Best Seafood Restaurant Salt Lake City: Market Street Grill's 44-Year Legacy of Fresh Catches in Utah's Historic Heart

The smell of fresh sourdough bread hits you before you even make it through the door. It's that warm, yeasty aroma that says someone actually gives a damn about what they're serving—a rarity in any city, but especially rare for a seafood restaurant in landlocked Utah. Walk into Market Street Grill's downtown location at 48 West Market Street and you're stepping into something that's been a Salt Lake City institution for over four decades, housed in a building that's been standing since Utah was still finding its footing as a state.

This isn't some trendy seafood spot that opened last year with reclaimed wood and Edison bulbs. This is the place that started it all in Utah. The three founding partners arranged to have fresh salmon flown to Salt Lake City on Western Airlines, which became Delta, eventually growing into daily shipments of fresh cod, halibut, oysters, shrimp, crab and more. One customer put it simply in their review: "The New England style clam chowder came in a full bowl that was a meal in itself. It was flavorfully spiced, with the clam, onion and potatoes very finely chopped."

How Three California Dreamers Built Utah's Seafood Empire

The story of Market Street Grill starts with an audacious idea that probably sounded insane in 1980: open a high-end seafood restaurant in one of America's most landlocked states. Tom Sieg and John Williams had opened the New Yorker in 1978 and brought Tom Guinney, a California native with experience running a series of seafood restaurants, into the fold in 1980. The trio didn't just open a restaurant—they pioneered an entirely new dining category for Utah, one that required convincing airlines to fly fresh fish daily into the desert.

Tom Guinney grew up in the restaurant business, literally. He grew up peeling potatoes and busing tables, then doing kitchen prep work in a coffee shop his father owned. In 1967, he joined the Navy and worked as a cook. After his military service, he worked at seafood restaurants in Newport Beach before a mutual friend connected him with Williams and Sieg. They wanted to take advantage of Western Airlines' ability to fly fresh fish from Alaska and the West Coast daily—an arrangement that would become the backbone of Utah's fresh seafood scene.

What set Guinney apart wasn't just his culinary expertise. He studied Utah's heritage, absorbed himself in it, learned what made this place tick, and did everything he could to make sure Market Street fit in. His approach to alcohol service exemplified this sensitivity to Utah culture—he made it available but placed the bar off to the side rather than as a centerpiece, understanding the state's complicated relationship with liquor. Mayor Jackie Biskupski awarded him the Key to the City in 2017 for his contributions to hospitality and preserving historic downtown buildings.

The three partners eventually formed Gastronomy Inc., expanding to multiple Market Street locations and other concepts. Though all three founding partners have since passed away, their vision lives on through new ownership committed to maintaining the legacy.

Fresh Seafood Downtown Salt Lake City: The Exhibition Kitchen Experience

The downtown flagship location occupies the historic 1906 New York Hotel building, designed by R.K.A. Kletting—the same architect who designed the Utah State Capitol. This 75-room hotel was built by local mining magnate Orange J. Salisbury and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the building deteriorated and was condemned by the city, it underwent extensive remodeling in the mid-1970s before Market Street moved in.

Walk into the main Grill and you'll immediately understand why they call it a "high-energy" dining room. The exhibition kitchen sits behind glass walls, letting you watch chefs work with the kind of transparency that only comes when you're confident in your cleanliness standards. One reviewer noted: "The busy kitchen is in view from the entire restaurant behind a glass wall. One can easily see how clean this place is."

The atmosphere operates on two speeds: the family-friendly Grill with its bustling energy and the adjacent Market Street Oyster Bar, an adults-only space (21+) that feels like stepping into a sophisticated cocktail lounge. The oyster bar's mirrored walls expand the small space so it always feels like you're in the middle of an especially swanky full house. It's the same kitchen, the same menu, but a completely different vibe—old-fashioned cocktails, seasonal martinis, and the kind of service that remembers your drink before you order it.

What to Order: Customer-Verified Standouts at Utah's Best Seafood Restaurant

Let's talk about the clam chowder first because you can't write about Market Street without addressing what might be Utah's most famous soup. Tom Guinney created the recipe himself, and it's been served in heated bowls since day one. The chowder contains French leeks and real sour cream—not the shortcuts so many restaurants take. A reviewer from St. Petersburg, Florida raved about the "excellent clam chowder and Rainbow Trout, plus Fish & Chips. All delicious."

The oyster selection changes based on availability, but on any given day you'll find multiple varieties freshly shucked at the bar. Half-price oysters on Mondays have become something of a Salt Lake City tradition. One diner explained: "I make it a point to visit the Oyster bar when here on business. Especially on Monday's the fresh shucked oysters are 1/2 off."

