The Park Café

I have an associate who has been talking up a great many of the eateries around SLC.
I have my first extended stay here for the next couple weeks (Started last Friday, actually) so I’m hitting all the places he’s been raving about for the last 3 years.
About the Park café–
Went for breakfast on a Saturday. Yep, it was crowded AF (as the cool kids are abbreviating these days?)
Great neighborhood, no doubt.
Really appreciated the décor and overall atmosphere, although the only thing I don’t like more than a true hipster is a poseur hipster and there are plenty here.
The food was good, really solid. They rave about the hashed potatoes and I wasn’t really impressed. They’re…eh.
Overall, a really pretty much above average not crappy at all but maybe not worth the crowd if I could give 2.5 stars I would kind of place. I want to like it more than I do but I just can’t.

Great coffee, and great food. Love it, then a walk in the park.

The best service we have had while visiting Salt Lake. The food was great too. Highly recommend this place for breakfast. Luis was our server.

It’s good, but it’s packed and it’s really just a place to go to feel hip. If that’s your thing and you don’t care about getting a lot of food for your money, be my guest. You pay for the location at the park, which is kind of cool. Me and my wife care a lot more about the food though and there are better choices

This was a great way to start our morning in Salt Lake City! The portions are HUGE, so if you’re eating with friends and don’t mind to share I definitely recommend sharing a plate. It’s super affordable and the staff is friendly. Grab a seat by the window and you’ll have an awesome view of the park :) I ordered the Jazz Omelet and it did not disappoint. My friend also enjoyed her biscuits and gravy.

Good food for the price. Had a 20 minute wait, but service was quick. French Toast was pretty good.

We came here for Sunday breakfast and I can’t believe I never knew about it before today! I’ve been missing out for sure. It was super crowded (again, Sunday– so I expected it!) but we only had to wait 20 minutes. As soon as we sat down and ordered– our food came right out! It was great! Their French toast is delicious and everyone I was with had nothing but great things to say about their food. The service was good too, everyone was super friendly. We will be back soon to try more of their stuff but next time we’ll probably go during the week so we miss the crowd ;).

Nice location and area but the corned beef hash was not good. Way too dry and no flavor.

Best breakfast in SLC. super crazy and busy on the weekends. We like to go early on weekdays.
Expert tip — if it’s crazy busy and there’s only 1 or 2 of you, request to sit at the bar.
Michigan Hash is my fav. French toast foolishness if you’re hungry. My wife loves the omelets. The chai is one of a kind — very sweet but delish!
Fun staff that works hard and gets your food out super fast.
Expert tip 2 — if you’re not super hungry (portions are huge) you can order ½ portions and get a discount.
Fun to eat a big meal and then walk it off at Liberty park across the street.

Across the street from Liberty park, in he middle of the residential neighborhood lays this absolute gem. The embodiment of Salt Lake City counter culture. Despite a heavy Mormon influence, the coffee shops in SLC are just so damn good and this one easily leads the pack in service, friendliness, food and ambiance.
On a sunny Sunday morning — yes, you will wait anywhere from 30 to 60 mins, depending on the size of your entourage. But boy is it worth it. To help ease the waiting pain — grab a cup of coffee while you hang out on the street hanging with your buddies or with your new friends who you have just met. Such a simple perk that completely won me over. These guys are doing a breakfast coffee shop right.

Food and service are easily four-​stars, but the entire experience gets really dragged down by the wait times and crowding in the restaurant.
First, if you should ever come here expect to wait. More specifically, expect to stand outside waiting. You can brave your way into the restaurant for coffee to ease the suffering, but you’ll have to bulldoze through the meat parade to get in and out.
When you do finally get your table inside, you’ll sit uncomfortably close to pals and strangers alike. You will order food into your server’s crotch as they desperately try to stay out of the way of scuttling busboys and mincing hipsters. The restaurant is so crowded, you’ll start thinking of space in terms of inches rather than feet. Can I raise my elbow enough to fork this sausage into my yap? Better lean to the side first. Ow! Bumped my knee. Oof! Hit by an errant purse. Gotta suck in my stomach and scoot in more! Oops, is that your bag? Sorry man, I kinda kicked it, hope nothing expensive is inside. And god damn your blackened soul should you try to wheel a stroller in here, or a stroll a wheelchair in here for that matter. The noise? My infant started full-​on bawling and no one even heard it above the background clamor, even the folks right next to us.
This is sad because the food is actually good and the pricing eminently reasonable. Biscuits and gravy feature moist and fluffy biscuits paired with a thick and peppery gravy. Eggs cooked well to spec. Sausage links are spicy, and burst hot liquid meaty goodness at every bite. Pancakes? All right. Not too expensive. House potatoes? Not a fan. I think of them like half-​assed mashed potatoes spooned onto a skillet and fried for a scant few seconds.
Bottom line? I would come here all the time if I could just pop in and out. The food is good and the location is great for the park, but the wait times and the insane mash of people just kill it for me. Say it with me now baby: Roof. Top. Patio.

