Mediterranean Small Plates Salt Lake City: 15 Years of Eva Restaurant's Downtown Legacy

There's a moment that happens at Eva Restaurant around 6:45 PM on any given Thursday—the kind of moment that makes you look up from your phone and actually pay attention. The heated patio behind the restaurant fills with that particular energy of people sharing plates, passing dishes across the table, laughing over a third round of those Brussels sprouts everyone keeps ordering. A server delivers the harissa carrots to a four-top, and you watch as strangers become friends over tahini and black sesame dukkah. This is what Chef Charlie Perry's great-grandmother understood about food, and it's what's kept Eva alive and thriving in downtown Salt Lake City for over 15 years.

The Kitchen Lessons That Built Eva Restaurant

Charlie Perry learned to cook standing beside Eva Coombs in her kitchen, a boy watching his great-grandmother work butter into everything with what he'd later describe as "an abundance of both love and butter." Eva Coombs wasn't just teaching him recipes—she was passing down a philosophy about quality ingredients, the nourishing benefits of food, and most importantly, the shared pleasure of eating.

When Perry opened Eva in early 2009 at 317 South Main Street, he built it on those principles. The restaurant took over what used to be Lazy Dog Pizzeria, transforming it into something that felt both contemporary and intimate at the same time. The walls display a few dozen antique plates that once belonged to Eva Coombs herself—not as decoration, exactly, but as a reminder of where this all started. Perry named everything after her. First came the restaurant. Then in 2013, he opened Eva's Bakery just two blocks north, bringing Parisian-style pastries and that same commitment to from-scratch cooking that his great-grandmother instilled in him.

What makes the story work is that Perry never tried to recreate his grandmother's cooking—he honored her approach instead. Mediterranean small plates in Salt Lake City could have meant a dozen different things, but at Eva, it means respecting ingredients enough to let them shine, cooking everything from scratch even when it'd be easier not to, and creating space for people to actually share a meal together instead of staring at individual entrees.

What Makes Eva's Mediterranean Small Plates Experience Different

Walk into Eva any night after 5 PM and you'll understand the communal dining concept immediately. The menu actively encourages it—nothing here is designed to be eaten alone. One customer summed it up perfectly: "The sautéed Brussels sprouts were outstanding. Also the rice balls and shrimp dish was also very good. The only negative was I was full too soon and couldn't try a few more items."

Those Brussels sprouts deserve their own paragraph. Thinly shaved, flash-sautéed, then tossed with cider vinegar and toasted hazelnuts, they've become something of a cult favorite. A food writer at Utah Stories put it bluntly: "YOU WANT THEM. Thinly shaved Brussels sprouts are flash-sauteed and tossed with cider vinegar and toasted hazelnuts – so good that even kids will love them." Another diner wrote, "I didn't know Brussels sprouts could be so good!" It's the kind of dish that converts Brussels sprouts skeptics into believers, which is no small feat.

The harissa carrots hit differently though. Roasted until they've got that char on the edges, then dressed with tahini, mint, and black sesame dukkah, they represent what Mediterranean cooking does best—take simple vegetables and layer flavors until they become something you can't stop thinking about. One reviewer described their meal as "world class" and specifically called out the harissa carrots as one of the highlights: "From the bread with Manchego butter, to the Harissa carrots, through a mushroom potato gratin and the lamb and chicken, we were savoring every bite."

The truffled wild mushroom pizza brings in the heartier side of the menu. No tomato sauce here—just wild mushrooms, truffle oil, and cheese that's been carefully balanced so you're not drowning in dairy. It's the dish people order when they need something more substantial after working through three or four vegetable plates. The Fig and Pig pizza follows the same philosophy: arugula pesto, mozzarella, prosciutto, and fig jam creating that sweet-and-salty combination that Mediterranean cuisine does so well.

Eva's steak remains one of the best values in downtown Salt Lake City—a grilled New York strip with chili-roasted fingerling potatoes and soy glaze for under $25. "BTW, where else can you find a restaurant steak for under 20 bucks?" asked one food writer, and honestly, it's a fair question for downtown dining in 2025.

Then there's the sticky date pudding for dessert. The restaurant makes it in-house, served with caramel and whipped cream, and it's spawned its own following. One birthday diner wrote: "They comped us the sticky date pudding for my birthday. SO GOOD." Another called it "my new favorite dessert." It's the kind of dessert that makes you understand why Eva's Bakery exists two blocks north—these folks know what they're doing with butter and sugar.

Downtown Salt Lake City's Pre-Show Dining Destination

Eva's location at 317 South Main puts it in the perfect position for pre-theater dining near the Eccles Theater. The restaurant has built a reputation as the spot where you can grab exceptional Mediterranean food before catching a show without feeling rushed. One couple wrote about stopping by Eva before attending a performance at the Eccles, noting how it's become one of their "favorite neighborhood bistros for a bite to eat."

The restaurant plans approximately 90 minutes for the full experience, which works perfectly for theater schedules. The service moves efficiently without feeling hurried—"Guests often mention the restaurant's efficient service—you can enjoy a full experience without worrying about missing your opening act," according to one review compilation. That's the balance pre-show dining requires: quality food served at a pace that respects both the meal and the curtain time.

