Finca
Finca serves its paella with socarrat, the crisp caramelized rice at the bottom of the pan that some Finca diners first took for burned.
Why go
Scott Evans, who runs the Pago group, fell for Spain on a month of backpacking there. What he loved, he told Betsy Bober Polivy of Salt Lake Sideways in 2026, was tapas culture: sharing dishes, smaller plates, lots more food, cocktails, wine, gin tonics
(Salt Lake Sideways). He opened Finca in 2012 and moved it twice. This old house at 15th and 15th has been its home since June 2020. Here he moved away from the contemporary plates of the first room toward the tapas he ate in Spain, such as pinchos morunos (lamb skewers), albondigas (meatballs) and patatas bravas. He held off on paella for years because his version did not match what he had eaten there. When the kitchen finally cooked it the traditional way, Finca softened it for a time to match what diners expected. Evans then decided the traditional version would stay: If we're going to do it, we're going to do it the right way
(Salt Lake Sideways). Octavio Zetina Munoz is the chef now (Salt Lake Magazine).
Ted Scheffler, the Utah Stories critic, ate here with a party of four in January 2021, the first winter in the house. The tortilla española came as layers of potato, egg and caramelized onion under house ricotta and romesco, and he found it more like Spanish potato gratin
(Utah Stories). His party very much enjoyed the gambas: This was a scrumptious shrimp dish – about a dozen tender sauteed shrimp bathed in garlic-chili oil, crispy garlic and preserved lemon
(Utah Stories). He found the pintxos, priced mostly at $5 to $6 in 2021, refreshing when other restaurants were charging in the high teens for appetizers.
Evans is also the sommelier. He stocks bottles from Spain and Portugal, especially natural wines from small producers (Eater). Scheffler's table took his advice and found two wonderful wines that we might not have otherwise considered
(Utah Stories). Salt Lake Magazine named Finca one of its 20 Best Restaurants of 2026. Its panelist Avrey Evans says the menu always ensures there's something approachable to enjoy, and a tasty pintxo that will push my palate's boundaries a bit
(Salt Lake Magazine).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the gambas (Ted Scheffler, Utah Stories, 2021).1
- Order: the tortilla española (Ted Scheffler, Utah Stories, 2021).1
- Order: the churros with chocolate for dipping. In 2021 Ted Scheffler called them
a perfect choice
.1 - Drink: a Spanish bottle picked with Scott Evans's help, as Ted Scheffler's table did in 2021.1
What locals & experts say
- Ted Scheffler, Utah Stories (2021), on the house:
I especially like Finca 3.0 because the former Fresco location with its beautiful courtyard reminds me more of Spain than did the previous ones.
1 - Scott Evans, to Salt Lake Sideways (2026):
I wasn't trying to show people what I thought Spain was. I was trying to share what I loved about it.
3
Good to know
- The room: a farmhouse dining room and a leafy patio in a house about fifty years old. Salt Lake Magazine said in 2026 that the space is tight for the staff, though diners would never know it.2
- Booking: reserve through fincaslc.com or call (801) 532-3372. Finca serves dinner (Eater).
- Where: 1513 South 1500 East. The Finca Pintxos Bar on Regent Street downtown closed in July 2025 and is now Pizza Bar, so ignore that address if you still see it.6
- Wine dinners: Evans holds them regularly, pouring from his own Spanish collection.2
Verdict
could-visit — Go with friends to share classic Spanish small plates, and let the owner choose the wine. The paella comes with a crust of rice on the bottom, and the crust is meant to be there.