Black Widow

PROS: the salad was articstic and the steak sandwich tasted good.
CONS: Weird place… pretty sure the waitress was on something (and I don’t mean cloud 9). She forgot our request — twice (mayo and a check)… and there was only 1 other table of 2.
Two stars b/​c the menu is limited and the service was horrible.

I was meeting a friend half-​way for lunch in Sugarhouse and found Black Widow on Unilocal,the great reviews convinced me to give it a shot.
Service: Great service. The staff is laid-​back but attentive. We took our time enjoying the meal but didn’t feel rushed at all and they kept our glasses full. It seemed to be just a woman serving the tables and a cook in back. Both inquired about how we were enjoying our meal.
Food: One word: Homemade. That should say it all. Literally everything tasted fresh and like it had been made specifically for my dish. We ordered the Cuban and the Pulled-​pork sandwich and did a «splitsie» so we could try both. Both were delicious. The Cuban was served on big toasted bread slices and stuffed full of smoked ham and pork. The pulled-​pork sandwich was piled high with smokey, barbaquey goodness that was paired perfect with a slaw that had just enough of a vinegar bite. We both had the potato side — crispy, flavorful spuds. The portions were huge, and for $ 8 it was a great value.
We both really enjoyed our lunch at the Black Widow and plan to put it into our rotation of great restaurants.

Really enjoyed the chowder. Also enjoyed both sandwiches that I’ve tried (Tri-​Tip and Cuban). And you have to love a place that makes its own homemade ketchup. Seems to give you quite a bang for the buck, as the portions are huge.

This café is run by some really fun dudes and they know what they’re doing, too. The food is delicious and their daily soups rock the house. Can’t miss at this place!

I finally tried Black Widow café after bookmarking it several months ago and I’m sorry to say that I did not love it. It was just okay.
First of all, the outside is kind of depressing. The lawn could use some grass (yes, I know it is February, but when I drove by it all summer, there was never any grass then either) instead of the rocks/​gravel out there now. I just think it could be a little more inviting and warm. We did think the «spider leg» handle on the front door was pretty cute, though! The interior is somewhat sparse and cold too– again, nothing major, just could be a made a bit more welcoming inside.
The day we went, it was very very sunny and the big bright windows in the dining area could use some shades– it was hard to have a conversation with my friend and eat lunch while squinting. (I know, my life is so difficult!)
We had a very enthusiastic server who smiled a lot, but was not super attentive. My friend ordered a coke and waited about 15 minutes for it. She later asked for a refill and never got it. I was drinking water and my glass was never refilled.
I wasn’t crazy about the food either– we actually both ordered the grilled cheese with marinated veggies and picked salad for the side. The grilled cheese was really greasy and there weren’t a whole lot of the veggies on it. The side salad was very pretty in it’s presentation, but I didn’t really want to eat it. It just was not appetizing. The dressing was a very sweet, pinkish raspberry vinaigrette and I wish they had asked us what we preferred– the Unilocal pictures always show a green goddess dressing, so I just assumed that was their house dressing.
I gave it three stars because I feel like it is really trying and everyone else seems to like it, although I probably wouldn’t go back.

I debated on whether to give this place 4 or 5 stars based on only one visit, and for now, I’m gonna stick with 5 stars cause this place was amazing!
My husband and I were looking for a new place to do lunch one day and got a call from my mom and dad who just finished a pottery class and wanted to join us. I quickly jumped on my Unilocal app on my phone and decided on Black Widow, we had never been there, and my fellow Unilocalers raved about it… so why not?
I realized I had passed this place dozens of times making trips back and fourth to Sugarhouse, and I’m so sad I never let my curiosity take me there. It’s kind of an odd placement and it looks like a home, so in passing it’s hard to recognize as a restaurant.
We arrived in the mid afternoon around 2 pm, and there were 2 tables with people at them, so it wasn’t busy which was nice. We sat ourselves and were brought menus by John, who we found out through conversation during our meal, was the owners «right hand man» he was a very nice guy who stood table side and listened to us gush several times.
My mother and I had the «turkey 3 ways» sandwich and my husband and father got the «Cuban» sandwich. I opted for the soup of the day which was a curry chicken with mushrooms, my mom got a salad with green goddess dressing, and the fellas got house potatoes.
First of all, the plating was gorgeous! I didn’t know what to expect as far as that went, it could have been a paper plate, on a tray, a simple round dish, who knows. but it was elegant looking sitting there on the lovely white plates. Arranged so carefully, and lovingly. I really appreciated that, I love eating with my eyes first.
My husband and I shared a half of our sandwich with each other so we could taste both dishes, and my sandwich was really amazing in flavor. The accompanying jus for dipping was less salty than I’m used to, but it was so good with the bread it didn’t matter. My soup was amazing, perfect really, the chicken was tender, the curry and mushrooms didn’t drown out the other flavors, they married really well.
The half of the Cuban I tried was really good, the home made pickles on the sandwich itself were just salty enough, spicy enough, and crunchy enough to taste through the tender meat. The home made bread was crunchy, buttery in flavor, and was porous enough to hold the sauce so every bite was delightful.
We all left so full and happy, we can’t wait to go back, I have been craving the food there since I left. I really hope these guys do well with their business, the owners partner was so nice and you could tell he was passionate about the business which is refreshing.

