Rouser Salt Lake City: Where a Century-Old Train Depot Becomes Utah's Most Exciting Charcoal-Fired Restaurant

There's a moment when you walk into Rouser—past the black-on-black signage that feels like a railroad speakeasy, through the doors of the 1909 Union Pacific Depot—when you realize you're standing exactly where thousands of Mormon missionaries once waited for trains to carry them across America. Where workers clocked in for shifts that built the West. Where the smell of coal and steam and possibility hung thick in the air.

Now? The aroma is different but equally intoxicating: charcoal-grilled ingredients crackling over a Spanish Josper oven, the only one of its kind in Utah. And sitting at the chef's counter watching Executive Chef Emilio Camara work that beast of a charcoal grill, you understand something fundamental about this place. Rouser isn't just Salt Lake City's newest fine dining destination. It's a restaurant that honors the coal-powered locomotives that once rumbled through this depot by cooking damn near everything over live fire.

"From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the manager, Matt, who thanked us for dining with them," one diner wrote, and that greeting—genuine, specific, personal—sets the tone for what Rouser has become in less than a year. This is downtown Salt Lake City fine dining without the stuffiness. Charcoal-grilled cuisine that feels both elevated and accessible. A historic train station reborn as the kind of place where you can celebrate an anniversary or just show up hungry on a Tuesday.

From Grand America to Gateway: Chef Emilio Camara's Journey to Rouser

Emilio Camara started his culinary career at just 15 years old at the Grand America Hotel through a high school ProStart program, competing regionally and nationally. That's the kind of origin story that makes sense when you taste his food—someone who's been obsessed with cooking since before he could legally work a closing shift.

He refined his techniques at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, then headed to New York to work at the prestigious Westchester Country Club and some of the city's top restaurants. But here's what matters: at Asher Adams, Emilio blends his love for nature with sophisticated open-fire cooking, crafting unforgettable fine dining experiences. The guy isn't just using the Josper oven because it's trendy. He understands something essential about cooking with fire—that it connects us to the most primal, satisfying way humans have prepared food for millennia.

"We want to make food and drinks that will grab the attention of the James Beard Foundation and help showcase Salt Lake City as the foodie destination it is quickly becoming," Camara explained. And you know what? He's not being hyperbolic. Salt Lake Magazine named Rouser one of their 2025 Restaurants to Watch, and when you see Camara using hexagonal charcoal to add just a touch of sear to buttery hamachi right at tableside, you understand why. This is theater, yes, but it's theater in service of flavor.

The Josper Oven Experience: Utah's Only Spanish Charcoal-Fired Cooking System

Let's talk about what makes Rouser genuinely unique in Salt Lake City's competitive restaurant scene. The Josper oven—this elegant Spanish invention that combines a grill and an oven in a single charcoal-powered machine—is the beating heart of everything Chef Camara cooks. Created in 1969 by Pere Juli and Josep Armangué at their Mas Pi restaurant in Barcelona, the Josper was designed for grilling indoors at the highest possible temperature.

Think about that for a second. Traditional grills fill restaurants with smoke. Wood-fired ovens are amazing but they're basically pizza specialists. The Josper? It's an enclosed charcoal system that can sear a steak, roast vegetables, and smoke seafood—all while maintaining temperatures between 250 to 350°C. The enclosed design means chefs can fully control the embers while installing the equipment in professional kitchens without filling the room with smoke.

At Rouser, this translates to dishes you simply can't get anywhere else in Utah. The roasted Spanish octopus arrives on a bed of butter lettuce with a gorgeous-looking char on the edges, each meaty slice roasted to textural perfection with a marvelous bite. That char? That's the Josper doing what it does best—creating a crust that's simultaneously crispy and smoky without drying out the protein.

But here's where Camara gets really creative. He employs charcoal dust in the buttermilk marinade for his karaage fried chicken, infusing even fried dishes with that signature smoke. It's the kind of technique that shows a chef who's not just using equipment—he's pushing it to do things the inventors probably never imagined.