For brunch—served Sundays and weekend mornings at the downtown location—the Crab Benedict is a standout. Two poached eggs, Canadian bacon, snow crab, asparagus, English muffin, hollandaise. One happy bruncher said simply: "Fantastic oysters! Brunch was dynamite and our server, Jackson, was superb! Highly recommend the French toast, avocado toast, and the corned beef hash."

The Fish and Chips here aren't some frozen afterthought. One diner described "4 large pieces of lightly breaded halibut. The seafood was fresh, moist and in an ample portion. The included vegetable was corn that was cut straight off a cob - not from a package." That attention to detail—fresh corn cut from actual cobs—is exactly the kind of thing that separates a 44-year institution from restaurants chasing trends.

For dinner, the daily fresh catches change based on what's actually fresh that day. Alaskan halibut, Hawaiian ahi tuna, Gulf shrimp—all flown in following that original Western Airlines arrangement that the founders pioneered back in 1980. And yes, they also serve hand-cut prime steaks and prime rib for anyone in your party who prefers land to sea.

Salt Lake City's Seafood Pioneer: More Than Just a Restaurant

Here's what makes Market Street Grill matter beyond just good food: they created a blueprint. Before Market Street opened in 1980, finding truly fresh seafood in Salt Lake City was essentially impossible. The concept of flying in daily catches didn't exist here. Now it's standard practice for upscale restaurants across the Wasatch Front, but Market Street did it first and proved it could work in a landlocked state.

Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, and Dee Brewer, executive director of the Downtown Alliance, noted that Guinney and his co-founders raised the bar for dining ambiance, cuisine and particularly for dining service. They trained generations of hospitality workers and leaders that are now working in various industries across the state. Walk into almost any upscale restaurant in Utah and there's a good chance someone on staff learned their craft at a Gastronomy Inc. establishment.

The downtown location sits just half a block from the Gallivan Plaza TRAX station, making it easily accessible via public transit. They also offer free shuttle service to and from select sporting events and arts performances—a unique service that connects pre-game dinners with Jazz games or shows at the nearby theaters. Valet parking is available for dinner service, with free parking for breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch.

Three locations serve the Salt Lake metro area: the flagship downtown at 48 West Market Street, Cottonwood at 2985 E Cottonwood Parkway, and South Jordan at 10702 S River Front Parkway. Each maintains the same commitment to daily fresh seafood and that signature clam chowder.

Planning Your Visit to Market Street Grill

Downtown Location: 48 West Market Street, Salt Lake City
Phone: 801-322-4668
Hours: Breakfast and lunch Monday-Saturday (8am-2pm weekdays, 8am-3pm weekends), Dinner nightly (5pm-9pm weekdays, until 10pm Friday-Saturday), Sunday Brunch (10am-3pm)

Cottonwood Location: 2985 E Cottonwood Parkway
Phone: 801-942-8860
Hours: Lunch and dinner only (no breakfast service except Sunday brunch)

South Jordan Location: 10702 S River Front Parkway
Phone: 801-302-2262
Hours: Lunch and dinner only (no breakfast service except Sunday brunch)

The Market Street Oyster Bar (downtown only) is adults-only (21+) and operates during dinner hours. Same kitchen, same menu, but a more sophisticated atmosphere perfect for date nights or after-work gatherings.

Make reservations, especially for weekend dinner service or Sunday brunch. The downtown location gets busy before Jazz games and theater performances, so plan accordingly if you're using their complimentary shuttle service.

Why Market Street Grill Still Matters After 44 Years

In an industry where the average full-service restaurant lasts about ten years, Market Street Grill has been serving Salt Lake City for over four decades. When Tom stood in front of the counter at the original Market Street Grill on Market Street, he looked out at essentially the exact same restaurant as the day it opened in 1980. That consistency—not chasing every trend, not reinventing the concept every three years—is precisely why it works.

This is the best seafood restaurant in Salt Lake City not because someone declared it trendy on Instagram, but because three men in 1980 figured out how to solve a genuinely difficult logistical challenge: getting ocean-fresh seafood to Utah daily. They built relationships with airlines and suppliers, created standards that others still follow, and trained a generation of hospitality professionals who spread throughout Utah's food scene.

The clam chowder still comes in heated bowls. The sourdough bread is still baked fresh. The exhibition kitchen still operates behind glass so you can see exactly what's happening with your food. And somewhere in that historic 1906 building, there's still a sense that this place takes its role seriously—as Utah's seafood pioneer, as a preserver of downtown architectural heritage, and as proof that excellent food and genuine hospitality don't have expiration dates.

Market Street Grill | @marketstreetgrill