Venezuelan Breakfast Salt Lake City: How Skillets Brings Carne Mechada to 900 South's Brunch Scene

Walk into Skillets on a Saturday morning and you'll notice something different right away. There's the usual brunch energy—the clatter of silverware, the smell of coffee brewing, friends laughing over loaded plates. But then you catch it: the rich, slightly tangy aroma of slow-cooked Venezuelan shredded beef simmering in sofrito, a scent that doesn't belong in your typical American breakfast spot. And that's exactly the point.

This is Salt Lake City's only American-Venezuelan brunch restaurant, a place where breakfast burritos get stuffed with carne mechada instead of the usual suspects, where poutine comes topped with Venezuelan shredded beef and a smoky hollandaise, where Jorge Garcia-Kesler's family recipes from Venezuela collide beautifully with Will's American comfort food sensibilities. As one customer put it after her first visit: "The shredded steak is so flavorful and tender, and the green sauce made it just that much better. We loved it so much, we went back again on Sunday."

From Food Truck Dreams to 900 South Reality

Jorge and Will Garcia-Kesler got married at the beginning of 2020, right before the world turned upside down. While COVID disrupted everything, it also gave them time to dream. Will had always wanted to open a bakery. Jorge, with his Venezuelan heritage and kitchen experience, had dreamed of running a restaurant. When they realized a brick-and-mortar wasn't realistic during a pandemic, Jorge started researching food trucks.

They spent months perfecting recipes in their home kitchen—testing different marinades for the carne mechada, calibrating the acidity in their now-famous green cilantro sauce, figuring out how to pack Venezuelan flavors into a handheld breakfast burrito that wouldn't fall apart. In May 2021, they finally launched Skillets as a food truck, parking primarily downtown and building a following one burrito at a time.

The response was immediate. Their Venezuelan breakfast burrito—stuffed with slow-cooked shredded beef, black beans, scrambled eggs, cheese, pico de gallo, and crispy tater tots—started generating buzz. In 2024, it earned them a Best of Utah Award for Best Breakfast Burrito, finishing second only to the legendary Beto's. Not bad for a food truck that had been operating for just three years.

By November 2024, demand had grown so much that Jorge and Will couldn't keep up. They opened their brick-and-mortar location at 282 E 900 South, in the heart of the Maven District, taking over the space that used to house Barrio. The food truck? Still operating for catering and events. But now they have a spacious restaurant with a huge outdoor patio, a full kitchen, and room to expand their menu into spectacle territory.

What Makes Venezuelan Breakfast Different

Here's something most people don't know about Venezuelan cuisine: it takes meat preparation seriously. Really seriously. The carne mechada that Jorge uses in his breakfast burrito isn't just seasoned beef—it's a technique passed down through Venezuelan families, a slow-cooking method that transforms tough cuts into tender, deeply flavored shreds.

The beef gets marinated with a sofrito base of peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic, then slow-roasted until it practically falls apart. The result has what one Salt Lake City Weekly reviewer described as "a vibrant, slightly acidic seasoning profile, roasted to tender perfection." It's the kind of beef that provides a completely different flavor foundation than the typical breakfast sausage or bacon you'd find elsewhere.

Jorge brings this authentic Venezuelan technique to every dish at Skillets. The Skillets Poutine layers rosemary home-fried potatoes with cheese curds, that signature carne mechada, finely chopped peppers and onions, a fried egg, and hollandaise with a smoky kick. One customer raved: "The Tater Tot Skillet is an absolute must-try! It's a delicious blend of Venezuelan shredded steak that's perfectly seasoned and tender, paired with crispy tater tots for a great texture contrast."

And then there's that green sauce. Customers mention it in nearly every review—a cilantro garlic sauce that Jorge and Will spent "hours and hours perfecting." It's become such a signature that people specifically request extra containers to take home.

The Tower for Two and the Art of Spectacle Brunch

When Skillets moved into their brick-and-mortar space, Jorge and Will took advantage of the expanded kitchen to create dishes that simply weren't possible in a food truck. The crown jewel? The Tower for Two—a triple-stacked breakfast structure that costs $35-39 and requires pulling up an extra table just to fit it all.

Here's what you get: The bottom tier holds all your savory breakfast essentials—eggs cooked to order, crispy bacon, breakfast sausage, and perfectly seasoned home fries. The middle tier showcases sourdough toast with three flavors of house-made cream cheese (the basil one gets particularly high praise from customers). The top tier features waffle fondue with three dipping sauces: dulce de leche, pistachio cheesecake, and chocolate.

"We got the 'Tower for Two' which is this amazing breakfast tower," wrote one TikTok food blogger after visiting. "It was seriously SO delicious & such a fun unique presentation! We also got the classic breakfast burrito (this is an absolute MUST - I'm SO serious don't skip it)."

