6 Best Restaurants in Northern Utah, Utah

The pride and joy of Utah State University dairy students, this historic ice-cream shop on campus has been making ice cream "from cow to cone" for 100 years. The luscious creations use milk from cows that live on USU's farm and a recipe and production process that's been perfected over the last century. Savor a scoop or two of lemon custard, blue mint, praline pecan, or huckleberry to fully grasp what all the fuss is about.

Located within Garden City's distinctive Conestoga Ranch glamping resort, this rambling and scenic seasonal restaurant (housed in a tent with a firepit overlooking the property's covered wagons) is the most distinctive dining destination in town, and one of the most upscale too. Serving creative American fare throughout the day—including a popular brunch on Sundays—this open-air eatery offers delicious pancakes with maple-macerated berries, shrimp with smoked-cheddar grits, an array of wood-fired pizzas, and other enticing dishes.

It feels like you've wandered onto the set of The Andy Griffith Show at this quaint 1921 café—the oldest continually operating restaurant in Utah—with a menu specializing in old-fashioned comfort foods like pot roast and au gratin potatoes, chicken-fried steak, and hot turkey sandwiches with gravy. Save room for ice cream or a shake—or perhaps some sweet treats from the Idle Isle candy factory across the street. 

This super-chill, family-friendly eatery is a perfect stop for delicious flavored coffee drinks and traditional breakfast fare early in the day or burgers, panini sandwiches, and ice-cream desserts after your outdoor adventures.

Just a little south of Brigham City, this down-home log-cabin-style eatery is one of the most celebrated family-owned restaurants in Utah, a favorite since the late 1940s. The Maddox family serves stick-to-your-ribs Western fare—the fried chicken, Porterhouse steaks and bison rib eyes are big enough to satisfy a ranch hand, especially if you factor in generous sides of vegetables, potatoes, and homemade soups, plus fresh-baked dinner rolls served with raspberry honey-butter. Reservations are a good idea, even on weeknights. Note that alcohol isn't served.

This funky, down-home diner with graffiti-covered brick walls serves hearty Southern food throughout the day, starting with fried chicken and biscuits and ham hash in the morning and moving on to catfish and chips and brown sugar–and–maple barbecue pork sandwiches later in the day. Save room for the beignets or cinnamon biscuits for dessert, and snag a jar of pineapple-lemon-rosemary or blueberry-lavender jam on your way out.