Moab Restaurants – The Good & Not So Good

There are many Moab restaurants to chose from but like most tourist destinations, a lot of them are very forgettable. I don’t like talking bad about people’s livelihoods, but at the same time when you spend your hard-earned cash on a nice meal, you don’t want to be fully disappointed. Here are a few Moab restaurants that I have personally eaten at on my Jeep trips and what we thought about them. I’ll start with the best and get to the worst.

Best Moab Restaurant for Breakfast & Coffee – Red Rock Bakery & Cafe

We start almost all of our trail rides with a large latte and a breakfast sandwich from Red Rock. The coffee is good, and the sandwiches are large and filling. It also just nice having the modern comforts of an espresso and breakfast sandwich while you drive through the barren desert in a topless Jeep. This cafe is usually full of the outdoorsy crowd – some of which look like they are having their first meal after a week of camping. You hear lots of languages, see tons of dreads and tattoos, and the baked goods are a great grab n go for the road as well. The only problem I’ve had is timing. If you get there during peak hours there will be a wait – but that’s also because a lot of people know it’s a solid place to go.

Best Moab Restaraunt for a Healthy Meal – Peace Tree Cafe

The Peace Tree was the first place we ever ate at in Moab, so it’s a tradition now. The thing about being in the desert all day is you start craving light and clean foods like fruits and veggies and the Peace Tree knows this. While it isn’t going to win any awards in a major city, you will not leave disappointed, just satisfied. It’s amazing what an era we live in that you can get a garden salad and fresh fruit in a place where tumbleweed goes to die. The Peace Tree has a great outdoor patio to sit on, good alcoholic beverages, and a view of the street so you can see the constant parade of cool Jeeps driving down Main Street.

Best Moab Restaurant to splurge on – Sunset Grill

The Sunset Grill is good. It’s also pricey, but it’s a great way to take in the sights of Moab and toast to a trip where you didn’t break anything on your Jeep. It’s perched on a hilltop and was the home to the Uranium King Charlie Steen – who is a true American rag to riches story. You can read about him here. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meal from local trout to big steaks. We sat on the patio and had ice cold beers and it was a great way to talk about all of our wins and near death experiences. If you can afford it – I recommend it.

A few Moab Restaurants that I won’t be going back to:

Fiesta Mexicana – The portions were large but most of mine went in the trash. In my opinion, if it isn’t at least as good as a taco mix from the grocery store, it isn’t worth going back to.

Eddie McStiffs – What I like about Eddie McStiffs is it captures that beachy/tourist vibe. It has a goofy name and looks fun. I have absolutely no recollection of what I ate there though – I just remember thinking, well, I’ll try somewhere else next time.

Zax – Very cool looking restaurant from the outside. My buddy and I ordered steaks. They were fine. Tasted like the cheaper non-Prime cut from a grocery store. I love steak, so I can always eat one, but it wasn’t amazing. Also, I remember them relying heavily on garlic for flavor. The waitress was very nice and the view of the street was nice too.

Miguel’s Baja Grill – I really wanted to like this place. It has a great look – hole in the wall Mexican with the perfect decor. I believe I got the MOAB – Mother of all Burritos – and while it was large it lacked the flavor that you can get even at chain burrito restaurants like Chipotle. It was very meat-heavy though, so that’s good.

Obviously, I haven’t been to every Moab Restaraunt and management changes, so take my view with a grain of salt – but eating in Moab isn’t cheap, so if I can save you from a bad meal, I’d like to. I’ve also learned from my travels that it’s hard to trust sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor when you’re near college campuses and tourist destinations. The problem is you get such a variety of people with different palettes. When you’re near a college campus, cheapness usually trumps quality and when you are in an international destination, this might be the first time someone has ever had a burrito and they are blown away – it’s the best ever…

Finally, if you want to make your own meal and live out of a cooler – which is what I do most of the time, there’s a large Moab grocery store called City Market. This is the Moab equivalent of a Kroger or Albertsons. They also have firewood, gas, and water plus a Starbucks inside. You gotta be prepared for anything in the desert so make sure you stock up on gallons of water, snacks that can last you a few days, and fire-making supplies. Also, we usually pick up garbage bags and toilet paper for our long treks.

If you’re headed out to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari, we hope you have a fun and safe trip, and get some good food. If you discover some decent Moab restaurants, please leave them in the comments below!