Park City Recs · Jeremy Cai

Last updated May 23, 2025

I’ve lived in Park City for 6+ years now. These are my go-to spots.

Work

Hill’s Kitchen — same team behind Hearth & Hill
Park City Roasters — low fuss local spot. Decent coffee, kinda dark
Atticus — gets crowded, spotty wifi, not many seats — but good if you’re on Main St.
The Bake Shop — run by the same couple as Chop Shop
Bagel Den — pretty good NY bagels in Kimball, good wifi, bit dark
Urban Sailor — local coffee chain, replaced Ritual, near Main Street
Ritual Hot Chocolate — favorite spot, great bites. *Closed

Baan Thai — A little pricier than Taste of Thai, but good if you want to be on Main Street.
Riverhorse — pricey but is the default fancy spot (steaks/fish/etc). Probably the most formal in PC — need reservations.
Handle — imo a bit more interesting than Riverhorse, slightly cheaper. Trendy with shareable plates. Our favorite spot for “American” food.
Firewood — same vibe as above. Locally sourced, seasonal — just overpriced.
Pine Cone Ridge — surprisingly good food, a bit newer than the 3 above
Fletcher’s — American fare and craft cocktails sort of vibe. Jeremy thought it was fine but overpriced, but you know what you’re getting.
Yuki Yama Sushi — white-washed, but nice ambience if you want to be on Main Street.

Harvest — Aussie/Cali style brunch/lunch w some Asian dishes too.
Mack’s Finest Gelato — great gelato, local favorite
Five5eed — good coffee, Aussie style, salads. Can have long wait so put name in early.
Salt Box — same team behind Riverhorse, quick and easy, super casual.
Pretty Bird — decent Nashville hot chicken
Twisted Fern — solid mountain style American food
Freshie’s — good lobster roll
Tarahumara — solid, casual Mexican. Not sure if they brought the salsa bar back since Covid.
El Chubasco — Hole in the wall Mexican — a bit greasier than Tarahumara.
Nosh — Israeli, get the platter for 2 — it’s the best deal and gives you a bit of everything

Tilly’s — new casual Australian charcoal chicken place in Kimball from same guys behind Five5eeds. Thought it was better at first.
Chop Shop — great pizza and sandos that punches above its weight, run by husband wife John and Paige — John was the winner of season 43 of Chopped.
11hauz — Jamaican food in Kimball. Love this spot. Pricey but solid food.
Taste of Thai — solid Thai food (local) in Kimball Junction.
Protein Foundry — surprisingly solid açaí and smoothie spot. Clean and local.
Hearth & Hill — decent lunch/dinner spot, less fancy than Twisted Fern but nicer than Aubergine.
Vessel — very casual. Pick your base and sides. Kimball junction. Utah version of Chipotle.
Aubergine Kitchen — New in town, casual but modern. Feels like a spot that would exist in California. Focuses on health food (bowls, vegan/gf/keto stuff, etc.). Kimball Junction.
Sammy’s Express — easy, fast local spot. Better than the actual bistro. Closed

Powder @ Waldorf — fancy and expensive at the hotel, but I live nearby so I’ll take you to dinner if you’re in town
Kuchu Shabu — mountain-style spin on shabu / Japanese hot pot in Canyons village

Back 40 Ranch House Grill — technically in Heber (15 minute drive), but it’s legitimately on a ranch, so you can watch cows/etc. It’s a true Utah experience in the best way (bougie redneck), so if you want to try something different, go!

S’mores at the Waldorf — text me and I’ll take you any night
Copper Moose Farm Stand — lots of farmers markets every week but this is our favorite

Canyons — Connects with PCM, biggest ski resort in the US. Come ski with me here. Mercury on Iron Mountain is my favorite run and easy to get to.
Park City Mountain — connected with Canyons, can be a bit more crowded but wider runs and there can be more advanced stuff than Canyons. Also has a lift into Main St.
Deer Valley — Shorter runs, great groomed trails, a bit snooty but better food during breaks.
Alta — old school mountain. Harder but best powder. Great for more hardcore.
Snowbird — some of the best snow. Great for expert skiers looking for steep runs. Long season. More modern compared to Alta.

Moose Puddle — ~2 hrs up and back, a bit more vigorous, very satisfying view at the top
Rob’s trail — shady, lots of switchbacks, pretty tame and well-managed, can get busy though and hard to get parking
Spring Creek — easy 1 mile hike, should be 1 hr to the bench and back

Round Valley trail — rent some mountain bikes from Cole Sports and hit here, long runs and good for beginners
Deer Valley — no need to bike uphill, take the lifts, start w Holy Roller if you’re new, it’s a blast. Just don’t fall.

Concerts at Canyons — every week there’s a concert series or event at the Canyons base
Tennis — lots of public courts, post in FB to find someone to hit with at PCMR
Fishing — honestly ask an expert, but easiest is to go to Deer Valley ponds with some worms and you’re guaranteed to catch something, otherwise I can show you a few fly fishing spots and we can go out together.
Boating — rent a boat at Jordanelle or Deer Creek. Lots of options and very affordably priced, depending on what you want to do (i.e. water skiing vs fishing). One of our favorite things in the summer.