This is the absolute best place to get breakfast in Utah that I’ve experienced. Fast and extremely delicious. Come early to avoid the crowds as the wait can get lengthy. I typically go for the Bronco Omelet with some Rye Toast. Coffee is always great as well.

Cheap, simple menu. Consistent food with big (almost too big) portions. Servers are attentive and have sharp senses of humor. Never ending coffee refills. Awesome location.
Expect to wait. Good place for those «meat and potatoes» kind of people.

Park Café is one of my favorite breakfast places — I have never had a bad meal here. I usually get a half order of the French toast foolishness (one egg, piece of bacon, park potatoes, and the amazing French toast) but really enjoyed the huevos rancheros special as well. There is often a wait, but once seated the time between ordering/​getting your food is fairly short. Their house made jams are scrumptious, great prices, plenty of food, and nice location right by Liberty Park.

I don’t get it…
Come on Salt Lake, we have got to have better breakfast/​brunch joints then this. I can’t fathom how this place is a almost 5 rating.
Pros:
Parking wasn’t a big deal.
The wait was about 45 min (which is not bad on friday, saturday mornings).
The service was fine (our server on the patio was quick to refill waters and take our orders)
Ambiance was lively and bustling (might not be great for a hangover).
Con:
Food was complete utter trash. I I want delicious food in exchange for my hard earned money but my breakfast plate was not even edible. I got the double play and the only things that I could finish was the toast (which was nicely toasted!).
The potatoes seemed boiled (were soggy and moist? Two words I never want associated with breakfast potatoes) rather than pan fried.
My bacon was burnt… not crispy. Just burnt black.
And my sunny side up eggs were well done (why give me the choice if I am not going to get it that way).
Not to mention the coffee was extremely watered down.
So out of the 5 items I got for my breakfast, ¹⁄₅ was good (the toast).
If I could have given 1.5 stars I would have. Everything else was fine but the food, but the FOOD is what matters.
Unilocal, I expected more from you.

Heard all of the hype about this place so some friends and I had to come and try!
The hype is REAL. This place is a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ with every meal we ordered!
I ordered an omelet and it was excellent!
The service was great. Super quick and helpful!
I loved the vibe of this place! It sits right across from the park. I would recommend sitting outside on the patio if possible.
Also, try and get there early on Saturday morning. The morning rush is quite busy, but still definitely worth the wait!

Walked up on a beautiful Saturday morning and surprisingly only had a 15 minute wait. The space is awesome: huge windows, tons of small tables nestled together, lots of happy chatter inside.
Our server immediately brought my son (10 month old mind you) animal crackers while we ordered and waited for our food! Awesome! She sure made him and us happy!
I appreciated that they have coffee, cream and sugar by the front entrance for their patrons while they wait. So few restaurants actually do that anymore!
Fresh strawberry jam on the table was excellent! I ordered the Michigan Hash with an English muffin instead of toast. It was filling without feeling too heavy to me.
My husband ordered the Huevos Rancheros with the slow roasted pork. Trust me, ask to add the slow roasted pork for the extra $ 2 or $ 3. They offer tomatilla sauce if you don’t want the red sauce. I stole bites and it was very tasty.
Great service! Everyone helps everyone by filling glasses with water, clearing plates off tables, picking up checks! The food came quickly (maybe 5 – 10 mjnutes), they turn tables quickly and service was prompt. Prices were incredibly reasonable. I’m glad we tried this place. The reviews were pretty spot on and the initial wait was worth it!

Small and compact breakfast place, but we scored front row parking. We sat in the back and it was a nice place to eat. Casual and cozy. We just landed from our flight and it was the best thing to just come in here and eat. Their french toast… was just pure heaven. Their banana pancakes… wow… I just cannot believe it. I really loved this place, it was great!!!

Okay, so I’ll be honest and just say that I never feel hipster enough to eat here. And yeah, maybe the food is cheap and consistent. And yeah, even though you can get a basic breakfast anywhere in Salt Lake, this is the popular place to be during breakfast/​brunch hours which coincidentally are the only hours in which they’re open. But as for me, I keep returning to Park because of their chicken tortilla soup.
It tastes like my mom’s soup, a mix of healthy veggie flavor with the comforting warmth of cheese and the slow creep of spiciness on your tongue. Also, the owner won’t give me his recipe. SO! I’m stuck coming back every Friday (Chicken Tortilla Soup Day) braving the elements and waiting outside for hours just to have a bowl of their liquid comfort.

