It’s the first time this decade that a Utah restaurant has made The New York Times’ “Restaurant List.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cosmica, an “Italian diner” in Salt Lake City’s Central Ninth neighborhood, made The New York Times’ annual best-in-U.S. “Restaurant List.”
For the first time this decade, a Utah restaurant has been included in The New York Times’ annual “Restaurant List” — highlighting the 50 best eateries in the country.
Cosmica, an “Italian diner” that opened in Salt Lake City’s Central Ninth neighborhood in late March, is included in the annual roundup, which published Tuesday.
“It’s big, kitschy fun, with a serious kitchen,” The Times’ Brian Gallagher wrote in his appraisal of Cosmica.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cosmica’s dining room in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Gallagher highlighted several dishes on Cosmica’s menu. The elk carpaccio, he wrote, “is a nod to, and deliciously simple use of, local Mountain West wildlife.” He also praised the “House Puffy Bread” — calling it “a pita by way of Parma” — and the “outstanding” clam pie.
Gallagher also wrote that “Americans are spoiled for high-quality Neapolitan pizza almost nationwide at this point, and the versions [at Cosmica] are as good as anywhere.”
Cosmica opened in late March at 945 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City. In May, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Utah Eats newsletter noted that “Cosmica is such a vibe.”
Owner/chef Zach Wade told The Tribune the decor was inspired by the West and “spaghetti Western” movies. He described the food as “simple, classic Italian.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chef and owner Zach Wade at Cosmica in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
The pizza The Tribune tried was made with fresh pork-and-fennel sausage, tomato, charred cabbage and stracciatella (mozzarella shreds in cream).
In all, The New York Times sent 14 reporters and editors around the country “to eat more than 200 meals in 33 states.”
More than half of the restaurants on the list, including Cosmica, opened in the last 12 months.
Utah was not mentioned in The New York Times’ compilations from 2021 to 2024. The list tends to concentrate on the nation’s big cities — this year’s includes four Manhattan restaurants, three in Los Angeles, and two each in Austin, the Bay Area, Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pizza with pork and fennel sausage at Cosmica in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Dining and Cooking