Crystal's Pick of Provo's Finest
Food scene
Provo, of course, has all the big fast food and restaurant chains, and most of them are within a 5 minute drive. But this section is dedicated to the dinners you're not likely to get on the road or in your own town.
This place is a hidden gem of Provo. Kolaches are eastern European pastries, sweet or savory. Hruska's was featured on Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives, and is a great choice for breakfast. They bake until 11:30 each day, and if they sell out before noon, they close up shop early. It's a popular place, especially on Saturday morning.
Crystal's Picks: bacon, egg and cheese or strawberry nutella.
Address: 434 W Center St ( 3 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 6:30am-12:00pm
31 locals recommend
Hruska's Kolaches
434 W Center StThis place is a hidden gem of Provo. Kolaches are eastern European pastries, sweet or savory. Hruska's was featured on Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives, and is a great choice for breakfast. They bake until 11:30 each day, and if they sell out before noon, they close up shop early. It's a popular place, especially on Saturday morning.
Crystal's Picks: bacon, egg and cheese or strawberry nutella.
Address: 434 W Center St ( 3 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 6:30am-12:00pm
Chom is my favorite go-to for a burger and shake. It's on the pricier side, but the burgers are delicious, and the shakes are think and satisfying. The tip I'd give on this place is that I never get their fries - it's the only part of the meal I've ever been disappointed with. Also, if you happen to be a fan of Psych, there is always an episode running on the TV.
Crystal's Pick: BBQ Bacon Burger or Bleu Bacon Burger and the seasonal shake
Address: 45 W 300 N (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat, 11:00am-12:00am
8 locals recommend
CHOM Burger
45 300 NChom is my favorite go-to for a burger and shake. It's on the pricier side, but the burgers are delicious, and the shakes are think and satisfying. The tip I'd give on this place is that I never get their fries - it's the only part of the meal I've ever been disappointed with. Also, if you happen to be a fan of Psych, there is always an episode running on the TV.
Crystal's Pick: BBQ Bacon Burger or Bleu Bacon Burger and the seasonal shake
Address: 45 W 300 N (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat, 11:00am-12:00am
This is a lovely little mom & pop restaurant. The husband waits tables and the wife cooks. Simple, tasty, Japanese fare for a good price.
Crystal's Pick: Sauce Katsudon and Goyza Dumplings
Address: 322 W Center St (4 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:00pm-8:00pm
K’s Kitchen
322 W Center StThis is a lovely little mom & pop restaurant. The husband waits tables and the wife cooks. Simple, tasty, Japanese fare for a good price.
Crystal's Pick: Sauce Katsudon and Goyza Dumplings
Address: 322 W Center St (4 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:00pm-8:00pm
If you're a fan of board games, this is the place for you. The food is fine (not amazing, but has some interesting choices, like a PB&J burger). The real draw for this place is that for $5 per person, you can sit and play as many of their hundreds of games as you want. They also regularly host tournament nights.
Crystal's Picks: PB&J Jalapeno Smash Up Burger, sweet potato fries with Cajun spice.
Address: 1 E Center St, Ste 100 (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:30am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am- 1:00pm
8 locals recommend
Good Move Cafe
1 E Center StIf you're a fan of board games, this is the place for you. The food is fine (not amazing, but has some interesting choices, like a PB&J burger). The real draw for this place is that for $5 per person, you can sit and play as many of their hundreds of games as you want. They also regularly host tournament nights.
Crystal's Picks: PB&J Jalapeno Smash Up Burger, sweet potato fries with Cajun spice.
Address: 1 E Center St, Ste 100 (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:30am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am- 1:00pm
I've been here once, and found it to be comparable in price and quality to the much more popular Bombay House. The big difference is that you can reserve a table here, and the wait doesn't seem to be nearly as long.
Crystal's Pick: Chicken Tikka Masala
Address: 98 W Center St (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:00am-10:00pm
22 locals recommend
India Palace
98 W Center StI've been here once, and found it to be comparable in price and quality to the much more popular Bombay House. The big difference is that you can reserve a table here, and the wait doesn't seem to be nearly as long.
