicious! If you’re wondering where to eat in Moab, Utah, you need to check out Doughbird!
We came back for lunch the next day to try their crispy chicken sandwiches. You can choose the heat factor that you would like (no heat, mild, medium, hot, and melt your cluckin’ face off). The crispy chicken sandwiches were equally delicious. We were craving those sandwiches long after we left Moab!
Gloria’s Corner Cafe
We visited Gloria’s Corner Cafe several times for smoothies during our trip and once for lunch. While traveling on vacation, it can be difficult to find healthy food on the go. We really liked their smoothies because they were packed with lot of fruits and vegetables! We ordered them to-go to fuel before a hike or to replenish when we were back in town. The smoothies were also a good option for our toddler to get an extra boost of nutrition. We liked dining at Gloria’s because they have a nice outdoor patio area.
Crystal’s Cakes and Cones
We visited Moab in June, when the weather was very hot. We really enjoyed cooling down at Crystal’s Cakes and Cones for ice cream after dinner. They also had a good cupcake selection! If you’re looking for a dessert spot, we’d highly recommend stopping by.
Zax Restaurant
We went to Zax for their pizzas! All of their pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired brick oven. We split a large Ramon Pizza (homemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, onion, and mozzarella cheese). We sat in the second floor patio with a nice view of the street. The food was so good, we forgot to take a picture! We did snap a photo, however, of our daughter enjoying the water misters to keep cool.
Moab Brewery
The Moab Brewery specializes in microbrews. They have over a dozen beers. (I’d like to try the Moab Pale Ale!) In addition to some excellent beers on tap, they also have a restaurant that focuses on making their signature dishes from-scratch. Their menu is filled with burgers, sandwiches, and pub food.
Sunset Grill
If you’re looking for fine dining while in Moab, head to the Sunset Grill. The restaurant is perched on a hill and has excellent views of the city and surrounding landscape. This restaurant also happens to be the oldest restaurant in Moab, and you can learn a lot about the local history while you dine there. At the time of this writing, they have dishes such as prime rib and raspberry duck on the dinner menu. Because we were traveling with our toddler, we didn’t do any fine dining, but we would love to come back and dine there just for the views!
Jailhouse Cafe
The Jailhouse Cafe is one of the most popular breakfast places in Moab. Try to get there early to avoid a long wait. We didn’t get a chance to visit during our trip because of the wait times, but we could tell it was a very popular restaurant. It’s temporarily closed as of this writing, but scheduled to open March 3rd, 2022. I’d like to go to try their Old Fashioned Ginger Pancakes with Apple Butter.
Moab Food Truck Park
If you’re traveling as part of a group, one of the best places to eat is the Moab Food Truck Park. Everyone can order their preferred type of cuisine, so everyone is happy! There are plenty of picnic tables for seating, with many of them covered with canopies for protection from the sun. There are all sorts of food trucks at the park, and each of them are individually owned and operated. At the time of this writing, you can find food items such as paninis, shave ice, tacos, Chinese, and pizza.
Tip: A fun place to take kids is the Moab Giants dinosaur park. It’s worth checking out on the way to Canyonlands!
Milt’s Stop and Eat
Looking for a burger? Milt’s Stop and Eat is one of the best burger joints in the area. This restaurant is a drive-inn, so be prepared to either eat in your car or bring your food back to the hotel. (Or if the weather is nice, you can head to a nearby park.) In addition to their signature burgers, they also have over a dozen milkshake flavors.
Arches Thai
There are several Thai restaurants in Moab, and Arches Thai is located centrally in downtown Moab. Arches Thai has a menu filled with noodle soups, curries, salads, noodles, and entrees. The tempura fried banana looks like the perfect dessert to end a day out in the desert!
Mexican Restaurants in Moab
If you’re looking for southwestern cuisine in particular, there are plenty of options in Moab:
- Fiesta Mexicana: Casual Mexican restaurant with excellent margaritas.
- Miguel’s Baja Grill: Located in the heart of downtown Moab.
- El Charro Loco: This restaurant is located on the outskirts of town and has an extensive tacos and burritos menu.
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Summary
We traveled all over the southwest, and the restaurants in Moab were some of our favorites from our three-week road trip. We hope this list was helpful in finding the best restaurants in Moab, Utah!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
