Left Fork Grill confirms closure date of April 5th

Left Fork Grill

After nearly twenty years in the biz, this South Salt Lake institution has decided to call it a day. First opened by Jeff Masten way back in 2006, the classic American diner vibes and hearty dishes quickly attracted a loyal following. More than a few column inches were devoted to the Grill’s lineup of house-made over the years. In 2023, the SL Trib reports that the reins had passed to Masten’s daughter Melissa.

The journey now seems to beover with the business taking to social media to report their closure on April 5th. The Instagram post reads, “To our beloved community, after 19 years of serving you, we have made the difficult decision to close Left Fork Grill permanently, effective April 5th 2026. We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and for the opportunity to have served you. Thank you for being part of our journey.”

The advanced notice should give long-time regulars plenty of time to sample one more meatloaf, one more slice of pie.

Passion Flour Patisserie

February 1st was the final day of service for the much-loved Pasion Flour, the vegan baker that has served Salt Lake City since 2015. Owner Jessica Davies penned the following note on social media about the closure (and details about a possible future return of sorts):

“Hey friends 🤍 I’m Jessica, the owner of Passion Flour. I opened this bakery 10½ years ago at just 24, never imagining what it would become. Being part of your weddings, birthdays, holidays, and everyday celebrations has been the greatest honor.

Due to changes in my personal life, I’ll be moving out of state. Because I’m so hands-on day to day, I’ve made the hard but intentional decision to close our brick-and-mortar on Sunday, February 1st.

This isn’t the end of Passion Flour—just a new chapter. Once I’m settled, I’ll begin working on shipping and sharing those updates here.

Until then, we’d love for you to stop in and grab your favorites while you can, support our incredible staff, and celebrate these final days with us.

Thank you to every team member and to this community that showed up for us year after year.
You made this possible.

Thank you for making my wildest dreams come true.
— Jes”

Taste Of Red Iguana

Several readers tipped me off to the closure of this one; the more concise/speedy option of the famous Red Iguana, over in the City Creek mall. The closure also sparked some chatter on the local Reddit. While the guana’s presence in the city center is no more, it does look like they’ll be bouncing back with the concept sooner than later. The business’s website explains, “Taste of Red Iguana is relocating to a new full-service home in Daybreak, opening spring 2026 across from the ballpark.”

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Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.