While your visit to St. George, Utah, may be centered around the fantastic outdoor activities that encompass the area, you do have to eat, and lucky for you, this town has some of the best bites in the state of Utah. To discover the best restaurants in St. George, read our roundup below.
But it’s a pretty big area, and all of the restaurants look and sound delicious, so which ones should you choose? We’ll cover our absolute favorite restaurants in St. George and share them with you below so you can make the most of your time in the area without ever disappointing your taste buds.
Let’s dig into this great grub list!
Best Restaurants in St. George, Utah
1. Papa’s Got Jerk
Address: 250 Red Cliffs Drive, Suite 16B, St. George, UT 84790
Papa’s Got Jerk is an authentic Jamaican restaurant with the best-seasoned food in the entire St. George area. The owner and chef, Cheryl, hails from Kingston, Jamaica, and she brought some of the most incredible recipes with her.
The Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork are the stars of the show, but absolutely nothing on the menu falls short of perfection. The Brown Stewed Chicken, Fried Plantains, and Green Beans are some of my favorites, after the Jerk Chicken, of course.
The restaurant’s building space isn’t anything spectacular, but the food and great service more than make up for it. Once you try your first bite, it’ll be difficult for you to lift your eyes from your plate.
After you stop and eat at Papa’s Got Jerk, it’ll be difficult to have an appetite for anywhere else. They conveniently offer dine-in, curbside pickup, and no-contact delivery so you can have a bite no matter where your day in St. George takes you.
2. Red Fort Cuisine of India
Address: 148 S 1470 E, St. George, UT 84790
This casual, family-friendly, authentic Indian restaurant offers classic Indian food options, like the beloved naan bread, butter chicken, pineapple chicken, lamb saag, plus chicken marsala and lamb marsala. They also have several great vegan options, so everyone will have plenty of delicious options to choose from when dining here. They have the best vegan grilled cheese in St. George, hands down.
Red Fort Cuisine of India has an attractive restaurant front, accented with red and beautiful brickwork. The cozy interior also harbors a warm and inviting atmosphere, with friendly natural architecture, dramatic archways, and Indian-style palace pieces towering above the booths.
The staff is friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the entire menu; if you want to try high-quality Indian food, this is the best place.
See Related: Best & Fun Things to Do in St. George, Utah
3. Tifiny’s Creperie
Address: 567 S Valley View Dr, St. George, UT 84770
Tifiny’s Creperie has perfected the art of sweetly casual French cuisine. It serves savory and sweet crepes, salads, sandwiches of wide varieties, teas, eclairs, and other desserts, making it an excellent spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a quick sweet treat.
You have to order a crepe inside; that’s a given. But what about sandwiches? The Turkey Sandwich is the best option, but many others love the French Chicken Salad and French Dip Sandwiches.
I can’t say enough to describe the Blackberry Salad either. It uses my favorite green spinach, and tops it with candied pecans, strawberry vinaigrette, and blackberries.
These blackberries are massive and a deep, rich shade of black. They were every bit as delicious as they looked too. It’s a common theme here that the fruits and veggies are crisp, sweet, and fresh.
Tifiny’s has a baby blue dining room packed with cozy but comfortable tables and chairs. If you’re looking for some of that fresh southern Utah air, you should sit on the covered patio. It’s adorned with swooping twinkle lights, lush green landscaping, and views of the neighboring mountains.
4. Hawaiian Poke Bowl
Address: 175 W 900 S, St. George, UT 84770
Hawaiian Poke Bowl was founded by native Hawaiian Roberta, from Waimanalo, Oahu, in 2011. Ever since she moved to the area and opened her Poke shop, she has captured the hearts (and stomachs) of St. George residents and tourists alike. People line up out the door and onto the sidewalk, and I can assure you, it’s well worth the wait.
The exterior is an unassuming strip mall building, but the inside is bursting with life and vibrant yellow walls that show the sunshine and joy this little establishment brings so many people.
The menu is the following: Single Poke Bowl, Double Poke Bowl, and Kalua Pork Bowl. That’s it, sweet and simple. Of course, you get to choose what goes into your Poke bowl.
Crowd favorites are kimchi, sweet ahi, pineapple shrimp, shoyu ahi, and ahi tuna. My personal favorite is the Kalua Pork. It didn’t need a drop of sauce, was so tender and juicy, and the rice was perfectly cooked and seasoned.
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5. Tias Restaurant
Address: 1812 W Sunset Blvd, St. George, UT 84770
Tias Restaurant is a low-key bakery and restaurant serving a surprising variety of wholesome goodness, ranging from Salvadoran flatbreads to tacos, tres leches cakes (a must-have), greens served on freshly baked garlic bread, pupusas, plus soups (I recommend the Chicken Tortilla Soup), breakfast foods, Nutella waffles, and even pancake balls. A large part of the menu is mouthwatering vegan food, making this the perfect place for people of all palates and lifestyles to congregate and enjoy one another’s company over all kinds of savory foods.
Something notable about this establishment is that it was created by three sisters, Michelle, Corina, and Ellie, all with different tastes and passions for different food cultures. This is why the restaurant sports an interesting variety of plates hailing from southern Mexico, El Salvador, Germany, Bulgaria, and the USA.
