Mom's Cafe

(435) 529-3932

When a country cop tells you where to go, you’d best follow his advice.

I discovered this when I rolled into the dusty town of Salina, Utah, in the wee hours of the morning on my way to Moab. My intention was simply to refuel with gas and coffee, but I got distracted by a burly cop named Spencer Snow, who was perched on the counter of the gas station, swinging his legs and sipping his coffee while his cruiser sat outside with the engine running.

A likeable guy with a genuine smile, Spencer was soon showing me photos of his family and the local outdoor recreation, both on-duty and off! Before I knew it, he was dishing out tips about the best spots in Utah, including where to go for breakfast.

“You’ve got to go to Mom’s,” he urges. “Everything is homemade.”

Situated at the town crossroads, Mom’s Café has been serving up famous homestyle cooking since 1929. The restaurant, one of the town’s few eateries, has been owned by Carolyn Jensen for over 30 years. The café has been on the cover of National Geographic, mentioned in Sunset magazine, and even featured on NPR’s Splendid Table.

It’s definitely a home-town café. The atmosphere is quiet and subdued, since most of the patrons are locals, talking in polite, hushed tones while they eat their way through mountains of food. Just inside the door, the pie case stores racks of homemade pies and cans of whipped cream. Oddly, in the middle of the restaurant, the matronly owner sits at a bulky wooden office desk shuffling through yellowed stacks of what appear to be ancient hand-written invoices, all the while keeping a watchful eye over the restaurant. Another waitress stands behind the diner counter, with her beauty salon-styled hair and that same serious, over-seeing glare. Both women wear nostalgic pink-and-blue uniforms and, when not at their respective posts, attentively squeak from table to table in orthopedic shoes.

The breakfast fare is café standard, with a few specialties like spicy polish sausage and chicken-fried steak, both served with eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Biscuits and gravy are available as a side or, for $3.00 extra, a substitute for toast with your breakfast entreé. As the menu claims, it is well worth it! This gravy is not your normal Farmer Brother’s mix. It is a satin-smooth cream gravy that coats your tongue in silk. Simply amazing! Another notable item is the Utah scone, which covers an entire plate. More like Indian fry bread than its crumbly English counterpart, the Utah scone is served warm, with honey and butter. Piping hot coffee comes in a tabletop carafe to keep the waitresses from visiting the table too often.

Whether you live in Salina or simply pass through the intersection of I-70 and US 89, historic Mom’s Café is worth a stop. If you don’t believe me, just ask the local authorities.

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