Poplar Grove may not have the polished restaurant corridor of downtown Salt Lake City, but that is exactly what makes its food scene so rewarding. This westside neighborhood is full of family-run restaurants, international groceries, bakeries, food trucks, and casual gathering places where the food is personal, generous, and often easy on the wallet. The best strategy is to explore slowly, especially along 900 West, 1700 South, Redwood Road, and the streets near 400 South.
The neighborhood’s dining identity is strongly shaped by its immigrant communities. Mexican restaurants and snack shops are especially prominent, but Poplar Grove also offers Somali cooking, Filipino-inspired food, Asian drinks, pizza, barbecue, pastries, and rotating food-truck fare. Here are the spots I would put at the top of a westside food crawl.
Joaquina Mexican Snacks: A Bright New Favorite
At 484 South 900 West, Joaquina Mexican Snacks is one of Poplar Grove’s most exciting recent additions. The small, welcoming restaurant specializes in Mexican City-style snacks and comfort food, including tamales, tortas, elotes, fresh juices, crepes, and other made-to-order treats. The menu is broad enough for a full lunch but casual enough for a quick afternoon stop.
The tamales are a natural starting point, while a torta makes a satisfying, budget-friendly meal. Elote brings the familiar combination of sweet corn, creamy toppings, chile, and lime. For dessert, the crepes and fresh fruit drinks add a playful finish.
- Cuisine: Mexican snacks and street food
- Price range: $
- Best for: A casual lunch, an afternoon treat, or introducing friends to Mexican antojitos
Joaquina is also a good example of Poplar Grove’s food culture: family-owned, community-minded, and rooted in recipes and traditions carried from Mexico City. ([poplargroveslc.org](https://www.poplargroveslc.org/spotlight?utm_source=openai))
Forty Three Bakery: Coffee, Pastries, and a Community Feel
Forty Three Bakery has become a neighborhood gathering place for coffee, baked goods, lunch, and weekend brunch. The bakery is especially appealing when you want somewhere more relaxed than a traditional restaurant: order something sweet, settle in with a coffee, and stay awhile.
Expect the kind of menu that works from morning through midday, with pastries and breads for breakfast, sandwiches or light plates for lunch, and a more substantial brunch selection on weekends. The bakery’s open, event-friendly space also makes it a natural location for markets, celebrations, and community gatherings.
- Cuisine: Bakery, café, brunch
- Price range: $–$$
- Best for: Coffee dates, pastries, weekend brunch, and picking up something to share
Forty Three is worth watching for seasonal events and neighborhood markets, which add to its role as more than just a place to grab a croissant. The Poplar Grove Community Council describes it as a local business serving the broader westside with baked goods, coffee, lunch, and brunch. ([poplargroveslc.org](https://www.poplargroveslc.org/spotlight/archives/04-2024?utm_source=openai))
Noor Restaurant: Somali Comfort Food on Redwood Road
For a deeper dive into Poplar Grove’s international food scene, head toward Redwood Road and look for Somali cooking. Noor Restaurant is known for dishes built around seasoned rice, tender meats, vegetables, and fragrant spices. Somali food is often wonderfully filling without feeling heavy, making it ideal for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
If you are new to the cuisine, ask what is popular that day. Rice plates, stewed meats, grilled options, and sambusas are all excellent ways to start. Sambusas—crisp pastries filled with meat or vegetables—make an easy appetizer or takeout snack.
- Cuisine: Somali and East African
- Price range: $–$$
- Best for: Generous plates, bold seasoning, and trying something outside the usual restaurant rotation
The Redwood Road area is one of the neighborhood’s most useful food corridors, with restaurants and markets reflecting Poplar Grove’s diverse population. ([homes.com](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/salt-lake-city-ut/poplar-grove-neighborhood/?utm_source=openai))
ComCom Market: A Hidden-Gem Food Hall for Local Vendors
One of Poplar Grove’s best-kept secrets is ComCom Market at 67 West 1700 South. It operates as a commercial kitchen, artisan market, ghost-kitchen hub, and food-truck gathering point. Because vendors and hours can vary, it is best approached as an exploratory stop rather than a conventional restaurant with a fixed menu.
Inside, you may find a rotating lineup that includes Forty Three Bakery, Quesaria Gomez, Zaffo’s, Kiss My Boba, Wow Bao, Nur Kitchen, Gerome’s Market, Ghost Sushi, and other small food businesses. The food-truck roster has included Tandooria, Jollofology, Silvermoon Taqueria, Dang Brothers Pizza, Skillets, Hangry Food Truck, and Shylo’s Mobile Cafe.
- Cuisine: Rotating global food and specialty vendors
- Price range: $–$$
- Best for: Food adventurers, group outings, and discovering emerging local businesses
ComCom is particularly valuable because it gives small food entrepreneurs a place to test ideas and reach customers without opening a traditional standalone restaurant. Check vendor schedules before making a special trip. ([comcomkitchen.com](https://comcomkitchen.com/?utm_source=openai))
Food Trucks: The Most Flexible Way to Eat in Poplar Grove
Poplar Grove’s food-truck culture adds a spontaneous quality to dining. You may find trucks at ComCom Market, community events, business lots, or neighborhood gatherings. The selection ranges from tacos and pizza to African, Indian, barbecue, coffee, and comfort food.
For a local food-truck crawl, look for:
- Jollofology for West African flavors
- Tandooria for Indian-inspired dishes
- Silvermoon Taqueria for tacos and Mexican street food
- Dang Brothers Pizza for portable pizza slices and pies
- Skillets for hearty American comfort food
- Shylo’s Mobile Cafe for coffee and café drinks
Prices generally fall around $10–$18 per person, making food trucks one of the neighborhood’s most affordable ways to sample several cuisines. The Salt Lake City food-truck association lists a wide range of local mobile vendors, including coffee, Peruvian, Mexican, Indian, Filipino, Japanese, and barbecue operators. ([slcfoodtrucks.org](https://slcfoodtrucks.org/members?utm_source=openai))
The Poplar Grove Food Tradition: Eat Casually, Share Generously
The most memorable Poplar Grove meals are rarely formal. They are often a bag of pastries shared at work, a plate of rice and meat from a family-run restaurant, tamales picked up for the weekend, or elotes enjoyed standing outside a snack shop. This is a neighborhood where food remains closely connected to family, migration, celebration, and everyday practicality.
Mexican food is the clearest through line, especially around 900 West and Redwood Road, but the larger story is diversity. Local markets and restaurants reflect the Spanish-speaking, African, Asian, and other immigrant communities that have helped shape western Salt Lake City.
Planning Your Poplar Grove Food Crawl
Start around 900 West and 400–500 South for Joaquina, then continue toward Redwood Road for international restaurants and markets. For a second stop, head south to 1700 South and explore ComCom Market. If you are visiting on a weekend, add Forty Three Bakery for coffee and pastries, then keep an eye out for a food truck or neighborhood event.
Bring an appetite, a little flexibility, and a willingness to order something unfamiliar. Poplar Grove is not a destination for one famous dish—it is a neighborhood best experienced one small, flavorful stop at a time.