It’s a cafe by day and a bar at night. Welcome to Mother in downtown SLC.

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Hello, Eaters! Mother Cafe & Bar is a cool downtown hangout that changes its outfit based on the time of day you visit. As it says on the front door, Mother is “coffee by day, rhythm by night,” meaning you can order a latte and work on your laptop during the day, or dance with a cocktail in your hand into the night.

Last week, I visited Mother, at 369 S. Main in downtown Salt Lake City, and chatted with owners Camille Fiducia and her fiance, Sawyer Carpenter; they founded the business with Chase Worthen (of Neighbors Bar and The Pearl) and Josh Edgar.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Co-owners Camille Fiducia, left, and Sawyer Carpenter, middle, stand with general manager Josh Edgar in their new restaurant Mother Cafe & Bar in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026.

(Important note: Mother has a bar license, so you have to be 21+ to enter, even to get coffee.)

The origin story: Fiducia and Carpenter had originally thought they would open a bakery, but when they got the opportunity to take over the former Alibi space, they decided to open a coffee shop that moonlights as a club with a DJ. Mother Cafe & Bar opened in the fall. Fiducia said the name ties together “ancestral” music with the process of nourishing the body.

The vibe: The lovely but minimal look of Mother Cafe & Bar is inspired by Fiducia’s travels to North Africa, Europe and Asia, with hanging lights, wooden furniture and warm-colored walls that evoke the desert. Fiducia said almost everything you see is secondhand.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) General manager Josh Edgar makes an americano at Mother Cafe & Bar in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026.

The menu: Chef Louise Dapper created the menu at Mother, and her past experience (including at Central Ninth Market, where she created its famous focaccia) really shows. The concise menu includes four different sourdough toasts, featuring toppings like labneh balls and house pickles.

Edgar spearheaded the coffee program; Carpenter said the baristas apply the same mixology methods to the coffee program as the bartenders do to the cocktail program. To read more about my order, scroll down to “Dish of the Week.”

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Random Rules mocha at Mother Cafe & Bar in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026.

The hours: Mother Cafe & Bar is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Mother is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it reopens at 7 p.m. and stays open until 1 a.m.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Pizza Madness - the Final 4

Pizza Madness, The Tribune’s bracket-style tourney to name the best pizza place in Utah, has reached the Final 4. Here’s how the winning pizzerias got there:

• Bricks Corner beat Slackwater Pizza, 58% to 42%.
• Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana beat Stoneground Italian Kitchen, 66% to 34%.
• Pizza Nono beat Este Pizzeria, 67% to 33%.
• The Pie Underground beat The Pie Hole, 75% to 25%.

You Eaters haven’t just been voting for your favorite pizza places. You’ve also been making comments about them, and the tournament. Here are a couple of choice comments:

• Cole Miller, West Jordan: “Choosing between Slackwater and Bricks Corner is like choosing between your parents in a divorce.”
• Lisa Brothman, Cottonwood Heights: “Whenever my brother comes to town, he wants ‘that pizza as big as a wagon wheel’ from The Pie.”

(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Food News

Openings:

• Today, Biada Ravioli Kitchen is opening in Logan at 693 Main St., Suite 110, according to an Instagram post. On Biada’s website, it says “we built a place where ravioli is the hero. Made fresh. Made visible. Made with care.”

• A new location of Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay was scheduled to open Friday in Holladay at 1895 E. Rodeo Walk Drive, according to a news release. The restaurant will be located next to Trader Joe’s and up the street from the Megaplex theater.

• The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a national fast-casual chain, is opening in Layton at 515 Ring Road, by the Layton Hills Mall, according to a news release. The menu features Greek, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern mainstays like chicken souvlaki, gyros, rice bowls, salads, dips and more. The restaurant is holding a grand-opening celebration on April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The chain has Utah locations in Draper, Pleasant Grove and Cedar City; a location in Hurricane is opening soon, according to the chain’s website.

• A new restaurant called Döner & Company is set to open in mid-April in the Central Ninth neighborhood, according to an email from the owner. Located at 915 S. Washington St., Döner & Company will serve döner kebab, which is a German street food made with thin slices of meat cut from a vertical rotisserie placed inside a handheld sandwich with veggies and sauces.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Wasatch Food Co-op is seen in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

• After almost two decades of waiting and planning, the Wasatch Food Co-op has announced an opening date. Located in the old Southeast Market building, this grocery store on 900 South will focus on local food and goods. Members and nonmembers will be able to shop there.

Dish of the Week

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The mushroom toast and Random Rules mocha at Mother Cafe & Bar in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026.

I can’t stop thinking about the mushroom toast ($14) I ordered at Mother Cafe & Bar. It’s made with a thick slice of housemade sourdough, topped with whipped feta, local oyster mushrooms sauteed in white wine, a drizzle of olive oil, a bit of lemon preserves, pink pepper and fresh parsley.

She’s bright! She’s beautiful! And if you love mushrooms, this is the toast for you.

Alongside, I ordered a latte called Random Rules ($7), which features lacto-fermented dark cherry, and is served with a Luxardo maraschino cherry on top. This drink was creamy, deep and dark, and the slight cherry note was nice.

Right now, Mother features a rotating variety of roasters, but they plan to start their own roastery soon.