You may have seen various discussions on social media over the weekend about this one. Today, the company confirmed the downtown SLC location of Market Street Grill will indeed shutter at the end of the month. The closure draws to a close nearly a 50-year story for the business at this spot.
The restaurant first opened in 1980 and had a transformational impact on the Salt Lake City dining scene at the time. Moving into the historic New York Hotel building (which had previously served as a soup kitchen), the restaurant was an innovator, using Salt Lake International to overnight seafood into the city and onto plates. While commonplace today, this was unique at the time.
The restaurant was founded by John Williams, Tom Sieg, and Tom Guinney – names instantly recognizable to many long in the tooth food lovers; in recent yers the brand joined the Mountain West Brands group, which also operates Chuck-A-Rama and Grubsteak.
For fans of their famous chowder, the closure notice affects only the downtown Salt Lake City location. Both Cottonwood and South Jordan remain open for business. The statement from the company reads:
“After nearly 50 years of serving Salt Lake City, we share bittersweet news.
Market Street Grill Downtown and Oyster Bar Downtown will permanently close on June 30, 2026. For generations, these restaurants have been part of life’s biggest moments-first dates, anniversaries, celebrations, business lunches, and family traditions. We are incredibly grateful to the guests, employees, and community who made these locations such a special part of Salt Lake City’s story.
While we say goodbye to our downtown locations, Market Street Grill continues at our Cottonwood and South Jordan restaurants where we look forward to welcoming you for years to come.
We invite you to join us downtown thru June 30 to share one last meal, revisit old memories, and help us celebrate nearly 50 unforgettable years. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the friendships.
Thank you for being part of our story.
We would also like to invite all former Market Street Grill and Oyster Bar employees to join us for an Employee Reunion on Wednesday, June 24.
Whether you worked with us for a summer or a career, we would love to see you, reconnect, share stories, and celebrate the people who made these restaurants so special.”
Cucina Toscana
Another storied name and another signing off. The downtown SLC Italian recently posted the following to Instagram:
“This isn’t easy news, but after nearly 30 years, we are ending our final chapter next Saturday, June 20th.
We really hope to see you before then – our business hours will remain as usual as we wrap up this coming week.
Thank you for all the memories”
Yoko Ramen
One more Instagram goodbye to note. This popular ramen name, just around the corner from the neighborhood bar Dick N Dixies, is set to close up shop at the end of this month. The departure message reads:
“Yoko Ramen is closing.
It’s been nearly a decade that we’ve had the pleasure of serving you our favorite food, but the time has come to close our doors for good.
Thank you to our staff (past & present), the farmers, purveyors, and customers that made this place so incredibly special. Your support has been wonderful and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to exist in this community for so long.
We will be open through the end of June—come say goodbye and share a memory with us. We look forward to serving you and yours another time or two over the course of this month.
Thank you, Salt Lake City, for loving this place as much as we have!”
Deadpan Sandwich
No official word on this one, but several folks have reached out to ask what has happened to this sandwich spot location in Woodbine Food Hall. The business itself hasn’t seemingly issued any statement, but both the Instagram and website for the restaurant have gone dark.
Woodbine itself confirmed to me that the business had now vacated the food hall. In the past few weeks, chef Taylor Giullian had moved on from the restaurant, which itself had confirmed its intent to continue, and had very recently launched a whole new menu. I’ll update the piece, should I get official word, and if they plan an event return.
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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”.
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