Porcupine Pub & Grille
| Address: | 3698 Fort Union Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84121, USA |
| Phone: | +1 801-942-5555 |
| Site: | porcupinepub.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 9:30AM–11PM 9:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
GR
Grape Geeks
The Porcupine Pub came highly recommended by friends who swear its the greatest place theyve ever been. I have to assume that they dont get out much because I thought this restaurant was just okay (and thats being generous). The airy, mountain cabin style atmosphere is great even in the summer (ask to sit outside on the small upper deck), but I can imagine it would be really great after a day of skiing. Parking is a real issue here so park along the road if you can (or risk getting stuck in the far too cramped parking lot). After a brief 10 minute wait we were taken to our table in the upstairs loft area. There are several large wooden booth seating areas that are really nice if you are dining with a big group. Our server was very professional and had a funky look and vibe that totally added to the atmosphere. She somehow was always there when I needed a refill and I never once had to ask for one (and I drank like 8 glasses of their delicious iced tea). The service was absolutely top notch and some of the best Ive ever had anywhere. The menu is small but varied. The weak link are the salads, theres no simple salad option, they are all crazy combinations (even the caesar is only available with spicy dressing and it has artichokes in it, for example). The pizzas looked the best (we didnt order one), but Ill try one next time I eat here. We opted for the artichoke dip appetizer ($13), the ribs ($20) and the grilled shrimp caesar salad ($17). Let me say that while the food was quality was high across the board, the prices were in outer space -- to the point where I left the restaurant angry about how expensive our meal was. I understand that quality food comes with a higher price, but the portion size of my salad in particular was outrageous. OUTRAGEOUS. Six little shrimp, three artichoke hearts, and about 12 bites of lettuce in a teeny tiny bowl was not worth $17. Heck, that was a $6 salad, tops. The dip was okay but again, the portion was far too small. To make up for the small amount of dip, our plate was packed with garlic cheese bread (which admittedly was delicious). I wouldve preferred more of the cheesy artichoke goodness than bread. We ran out of dip way earlier than we did the bread. The ribs took a long time to prepare, and I wish our server had alerted us to this fact ahead of time instead of 10 minutes AFTER we had ordered. The wood roasted veggies were the best part about the meal. They had a interesting sweet wood flavor to them and they were killer good. My salad was advertised as "spicy" in big red letters on the menu so I was apprehensive but it was no problem for me to eat. I had forgotten this it Utah, home of the blandest of the bland food! The food was good but not really memorable or something that Ill crave. I wont beg to go back here but I would if my friends wanted to.
WI
William Keiffer
The food is mediocrity even by the standard of mediocrity. I remember the food being OK years ago, but on the latest foray I feel it had truly slipped to utterly lazy fare. Heres my list of complaints: Im pretty sure that the special app that night (fried tortellini) was Costco tortellini battered and fried. It was that multi colored stuff you buy at Costco, exact same shape, exact same array of colors, exact same flavor. Fine when Im at home, but unacceptable at a restaurant. The pasta "baked ala bolognese" neither baked nor bolognese. Bolognese is a sauce of braised meat. You can taste it, the meat flavor penetrates the sauce and changes the texture. The sauce if said dish was ground meat, sauteed, and then mixed with tomato sauce. Once again, good enough for when Im at home and no one is watching, not good enough for a restaurant. But the real crime was the pasta. With baked pasta you overlook overcooked noodles, because baking in sauce gives them a flavor like none other. At this restaurant, they try to fake it by obcooking the pasta, then topping it with their terrible sauce, covering it with cheese, and placing it under the salamander. No porcupine grill, your baked bolognese is terrible, and fulfills none of the criteria to be any of what you described. Your food is only good enough for a lazy mid week meal I made on my own, not good enough for me to pay you in a restaurant.
SO
Sonie Day
My husband and I arrived at the Porcupine Pub & Grille at approximately 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, hungry and anxious for a good meal. We were seated (hardly any patrons were in the dining area) and handed a "brunch" menu, which included many breakfast items (which we could not order because it was after 3:00 p.m.) We patiently waited until 3:28 p.m. for our server to drop by. When we asked what the specials of the day were, he informed us that he didnt know what the specials were and that it didnt matter anyway because we couldnt order off the daily special menu because it was not yet 3:30 p.m. He did say that he would get back to us on those specials when we informed him of the time, and we ordered coffee. The server whisked by,, dropping off two waters and one very hot, very strong coffee. I believe the coffee had been sitting for a few hours cold and then microwaved for about 5 minutes. We waited another 10 minutes before finally deciding to leave. At the rate this was going, our meal was going to last three hours, and seriously, who has time for that? I really would like to give a review about how fabulous a pizza or a salad or a sandwich was. I wish I could rave about the decadent desserts. But I cannot. Dismissive hostesses. Dismissive servers. We went home and grilled up some chicken. That review, I can say, was great.
CH
Chris W
Awesome place. Two levels with plenty of sky lights and views of the mountains and the Salt Lake valley. Took my wife out for an anniversary dinner. I wanted a place that served Guinness beer on draft. They have it and serve it the right way with a tulip glass, one minute poor, and the shamrock on the head. My wife loved the espresso martini. On top of that, we had a "call ahead" (no reservations). We sat at the bar while we waited for our table which was less than half a beers wait on a busy Saturday night. The food was awesome, I recommend the Ahi Tuna Rolls Appetizer (strong wasabi), and the Ahi Tuna entree. The waiters were polite, friendly, and on top of it when it came to our requests. It is obvious why this place is so popular and busy and has so many positive reviews. With one appetizer, two entree, around six drinks and tip we were around 100 bucks. Not bad I think for the amazing service, atmosphere and food. All our family and friends will hear of this place and we look forward to going back again already. (Also, park on the West side of the restaurant, the Cop haters at the other restaurant will tow you.)
BE
Benjamin Groove
I expect a server to be honest with us... My family came in and we ordered a Half Nacho since we asked how big the full nacho was and she said it was huge. At that point the server should have said we DONT as in DON NOT HAVE a half nacho on the menu. Instead we were served a full nacho and charged a full nacho price. Obviously the server was upset when I asked about the Half nacho being $10.99 on our bill and we only ordered the half... Instead of being honest she said yes that is the half nacho price..BS...I dont like that kind of service...Porcupine needs to be on top of this kind of treatment especially during the holidays. The main problem with Porcupine since we have been going there for years has been their service. The food has been pretty spot on. I think the management really needs to pay more attention to what is happening on the floor.
