Latest restaurant closures around Utah

Sasa Kitchen

The Taiwanese cuisine of this East Side restaurant (2095 E 1300 S) appears to be no more. Several readers have contacted me, noticing the closure, and asking for more details, but sadly, at this time, I’ve seen no official word. Yelp does report the business has closed, with Google displaying a more vague ‘temporarily closed’. Here’s hoping they bounce back – their food was top drawer. As was the menu at Matchstick Bar & Grill – which was also operated by the same team (if memory serves) – and also sadly closed around a year ago.

For those in the market for a solid mapo tofu (Sasa’s pictured top) replacement, I’d recommend Beijing restaurant in Sugar House; their version of the dish is as good as any I’ve tasted in recent times.

Ekamai Thai

Down the road, Westward in Sugar House (1405 E 2100 S), another long-term name has closed up shop. Again, there’s no official word from the business that I can see. The Sugar House location had operated successfully for more than a decade, becoming a staple of the area.

In the immediate area, Taste Of Thai in the heart of Sugar House is a very good choice. A little further afield, be sure to check out the cooking of Kin Sen Thai in Millcreek.

Italian Olive

Opening in the Summer last year, Trib reporter Kolbie Peterson reported that this downtown spot has now closed. In her weekly newsletter, Peterson wrote, “It’s been evident for a few weeks that Italian Olive, the pizza and pasta place at 270 Main St. in downtown Salt Lake City, is no longer open. “

Rimmels

This Springville-based (1180 N Main St) German restaurant recently confirmed their brick n mortar closure, writing, “We were trying to make it to the end of the month but sadly we are going to be permanently closed. Effective immediately. It has been a joy serving Döner. We are still deciding on if we will run the trailer or not.”

In this follow-up social media post, it seems the food truck portion of the business will run for a little while longer yet, with the owners actively looking for more events/locations to operate from.

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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.