Wood-Fired Pizza Salt Lake City: Nomad East's Creative Neapolitan Revolution in Sugarhouse

There's a moment when you walk into Nomad East on the corner of 1300 South and 1700 East in Sugarhouse when the smell hits you—wood smoke and charred crust and something sweet you can't quite place. Maybe it's the pickled golden raisins going onto a Betty White pizza, or the roasted corn destined for a Children of the Corn pie. Whatever it is, you're about to understand why people drive across town for this place.

One customer put it perfectly: "Nomad East is one of my favorite pizza places in SLC, but I tried the salmon salad this weekend on a rec from a friend and WOW, would come back for the salad alone."  That's the thing about Nomad East—it's technically a pizza restaurant, but calling it just that feels like missing half the story.

From Idaho Farm Kitchens to French Culinary Institute: Justin Soelberg's Creative Journey

Justin Soelberg didn't set out to revolutionize wood-fired pizza in Salt Lake City. Raised helping his grandparents and mom with cooking and canning in Idaho, he seemed destined for the culinary world early on. But the path from those farm kitchens to the red-hot pizza ovens at Nomad East wound through some impressive territory—the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, stints in Chicago, and positions at some of Utah's most respected kitchens including Avenues Proper, Proper Burger, Pizza Nono, Pago, and Sundance Resort.

When Soelberg launched the original Nomad Eatery near the Salt Lake City airport in 2017, the Utah Restaurant Association took notice. They awarded him Best New Concept in the casual dining category in 2018 for his eclectic menu that pulled from various cultures and cuisines. But when the pandemic devastated airport traffic in 2020, Soelberg made a bold move—he closed that location and opened Nomad East in the former Eggs in the City space in Sugarhouse's Yalecrest neighborhood.

The new challenge? The space had no cooktop and no deep fryer—just two large wood-burning ovens. Instead of seeing limitations, Soelberg saw possibility. Everything would be cooked in those fire-engine red ovens, from the perfectly charred Neapolitan-style pizzas to the roasted half-chicken with burnt lemon.

The Wood-Fired Pizza Experience: Where Neapolitan Technique Meets Creative American Toppings

Step inside Nomad East and your eyes are immediately drawn to that exhibition kitchen, where two fire-engine red pizza ovens are framed nicely by potted plants and cookbooks. Above the kitchen sits a well-worn cookbook collection—a quiet homage to Soelberg's reverence for culinary tradition and his French Culinary Institute training. Each table has napkins, cutlery, and side sauces stored in classic tomato cans. It's casual enough to bring your kids, elevated enough for date night.

But let's talk about the pizzas, because that's why you're here.

The Margherita ($13) is where Soelberg proves he's got the fundamentals down. Made with crushed Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil, the pizza dough has little pockets of charring and a killer outer crust. It's the kind of pizza that makes you understand why Neapolitan technique matters—thin, crispy on the edges, doughy in all the best places.

Then there's the Betty White—Nomad's most famous creation. One traveler who stumbled into the original Nomad near the airport wrote: "You don't expect to go to the nearest restaurant and have one of the best pizzas you've ever had in your pizza-eating life. The Betty White! World-class!" What makes it work? Garlic cream sauce with mozzarella and fontina cheeses, topped with abundant arugula and those unexpected pickled golden raisins. As one customer explained, "The vinegar soaked raisins were the star of this pizza offsetting the richness of the cheese. The arugula made it light."

The Children of the Corn is where Soelberg's pop culture references meet his culinary creativity. A recent review in SLUG Magazine described it as "fresh, sexy and sloppy without actually being messy," noting how the corn balances "the delectable creaminess of the garlic sauce and chorizo with its freshness and texture." It's loaded with chorizo, cotija cheese, buttermilk ranch, and roasted corn—basically everything that shouldn't work on a Neapolitan pizza but absolutely does. "The chorizo on the children of the corn pizza was soo good," one customer raved.

The menu rotates seasonally because Soelberg takes Utah's growing seasons seriously. You'll find pizzas with heirloom tomatoes in late summer, charred broccolini and Utah-made Mesa Farms feta on the Almond Joy, and whatever pickled vegetables are at their peak.