The building is painted bright white, with simple decorations, plenty of space between tables, and a clean and healthy overall aesthetic that is welcoming and very comforting to visit. On your way out, take a moment to inspect their sauce shelf, filled with all kinds of excellent canned goods. They have everything from serrano sauce to grape sauce, tomatada salsa, strawberry jelly, and many more creations.
6. Gaia’s Garden Cafe
Address: 695 100 W St, St. George, UT 84770
Gaia’s Garden Cafe is an excellent vegan spot with beautiful indoor and outdoor seating. The food is a neat hybrid of Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisine, lightly blended with American-style cooking.
The food is delicious and it would be a shame for me not to bring up the sheer beauty of how the food is presented and plated. The sandwiches and acai bowls are so aesthetically pleasing, and with a big crunch from the whole, fresh ingredients used.
The avocado toast and fully loaded nachos are a big hit. I couldn’t believe how good the plant-based cheese was! Breakfast burritos are also good, as are the vegan seitan roast beef sandwiches, and rice bowls.
My all-time favorite food from here is the Southwestern Rice Bowl. It’s made of brown rice, spinach, bell peppers, corn, black beans, onions, cilantro, pico, and ranch that is made fresh and in-house daily.
Many of their dishes include microgreens that are bursting with flavor and have a great crunchy texture to elevate the meal. Oh, and if you aren’t sure what to order to drink, try the lavender lemonade. It’s refreshing, sweet, and full of robust flavors that blend so well together.
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7. The Corndog Company
Address: 490W W St George Blvd, St. George, UT 84770
Even if you only think hot dogs and corn dogs are “just okay,” you’ll probably be amazed by The Corndog Company. This black and yellow food truck has so many varieties of corndogs and hotdogs, plus other delicious street-meets-carnival goodies. Other options include kettle chips, fresh mozzarella sticks, fried Babybel Cheese pops, and deep-fried Snickers and Milky Way bars.
The Honeydog blew me away; I was not expecting a corndog served with a honey sauce to be so good, but it completely exceeded my expectations, and I would love another. The sweetness of the honey works so well with the savory of the cornmeal; it’s just a great combination.
All hotdogs are 100% beef and high quality.
8. Sakura Japanese Steakhouse
Address: 81 N 1100 E St East, St. George, UT 84770
Sakura Japanese Steakhouse is dinner and a show, largely because of the cool chefs with larger-than-life personalities who delight and create mouthwatering meals right in front of your face at the hibachi tables.
Sakura Japanese Steakhouse is, fittingly, adorned with beautiful metal pieces of Japanese Sakura cherry blossoms. It’s an ambient space that is full of lively people and yet soft and relaxing. A large, well-managed fish tank sits in the restaurant, giving you a beautiful view even if you don’t sit at one of the hibachi tables.
They have some of the best sushi rolls in the St. George area, and the California Roll is something special. If you want a nice sampling of what they have to offer, try the Lunch Box Special.
It usually has a variety of scallops, rice, sushi, vegetables, soup, various types of meat, and shrimp included. The portions are massive, and you’ll almost certainly go home with a heavy box of leftovers.
It also offers salmon, lobster, filet mignon, and other cuts of steak (New York is great). The crisp and crunchy salads burst with flavor and are quite fresh.
A little-known perk about visiting Sakura Japanese Steakhouse is that you can park your car in the underground garage, meaning it will stay nice and cool during those brutally hot southern Utah days here in St. George.
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9. Aragosta Restaurant
Address: 1386 E 100 S, St. George, UT 84790
Aragosta is an upscale, refined Euro-American restaurant that is a class act and a fantastic place for avant-garde seafood, pasta, and more. When you first walk into Aragosta, you’ll immediately see a grand balcony, a massive, elegant chandelier, white tablecloth seating, sophisticated glassware, and Mediterranean/European accents throughout. It feels a bit like a nod to a summery tropical European evening.
This is definitely the hot spot for important dinners, special date nights, and elegant fine dining affairs. The waitstaff is uniformly kind, knowledgeable, and immensely helpful. If you aren’t sure what to order, they have several great options to help you out.
The filet mignon is phenomenal, cooked exactly as you like, and perfectly tender. They also have a wonderful lobster bisque, escargot, scallops, calamari, and creme brulee that is never flat. It should go without saying that the food presentation is immaculate and very beautiful.
You may be able to walk in on weekdays without a reservation, but Friday nights and weekends will be a bit trickier. If you can, plan ahead to ensure a reservation, and your evening will go much more smoothly because of it.
10. La Cocina Mexican Street Food
Address: 744 N Bluff St, St. George, UT 84770
After a rewarding yet long hike in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, I can’t think of a better place to eat than La Cocina Mexican Street Food. They have the best Mexican food and some of the best-ever street-style tacos.
The restaurant’s clean and cozy space implements so many gorgeous colors into its design, both inside and outside. Sitting out on the patio, especially on a hot Utah evening, will make you feel like you’re in Old Mexico.
