A Canyon Drive to Ruth’s Diner

The road into Emigration Canyon changes the mood before breakfast ever arrives. Salt Lake City falls behind, the canyon scenery takes over, and Ruth’s Diner waits along the drive with the pleasant, slightly removed feeling of a place people make a point of going to.

This is a classic diner in the broad, comforting sense: substantial plates, booths, a bar, a relaxed room and food that does not pretend a good breakfast needs to be delicate. But the canyon setting gives the familiar formula a different backdrop. Mountain views surround the restaurant, and a meal can easily stretch beyond its original plan.

Ruth’s offers more than one version of a diner table. There is indoor seating, booth seating and a bar area, along with tables in an old railroad car. The railroad-car seating is a fine little detail for a place with an old-fashioned character; it keeps the dining room from feeling like a standard roadside stop.

A window booth can bring the outdoors closer, especially when the canyon is snowy. On warmer days, the patio becomes a natural choice, with shaded seating and the mountains in view.

The patio has also hosted live music on occasion, a nice fit for an evening meal that runs longer than a quick stop. It is a setting that handles both tempos well: breakfast can move along briskly, while a patio table invites another cup of coffee and a slower look around.

The biscuits have their own following, and it is easy to see why they often arrive early in the conversation. Ruth’s mile-high biscuits are served with meals or ordered as a starter, paired with homemade raspberry jam.

They are not a minor side item tucked into a corner of the plate. A warm biscuit, split open with raspberry jam alongside, gives the meal a distinctly diner-like opening—simple, generous and hard to improve upon.

Bread and jam also appear among the smaller comforts on the menu, but the biscuits are the one to save room for. They suit a table of sharers particularly well, though no one would blame you for guarding your half.

The other much-discussed breakfast fixture is the hash browns. They are known for an extra-crispy finish, the sort of deeply browned potato preparation that makes a breakfast plate feel complete.

Hash browns are easy to take for granted until a kitchen gets them right. Here, they bring texture to rich eggs, Benedicts and chicken-fried steak, and they hold their own beside bacon or sausage.

For diners who consider potatoes the deciding factor in a breakfast order, this is useful information. The plate may be generous, but the crisp edges keep it from becoming one soft, sleepy arrangement of eggs and starch.

The breakfast and brunch range is broad enough for a mixed table. Corned-beef hash, chicken-fried steak, banana-walnut French toast, pulled-pork Benedict, chilaquiles and Cajun trout all give the menu more range than a simple eggs-and-toast operation.

Three-egg omelets are another substantial route. Combinations have included artichoke hearts, spinach and asparagus, while the intriguingly named King of Hearts gives regular omelet ordering a little personality.

The banana-walnut French toast is the sweet-leaning counterpoint to all that savory food. Pulled-pork Benedict, meanwhile, makes a persuasive case for bringing barbecue instincts to brunch.

Rich hot chocolate is available for a colder canyon morning, when the outdoor temperature makes a warm drink especially welcome. Bacon, sausage and the ever-useful bread with jam round out the familiar breakfast comforts.

Ruth’s serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, so the canyon drive does not have to be timed around an early meal. The menu moves into sandwiches, salads, chicken dishes, trout and steak without abandoning the generous diner spirit.

At lunch, a Reuben offers the classic grilled-sandwich choice, while a smoked-salmon salad gives the menu a lighter direction. Chicken piccata and steak broaden the dinner possibilities for a table that wants more than breakfast-for-dinner.

Desserts are there for anyone still looking at the menu after a full plate. With portions on the hearty side, this is one of those decisions best made after the main course arrives.

The easygoing atmosphere suits family meals, birthday breakfasts and other low-key celebrations. A large menu helps when one person wants French toast, another wants a sandwich, and somebody else has arrived determined to order steak.

Service is generally warm, attentive and efficient, particularly useful at busy breakfast and brunch hours. The setting remains relaxed rather than formal, which makes it easy to bring out-of-town visitors for a meal that shows off a different side of the Salt Lake area.

Parking is available, including a lot, though conditions can vary by visit. The patio is also seasonal in practical terms: canyon weather can turn cool quickly, even when an outdoor table looked ideal at the start of the drive.