Home > Restaurant Reviews > Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm
Above photo source: Google Images
On a summer trip to Capitol Reef National Park with my family, my aunt and uncle made a big deal that we NEEDED to go to Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm. So we drove an extra hour to a farm and restaurant on the side of the highway to have one of, if not the, best meals I have ever had in my life (and I’m not exaggerating, I think about this meal almost weekly and it’s been almost two years since going).
With a rotating menu, fresh farm-to-table meals, and the restaurant being closed in the winter, you will always get something special at Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm. If you are ever in the Capitol Reef/Escalante region of Utah it is well worth the trip to Boulder to try the restaurant out when they’re open. Hell, I’d even say if it was for a super special occasion it’s worth the drive even if it’s longer. With a menu relying on what’s available from the farm and not taking reservations it is really important to show up early and keep your expectations low (but that’s not in terms of the food, it will be delicious every.single.time. I promise.)
As I have mentioned Hell’s Backbone Grill changes their menu pretty regularly depending on what they have available from the farm and what is in season. Because of this, I can’t say you would be able to get the same dishes we got if you were to go today. But we all got an array of different dishes and everyone said they were all wonderful so I’m confident that no matter when you go, you will get something delicious. Another note is that we went almost two years ago at the time this is being written and I don’t remember everything we got and I don’t have pictures of everything, but I will try my best to describe it to the best of my abilities.
To start we got a bunch of different appetizers but one specifically I remember well (not pictured, unfortunately) was radishes dipped in butter. A popular snack in France, this was my first time having it, and simply put, it was revolutionary for my family. We remade it all of the time after got home from this trip. But it was never as good as fresh spicy radishes and fresh homemade creamy butter.
I didn’t have any cocktails so I can’t say from my own personal opinion but Hell’s Backbone Grill had a large cocktail menu and my family members who did have drinks all said that they were really delicious, the add-ins were obviously fresh, and had very unique flavors.
My main course was a lemon chicken with rice and veggies dish (pictured left) and I don’t know how something so seemingly simple could be so delicious but it was. No lie, I think about this dish AT LEAST once a week, it was that good.
I love lemon (the more the better) and it had a super vibrant and strong lemon flavor, the chicken was perfectly cooked and juicy with an amazing sear on the skin. I know I’m saying everything tasted fresh, but it was so obvious that everything came from the farm right next to you. I have never had anything like it before.
To finish we shared three desserts. To be honest I don’t remember all of the names of everything we had but from left to right it was a pannacotta, a cinnamon monkey bread (I believe), and a gingerbread loaf with a caramel sauce and ice cream. I do remember everything was very delicious and the perfect ending to a perfect meal and dining experience.