Sugar House was the model neighborhood: walkable, streets lined with small mom and pop shops featuring unique, offbeat and idiosyncratic merchandise and small, locally-owned cafes and bars. Supposedly the urban developers behind Daybreak studied Sugar House as an example of the ideal small-town feel urban neighborhood they wanted to recreate, brand-new, from the ground up. Streets are lined with older houses, prairie, arts-and-crafts style and brick bungalows. Since then, Sugar House has changed a lot—the 50-foot obelisk commemorating the old beet sugar refinery after which the neighborhood is named remains despite more mainstream businesses, high-rise apartments and some refiguring. The area is still a lively favorite, its signature eccentricity can still be found in a row of shops on the north side of 2100 South—Central Book Exchange, Sugar House Coffee and, of course, the beloved Best Friends, where folks stop in just to pet the dogs and cats even if they’re not going to adopt.
Who Lives There?
Median household income: $84,410
Median age: 37.1
White: 83.12%
Hispanic/Latinx: 11.10%
Black/African American: 2.20%
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 1.01%
Asian: 4.68%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.68%
Some other race: 4.01%
2+ Races: 4.29%
What’s the Rent?
Median home price: $650,000
Median rent for one bedroom: $1,325
Where Do You Eat?
Located in an old post office building in the heart of Sugar House, Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House is an elegant gathering space with a new patio, we like the Sunday brunch and Kimi’s irrepressible drive for perfection.
Where Do You Drink?
We’re not so sure about the “Work Space” part of Casot Wine Bar & Work Space’s official title, but we are sure of the “Wine Bar” part. A true neighborhood bar, smack dab in the middle of the 15th and 15th district (which is sort of Sugar House) Casot is another evangelical effort by Pago Group’s Scott Evans to share his fanatical love of Spanish wines and tapas. The small room is centered upon a beautiful wooden bar salvaged from a long-gone restaurant endeavor by the late, great Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton. The mood is quiet, you can bring food in from Finca, Mazza and Caputo’s (plus enjoy a small menu of bar snacks), the bar is lovely and the wine selection is on point. And, we hear you can work there, too, but we’d rather keep business and pleasure well away from each other.
Where Do You Shop?
Every town has one, the bookstore that keeps on kicking. The King’s English, or TKE as its fans call it, is the spot where visiting writers drop in for signings and readings. The cozy little store has hosted the likes of Margaret Atwood, President Jimmy Carter, David Sedaris, Isabel Allende, Terry Tempest Williams, Sue Grafton, Davis Macaulay, Avi, Tobias Wolff, Jan Brett, Jack Prelutsky, Tomie de Paolo, Tony Hillerman, Mark Strand, E.L. Doctorow, Elizabeth George, Ivan Doig, Sherman Alexie, Kent Haruf, John Irving, Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), Arnold Lobel, Eric Carle, John Krakauer, Barry Lopez and Amor Towles.
Best Place to Expand Your Knowledge of The Multiverse
Black Cat Comics celebrates its 18th anniversary this year, and it’s been exciting, to say the least. Like that time they got a new window thanks to the car that crashed into the side of their building. The hole is gone, but you’ll still find a stellar selection of new and back issues and a vibrant and knowledgeable staff—headed by owner Greg Gage—who can help guide you through the vast world of comics. Gage works his magic to host regular signings and events with amazing comics artists and writers.
Best place to Tune Up Your Toes
Got Beauty has been helping us look our best for 30 years. The locally and women-owned store features gifts, hard-to-find product lines and one of the friendliest and most relaxing pedicures in the city.
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