The restaurant has also earned a 2025 Best of Utah nomination specifically for the Tower for Two, cementing its status as one of Salt Lake City's most Instagram-worthy brunch dishes. But here's what matters more than the photos: it's actually a thoughtful sampler of everything Skillets does well, from their Venezuelan-influenced savory items to Will's sweet side expertise.

Other spectacle dishes include the French Toast Flight ($19)—three different preparations including a Nutella-stuffed version, a Cinnamon Crunch topped with cereal, and the Lemon Mallow, all served together. As one SLUG Magazine reviewer noted: "The menu includes three types of French toast, but you can also get the French toast flight that gives you one of each."

What Customers Keep Coming Back For

The breakfast burrito remains the heart of the Skillets experience, even with an expanded menu. "This is an absolute MUST - I'm SO serious don't skip it," one customer emphasized in her review. Another couple shared: "We loved it so much, we went back again on Sunday."

The Venezuelan Bowl showcases Jorge's heritage more directly—carne mechada over rice with black beans, topped with that green sauce and a fried egg. Multiple customers have called it "really good" and specifically praised how the Venezuelan shredded beef stands out from anything else available in Salt Lake City.

For those wanting to try the fusion concept, the Corned Beef Poutine offers a middle ground—taking the Canadian-inspired dish and giving it a Venezuelan twist with layers of flavor. "A unique and flavorful dish slathered in the tastiest hollandaise sauce," according to one reviewer.

The French toast options consistently impress too. The stuffed version comes loaded with Nutella, while creative variations keep the menu fresh. One customer who tried several dishes concluded: "Arguably the best French toast I've ever had—perfectly balanced, fluffy, and rich without being overwhelming."

The 900 South Brunch Boom

Skillets opened at a perfect moment for Salt Lake City's food scene. The Maven District along 900 South has been transforming into a restaurant row, with Skillets joining a cluster of new breakfast and brunch spots. Just one block away, Atomic Biscuit opened in December 2024, bringing Southern-style biscuits to the neighborhood.

But Skillets occupies a unique position. As Salt Lake City Weekly observed: "On the spectrum of local brunch spots, Skillets manages to hit all the right bases regardless of what you're looking for. It's great for those after Instagram likes and spectacle, but you're also not beholden to that vibe if you just want to have a nice, colorful breakfast served by a friendly staff."

The location itself has become part of the draw. The spacious outdoor patio catches morning sun and has reviewers already predicting it'll be "the place to be on those sunny weekend mornings." The interior features cozy decor with cheerful pops of yellow, creating what multiple customers describe as a welcoming, almost visiting-a-friend's-house-for-brunch kind of atmosphere.

Service consistently gets mentioned in reviews too. Servers like Ciara, Sierra, and Jazmin earn praise by name for making customers feel at home and offering solid menu recommendations. Owner Will frequently stops by tables to check in, share the restaurant's story, and thank guests—something several reviewers specifically appreciated.

Planning Your Visit to Skillets

Address: 282 E 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Saturday-Sunday: 7:00 AM - 3:00 PMeatskillets

Instagram: @eatskillets
Website: eatskilletsut.com

What to Order:

• First-timers: Start with the Venezuelan Breakfast Burrito—it's what built their reputation and won them awards. Ask for extra green sauce.
• Groups: The Tower for Two provides the best overview of their menu and easily feeds 2-3 people.
• Venezuelan curious: Try the Skillets Poutine or Venezuelan Bowl to taste the authentic carne mechada preparation.
• Sweet tooth: The French Toast Flight lets you sample three variations at once.

Good to Know:

• The restaurant gets busy on weekend mornings. One reviewer mentioned an hour-long quoted wait that ended up being 25 minutes, so the turnover is faster than expected.
• They still operate their food truck for catering—perfect for weddings, corporate events, or private gatherings.
• Parking can be found on the street along 900 South or in nearby lots.
• The patio is first-come, first-served and absolutely worth requesting during nice weather.
• Coffee flows freely—multiple customers praised the bottomless cups and attentive refills.

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Salt Lake City's Venezuelan breakfast scene was practically nonexistent before Skillets arrived. Now, Jorge and Will Garcia-Kesler have created the city's only spot where you can taste authentic carne mechada alongside American brunch classics, where family recipes from Venezuela get plated next to Instagram-worthy towers of waffles and French toast.

The Best of Utah Award for their breakfast burrito wasn't an accident. The 2025 nomination for the Tower for Two isn't either. This is what happens when two people who genuinely love food take the time to perfect their recipes, respect their cultural roots, and build something that doesn't exist anywhere else in the state.

Whether you're a brunch regular looking for something different or you've never tried Venezuelan food, Skillets offers a rare thing in Salt Lake City's restaurant scene: genuine fusion that honors both sides of its hyphen, executed by owners who spent years perfecting their craft in a food truck before opening their doors on 900 South.