Crystal's Pick: Chicken Tikka Masala
Address: 98 W Center St (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:00am-10:00pm
If you ask for a recommendation for Indian food in Provo, Bombay house will be one of the first ones mentioned. The food is delicious, the portions are large, and the whole atmosphere is well designed. A couple things to know- this is a VERY popular place, and they don't take reservations. If you decide to go, know it could easily be a 40 minute wait before you're seated, especially on the weekends.
Crystal's Pick: Chicken Coconut Kurma, any of their lassi's (a yogurt drink), and especially their Peshawari naan
Address: 463 N University Ave (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 4:00pm-9:00pm
75 locals recommend
Bombay House
463 N University AveIf you ask for a recommendation for Indian food in Provo, Bombay house will be one of the first ones mentioned. The food is delicious, the portions are large, and the whole atmosphere is well designed. A couple things to know- this is a VERY popular place, and they don't take reservations. If you decide to go, know it could easily be a 40 minute wait before you're seated, especially on the weekends.
Crystal's Pick: Chicken Coconut Kurma, any of their lassi's (a yogurt drink), and especially their Peshawari naan
Address: 463 N University Ave (5 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 4:00pm-9:00pm
Brick Oven is the go-to for pizza with the BYU crowd. The salad bar is average, the pizza is good, but it's their root beer that I go for! It's a popular place, and reservations are only for groups larger than 8, so if you decide to go, be prepared to wait up to 40 minutes to be seated.
Crystal's Pick: Brown Cow Freeze
Address: 111 E 800 N (6 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-2:00pm and 4:00pm-9:00pm; Fri-Sat, 11:00am-3:00pm and 4:00pm-10:00pm
11 locals recommend
Brick Oven Provo
111 E 800 NBrick Oven is the go-to for pizza with the BYU crowd. The salad bar is average, the pizza is good, but it's their root beer that I go for! It's a popular place, and reservations are only for groups larger than 8, so if you decide to go, be prepared to wait up to 40 minutes to be seated.
Crystal's Pick: Brown Cow Freeze
Address: 111 E 800 N (6 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-2:00pm and 4:00pm-9:00pm; Fri-Sat, 11:00am-3:00pm and 4:00pm-10:00pm
Cubby's is a great choice for those wanting to accommodate a variety of diets. They have burgers and sandwiches, as well as robust soups and salads that cater to gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan diets.
Crystal's Pick: Lemon Chicken Salad
Address: 1258 N State Street (6 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-9:30pm; Fri, 11:00am-10:00pm; Sat, 8:00am-10:00pm
84 locals recommend
Cubby's
3700 N Thanksgiving WayCubby's is a great choice for those wanting to accommodate a variety of diets. They have burgers and sandwiches, as well as robust soups and salads that cater to gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan diets.
Crystal's Pick: Lemon Chicken Salad
Address: 1258 N State Street (6 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:00am-9:30pm; Fri, 11:00am-10:00pm; Sat, 8:00am-10:00pm
I've been going to the Roll-Up since it first opened a decade ago in a little shop on State Street. It's worth a trip just to read the menu titles and descriptions. I'm partial to their sweet crepes, but I'll sometimes order a panini for lunch, a crepe for dessert, then eat dessert first!
Crystal's Pick: The Breakup with fruit added
Address: 538 E University Pkwy, Orem (9 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00am-12:00am
Roll Up Crepes
538 E University PkwyI've been going to the Roll-Up since it first opened a decade ago in a little shop on State Street. It's worth a trip just to read the menu titles and descriptions. I'm partial to their sweet crepes, but I'll sometimes order a panini for lunch, a crepe for dessert, then eat dessert first!
Crystal's Pick: The Breakup with fruit added
Address: 538 E University Pkwy, Orem (9 minutes away)
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00am-12:00am
Things To Do
There are two distinct and vibrant cultures in town.
BYU is a world of it's own, with enough of culture and tradition to keep most visitors busy for their whole stay. As a BYU alumna, I'm happy to go blue and tell you all about the things to consider if you want to visit campus.
It wasn't until I moved back to Provo 2 years ago that I appreciated how much the city offers independent of the BYU bubble.
I've restrained myself here to just the top few things from each category that I've particularly enjoyed over the years. There are, of course, a wide variety of other activities in the greater Utah valley area that I don't begin to touch on. If you have questions about sporting events, skiing, hiking, hot springs, amusement parks, or Broadway shows, feel free to ask! I know a little about a lot of things!
