Mazza

Ali Sabbah buys grass-fed halal lamb and beef from New Zealand and Australia for Mazza, at seven dollars a pound wholesale in 2026.

Why go

Ali Sabbah came to Utah from Lebanon for college and learned to cook in his apartment at Utah State University, calling his mother to ask how she made each dish. He opened Mazza as a takeout counter in 2000 with four or five sandwiches on the menu (Deseret News). Ted Scheffler reviewed it that winter, when it still served on paper plates in a former record shop. The room has white tablecloths now (Utah Stories). Sabbah has twice been a James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Mountain, first in 2023 (Gastronomic SLC, Utah Stories) and again in 2024 (James Beard Foundation, semifinalists).

He told Lydia Martinez of Salt Lake Magazine in 2023: We make our food every day from scratch. I slice the lamb myself (Salt Lake Magazine). Martinez's advice in 2024 was to share the mezze and the mains, and to ask Sabbah to order for the table if he is in: He will create a beautiful spread from start to finish (Salt Lake Magazine).

Book, because the room is small. Sabbah told Scheffler in 2026 how the pandemic and its loans shrank Mazza: We started with three restaurants and 350 seats and exited the pandemic with one small location with under 28 seats. A GoFundMe campaign raised a little under $200,000 toward the debts (Utah Stories). Martinez wrote in 2024: The dining room is tiny, and tables fill up fast, while diners tend to linger (Salt Lake Magazine).

Order this / avoid

Order: the falafel. Lydia Martinez (Salt Lake Magazine, 2024): If you think you don't like falafel because it is dry and crumbly, give it another chance here. It is the best in town, by far.4
Order: the baba ganooj, a roasted eggplant dip. Sarah Gambles (Deseret News, 2025) found that the pita bread comes out all warm and called the dip a real treat.3
Order: the mushroom and cauliflower kabseh, spiced and served with saffron on rice with nuts and raisins. Gambles (Deseret News, 2025) ordered it and found it delicious.3
Order: the maghmoor and rice, eggplant, garbanzos and onions braised in olive oil and tomato. Gambles (Deseret News, 2025) called both this and the kabseh delicious.3
Order: the twice-cooked fries. Braxtyn Birrell (SLUG, 2012): some of the best I've ever had. A diner beside Gambles was still raving about them in 2025.9 3

What locals & experts say

Ali Sabbah to Ted Scheffler, Utah Stories (2026), on awards: Provide the best food and the best service to every table and every guest and if awards come, so be it.8
Sarah Entwistle, Eater (2025): Start with a few dips, such as the hummus, baba ghanoush, and muhammara.10

Good to know

Price: read in September 2026, the dips cost $10 to $15 and the mains $24 to $35.2
Booking: reserve through the house site or call (385) 215-7289.1
When: dinner only, and shut Sunday.1
Drink: the house says its Middle Eastern beer and wine list is one of the largest in the country.1
Diets: the menu marks its vegan and gluten-free dishes.2
Where: 1515 South 1500 East, in the Fifteenth and Fifteenth shops.

Verdict

should-visit — Book one of Mazza's few tables for Ali Sabbah's Lebanese cooking, and start with the falafel and the baba ganooj. Expect to pay $24 to $35 for a main (September 2026).