It’s fairly decent. But I found a hair in my food… so that was definitely pretty gross. If you want to get breakfast, you should definitely come early. The place gets packed relatively quickly… not sure why. Considering the options back in Nebraska, this is probably not that high on the list. Most of the food is fairly plane. I’d say check your options and explore the city to see what else you might be missing. In terms of price, it is middle of the road.

Absolutely delicious. The Michigan Hash was great. It came with toast and they have the best homemade jam I’ve ever had. I also highly recommend the Spiced Chai. The servers were also very attentive and friendly.

This is my favorite breakfast spot. The biscuits and gravy are to die for! Not just that, everything on the menu is great!

There aren’t words! I don’t think I have ever received my food as fast as here! They were slammed and the food took no longer than 10 minutes! Not to mention it was incredible We got the shooters sandwich and biscuits and gravy and shared both! So amazing!

I was really surprised. The food was fantastic and it was out to me in less than 10 minutes. I was there around 730am and by the time I started to leave it got pretty packed, but it seemed like they had it down to a science still. Great service!

Great atmosphere and service. Food was standard diner fare, nothing that interesting on the menu, and while the food was tasty, it was not amazing. Good place for your basic breakfast with no surprises. Added advantage to being across from a park, so it’s a nice place to take a stroll after a heavy meal.

Solid breakfast food, quick service, great prices, warm environment.
There aren’t many places out there with such a great combination of good food, quick service, and great prices. Park Café is a small place right across 13^th South from Liberty Park, and it’s hugely popular, especially on the weekends. If you come anywhere near the height of the breakfast or brunch rushes (i.e., most of Saturday or Sunday opening hours), there’s a good chance that you’ll be waiting. If it’s a nice day, great; if it’s a cold one, be prepared with some warm gear, because there isn’t much of any space inside in which to wait. Once you get past that little inconvenience, this is really a great experience every time.
There are a number of small tables set up close together in this small space, and there’s a bar at which you can sit as well. Outside, there’s some seating, and in the colder weather, it’s covered with heaters and a fireplace going. This last visit, I ate out there after running in the snow; despite being rather wet from the snow and sweat, I stayed warm throughout the meal, so it’s definitely a viable option to sit outside, even on a cold day.
The menu is pretty basic. You have a number of basic breakfast fare items: eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, etc. All the prices are really reasonable. Most plates, which include several items, are under $ 8. There are also some lunch options, but I’ve never tried them. If I’m going to a breakfast place, I’m getting breakfast, regardless of the time of day.
Every time I’ve eaten here, I’ve enjoyed my food. It comes out quickly and is freshly-​cooked and hot. While I’ve tried eggs, pancakes, toast, and other items in the past, I’m on a somewhat restricted diet now, so I had to push my server for a rather customized plate. There is a hash plate that normally includes potatoes, cheese, eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms, with a side of toast. I had to omit the cheese, eggs, mushrooms, and toast, so the end product was quite different. My server offered to increase the vegetables on the plate as a result, so I still got a nice, full plate. It came out steaming hot, along with the side of fruit that I ordered. It was all delicious and hit the spot after a run. With some herbal mint tea to keep me warm while sitting outside, I quite enjoyed my meal.
This is a great place for breakfast in SLC. When I lived here, I was down in the Millcreek area, and I liked coming up to Park Café, especially on Sundays, to get a feel for how different the population is north of 80. It was nice to be around a younger crowd like the one here. This isn’t my favorite breakfast place in Utah, but it’s a great option, and I’m happy to make it here on a regular basis.

The Park Café’ is a great breakfast spot. Probably lunch too, but I have only eaten breakfast here.
Came here a couple of times 2 years ago and they are still consistent with their quality food. The prices are very reasonable too.
You will not go wrong with this place. Highly recommend.
P. S. Their potatoes are utterly sinful.

This is the BEST PLACE to have breakfast around.
The food is great and if you have read reviews from me before you know I love my coffee and they have great coffee. You can seat outside even in the winter. Be prepared to wait there are busy. But it’s
Always worth the wait.
Park across the street

Go for their spiced chai! Do it! I’m not nearly the biggest chai fan but this was delicious!
There was about a 35 minute wait when we arrived. There is a heated waiting area and free coffee while you wait so it wasn’t too bad.
This time I went for the Tuesday special — Eggs Benedict. In comparisons to other benedicts I’ve had (Snooze in Colorado and Eggs in the City), it wasn’t my favorite but it was still pretty good. The poached egg was my favorite part! Park potatoes are deliciously seasoned and go great with the hollandaise sauce. Service was quick and we got our food pretty fast for being so busy.