If you're in Provo on Saturday morning during the summer, I highly recommend taking a turn about the farmers market at Pioneer Park. It's just 2 minutes up the street, and offers all the charm of a small town community event, with a wide variety of farmers, food vendors, and artists showing their wares.
If the "Local Honeyman" truck is parked across the street in the auto title loans lot, I recommend going over and trying some samples of his many types of honey.
9 locals recommend
Pioneer Park
500 W Center StIf you're in Provo on Saturday morning during the summer, I highly recommend taking a turn about the farmers market at Pioneer Park. It's just 2 minutes up the street, and offers all the charm of a small town community event, with a wide variety of farmers, food vendors, and artists showing their wares.
If the "Local Honeyman" truck is parked across the street in the auto title loans lot, I recommend going over and trying some samples of his many types of honey.
For $5, you can have access to one of the top rec centers in the nation. The Rec center has a huge indoor aquatic center with hot tub, aqua ninja course, and slides year round, and an outdoor wave pool and additional slides in the summer. Not to mention pretty much any sport or exercise that might interest you - pickleball, squash, basketball, weights, and drop in fitness classes available all day.
Crystal's Pick: Aqua Zumba
Address: 320 W 500 N
Hours: Mon-Sat 5:00am-10:00pm
34 locals recommend
Provo Recreation Center
320 500 NFor $5, you can have access to one of the top rec centers in the nation. The Rec center has a huge indoor aquatic center with hot tub, aqua ninja course, and slides year round, and an outdoor wave pool and additional slides in the summer. Not to mention pretty much any sport or exercise that might interest you - pickleball, squash, basketball, weights, and drop in fitness classes available all day.
Crystal's Pick: Aqua Zumba
Address: 320 W 500 N
Hours: Mon-Sat 5:00am-10:00pm
If you're a museum-lover, I recommend planning an hour or two for the BYU MOA. In addition to housing a few really stellar pieces of classical art (including Carl Bloch's "Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda"), the MOA hosts a number of exhibits featuring paintings, photography and sculpture curated from local and international artists on a variety of themes.
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 10:00am-6:00pm; Fri, 10:00am-9:00pm, Sat, 10:00am-4:00pm
61 locals recommend
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Campus DriveIf you're a museum-lover, I recommend planning an hour or two for the BYU MOA. In addition to housing a few really stellar pieces of classical art (including Carl Bloch's "Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda"), the MOA hosts a number of exhibits featuring paintings, photography and sculpture curated from local and international artists on a variety of themes.
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 10:00am-6:00pm; Fri, 10:00am-9:00pm, Sat, 10:00am-4:00pm
If you have a free evening, and are looking for something to do, I suggest checking the BYU Arts calendar. During the school year there is a steady stream of choral, instrumental, and dance, and theatre performances, both university students and professional. Having studied in the theatre program at BYU, I'm probably biased, but I think it's an amazing opportunity to have such great performances just down the street.
https://arts.byu.edu
BYU Arts
1100 900 EastIf you have a free evening, and are looking for something to do, I suggest checking the BYU Arts calendar. During the school year there is a steady stream of choral, instrumental, and dance, and theatre performances, both university students and professional. Having studied in the theatre program at BYU, I'm probably biased, but I think it's an amazing opportunity to have such great performances just down the street.
https://arts.byu.edu
Something Sweet
When I'm in the mood for a tasty treat, these are the spots I'm most likely to hit.
I love this place. You can get one (or several) of their tiny cheesecakes. I never bother to keep track of what the flavors of the week are, I just stop by when I'm in the mood for a treat, and pick one or two that strike my fancy. It's hard to go wrong with cheesecake!
Address: 1394 N Freedom Blvd
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 1:00pm-8:00pm; Fri-Sat, 1:00pm-9:30pm
Momo's Gourmet Cheesecake Co
1394 North Freedom BoulevardI love this place. You can get one (or several) of their tiny cheesecakes. I never bother to keep track of what the flavors of the week are, I just stop by when I'm in the mood for a treat, and pick one or two that strike my fancy. It's hard to go wrong with cheesecake!
