3 Best Restaurants in Escalante, Southwestern Utah

This warm and inviting log cabin–style restaurant—operated by a local tour operator that also runs a camp store and cabin and camping compound—is a great place to sit back and relax after a day of hiking, fly-fishing, or road-tripping. Try one of the creatively topped pizzas, a veggie sandwich, or an apple-pecan-arugula salad, or drop in for a well-crafted (Fair Trade) coffee and a light breakfast to kick off the day.

This fun stop along scenic Highway 12, about 13 miles east of Escalante, was constructed by the late artist and inventor Bradshaw Bowman, who began building it when he was in his eighties and spent two years finding and transporting the 13 Douglas-fir logs surrounding the structure. The distinctive eatery with amazing views serves a daily-changing array of made-from-scratch soups, bagel sandwiches, tamales, oatmeal pancakes, salads, and decadent desserts, plus exceptional coffee and espresso drinks. Open from March through October, the café also rents two overnight accommodations in a nearby cabin.

This quirky food truck–style café beside Canyons of Escalante RV Park doles out filling and flavorful Mexican and Southwestern standbys, including prodigious chicken or beef burritos with Oaxacan and Jack cheese and house-made green salsa, and seasoned-cod tacos with aioli. There's ample seating on the cheerful patio. Alcohol isn't served, but there is a nice array of zero-booze drinks, from lemonade to horchata.