What’s not to love about Park Café? Ok, so yeah, there’s a long ass wait most days of the week, but for good reason. Not many places serve up a hot, tasty breakfast for as fast and cheap as the Park Café does… while still being totally delicious and well cooked. I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve ordered. It’s also in a lovely spot, with Liberty Park directly across the street. The inside is decorated with one of a kind gig posters from local events. They’re gorgeous and just a little extra touch that makes coming to the Park Café so nice. Will definitely be back, and recommend to my friends!

The Park Café, nestled in a tiny house in Salt Lake, is one of the hottest breakfast spots in town. As non-​locals, we stopped in after seeing what high reviews it received. The reviews were spot-​on! It’s a great place to grab a bite to eat, and despite how jam-​packed it was, it was fast, easy, friendly and affordable service!
Food: I always order oatmeal when I go out, and their oats did not disappoint! I got the plain oats, which came with milk & brown sugar and added a side of peanut butter (which cost $ 1.95 for 2 tbsp). I mixed the PB with their house-​made jam for PBJ oats. Yum! My mom ordered the special of the day, the corned beef hash, and it was AMAZING. I recommend it! The portions aren’t too huge (unless you order the pancakes), so it was all really reasonable!
Drinks: Delicious self-​serve plain coffee.
Atmosphere: Oh man, they pack you in like sardines… but it’s great. It adds to the vibe of the place! The seating area is very small, jammed into the living room area of an old house. There is also bar-​top and patio seating. Be sure to specify that you don’t want the patio if you don’t want to sit out there!
Service: Super, super fast. When we arrived, we were quoted a 25 – 30 min wait. We were sat in about 5-​min. They do a very good job of getting people in and out!
Happy Hour Offerings: n/​a though they do have daily breakfast specials
Healthy Hack: Oatmeal! Make your own toppings or order off the menu!
Tips: Be sure to specify that you don’t want the patio if you don’t want to sit out there! We recommend asking for bar top seating.

Great place. Wife and I are visiting town, heard about this place and weren’t disappointed. Got there at 2:30 pm and there was no wait. I ordered the Michigan Hash over medium, which was great with a little Tapatio on it. My wife got the French Toast Foolishness, which was also great. But the best part is definitely the home made strawberry jam. Friendly staff, not expensive. Would definitely recommend this place.

I haven’t had breakfast this great in the longest time. Though the wait was long (Sunday), it was well worth it. While we were waiting, we had hot coffee in mugs outside in crisp cold weather…
Our server was a nice looking man named Brock. He was pleasant, friendly, and did an amazing job at getting us what we wanted with promptness.
Our meals came out and my steak was delicious. Their toasted bread was phenomenal and so was their hash. I think the hash was the best I’ve ever had! It was mashed potato-​like and seasoned to perfection. My daughter killed the pancakes with strawberries and my sister did the same with her omelette.
My sister admitted that it was the bestest breakfast she’d had in the longest stretch of her memory. We were extremely happy with The Park Café. Definitely coming back here without a doubt!

This place lives up to the hype. IT IS SO GOOD. The food here is simple, no frills, and affordable. When I first saw their menu I didn’t believe that this could truly be a 5 star place. There wasn’t anything special about it or so I thought. but, boy was I wrong. This place serves some of the most simple yet perfect breakfast food. On a Monday morning this place was still packed. I’ve driven past it on a Sunday and the entire lawn was packed with customers waiting.
Biscuits and Gravy was AMAZING — nice and peppery sausage gravy over flaky soft biscuits. Over medium eggs were made perfectly. Park Potatoes are flavorful and a nice change from the crispy hash browns served at most places (but I DO love crispy hash browns too). Coffee was okay and they kept my cup full. Service was amazing and fast.
If you haven’t tried this place, TRY IT NOW. Or as soon as breakfast comes around again. Their lunch menu looks awesome too, but I can’t vouch for that yet.

This place is go wonderful. There is outside and inside seating. The only thing about this place is that it is so packed with people, the wait time is usually 25 – 35 min wait. I would recommend someone going earlier to put their name down. The only good part about the long wait is that you do get free coffee while waiting.
I came here with friends to have brunch because I have heard that brunch here was pretty good. I had their daily special with was their corned beef hash. It came with eggs and a side of toast. The portion for this place was huge. I could barely finish my dish without being super full. The dish was very good.
The service here though isn’t that great. The waitress did come and take our order and check up on us, but I think they don’t really communicate with the kitchen that well. someone from the kitchen came out to recheck on our orders.
All in all, this place is wonderful, and sitting outside on a cool afternoon is great. I will definitely consider coming back here for brunch.

