10 Favorite Cache Valley Eats

Early 2007 I knew I was relocating to Cache Valley from Sandy, Utah. It was decision that filled me with equal parts terror and excitement. Cache Valley was one of three locations my then husband and I had to choose between.

I am a native SoCal girl. I grew up in suburbia. I am accustomed to having everything I could possible need or want (and many other things I didn’t need nor want) available within a few miles trip in any direction. When I fled SoCal, and yes, I did flee, I moved to Orem, not rural by any means and then a few years later was in the quintessential suburban town of Sandy.

My relocation options were all based on universities for continuing my education. Once the universities were found, my next task to see what each town had by way of LIFE. Remember, I am not a country girl; I needed STUFF.

I made one of my infamous lists.

I needed a big bookstore (Borders-RIP), a place I ended up working from 2008 until we closed our doors permanently in April 2011.

I needed a big club store, preferably Costco, but Sam’s was acceptable—I have a real paper towel issue. And since becoming a food blogger, well, I need stock options with Bounty.

I needed a decent grocery store. We had the old Macey’s near the fork, and Smith’s.

I needed places to eat. Olive Garden was here, Chili’s, all the normal fast food places sans Del Taco—still hoping for one of those one day. Plus a fantastic assortment of locally owned places dotted the valley.

Based on my highly scientific research, Logan was acceptable. It was only 90 miles or so from Salt Lake City, keeping us fairly close to my in-laws. Where as the other locations had us 4-5 hours from SLC and still 4-5 hours from my family in SoCal. While those other locations seemed to provide equi-distance between families, it just meant we wouldn’t really see either family all that much. And to be honest, USU was the best of the three universities we were looking at and in the end, that was what was most important.

Sadly, the locally owned places that dotted the valley have changed dramatically since I first moved here. We’ve lost some of my favorite places, Kamin, Hamilton’s, and Yah Poh to name three. But we still have some pretty amazing places to eat.

When I began thinking about how I wanted to start my series on the places to eat in Cache Valley, I struggled with how to begin. I wanted to cover each place we have, from food trucks to our finest (wink, wink) dining establishments, but that’s not possible in one article, nor is just jumping into a single establishment.

I decided the best way is to just give a broad introduction to the Cache Valley food scene by sharing a brief description, favorite dish, or an anecdote about my favorite spots. I enjoy most of the places in town, there are few, I, of course, aren’t overly fond of, as it is hard to love everything equally.

Black Pearl— 2095 N Main St # Ste C, Logan, UT 84341 (435) 750-0888

My favorite dishes are Mongolian Beef, Coconut Yellow Curry, and Wonton Soup.

I have been eating here since they opened. They offer a nice variety of traditional (American) Chinese dishes. I say American because they are the foods American’s associate with Chinese food and not what you’d actually eat if in China. But I greatly enjoy their offerings. They also have sushi, which is a favorite of both my ex-husband and brother. Mu Shu Pork is not on the menu, but if you ask, they will make it and I love it.

Café Sabor— 600 W Center St Logan, UT 84321 (435) 752-8088

 

My favorite dishes are Steak Picado and Pollo Durango, but really I love most things there.

Located in the old train station, Café Sabor is a Mexican bistro. While they have carne asada and enchiladas like you’d come to expect in your average Mexican restaurant, their menu is far above average. Flavors you love and are accustomed to, but nice twists. Plus they have margaritas!

 

The Crepery—540 S Main St Logan, Utah 84321 (435) 752-5766

My favorite crepes are The Medusa and Good Morning Sunshine

The Crepery has one of the best “how we got started” stories ever. I can’t wait to share that with you when I feature them at a later date. They originally opened in a coffee shop, Citrus and Sage, which is another one of the ‘now gone’ places of Cache Valley that I loved. But they grew and expanded into a place for their very own. The atmosphere is whimsical and the food is delectable. Perfect crepes stuffed with all sorts of goodies. If you enjoy coffee, order their siphon coffee. And if you need to use the restroom, pick the Run-DMC bathroom!

 

 

Herm’s Inn—1435 Canyon Rd, Logan, UT 84321 (435) 792-4321

My favorite dishes are the pancakes with lemon butter, the Cuban, and huevos Rancheros and everything else really.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know I love Herm’s. I’ve been eating there since they opened in 2012. I was a religious, every Sunday kind of gal, enjoying brunch weekly with friends, but a schedule change has mixed that up a bit. Despite it being a diner, you get high quality food and excellent service. When talking to Ryan, one of the owners, he said “ You’re coming into my house, we don’t want to serve you cheap food.” And that is truly apparent with the effort they put into buying local.

