The fabulous flavors of Salt Lake City’s Indoor Swap Meet

It’s easy to miss.  Driving down Redwood Road amongst Peruvian and Honduran restaurants tucked into strip malls, next to the bail bonds money transfer stores, is a nondescript warehouse.  As soon as you enter, you will realize that this is no hidden gem.  Throngs of families meander through the narrow aisles, shopping for everything from ’90s vintage t-shirts to washing machines.  This is the Salt Lake Indoor Swap Meet (1500 W 3500 S, West Valley City), not to be confused with the outdoor Redwood Swap Meet located about half a mile away.  

Juan Pablo’s Bakery is the first intriguing stall you will locate directly in the center of the market.  There you will see dulce de leche pastries, elaborate cakes, eclairs, and breads directly in the center of the market.  Tucked between shops selling steel cookware, cell phone cards, and jewelry, there are stands selling paletas, chamoy, fresh juices, and other snacks that are too numerous to name.

I, however, came for the food court.  As you make your way to the back, the market opens up into a wide seating area and food court.  Tacos Mexicanos el buen pastor is the first place you see.  The menu is extensive. The stall is one of only a handful in the area that serves their al pastor from a trompo, a vertical rotisserie where the flavorful pork is shaved off from the edges as it browns.   Tacos Arabes are also on the menu, with meat placed in a thicker pita-like tortilla originating from Lebanese settlers in Puebla, Mexico.  On the weekends, you will note most patrons ordering the menudo, a spicy and savory soup made from tripe and hominy, or the barbacoa de borrego, rich lamb meat served with a spicy consomme. 

Next, there is La Fondita, an establishment that focuses on plates, often a meat dish with rice and beans.  Especially popular is the costilla de puerco (pictured top), a stewed pork rib dish in a chile verde sauce, as well as the menudo, a spicy stew made from organ meat and hominy.,  Finally, there is Mariscos Camaron Pelao, where they make seafood in the style of the coastal Mexican state of Sinaloa; in soups, ceviches, and tacos.  Try the mixed seafood tostada, which comes topped with a combination of shrimp, scallops, and octopus tossed with lime, tomato, onion, and cilantro.  

While you eat your meal, be prepared to be serenaded by a husband and wife duo to a mixture of Mexican classics intermixed with 80s American hits.  Over the commotion of the patrons and clatter of plates, the clear notes of  “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston can be heard.    The swap meet represents the changing face of Salt Lake City, and cultural enrichment brought about by immigration.  We are luckier that it is here.

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Ryan Duggal

Ryan Duggal is a board certified OBGYN and Addiction Medicine physician with a passion for food and stories.  He is originally from San Francisco, CA, and currently splits his time between Salt Lake City and Pine Ridge, South Dakota, where he works as a physician for the Indian Health Service on the Oglala Lakota Reservation.