Restaurants in Murray

Named for the revered ancient river whose life-giving waters cascade through Ethiopia, Blue Nile brings vibrantly hued, flavorful tastes of Ethiopian cuisine stateside. The kitchen buzzes as chefs concoct traditional Ethiopian dishes using fresh ingredients such as red beets, whole brown lentils, and homemade sauces. Along with dishes featuring flavorful cuts of beef, chicken, and lamb, the menu also boasts many popular vegan and vegetarian dishes, each voted as such in their high-school yearbooks. Further proof of Blue Nile’s dedication to upholding Ethiopian culture is evidenced in the dining room, where the staff welcomes guests to chow down in the traditional manner of sharing meals table-wide and eating with their hands or scooping up bites with injera, a traditional Ethiopian flatbread.

Traditional Indian dishes co-mingle with modern American fare inside Spice Bistro’s kitchen, where chefs dedicate themselves to preparing scratch-made cuisine from fresh ingredients to ensure that each morsel bursts with maximum flavor. Their extensive menu showcases more than 50 items, ranging from lamb or shrimp sizzled in a tandoor oven to vegetarian curries to thick-cut steaks and chops dressed with elegant glazes. Guests can pair each savory selection with more than 25 red and white wines, which are served by the bottle, the glass, or the repurposed birdbath.

When they moved to Utah from Guanajuato, Mexico, the Armentas dug into their family's classified recipe books to find dishes that would satisfy a hungry fan base. Nowadays, one-dollar margaritas and colorful decor cultivate a festive, laid-back atmosphere at Mi Ranchito Grill, but the Armentas' commitment to fresh ingredients is as strict and unwavering as their secrecy around meals' formulas. A riot of color splashes across the kaleidoscopic interior, with vines of multicolored paper strung between archways. Teal neon lights, harvested from naturally-occurring rainbows, bounce onto exposed brick, illuminating diners savoring chicken nachos, garlic-butter shrimp served with two types of chili sauce, and custom combos of tacos, enchiladas, and tamales.

Inside Maurilio's Italian Cuisine’s kitchen, chefs waltz from pans of sautéing shrimp and pots of boiling ravioli to sizzling slabs of grilled steak. Out in the dining room, servers choreograph an equally complex routine as they deliver homemade pizzas and hearty plates of chicken parmesan to tables cloaked in red-and-white-checkered cloths. Surrounding these charming table settings, earth-toned walls showcase framed prints of the bucolic landscapes and dystopian cyborg uprisings that have made Italy famous. As guests delight in these Italian feasts, bartenders pour beer and wine and concoct mixed drinks at Maurilio's full bar.

Chef Bryan Rubey has been featured on ABC-4's Good Things Utah for his Shetland salmon with mango-pineapple salsa—just one recipe that demonstrates his deft culinary touch. Before opening Flora Restaurant, Rubey helped to steer the kitchens of Via Emilia in Mobile, Alabama, and the Snowbird Resort's Arie Restaurant, where he mastered French and Italian cooking techniques such as poaching, braising, and putting miniature berets on steaks. He melds those styles with Southern and Southwestern flavors in dishes such as South Carolina-style mustard baby-back ribs with roasted-pepper polenta or housemade spinach linguine in lemon cream sauce with chicken, olives, and roasted peppers. Flora Restaurant's dessert menu is just as well thought out, with options such as lavender-scented honey cheesecake to sweeten palates.

At Mo’s Place, diners dig into timeless American dishes and tear apart smoky barbecue fare on the weekends. The breakfast rib-eye steak with eggs and hash browns fills bellies for the day ahead, and the lunchtime double BLT sports three pieces of toast, six strips of bacon, and more tomatoes than the home garden of a vegetable archivist. On Friday and Saturday nights, the eatery stays open late to serve smoked meats, barbecue sandwiches, and hot wings.