Hearty breakfasts at great prices.
I’ve been a fan of this place through the years and I always have such a great experience. It’s a popular place, so we are always prepared to wait but mostly we go at odd hours to ensure minimal waiting. At my last visit mid-​morning on a Thursday, our group of 7 was seated within 20 minutes on the patio at a large round table. Space was going to be tight but it worked out to sit together. Service here is always on point.
Hot drinks are limited to coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and chai. Get the chai. It’s deliciously creamy and I always finish the entire mug without effort. I always struggle with what to order here because I have so many favorites. The Jazz Omelette has everything I like to eat and comes with the tasty park potatoes and toast. My go-​to meal is the Biscuit & Gravy. Great gravy consistency and flavor but also comes with eggs and sausage! It’s a little of everything you would want for breakfast! My friends Chris and Jeremy got the Thursday Special: the Don Jose Burrito and both left very content with their decision. My other friend wanted both a sweet and savory breakfast, so he ordered the French Toast Foolishness. It was so much food but exactly what he wanted.
I always leave feeling so full that I kind of hate myself.

Instantly fell in love with this little gem! Unilocaled one morning before we headed to the convention center for the ANC. Park café popped up and had a gut feeling it was going to be good. It could have also been my tummy rumbling…
Once the GPS got us there and we pulled up I knew it would be good. Small tiny joint nestled amongst houses and across the street from Liberty Park. Only about four parking spots in front of it so we had to park against the street. It was about 7am (they had just opened) and only two other people in the café already enjoying some coffee.
They let us sit wherever we wanted. We picked a half booth half table next to the window. Our server was really nice. He over heard us complaining about trying to eat a full meal or share with each other and he said they do half orders. How perfect! I did the half French toast foolishness. One egg, one bacon, smaller portion of hash Browns and one French toast. It’s nice not to feel obligated to finish the whole meal. Too many places serve ridiculous sized portions.
I think my favorite part about this place was the jam. Made in house. They had strawberry or mix berry. To die for! I didn’t even use syrup on my French toast. Nothing like fresh jam and NOT the pre-​portioned jellies. And they will even let you purchase some to take home, or in our case bring back a jar to wrap and pack in our suitcase.
I can’t wait to visit Salt Lake City again just to get a chance to grab some more jam!

4.2. This place is delicious and awesome, and great. The wait isn’t that bad and it is worth waiting to get the best breakfast in salt lake city. For some reason though in good conscious I cannot give this place a 5. IT is as good as it gets in salt lake but it still isnt the best breakfast ever!
Great portions for reasonable prices. I got the jazz scramble with no mushrooms because I’m not mario. I got half an order of the biscuits and gravy. Ohhhh so delicious that nice salty meaty taste with the perfect amount of cream… I swear I’m describing the gravy. Oh and since theyre so nice it comes with an egg and some potatoes. Its a good buy.
Sorry… the Jazz scramble. Lots and lots of bacon peppers and onion. The eggs are fluffy and the bacon cheese and onions just melt in your mouth. Oh did i mention that their pancakes are delicious? I am not a big pancake eater but they are nice and fluffy and you can tell made with love.
THE VERDICT: want breakfast in SLC? look no further (metaphorical). This is the place you should eat at as someone else stated, if you want to go to a place with no wait… you can expect lower quality food at crappy prices. Give yourself 20 – 30 minutes enjoy some coffee, enjoy the company and people watch. And then get angry when people get called who showed up after you (because they were sitting a table of five. haha.

It’s not often I find myself wanting brunch items I could probably just make at home, but we were visiting from out of town, and the price was right so we stopped into the Park Café anyways.
Park Café seems to fall into both the dive and hipster category, which fits in well with the overall SLC scene.
The menu is simple– you’ll to find classic options that are done well, but probably nothing ridiculously trendy (except for the stickers on the syrup containers amiright?). I ordered myself a Michigan Hash (because cheese and potatoes and sausage) with eggs over easy and sourdough toast. My main regret was not getting the park potatoes topped with cheese and bacon and eggs though. My breakfast was super delish, but I’m not the biggest sausage fan (insert joke here) so I would have been happier with bacon. They do not skimp on portions and for three people we made out like bandits, spending under $ 30 for brunch including tip.
The only thing that cold have made it better would have been a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa– but when in Utah…