Hot Off the Skillet: Breakfast with a Venezuelan Twist

Skillets
282 E 900 S, Salt Lake City 84111
(801) 900-9988
Mon-Fri: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. , Sat-Sun: 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
eatskilletsut.com

On a bright Saturday morning, I was tucked into the corner of a small bookshop in the Liberty Wells neighborhood, eyeing the back cover of a sci-fi novel when one of my companions spun into the room, coffee cup in hand and hair swept over her shoulder to tell me, “It’s time!” Immediately, the four of us all rushed out from different sections of shelves and hurried down the street because our table at Skillets was finally ready. We were almost vibrating in anticipation as the host led us through the building and to our table. We sat next to a window draped in curtains of string lights overlooking the ample patio seating, bringing to mind memories of street pubs — or, more appropriately, the feeling of dining at a food truck, which is exactly where this charming restaurant began.

Owned by Jorge and Will Garcia-Kesler, Skillets has existed in Salt Lake for three years as a popular food truck, praised for their breakfast burritos. Since then, the couple has been bringing their signature Venezuelan touch to classic breakfast dishes. Finally, after much hard work, they were able to open their cute and quirky brick-and-mortar location on 900 South in November 2024. They have now expanded their menu to suit the freedoms of a restaurant, adding enormous tasting boards that tower over the table and fantastical milkshakes covered in what is probably a full meal’s serving of extra treats as toppings.

I ordered the French Toast Flight ($19), unable to pick just one of the three decadent french toast options. The long plate I was served had a slice each of the Classic French Toast, a french toast covered in strawberries and blueberries and a complementary slice of crispy bacon; the Cinnamon Crunch French Toast, sweet, salty and crunchy, topped with a hefty serving of cinnamon crunch cereal hidden in an immense pile of whipped cream; and the Nutella Stuffed French Toast, delivering its promise of Nutella and strawberries.

My favorite was the Cinnamon Crunch, as the flavors were very well-balanced, and the cereal pieces added a delightful contrasting texture to every bite, mingling with the squishy brioche bread and airy whipped cream to add an extra crunch and tie every element together in perfect fusion. The Classic French Toast was served with their homemade caramel syrup, which was a bit too decadent for me, but was certainly very good. It was plenty sweet without it though, as it was smothered in juicy, fresh fruit. I also ordered some savory slides to complement the dessert plate — eggs ($2) and sausage ($3.50). The eggs were served a bit thin, almost like a crêpe; they were tasty, but the thinness meant that they got cold faster than I would have preferred. The sausage far exceeded my expectations: It was full of flavor and had a wonderful texture.

My companions dug into the visually iconic Tower for Two ($38), claiming that it was probably big enough to serve not just two, but three. One praised the variety of cream cheeses served with the toast, particularly the basil cream cheese, and said that the tater tots were fried to perfection. The other was particularly fond of the pistachio cheesecake fondue dip accompanying the waffles. The signature green cilantro sauce was praised heavily among my companions as well.

It’s clear Skillets brings the creativity and experimentation of a food truck business into their brick-and-mortar restaurant to expand upon and refine their signature style. I’m looking forward to exploring more of their menu in the future!

Find more local eateries here:
Big South Will Bless Your Mouth
ROCTACO ‘Til You Drop