The heated outdoor patio has become particularly popular for pre-show groups. Regardless of the season (and in Salt Lake City, that matters), you can sit outside in the back of the restaurant, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere than the indoor dining room. "Try and get a seat on the heated outdoor patio behind the restaurant to cozy up with a new, also mom-approved, crush," suggested The Infatuation in their review.

The craft cocktail program supports the pre-show vibe too. Hand-picked wine list, creative cocktails that don't take 15 minutes to make, and a full bar that knows how to move quickly when the Eccles Theater has a 7:30 curtain. One customer specifically praised their server who "mixed the most delicious cocktail" during a birthday celebration.

How Eva Fits Into Salt Lake City's Food Scene

When Eva opened in 2009, downtown Salt Lake City was in the middle of what early reviewers called a "mini-renaissance" for small plates dining. Meditrina had started it in late 2008. Tin Angel Cafe was doing a small plates menu. Then Eva arrived and did something slightly different—it committed fully to the communal dining experience in a way that felt less trendy and more fundamental to the restaurant's identity.

Fifteen years later, many of those early competitors have closed or changed. Meditrina, Zola, Martine—all mentioned in early reviews as contemporary options—are no longer around. Eva's still serving Brussels sprouts and harissa carrots on Main Street, which says something about what happens when you build a restaurant on actual principles instead of dining trends.

The restaurant's longevity comes from consistency without being boring. The core menu items—those Brussels sprouts, the harissa carrots, Eva's steak, the sticky date pudding—remain because they work. But Perry and his team keep the menu moving with seasonal specials and dishes that reflect what's actually good right now instead of what worked last year.

Eva's Bakery, the sister restaurant two blocks north at 155 South Main, extends that philosophy into breakfast and lunch. The bakery supplies all the bread for the restaurant, which means when you order bread at Eva, you're getting actual baguettes made with special flour from Central Milling, not something pulled from a distributor's freezer. That commitment to doing things from scratch, even when it's harder and more expensive, connects directly back to what Eva Coombs taught her great-grandson in her kitchen decades ago.

Planning Your Visit to Eva Restaurant

Eva's open daily from 5 PM to 10 PM for dinner service. They take reservations through OpenTable or by calling (801) 359-8447, though they're also walk-in friendly if you're willing to wait. The restaurant emphasizes that they love walk-in traffic, being located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, but reservations are recommended for pre-show dining or weekend evenings.

The menu pricing runs from $8-23 per plate, with most dishes falling in the $10-15 range. Plan on ordering 2-3 plates per person for a full meal, maybe more if you're particularly hungry or want to try more of the menu. The French fries with parmesan, rosemary, and garlic run $6 and they're the kind of thing you can order to start while you're deciding what else sounds good.

For first-timers, the Brussels sprouts and harissa carrots are essential. Add the truffled wild mushroom pizza if you want something heartier, and definitely save room for the sticky date pudding. If you're there before a show at the Eccles Theater, let your server know your curtain time—they understand the timing and will pace service accordingly.

Parking requires some planning since Eva doesn't have a lot. Street parking exists on Main Street, or there's a parking garage on 300 South between Main and State. Give yourself extra time if you're catching a show—downtown Salt Lake City parking can get tight on event nights.

The restaurant has a $15 corkage fee if you want to bring your own wine, though the hand-picked wine list offers solid options at various price points. The craft cocktail program is strong enough that you might want to start there anyway.

Why Eva Matters to Utah's Food Culture

Fifteen years of consistent, quality Mediterranean dining in downtown Salt Lake City isn't just about good food—it represents a commitment to a particular philosophy about how restaurants should operate. Charlie Perry built Eva on principles his great-grandmother taught him: respect your ingredients, cook from scratch, create space for people to share meals together. That approach has kept the restaurant relevant through economic downturns, changing food trends, and a pandemic that destroyed plenty of other downtown establishments.

The communal dining model matters in a city where dining culture sometimes defaults to large portions and individual entrees. Eva proves that Salt Lake City diners embrace shared plates when they're done well, when the food justifies the format, when the restaurant creates an atmosphere that makes sharing feel natural instead of forced.

What Eva has built over 15 years is trust. Trust that the Brussels sprouts will hit the same way they did last visit. Trust that the harissa carrots will justify their reputation. Trust that if you're rushing to make an 8 PM curtain at the Eccles, the kitchen and service team will get you there on time without sacrificing quality. That kind of trust gets built one plate of food at a time, one consistent service at a time, one meal where everything works exactly as it should.

Salt Lake City's food scene keeps evolving, new restaurants opening with increasingly ambitious concepts. But Eva's staying power comes from doing specific things exceptionally well, from maintaining standards that honor Eva Coombs' kitchen lessons, from creating space where strangers become friends over shared plates of Mediterranean food that tastes like someone actually cares about what they're cooking.

Eva Restaurant
317 S Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 359-8447
Open Daily: 5 PM - 10 PM
Instagram: @evaslc