Here's the truth about the Parker House Rolls at Rouser: "Honestly, you can't go to Rouser and not get the rolls. The butter did something magical," wrote one customer. And they're not wrong. These aren't your grandmother's dinner rolls (unless your grandmother was secretly a badass baker). The ash butter—made with actual charcoal ash—adds this subtle, almost umami quality that makes you reach for another roll even when you're trying to save room for your entrée.

The charred carrots deserve their own paragraph. "I wouldn't have thought a carrot could carry a dish, but it turns out all they need to take the spotlight is some flavorful mole," Salt Lake City Weekly's reviewer noted. This is vegetables done right—charred over the Josper until they develop deep caramelization, then dressed with Rouser's homemade mole sauce. It's the kind of side dish that vegetarians order as a main and carnivores can't stop eating.

For mains, the consensus is clear: stick with the charcoal-fired specialties. "The food was okay but from what I gathered, their specialties are the coal-fired dishes," one reviewer wisely observed. The whole Utah trout is a showstopper—locally sourced, grilled until the skin crisps like parchment, the flesh remaining impossibly moist. The bone marrow gets that perfect char that makes the rich fat even more compelling.

The braised short rib is "absolutely incredible," according to multiple diners, and when you order the NY steak with fries, expect thoughtful preparation with the steak arriving at the right temperature and fries that are perfectly crispy and well-seasoned.

For special occasions, the charcoal-roasted seafood tower is a bounteous collection of grilled oysters, crab cakes, Australian king prawns, herb-grilled lobster and littleneck clams—a spectacular, shareable showstopper that represents everything Rouser does well with the Josper.

Dining in History: The Union Pacific Depot Transformation

The Union Pacific Depot, originally called Union Station when it opened in 1908, was built in the French Renaissance architectural style and served as downtown Salt Lake City's main railroad depot for decades, connecting Utah to destinations in California and Oregon. Walking through the Grand Hall—where The Bar at Asher Adams now sits—you can still see the northern mural depicting the completion of America's first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit in 1869, and the southern mural detailing the arrival of Brigham Young and the Latter-day Saint pioneers in 1847.

The transformation of this space into Asher Adams Hotel and Rouser represents one of Salt Lake City's most successful adaptive reuse projects. The restoration preserved stained glass, oil-on-canvas murals, and even the cracks in the original tile flooring, creating a dining experience that feels both contemporary and deeply connected to Utah's history.

"One of my favorite local commercial glow-ups has to be The Gateway," noted one local food writer. The neighborhood around Rouser has experienced a genuine renaissance, and the restaurant sits at the crossroads of downtown Salt Lake City's shopping, dining, culture, and community—just steps from the TRAX light rail, the Delta Center, and Temple Square.

When you dine at Rouser, you're sitting in a lush, low-lit space with Scandinavian-inspired furniture, comfy pillows, glowing lamps, forest-green walls, and velvet benches. The open kitchen concept means you can watch Chef Camara and his team work the Josper, hear the sizzle of proteins hitting the charcoal grill, see the flames leap when they baste meats with butter. It's dinner as theater, but more importantly, it's transparent cooking—you see exactly how your food is prepared.

The Josper Counter Experience: Salt Lake City's Most Intimate Dining Event

If you really want to understand what makes Rouser special, book the Josper Counter Experience. "Each course was packed with flavor and the drink pairings elevated the experience. It was fun to watch meals being prepped and cooked, and it was fun to hear about the history behind Rouser and the Asher Adams hotel," one guest raved.

This chef's table series, offered Friday and Saturday evenings, seats just six to eight guests directly at the charcoal-fired kitchen. Chef Camara curates each course to reflect his heritage and professional journey—from charcoal-torched hamachi in brightly acidic charred cucumber aguachile to karaage fried chicken with charcoal dust in the buttermilk marinade. The ongoing engagement and narrative directly from the chef creates an immersive exploration of flavor, culture, and craft.

"Rouser came in hot when it opened, and this four-course counter event has definitely kept the temperature toasty," noted Salt Lake City Weekly's Alex Springer. It's the kind of special dining experience that puts Rouser in conversation with Utah's best restaurants—Urban Hill, Log Haven, HSL—while carving out its own distinct identity through the Josper technique.