A delightful café in a slightly strange location. I see it when I’m driving by all the time but it’s usually when I’m on my way somewhere. But then, one glorious day, I stopped and I am so happy I did.
They have all kinds of delicious things to choose from. Great salads, soups, sandwiches, etc. And they have some amazing specials too. The last time I was there, I got the cuban. Think juicy smoked pork, thick pieces of ham, home made pickles etc. etc. all on bread that’s made in house. YUM. Seriously. At the end of our meal, we got to share a peanut butter cookie, which was also tasty. Weird, I know.
Black Widow also does catering which is kind of awesome. If i had a big event coming up, I wouldn’t mind having them cater. I think everyone would be really happy and full.

My girls and I tried this place last week for lunch. It is in a small little building on the north side of 2100 S. I have driven past hundreds of times and have not really noticed it. And let’s face it, with a name like Black Widow Café, it doesn’t really scream «Yum! I’m hungry!» Something about arachnids and food really don’t mesh well.
Anyways, we got there right at noon and the place was packed! By packed I mean 18 of the 24 seats were taken. Yes 24 seats total! If this place wants more business I would suggest getting more seats. Fortunately we took the last 6 seats on this particular day.
I ordered the steak sandwich with a cup of chili and fried potatoes. It was INSANELY good!!! The steak sandwich was tender and flavorful. I hate to admit that I ate the whole sandwich. (It was very large). All of my friends also commented on how good their sandwiches were as well.
The server was very attentive and helpful in sandwich selection. Arachnophobia aside, we will definitely be back again!

Back again, I can’t say anything negative. I could warn you that the wait may be a little longer than you hope, but I’m thinking it is just that they are getting busier.
Had the Cuban and it was wonderful. I may be trying to recreate it at home, but maybe I’ll just go back next week instead. I’m impressed by the staff/​service and I love the food.

4.5÷5 I hope this place succeeds. It is unlike any other place in SLC. The food is great/​unique. The specials like the daily soup are great. The only complaint would be that the crispy tofu needed more sauce.

In my great Cuban sandwich quest, I happened upon Black Widow, and I think we may have a winner.
I’ve never seen a menu that said «house made» so many times. And I love it. My sandwich was made with house made focaccia, house smoked pork, house cured ham, and house cured pickles. All of this made for an amazingly tasty sandwich. Although the toasted bread left me with Cap’n Crunch mouth. You know what that is, right? It’s when the roof of your mouth feels like you just ate glass for lunch. But it’s tasty glass, so you keep eating.
The sammich came with a side of house potatoes that were grilled on the flat top. A little doctoring up with some Cholula and they were perfect.
Service was very friendly and efficient. The chef even had us try a pear tart made with (you guessed it) pears from his backyard.
Everything was very good and prices are respectable ($ 8 for a large sandwich with the potatoes). Can’t wait to come back again.

I discovered this restaurant through an In This Week article reviewing the Black Widow Café. Similar to the author of the article, I had driven past this restaurant many times, oblivious to its existence. Once I got a taste of the Cuban sandwich I immediately wished I had been more attentive driving down 21^st south. I have since tried the steak tip sandwich complete with perfectly sauted peppers and the pulled pork sandwich accented by the a fresh, sweet and tangy slaw. These sandwiches among a few other specials I have tried have all been fantastic. The staff are welcoming and personable, the food is gourmet while remaining unpretentious, and the atmosphere is casual while not attempting to be anything beyond that. If they have aimed to gain repeat clientele, they have succeeded on at least one account.

