Keep up the snow dances, friends: We need all the help we can get. Optimistically, many spots along the Wasatch are transitioning from holiday themes to all-in après-ski festivities, lack of snow (so far) be damned. January is also a typically slow month for food news and special events, as the hospitality industry takes a well-deserved deep breath after the onslaught of holiday bookings.
Here’s a not-very-exhaustive list of goings on for this month:
Utah Food and Drinks: What’s Happening this Month
Jan. 1: New 100% ID law begins
Remember, if you’re planning to purchase alcohol, order an adult beverage or enter a bar in Utah, a new state law went into effect on Jan. 1. It requires everyone to show a valid 21+ ID, no exceptions. Even if you’re a several-times-a-week regular at your neighborhood watering hole or you’re hosting your 90-year-old Grandpa for drinks, make sure everyone in your drinking party has an approved ID ready for scanning.
Jan. 2: Momomaru soft launch starts lunch service
We’ve been keeping a keen eye on Momomaru, a new hand-rolled sushi concept at 636 S. 200 West in SLC. They started with limited dinner hours in late December, and by all accounts have hit the ground running with a tight menu of perfectly prepared hand rolls made with crisp Ariaki nori, warm rice and super-fresh fish, all rolled to order and handed off immediately. Order items individually or from their menu options, which feature three to six predetermined combinations. Prices range from $3.75 for a cucumber roll to $7.50 for lobster. Japanese beers and sake are available, too!
Friday and Saturday nights: Yurt Après at Chalet on Six, the Hyatt Regency, SLC
The sixth-floor rooftop terrace of the Hyatt Regency has been transformed into an alpine-inspired winter wonderland, complete with a festive communal yurt dining experience. Guests enjoy a hot chocolate bar welcome, a four-course dinner from Mar | Muntanya Executive Chef Tyson Peterson, and optional wine, cocktail, or mocktail pairings. This is sure to be a super fun evening, no snowshoes required.
The experience is $75 per person dining with an optional $45 wine pairing or $40 cocktail progression, plus service and fees. Reservations and details on Tock.
Cider & cinema: Sundays @ Scion movie nights
Scion Cider Bar continues their fun line-up of community events with 7 p.m. start time movies in early January, including Little Miss Sunshine on Jan. 4 and perennial Utah fave Napoleon Dynamite on Jan. 11. This event is 21+ and admission for movies is free. While you watch, sample some ciders you’ll only find here, and don’t forget to generously tip your bartender! See Scion’s full monthly roster of crafty and creative events here.
Jan. 13: Official opening new Flower Child location in Riverton
From their presser: “Flower Child, the beloved full-kitchen, fast-casual restaurant known for its vibrant atmosphere and feel-good eats, announced today that it will open its newest Utah location on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Mountain View Village in Riverton. The Riverton restaurant will be Flower Child’s second restaurant in The Beehive State, expanding the brand’s mission of bringing wholesome, good-for-you meals to even more communities throughout the region.”
What to expect: A menu full of (but not exclusively) gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan eats made in-house, including GF mac & cheese, a flying avocado wrap, Mother Earth sweet potato and grains bowl, and more. The chicken enchiladas, which come gluten-free and offer a tasty, spicy combination of guajillo chile, smoked gouda, poblano crema, organic black bean, roasted corn and avocado, are a must-try.
ICYMI
Now open: The Yeti Bar & Lounge, Cottonwood Heights
Hallelujah, friends! More late-night options are popping up in Cottonwood Heights, specifically in the expanding Canyon Centre retail area at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The Yeti Bar & Lounge opened on New Year’s Eve and is a welcome addition to lower BCC’s après scene, serving traditional Indian and Nepalese Himalayan cuisine from acclaimed restaurant The 14 Peaks. Bonus, they’re open on Sundays. (But they’re closed Mondays.)
F’kosh fresh handmade focaccia now open, Lehi
Leaning hard into the charm of the old Lehi Roller Mills site, partners in life and business Brent and Mia Knudson, are crafting organic loaves using local ingredients at F’kosh. On the regular, they’ve got plenty of traditional and savory offerings like ricotta green onion, rosemary veggie and hot honey pepperoni, rotating specials, and some more unusual sweet selections like raspberry lemon, dairy-free apple cinnamon. They’re open daily from 11 a.m. until they sell out.
For more on latest openings and retrospective commentary, our friend Stuart Melling at Gastronomic SLC did the yeoman’s work of compiling a list of over 160 restaurants that opened in 2025 (and sadly, the ones that closed).
See more stories like this and all of our Food and Drink coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best life in Utah?