Beyond Pizza: The Smoked Salmon Salad Everyone's Talking About

Here's where Nomad East separates itself from every other pizza joint in Salt Lake City. The smoked salmon salad ($13) has developed its own cult following. Fresh greens tossed with smoked salmon slivers, radishes, almonds, red onion, smoked paprika dressing, shaved Manchego cheese, and pickled golden raisins—described by one food writer as "a sensational salad."

"The smoked salmon salad is my new favorite salad. No joke, you have to try it," wrote one customer who admittedly felt like they'd been living under a rock for not visiting sooner.

The wedge salad is another sleeper hit. Local customers rave: "The real reason we come here is because of their incredible, topping rich, wedge salad. It's piled high with bacon, sesame seeds and bleu cheese crumbles. Their homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is in every nook of the iceberg leaves."

And don't sleep on the roasted fingerlings—crispy potatoes glazed in gochujang sauce with green onions, sesame seeds, and stracciatella cheese. One reviewer called them "a perfect combination of spice and salt...a delight."

Sugarhouse's Neighborhood Gathering Spot

What makes Nomad East special isn't just the food—it's how it fits into the Yalecrest neighborhood. The patio, especially, has become the place to be when Utah's weather cooperates. Even during the pandemic restrictions, one writer noted, "Nomad East had that bright and breezy carefree attitude we're all longing for...the patio outside was the happening place." 

It's the kind of spot where locals come 3-5 times a month, where you can bring a well-behaved three-year-old or settle in for a romantic date night. The BYO wine policy (with a corkage fee) makes it even more accessible, though they also serve wine and beer.

One food blogger from New Mexico ranked one of Nomad's pizzas "among the ten very best pizzas I've had in my 39 years," and praised the heirloom tomato salad so enthusiastically it deserved its own paragraph. That's the Nomad East effect—you come for pizza, you leave planning your next visit for something else entirely.

Planning Your Visit to Nomad East

Address: 1675 E 1300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84105 (corner of 1300 South and 1700 East in the Yalecrest/Sugarhouse neighborhood)

Hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 11am-9pm
• Friday-Saturday: 11am-10pm
• Sunday: 3pm-9pm
• Seating stops 15 minutes before service ends

What to Order:

• First-timers: Start with the Margherita to understand their technique, then go bold with the Betty White or Children of the Corn
• The salad people rave about: Smoked salmon salad—seriously, everyone mentions it
• For sharing: Roasted fingerlings and the wedge salad
• Can't go wrong: Pretty in Pink, Roni-Boy (pepperoni with jalapeños and hot honey), or any seasonal special

Insider Tips:

• Make a reservation, especially for Friday and Saturday dinner—this place fills up
• Parking can be tight in the neighborhood, but arrive early or be patient
• Each pizza feeds about 2 people; order salads or sides if you're hungrier
• The patio is the hot spot when weather allows
• Pizzas range from $11-$20, making it accessible for its quality level

Find Them: @nomadeast on Instagram | (801) 883-9791 | nomad-east.com

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Why Nomad East Matters to Salt Lake City's Food Scene

In a city where pizza often means Este's New York-style slices or Settebello's VPN-certified Neapolitan pies, Nomad East carved out its own identity. It's Neapolitan technique with American creativity and Utah's seasonal ingredients. It's a French Culinary Institute-trained chef who's not afraid to put pickled golden raisins and chorizo on pizza. It's wood-fired cooking elevated to an art form in a neighborhood spot where you can still bring your family.

"Probably the best or second best pizza in Salt Lake City," wrote one customer on a pizza review app. "The environment is fantastic, service always good, and the pizza… ALWAYS delivers great flavor and solid texture."

That's the Nomad East promise—creativity that respects tradition, elevated casual dining that stays approachable, and a chef who's been wandering the culinary world long enough to know exactly what Salt Lake City's Sugarhouse neighborhood needed. Two wood-fired ovens, a collection of well-worn cookbooks, and a commitment to doing things the right way—even when that means no cooktop and no deep fryer.

Just fire, creativity, and pizzas named after Betty White and Stephen King movies. Welcome to wood-fired pizza done right in Salt Lake City.