Gateway District's Crown Jewel: Rouser's Role in Downtown SLC's Food Scene

Rouser sits in a particularly interesting moment for downtown Salt Lake City. The Gateway has transformed from struggling mall to vibrant dining and entertainment district. The nearby Delta Center hosts Utah Jazz basketball and the new Utah Hockey Club. Abravanel Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art are walkable. And Rouser—housed in one of the most historically significant buildings in the state—anchors it all.

"We're just as much for the locals as we are for the hotel guests," noted Zack Lippincott, Rouser's director of food and beverage. That's evident in the restaurant's dual nature: elevated enough for special occasions, approachable enough for date night. The breakfast service (7-11am) caters to hotel guests but also draws locals who've discovered that "the omelets were perfectly cooked, fluffy, and filled with fresh ingredients" and the oatmeal is creamy and flavorful with great toppings.

The dinner service (5-10pm) is where Rouser really shines, though. "Amid the rotisserie-focused mains and the thoughtfully composed side dishes, I found myself seeing Rouser as just the right mix of past and future," one reviewer perfectly summarized. That tension—between the 1909 depot and cutting-edge Spanish cooking equipment, between railroad history and modern culinary technique—creates something genuinely exciting.

The beverage program matches the food's ambition. The wine list features thoughtful selections like Cabernet Sauvignon from Brady that pairs nicely with charcoal-grilled steaks, while the cocktail menu includes creative drinks like espresso martinis that one guest said "made me want to order 10 more."

Planning Your Visit to Rouser

Location: 2 S 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (Downtown, inside Asher Adams Hotel at the historic Union Pacific Depot)

Hours:

Breakfast: 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM daily
Dinner: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM daily

How to Get There: Rouser is accessible via TRAX light rail and situated just across from the Delta Center. Valet parking available at Asher Adams ($10/hour, $48 daily max). Self-parking options nearby.

What to Order:

Must-try: Parker House Rolls with ash butter
Vegetables: Charred carrots with mole sauce, roasted beets with whipped ricotta
Mains: Whole Utah trout, braised short rib, NY steak with fries
For groups: Charcoal-roasted seafood tower ($88)
Special experience: Josper Counter Experience with Chef Emilio (Fridays & Saturdays)

Best Time to Visit: Dinner reservations recommended, especially for weekends. The restaurant tends to be less crowded Monday-Wednesday for walk-ins. For the most intimate experience, book the Josper Counter Experience in advance—seating is extremely limited.

Dress Code: Smart casual recommended but not required. The ambiance strikes a balance between elevated and comfortable.

Instagram: @rouserslc

The Verdict: Utah's Most Compelling New Restaurant

Here's what makes Rouser matter to Salt Lake City's evolving food scene: it's not trying to be something it's not. This isn't precious fine dining that makes you feel like you're taking a test. It's not casual enough that you'd show up in gym clothes. It exists in that sweet spot where serious technique meets genuine hospitality, where a 1909 train depot becomes the most exciting place to eat in downtown Salt Lake City.

"There are not a lot of restaurants I can recommend that have delicious food, great service, AND lovely ambiance but Rouser has done it," one local summed up perfectly. The combination of Chef Emilio Camara's talent, the unique Josper oven technique, the historic setting, and the warm hospitality creates something rare—a restaurant that feels both ambitious and welcoming.

The fact that Rouser is the only restaurant in Utah with a Josper oven gives it a genuine competitive advantage. But more importantly, they're using that equipment to push Utah's food scene forward, creating charcoal-fired New American cuisine that holds its own against the state's best restaurants while carving out a completely distinct identity.

Make a reservation. Order the Parker House Rolls. Watch Chef Camara work the Josper from the open kitchen. Let the history of the Union Pacific Depot wash over you while you eat vegetables that taste better than most restaurants' steaks. You'll almost hear that distant train whistle and feel the excitement of a delicious journey about to begin.

Rouser | 2 S 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | (801) 895-2858 | rouserslc.com | @rouserslc

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