SALT LAKE CITY — Market Street Grill is closing its downtown Salt Lake City location after nearly five decades of business.
The iconic restaurant, located at 48 S. Market Street, recently posted a notice that it and the Oyster Bar will permanently close on June 30. Its Cottonwood Heights (2985 E. Cottonwood Parkway) and South Jordan (10702 S. River Front Parkway) locations will remain open, per the notice.
“Closing our downtown location is one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make,” said Edmond Heelan, CEO of Mountain West Brands, which owns the restaurant, in a statement on Monday. “This restaurant has been an important part of Salt Lake City’s dining scene for decades. We are deeply grateful to the guests, team members, and community partners who have supported us throughout the years.”
Market Street Grill debuted inside the historic New York Hotel to rave reviews in 1980. The late John Williams, who co-founded the restaurant, told the Daily Utah Chronicle in 1983 that he and his partners wanted to open a restaurant where customers could a seafold meal as fresh as an eastern or western coastal city.
“We opened it up and sure enough, people were ready for fresh seafood,” he told the outlet at the time, explaining that the restaurant would regularly receive seafood from both coasts.
It was a hit then, and has remained a popular draw, often winning awards as one of the state’s best restaurants. For instance, it won for best clam chowder, fish platter and oysters in Salt Lake City Weekly’s “Best of Utah 2025” awards.
Its popularity helped spawn other locations. However, Mountain West Brands officials said operating the downtown location has become “increasingly challenging,” citing changing consumer patterns, lower levels of foot traffic and reduced office occupancy, many of which began after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This decision reflects the changing dynamics of downtown and is not a reflection of the incredible people who made this restaurant special,” Heelan said. “We are proud of everything this location has meant to the city and our company.”
Market Street Grill’s announcement is the latest in the spinning wheel of restaurants in and around the downtown core. Beloved names like Current Fish & Oyster, Doki Doki and Laziz Kitchen have all closed within the past year. However, newer restaurants like Brownstone 22, Gossip and Killa Nikkei have filled the gap, with some opening in the vacated buildings.
The restaurant industry has struggled not just in Salt Lake City. Many restaurants are dealing with rising costs, labor shortages and smaller profit margins, which has even hit the chain industry, Delish pointed out in February.
Concepts are also always coming and going as consumer trends change, added Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance, in December, when describing Salt Lake City’s recent openings and closings.
“That’s just sort of the nature of being in the business of the latest new thing,” he told KSL at the time. “There’s a lot of new energy and new operators in town, and we look forward to that.”
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