There is a little garden with little plants with little tomatoes on them. Those same little tomatoes showed up in my salad, and I feel like that’s a really good thing.
The place is small, and simply decorated, which I liked. there is a cold case in the front that has treats and some catering items being stored. Not the most amazing to look at, but once you get food in your mouth you aren’t going to care one bit what anything looks like. I promise.
Now, I did say salad. My dining companion was kind of like «What? A salad?» and I was like «Um, there’s pulled pork on the salad.» And there was. And turkey. And Beehive Cheddar. And eggs, and those super cute little baby tomatoes!
It was the Chef’s Salad, and I got it with the Green Goddess Vinaigrette dressing. I only ate about half of it, but I brought the rest back to work with me and ended up working late, so here’s what I did: I was forkless so I fully picked bits of meat, egg, and adorable and flavorful baby tomatoes out of it with my fingers. I’m not even worried about admitting that to the world.
I got to taste a bite of my friend’s cold pear soup and it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever tasted. Cold fruit soups are iffy for me because I kind of compare them in my head to either baby food or potential cocktail bases. This was neither. It was definitely soup. And it was definitely worth eating again.
We were presented with a white chocolate macadamia cookie at the end of our meal, and it was amazing. Rumor has it the treats change on whims, which I think is a brilliant idea. I can’t wait to go back and eat more things there. I hear the desserts are fantastic and that my life won’t be complete until I have the stuffed peppers.

Always glad to see new local restaurants in my neck of the woods in the Sugarhouse/​Sugarhood area. I deem this place worthy of the area, much more so than pathetic additions like Lonestar Steakhouse or other big-​chain-​epic-​failure-​disgraces.
Anyhow, the food is inventive but not completely a new experience. Taste has a nice kick to it. Décor is ecclectic. Wait was a little long but not unforgivable.
I get the feeling that they are still a relative unknown in the area, though. Unilocalers need to give this place a shot in the arm, it deserves our attention.

Very good! Will certainly come back. Great local food. Great prices!

I’ve never considered myself a foodie; I’m more of a wino, but there’s something about this café that makes me finally understand foodies.
In short, I wanted to dry hump everything in sight.
The veggie stuffed peppers were to die for, and just when I thought things couldn’t get any better we had the chocolate chipotle glazed cake. I’ve never been so tempted to lick a plate in my life.
Our waiter (and I think owner) was incredibly friendly and had great recommendations.
Go. ASAP.

Great food. Great staff. Best Cuban sandwich in SLC. This place us must see in Salt Lake City. Go now and visit often!!!

I went here for lunch for the first time. Why didn’t I go sooner? I had the steak tip sandwich with the side salad. It was SO GOOD!
Thanks for moving into my hood!

Local dining at its best! I have eaten at the Black Widow Café four times and I enjoy it so much. The staff is great, attentive, but laid back. Everything I have had there is fantastic. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat. A great place for ‘foodies’ like myself. Get off your tookus already and go there! You will not regret it. Oh make sure you always get their dessert — FANTASTIC!!!

The old bakery building that the Black Widow Café now occupies had been vacant for over two years. We were so excited to try this new Sugarhouse addition. Wow.
John, one of the owners welcomed us warmly and promptly told us about their specials. You can either dine in or select something from their refrigerated cases to warm up at home. The menu is largely vegetarian but there are some meat items that sound divine and a few items that can be made totally vegan.
I went with the port0bello mushroom feta sandwich. YUM. They make their bread in house and it is to DIE for. Seriously. I couldn’t stop telling them how wonderful it was which made him feel better about the 5 AM start time they enforce in order to make the bread fresh. We also had their clam chowder which was also incredibly delicious. The other owner is from back east and the (top secret) recipe is his Nana’s and definitely has something unique in it that I can’t pinpoint…
Anyway, great joint. Can’t wait for summer when they have outdoor seating as well as beer and wine. The only reason it has 4 stars instead of 5 is the ambiance/​décor was a little off. The outside looks like your typical corner bakery. The inside has a red and black theme going on to match the name and they were playing country music… but they just opened, I’ll give them a bit to work things like that out!