WSU Trumpet

Consider, if you will, some of the history of the town with an ugly name.  Ogden used to be a railroad hub for the Denver & Rio Grande sending trains over the Rocky Mountains to Denver.  It is also the largest city in relatively close proximity to Promontory Summit, the famous place where the rails from the east and the rails from the west came to meet.  Ogden, being situated where it was, was a great stopping-off point for travelers heading either to Sacramento or to Denver.

Ogden was also one of the Old West's roughest towns.  Historic 25th Street was scene to many gun fights and carousing.  The town gained its reputation very early in its history.

However, because of all the transient commerce that took place in Ogden, there grew to be a thriving business center.  Not a center for large industry or for corporations, but for smaller, more privately owned establishments.  Today, we see evidence of this as we walk down Historic 25th Street.  For about three blocks, the street is lined with small shops and probably the widest variety of restaurants north of Salt Lake.  It's these restaurants I wish to focus the rest of my commentary on.

Eating good food in Ogden is not hard at all.  Just take your pick of restaurants all over the city.  There are, of course, the eateries on 25th Street.  Places like Shin Sei and Roosters continue to draw crowds at dinner time.  There are also a couple of biker-type bars along that thoroughfare that, I'm sure, have wonderful food.  Just as an aside, Ogden seems to be something of a haven for motorcyclists.

If you're in the mood for Chinese food, look no further than Lee's Mongolian Barbecue at 2866 S. Washington.  It's a dive of a place, but the food's pretty good.  Also, there's the Mongolian Grill just north of the Newgate Mall.  Lots of food for not a lot of money.  That's the beauty of the Mongolian (actually Taiwanese) barbecue places.  For a more sit-down-and-enjoy-the-show type of restaurant, there's Kobe on the intersection of Harrison and Highway 89 in South Ogden.  It can be pricey, but the food there is excellent.  I have not tried the sushi bar (don't much care for sushi), but their Tepan-yaki grill is great.  I previously mentioned Shin-sei restaurant on 25th Street.  This is a very good sushi bar with a really cool atmosphere.  You can sit in private booths with cane shades all around you.  You gotta see it; it's really cool.

For Mexican food, living in Little Mexico can't hurt a bit.  Just off of Harrison south of the Dee Event Center, there is Javier's.  This has always been one of my favorite places to have a nice dinner.  The price is reasonable and the food is excellent.  Many times, the servers speak Spanish better than they speak English, which psychologically makes me think the food is better.  More downtown, on 26th street, there's a wonderful Mexican restaurant called El Matador.  This is very similar to Javier's but it seems a bit more upper class.  Parts of the restaurant are quite dark, lit only by the small lamps on the tables.  This sets something of a romantic atmosphere.  Again, food there is quite good.

If you are looking for authentic Mexican, there is some of that as well.  I don't specifically know of restaurants, but there are some panaderías along Washington between 25th and 35th streets.  I remember several years ago visiting Rita's and buying some excellent pan dulce and other Mexican candy.  It was just like the shops I remember from my time in Del Rio and Eagle Pass.  Be warned, though, they really don't speak much English in those places, so it's best to have someone with you who can speak Spanish.

Roy also has its share of good places to eat.  There is ABC Mandarin and the Burger Bar almost right across the street from each other.  Also in the same intersection as the Burger Bar, there is a place that seems to change from time to time.  It used to be Manuel's El Burrito, but it's been something else more recently.  Of course, there's always Warren's in Roy, with another franchise location right on the intersection of Wall and Riverdale Road in Riverdale.  A sister store to them is Dylan's in Kaysville.  They have good fried chicken strips.  The Burger Bar in Roy is famous for the Big Ben, a large hamburger.  They used to, and may still, sell quarter-sized hamburgers.  Roy also has one of the only sit-down Pizza Hut locations in Northern Utah.  I always like sit-down pizza joints, and in my opinion, Pizza Hut has some of the best pizza of any of the huge chains.

While we're on the subject of pizza, no visitor to Ogden (nor any college student, either) can pass up The Pie pizzeria.  Located on 42nd Street and Harrison, this is the second Pie franchise to open its doors.  While not quite as "divey" as the one by the University of Utah in Salt Lake, this one has its own college town feel.  In my opinion, The Pie makes some of the best pizza in the world.  If you have a large-ish group, order their 23-inch monster pizza.  It's cut in squares because triangles would be too big.

Another great pizza establishment is the Pizza Factory in the new Junction near the Ogden Temple.  It's a nice sit-down restaurant where you can order a pizza with your choice of regular pizza sauce or ranch dressing.  Let me tell you, they have a meaty ranch pizza that's to die for.

There are lots of other good places to eat in Ogden.  The town really shines as a haven for yummy food joints and great places to hang with family or friends.  There is definitely a college atmosphere to many of the restaurants on the east side of town.  Just remember that when you're passing through Ogden, you need to try some of the cuisine.