Violet in Salt Lake City Review: 5 Things I Loved

Rating: 4.5 Cheeseburgers

Final verdict: Pretty drinks, colorful plates, an excellent French dip, a banana dessert that converted a banana hater, and a short rib stroganoff that had no business being that light and herby. Violet gets 4.5 cheeseburgers from me.

Before I start telling you how refined and mysterious I looked sipping lavender limeade like a tiny stuffed animal with a trust fund, I need to say this: Violet in Salt Lake City is very much my kind of restaurant.

It is cute without trying too hard. It is colorful without looking like it was designed exclusively for Instagram. It has comfort food, pretty drinks, and just enough unexpected little details to make you feel like you did not accidentally walk into another beige restaurant serving the same five things as everyone else.

Naturally, Cheeseburger Cat had to investigate.

And by investigate, I mean sit at the table, judge the lighting, stare dramatically at the food, and develop strong opinions about sandwiches.

As one does.

Visiting Violet in Salt Lake City

Violet in Salt Lake City has the kind of menu that makes you want to order too much food “for the table,” even if the table is mostly you, your camera, and a stuffed cheeseburger cat who is somehow the main character.

The whole experience felt bright, fresh, and a little playful. The food had color. The drinks had drama. The plates were pretty. And most importantly, nothing felt boring.

That is really the thing I appreciated most. Violet takes dishes that could easily feel familiar — deviled eggs, French dip, stroganoff, banana cream pie — and makes them feel a little more fun.

So here are the five things I loved most.

What I Loved at Violet in Salt Lake City

The first thing I loved was the lavender limeade.

The lavender limeade was absolutely gorgeous.

Like, she knew she was being photographed.

It was herbaceous, fresh, bright, and super beautiful to look at. Sometimes lavender drinks can go very wrong and suddenly you feel like you are drinking a candle from a boutique hotel lobby, but this one stayed on the right side of floral.

The lime kept it fresh, the lavender made it interesting, and the whole thing felt like something I should be sipping on a patio while pretending I have my life together.

The glass of rosé also added a very nice little kick to the moment.

Lavender limeade? Lovely.

Lavender limeade with rosé nearby? Suddenly I am elegant. Suddenly I am mysterious. Suddenly I am a small plush cat with opinions about wine pairings.

The Deviled Eggs at Violet in Salt Lake City

The deviled eggs were all about the colors.

They were bright, fun, and very visually pleasing, which I appreciate because food should taste good, obviously, but it should also understand that I have a camera roll to maintain.

The filling was a little pickle-heavy for me personally, but it was still good. If you love a tangier deviled egg, these might be exactly your thing.

And even though the pickle flavor was stronger than I expected, I still appreciated that they were not boring. They had personality. They had color. They had a point of view.

Honestly, more deviled eggs should have a point of view.

The French Dip at Violet in Salt Lake City

Now we need to discuss the French dip because French dips are one of my favorite sandwiches.

This means I do not approach them casually.

I approach them with standards.

And Violet’s French dip was excellent.

The bread was fresh and buttery, which is deeply important because a French dip lives or dies by its bread. It has to be soft enough to feel luxurious, sturdy enough to survive the au jus, and buttery enough to make you feel like you are making the right choices even if you are absolutely not.

The meat tasted high quality, and the whole sandwich had that cozy, satisfying, comfort-food energy that makes you immediately stop talking for a second.

The only issue?

No fry sauce.

So obviously, I had to make my own.

If you know, you know.

And if you do not know, welcome to Utah, where fry sauce is not a condiment. It is a cultural expectation.

Banana Cream Pie at Violet in Salt Lake City

I need you to understand something before I say this.

I normally hate bananas.

Not dislike.

Hate.

Bananas and I have historically not been on speaking terms. The texture? Suspicious. The flavor? Too loud. The smell? Immediate betrayal.

So when I tell you that Violet’s banana cream pie was excellent, please know that this is not casual praise. This is personal growth.

This banana cream pie was creamy, balanced, and somehow did not make me regret trusting it. It was sweet without being overwhelming and banana-forward without becoming aggressive.

That is a difficult line to walk.

And it walked it beautifully.

Honestly, I was shocked. Cheeseburger Cat does not hand out banana compliments lightly.

Short Rib Beef Stroganoff at Violet in Salt Lake City

The biggest surprise of the meal was the short rib beef stroganoff.

Because when I hear “beef stroganoff,” I expect something heavy. Delicious, probably, but heavy. The kind of dish that makes you want to cancel the rest of your plans and lie down under a weighted blanket.

But this was not that.

This was surprisingly herbaceous and light.

The short rib still gave it that rich, cozy, comfort-food base, but the herbs, spices, and fun pops of color made the dish feel much brighter than I expected. It had layers. It had balance. It had range.

It was still comforting, but it was not a brick.

And that is the magic.

This was the dish I did not expect to love as much as I did, which honestly makes it even more exciting. I went in thinking the French dip would be the main character, but the short rib stroganoff quietly walked in with a full character arc.

Respectfully, she ate.

Final Violet in Salt Lake City Review

Overall, Violet in Salt Lake City was a really fun dining experience. It had the things I always want in a restaurant: good food, pretty drinks, a few surprises, and enough personality to make the meal feel memorable.

The lavender limeade was fresh and beautiful. The deviled eggs were colorful and playful. The French dip was buttery, high quality, and deeply satisfying, even if I had to personally intervene on the fry sauce situation. The banana cream pie somehow converted me from banana hater to banana cream pie respecter. And the short rib beef stroganoff was the unexpected standout — cozy, colorful, herbaceous, and much lighter than I thought it would be.

Violet feels like a great spot for a cute lunch, a casual dinner, a girls’ outing, or anyone who wants comfort food with a little more color and creativity.