Perched on a hillside with sweeping views of the Wasatch Mountains and a menu that reads like a world tour in the best possible way, Cliff Dining Pub in Draper, Utah, is the kind of place that makes you wonder how you ever ate anywhere else. 🏔️
This locally-owned Draper restaurant at 12234 S Draper Gate Drive has become one of Utah’s most celebrated dining destinations — where sushi, steaks, pastas, and craft cocktails coexist beautifully under one roof, and no two visits ever feel the same.
How Cliff Dining Pub Won Draper’s Hearts
Cliff Dining Pub was born in 2016 when two Draper families — the Lewis’s and the MacKay’s — crossed paths and discovered a shared dream: to create a dining experience from Draper, for Draper.
Jason Lewis and Wendy Moler-Lewis, alongside partners Matt and Nikki MacKay, brought their diverse professional backgrounds — dentistry, law, retail, and social work — into the restaurant world with zero formal culinary training and an abundance of heart, hustle, and genuine community pride. ❤️
From the beginning, the philosophy behind Cliff Dining Pub was ambitious and exciting: reimagine the American cookbook for a new generation.
Sushi inspired by Los Angeles. Pastas drawn from the country’s great urban food corridors. Steaks rooted in heartland tradition. Internationally inspired sandwiches that reflect the diversity of the guests they serve. 🌎
But food alone doesn’t build the kind of fierce local loyalty Cliff Dining Pub has earned.
Live music events, an attentive and genuinely warm team, and a 3,000-square-foot patio that offers arguably the best view in all of Draper have turned this restaurant into so much more than just a place to eat. 🎶
It’s a place to celebrate life — the owners’ own words — and every element of the experience has been designed with exactly that in mind.
The weekend brunch program has become a beloved Draper brunch tradition all on its own, drawing long lines of locals who refuse to start their Saturdays and Sundays anywhere else.
“Fabulous dinner… lemon chicken pasta with all locally sourced ingredients & crème brûlée! Fabulous view!” gushed one diner — and that three-part combination of great food, local sourcing, and a stunning setting pretty much tells the whole story. 🌄
When a restaurant is this good and this personal, loyalty isn’t just earned — it’s inevitable.
Food Highlights
Here are the must-try dishes straight from Cliff Dining Pub’s menu — spanning their full range of creative, globally inspired offerings:
- Flaming Cajun Chicken Pasta: Blackened chicken served over cavatappi pasta tossed in the Cliff’s signature creamy Cajun sauce with mixed bell peppers, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and corn; finished with crispy tortilla strips. 🌶️
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Prime Rib: A 10 oz oven-roasted cut served with roasted heirloom carrots, broccolini, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, au jus, and a house-made apple butter and creamy horseradish. 🥩
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Lemon Chicken Pasta: Rigatoni tossed with grilled free-range chicken breast, Daily’s bacon, artichoke hearts, lemon zest, basil, mushrooms, and roasted garlic in a roasted tomato cream sauce; garnished with seasoned arugula. 🍋
- Cliff Burger: A house-blended beef patty on a toasted brioche bun with melted American cheese, a fried egg, Daily’s bacon, onion, lettuce, sliced tomato, house-made pickles, and the Cliff’s secret sauce. 🍔
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Blackened Salmon: Seared Cajun-spiced Atlantic salmon served over garlic mashed potatoes and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, finished in a fresh lemon butter sauce. 🐟
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Dragon Roll: Crab and cucumber inside; topped with fresh water eel, avocado, eel sauce, and sesame seeds — a beautifully composed sushi roll. 🍣
- Coconut Shrimp: Five juicy Gulf shrimp house-breaded in sweet dried coconut and bread crumb mix, served with a sweet and spicy ghost pepper dipping sauce. 🍤
Atmosphere
Cliff Dining Pub offers one of the most breathtaking dining settings in all of Utah — a refined interior paired with a 3,000-square-foot patio that commands sweeping views of the Wasatch Mountain range, especially magical at sunset. 🌅
The space strikes a rare balance between upscale and approachable, polished enough for a special occasion yet relaxed enough that you’d never feel out of place dropping in for a casual Tuesday dinner.
Live music events, seasonal cocktails, and a buzzing weekend brunch crowd give the restaurant an energy that feels alive and celebratory — exactly the kind of atmosphere the owners set out to create from day one.
Whether it’s a family dinner, a date night, or a Sunday brunch with friends, the Cliff has a way of making every visit feel like a celebration that you’ll want to repeat as soon as possible. 🎶
Bottom Line
Cliff Dining Pub is Draper’s crown jewel of locally-owned restaurants in Utah — stunning mountain views, an endlessly creative, globally inspired menu, a dedicated team, live music, and weekend brunch that locals refuse to miss.
Address:
12234 S Draper Gate Drive, Draper, UT 84020
📞 (801) 617-8600
🕔 Mon–Thu 4 PM–10 PM | Fri 4 PM–11 PM | Sat 10 AM–11 PM | Sun 10 AM–9 PM