Manoli's

The octopus is Manoli Katsanevas's own order on a night off and the thing he most likes to cook.

Why go

Katsanevas and his wife Katrina Cutrubus opened this room on 900 South in September 2015 (Salt Lake Tribune). He had been in the family's restaurants since he was thirteen and cooked at Fleming's, Caffe Niche and Fresco first. The cooking is Greek with France, Spain and Italy read into the presentation, and he is blunt about why: We're both Greek, but we didn't just want to go the traditional Greek route (Salt Lake Magazine).

The James Beard Foundation made him an Outstanding Hospitality semifinalist in 2025, which is a different category from the cooking ones. Katsanevas works the kitchen, the bar and the dining room all night (Salt Lake Magazine).

Mike Blocher of Table X named this room when Salt Lake Magazine asked chefs who they admired: I love that his menu has so much traditional Greek flavor presented in a simple, modern way. It's a unique concept for Salt Lake (Salt Lake Magazine).

Alex Springer put the room in his five best dining experiences of 2025, and what he picked was not a plate but an evening: a summer lamb dinner where Katsanevas and Cutrubus cooked lamb from Josh Lambros of Lambros Farms, with the farmer at the table (City Weekly).

A burst pipe upstairs flooded the restaurant on the thirtieth of December 2022 and shut it for roughly five months. It came back in May 2023 with more seats (Gastronomic SLC).

Order this / avoid

Order: the Spanish octopus, which Gastronomic SLC calls the room's signature.3
Order: the pilafi. Long-grain rice cooked in the house chicken stock with lemon, and Scheffler rates it above every other rice side he has eaten.1
Order: the saganaki, kefalograviera seared and sent out with barberries, apricots and pinsa bread.1
Avoid: ordering one large plate each. Cutrubus built the card for a table sharing small plates.2

What locals & experts say

Ted Scheffler, Utah Stories: Manoli Katsanevas' kind, welcoming, and calm presence... and his culinary talent and commitment to fresh, local ingredients reminds me of another chef/restaurateur I admire a lot: Eric Ripert of NYC's Le Bernardin.1
Scheffler, on the saganaki: one of the most delightful things I've ever put in my mouth.1
Alex Springer, City Weekly: Not only was this a spectacular meal bursting with old world flavors and community vibes, but it made me much more appreciative of our own local growers and the restaurants that support them.5
Mike Blocher of Table X: I always respect, admire and relate to people that not just own their business but also work in their restaurants every night and lead by example.2

Good to know

What it costs: in June 2023 the dolmades were $11, the pilafi $9, the keftedes $13, the saganaki $17 and the scallops $18, with the whole branzino at market price.
Booking: worth doing, through Resy. Parties of seven or more call or email the restaurant. Dinner runs Tuesday to Sunday with brunch at the weekend, and the room is dark on Monday.
Where: 402 East Harvey Milk Boulevard, which is 900 South, a few minutes west of Liberty Park.
Who eats here: locals, and the trade. Mike Blocher of Table X is one of the chefs who names it.

Verdict

should-visit — Manoli Katsanevas started bussing tables in the family business at thirteen, works his own room every night, and was a Beard Outstanding Hospitality semifinalist for it in 2025. Ted Scheffler compares his presence on the floor to Eric Ripert's and calls the lemon rice the best rice side he has come across. The Beard placing is for hospitality rather than for the plate, and Alex Springer's newest word on it is about an evening with the farmer rather than about the cooking.