The Salty Pineapple: Food Truck Roots, Big Island Bites

The Salty Pineapple
13262 S 5600 W, Herriman, UT
Mon-Sat 11a.m.-8 p.m.
the-saltypineapple.com

So, you like Mo’Bettahs? That’s cute. No shade either, Mo’Bettahs hits. But if you’re looking to mix it up Hawaiian style, The Salty Pineapple will “tropic” like it’s hot when you’re ready because, when it comes to this spot, ohana means FLAVOR (and lots of it).

According to their website, “The Salty Pineapple serves traditional Hawaiian BBQ with a spin! Established in 2016 by owner Daysha Filipe at the age of 21, from food truck to brick-and-mortar, we bring the big island flavor to the mainland.” I agree wholeheartedly. 

Having one bite of the Surf & Turf ($18.95) accompanied by white rice and mac salad, a rogue “chee hoo!” tried to leap out of me… but I restrained myself and funneled the emotion into adding sriracha to my mac salad and taking a bite. The Surf portion is coconut shrimp, and it’s exactly what you want your coconut shrimp to be: fresh, flaky, crispy, not-too-sweet and tasty. There’s a myriad of sauces you can choose from, whether it’s the sriracha or a couple of in-house sauces that could be described as “BBQ sauce, but with a little island sweetness” or “savory ketchup, with a hint of aloha.” The Turf was teriyaki beef that had an excellent combination of sweet, umami-packed and tangy flavor. 

The Salty Pineapple also offers sandwich and burger options like the Spicy Katsu ($12.95) or Volcano Burger ($13.95) that come with a side of either mac salad, fries or cheese fries ($1 extra). While I didn’t try a sandwich or burger, I want to. And that’s a good sign of a restaurant, right? You enjoyed what you ordered so much that you want to try more of the menu. I did try the cheese fries because I had never seen cheese fries offered at a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant before, and they were awesome. The fries are double-battered/beer-battered and the cheese amount was just right for me. Not too gooey and not too skimpy. Will get again. Also, if you’re like me, you can be picky about your mac salad since they are not created equally. Consume with confidence since the noodles were bouncy and the flavor profile was rich and velvety. Splash with sriracha to achieve a hot and cool palette combo that is divine.

I also ordered the Guava Cake ($5) for dessert and it was your… standard Guava Cake? It was good, but because of how flavorful the rest of the food was, I wanted MORE guava flavor. That could also be a character flaw of how much I love guava. If that’s not your jam, I’m so sorry for you and I don’t know who hurt you in your life to make you have an aversion to guava, but there’s Pineapple Dole Whip (small $3.95, regular $4.95), Pineapple A La Mode ($6.75) and other dessert offerings to satisfy your island sweet tooth. 

While I didn’t order it myself, I did stab my fork into my sister’s Pineapple-Jalapeno BBQ Chicken ($13.95) in the name of food journalism, of course, and it’s truly a unique sweet and spicy experience. Imagine a storm made of barbecue sauce, jalapeño fire and caramelized pineapple rain. It’s chaotic, seductive and wildly delicious. There’s sugary pineapple glaze up front, but then there’s a jalapeño kick that lingers just long enough to keep things interesting. It nails the balance between tropical and tongue-tingling.

Perhaps Mo’Bettahs walked so The Salty Pineapple could hula. Savory, sweet, bold, spicy, etc., The Salty Pineapple delivers on all counts. So go hungry and leave satisfied while plotting your next visit. Chee hoo!

Read more about some delicious eateries here in SLC:
Hot off The Skillet: Breakfast with a Venezuelan Twist
Outdoor Table for Four: SLC Patios Worth The Wait