Address: 1394 N Freedom Blvd
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 1:00pm-8:00pm; Fri-Sat, 1:00pm-9:30pm
This is one of my go-tos when I'm in the mood for a smackeral of something sweet. I haven't been super impressed with their bread, but their chocolate or almond croissants are delicious, and their desserts are tasty.
Address: 326 W Center St
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8:00am-8:00pm; Fri, 8:00am-9:00pm; Sat, 9:00am-10:00pm
Fillings & Emulsions
326 W Center StThis is one of my go-tos when I'm in the mood for a smackeral of something sweet. I haven't been super impressed with their bread, but their chocolate or almond croissants are delicious, and their desserts are tasty.
Address: 326 W Center St
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8:00am-8:00pm; Fri, 8:00am-9:00pm; Sat, 9:00am-10:00pm
I think of this more as a dessert spot, though they do offer savory waffles. They feel a little pricey for the quantity you get, but I've enjoyed the waffles I've tried here.
Address: 1831 N State St
Hours: Mon-Sat, 8:00am-10:00pm; Sunday, 9:00am-2:00pm
16 locals recommend
Waffle Love - Provo
1831 N State StI think of this more as a dessert spot, though they do offer savory waffles. They feel a little pricey for the quantity you get, but I've enjoyed the waffles I've tried here.
Address: 1831 N State St
Hours: Mon-Sat, 8:00am-10:00pm; Sunday, 9:00am-2:00pm
This is a very popular spot- especially in the summer. They have some interesting flavors like Muddy Buddy and the GOAT (goat cheese ice cream with blackberry, lemon jam, and honey rosemary roasted almonds). Be prepared for a combination of tasty flavors, sticker shock for the price of a cone, and a long line on a hot night. I stop by there occasionally when I'm feeling particularly extravagant, but usually, I just stop at the store and pick up a pint of Ben and Jerry's instead.
Crystal's Pick: Muddy Buddy or Honey Comb
Address: 43 N University Ave
Hours: Mon-Thurs 1:00pm-10:00pm; Fri-Sat 1:00pm-11:00pm
23 locals recommend
Rockwell Ice Cream
43 N University AveThis is a very popular spot- especially in the summer. They have some interesting flavors like Muddy Buddy and the GOAT (goat cheese ice cream with blackberry, lemon jam, and honey rosemary roasted almonds). Be prepared for a combination of tasty flavors, sticker shock for the price of a cone, and a long line on a hot night. I stop by there occasionally when I'm feeling particularly extravagant, but usually, I just stop at the store and pick up a pint of Ben and Jerry's instead.
Crystal's Pick: Muddy Buddy or Honey Comb
Address: 43 N University Ave
Hours: Mon-Thurs 1:00pm-10:00pm; Fri-Sat 1:00pm-11:00pm
Coffee Spots
Since I don't drink coffee, I can't speak from personal experience, but this coffee shop is just 3 minutes from the house, and gets excellent reviews. If you try it out, let me know if it passes muster and is worthy to remain in the guidebook!
Address: 35 N 300 W #200
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 6:30am-10:00pm; Fri, 6:30am-12:00am; Sat, 6:30am-1:00am; Sun, 7:00am-7:00pm
10 locals recommend
Peace on Earth
35 N 300 WSince I don't drink coffee, I can't speak from personal experience, but this coffee shop is just 3 minutes from the house, and gets excellent reviews. If you try it out, let me know if it passes muster and is worthy to remain in the guidebook!
Address: 35 N 300 W #200
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 6:30am-10:00pm; Fri, 6:30am-12:00am; Sat, 6:30am-1:00am; Sun, 7:00am-7:00pm
Again, I can't speak personally to their coffee, since I don't drink it, but this coffee shop is just 2 minutes away, and get very good reviews. If you go there, please let me know if it deserved to remain in the guidebook!
Address: 156 W 500 S
Hours: Mon-Fri, 7:00am-2:00pm; Sat-Sun, 8:00am-2:00pm
Rugged Grounds
156 W 500 SAgain, I can't speak personally to their coffee, since I don't drink it, but this coffee shop is just 2 minutes away, and get very good reviews. If you go there, please let me know if it deserved to remain in the guidebook!
Address: 156 W 500 S
Hours: Mon-Fri, 7:00am-2:00pm; Sat-Sun, 8:00am-2:00pm