The colors, the tropical plants, the incredible smells, the colorful banners, lights, decorations, and of course, the food is simply transformative. You’ll have a great view of the neighboring wilderness area to go with your delicious food. Don’t worry; the shaded concrete space stays pretty cool, even at noon, thanks to the constant misters they have diffusing refreshing water for patrons.
If you’re a connoisseur of street tacos, then you already know to go straight for the carne asada street tacos. What you may not know, however, is how darn good the carne asada-loaded fries are. I had never had carne asada fries before, but these were phenomenal, and I have to have them again.
The El Pastor Tacos (Al Pastor) is another smash hit; they feature spicy pork and make for a great meal. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a classic pollo taco either; they are made with some of the best chicken and seasonings. For a drink, you’ve gotta order the Mexican Coke Bottle; it’s the best thing ever.
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11. Island Grinds
Address: 1973 W Sunset Blvd, St. George, UT 84770
Island Grinds is in the strip mall near the intersection of W Sunset Blvd and Dixie Dr. It’s a hidden gem with excellent Hawaiian food that anyone and everyone is sure to like.
The Pupu Chicken is always great; it’s hot and crispy chicken that has been decadently and expertly seasoned. It’s the go-to meal for most diners. Still, it’s all excellent fresh food here at Island Grinds.
Other great plates are the really good Katsu Chicken, the peppery mac salad, BBQ Teriyaki Chicken, and the Lemon Pepper Chicken. It’s safe to assume that Island Grinds knows how to make darn good chicken. The portions here are very generous too, it will feed the whole family for very little, and you’ll probably walk away with leftovers, but only if you have the self-control.
12. Pepe’s Tacos
Address: 757 N Bluff St, St. George, UT 84770
It’s southern Utah; you had to expect this list to have quite a few top-notch Mexican food restaurants. Pepe’s Tacos has a cool southwestern aesthetic and a warm vibe that makes you feel welcome and at ease.
It’s a silly little detail, but I instantly fell in love with the very heavy wooden chairs that they use throughout the restaurant. They have a very beautiful stain and set the mood for sitting down to some amazing Mexican food.
The carne asada tacos are fabulous. The chicken enchiladas in green sauce are great, too, as are the classic smothered chimichangas.
Really though, it’s all excellent food. The beans, rice, and pico are perfectly spiced and flavorful, so make sure you save room for a few bites of the sides, too.
Pepe’s Tacos has a great staff who are kind, attentive, and a joy to interact with, which should certainly be taken into consideration when choosing your next outing.
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13. Viva Chicken
Address: 1183 E 100 S, St. George, UT 84790
Viva Chicken is conveniently located near I-15 and E St. George Blvd, and if you have time, you should stop here. The outside of the establishment looks modern and sleek, and the inside is bursting with an undeniable modern-industrial personality.
Fun and funky orange tiles line the kitchen walls, complementing the shiny stainless steel cooking area. In the dining area, beautiful wooden dining tables are lined by sleek metallic and wooden seat chairs, and the ceilings have interesting light fixtures and dangling Edison bulbs for added interest.
All of the food is clearly made with high-quality, fresh ingredients by skillful hands in this fast-casual joint. I love a good rice bowl, and Viva Chicken did not disappoint. Sweet potato fries are a crowd favorite, and so are the perfectly seasoned, tender green beans.
If you want a heavy but healthy meal, order the solterito, it’s some of the best food, and it’s very filling, especially for a salad. Oh, and you can’t stop here without trying a sip of the herbal limeade. It’s one of the most refreshing drinks in St. George, no doubt.
Viva Chicken just has great food, period. I don’t think there is a single food or drink you could order from the menu and not enjoy.
14. Painted Pony Restaurant
Address: 2 West Saint George Boulevard #22 Tower Building, St. George, UT 84770
Painted Pony is probably the most elegant and outstanding restaurant in the St. George area, at least for its stunning aesthetic, inside and out. I immediately spotted its colorful pony design several blocks away, and then to my delight, caught sight of the mechanical metal artistic pony standing in the yard.
Walking into the Painted Pony Restaurant is like a feast for your eyes. It has elevated ceilings, fresh floral arrangements throughout, oversized canvas paintings (most is contemporary art) on the walls, gorgeous white tablecloth settings with elegant glasses, and still somehow intertwines elegance with hospitality and warmth. This is my favorite restaurant ambiance in the entire state of Utah, hands down.
If you want to impress your date with a romantic night out, this is the restaurant for you. It is one of the more popular restaurants, though, so get a reservation as soon as you can.
The cuisine is surprisingly eclectic, upscale, and also very southwestern. The menu has quite a bit to offer, too, from grass-fed charbroiled ribeyes to blackberry glazed free-range chicken to seared ahi tuna, mushroom ravioli, sage-smoked quail, and even steamed mussels.
I am particularly fond of their iconic burger, the Western Patty Melt. It’s made with fresh wood ash rye bread, roasted peppers, pepper jack cheese, onions, and chipotle mayo.
This is not a coffee shop, but it has a good selection of cocoas and coffees. If you’ve never tried Mexican coffee, this is a great spot to try it. Oh! On Mondays, they don’t charge a corkage fee if you bring in a bottle of wine that was made in Utah.
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