La Tormenta—105 E 1600 N, Logan, UT 84341 (435) 787-4640

My favorite items are the tacos (carne asada, pollo, and carnitas) and the tortas.

Located in a strip mall adjacent to the North Walmart in town, this is one of the valley’s hidden gems. You know you are getting truly wonderful food when you walk in and the place is jam-packed with both Mexican and American dinners. The food is as authentic Mexican as I have had since leaving Southern California, just like grandma would make it. I fell in love with their $1 tacos but am particularly fond of their tortas. The atmosphere isn’t terrific, no real ambiance, but once my food arrives, I stop caring about all of that and focus solely on the food.

Le Nonne—129 N 100 E, Logan, UT 84321 (435) 752-9577

My favorite dishes are the gnocchi and anything with their Bolognese sauce.

By far, the best place in town for Italian food (sorry everyone else). When I eat Italian, it’s all about the pasta for me; I am a weak human to not order pasta when I am in this fine dining establishment. Sure, they offer plenty of high protein, lower carb offerings, but I don’t have that kind of strength. Because of said weakness, I eat there only a few times of year. Which now I feel horrible about admitting. Since the birth of my daughter, my grandmother has begun visiting every fall around my birthday and it’s become our tradition to have my birthday dinner there. My grandma loves the place. In fact, when we spoke yesterday, she again commented on how much she loves their Bolognese sauce (she gets it over angel hair) and can’t wait to come up again to get it. I am huge fan of their specials. You can never go wrong just ordering whatever it is the chef has made for the day. Another perk, they serve their glasses of wine in fish bowl size stemware. Ok, not really, but the glasses much larger than my stemware at home.

Sweetly Divine

— 1309 N Main St, Logan, UT 84341(435) 787-1860

I’m helpless before the crème brûlée, the lemon squares, Swans, and Mice.

I’m not entirely certain that they are called swans and mice, but that is what they look like and they are delicious. Sweetly Divine is a pastry shop that also serves pre-made in house sandwiches. I love the roast beef sandwich and the pepper jelly. But the real draw is all the wonderful pastries. Sadly, due to my health limitations, I do not eat there as much as I would like. I wish I could enjoy more of Mark’s wonderful offerings. I do pop in occasionally to pick up a crème brûlée to go or buy a lemon bar that I must segment and enjoy over a several day period. Mark even sells a bunch of gluten free flours and pastas.

Takara Sushi—55 W 1000 N, Logan, UT 84321 (435) 752-1677

Favorite items include the tempura, teriyaki dishes, and goyza.

Ok, yes, I have listed a sushi place on my favorite places to eat in the valley, but didn’t actually list sushi as a favorite item to eat. I have had sushi here, and hated it. BUT, that was before I figured out I loathe seaweed. So now that I love sushi, but made with soy paper, I need to give them another sushi shot. But I sure do love their other non-sushi offerings.

Tandoori Oven—720 E 1000 N, Logan, UT 84321 (435) 750-6836

My favorites are but not limited to chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, vegetable masala, butter chicken, chicken vindaloo…and on and on.

My love of this place knows no bounds! When picking a place to move, I should have mentioned good Indian was on the list. It turns out my favorite place in Sandy are friends with Tandoori Oven in Logan. Without hesitation, they told me to eat here, they said ignore that it is in a gas station and just enjoy. So I do. I ignore the gas station and enjoy each and every mouthwatering bite.

The White Owl—36 W Center St, Logan, UT 84321 (435) 753-9165

My favorites are the buffalo burger and the veggie basket.

The White Owl is a beer bar with some great burgers. Downside, I don’t like beer. Unless we’re talking chick beers, you know those flavored beers or Zima (wait, do they even make Zima anymore?). Luckily, they serve Redd’s apple and strawberry, so I can pretend to enjoy a beer with my burger. And let’s be honest, I am going for the burger. They actually have a great menu, but I never stray far from the Buffalo burger. I order it always with a thick slice of cheddar and some bbq sauce. It’s so large, I get 4 different meals out of it, as I can only consume a quarter of it at a time.

Bonus pick: An eatery to watch

Morty’s Café—780 East 700 North Logan, Utah 84321 (435) 535-3276

I have only had their Iberian burger, onion rings, and a single sweet potato fry. But oh man…that burger was wonderful. Rich and deeply flavorful romesco sauce and caramelized onions garnished this burger. I loved every aspect of it from the hearty and well-seasoned patty to the buns; everything in between was perfect. I can only really speak for this burger, but I’ll be back, particularly since their philosophy is “local when possible, regional when not.”

Thank you for sharing!