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Thunderbird Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
Junction Of Highway 9 & 89Mount Carmel, UT 84755
(435) 648-2203
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Thunderbird Restaurant
20 reviews in English
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Review from Liana H.
San Francisco, CA
8/17/2011
They served THE BEST chicken friend steak with white gravy I have ever had! They started us off with homemade bread-you could smell the yeast. It was warm so the butter melted nicely on it. The minestrone soup was homemade and delicious. The salad vegis fresh and crispy. The pie-OH MY. I must admit it is better than my own homemade pies. The berry pie was AMAZING. I am definitely going back to this restaurant. Oh, and the service was very friendly and attentive. 2 thumbs up!
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Review from Jen N.
Grand Rapids, MI
8/31/2011
We had an unsettling experience at this restaurant- I would highly recommend eating somewhere else. I have worked in the restaurant business for years and have never seen such terrible customer service.
My brother has life threatening allergies and chose to eat at a nearby subway where he felt more comfortable. The manager apparently spoke with my brother and two other siblings when they reentered the restaurant where 3 of us were eating. She then sent the waitress over to tell us the children couldn't eat subway there, at which point they put away their subs. Immediately following, someone else presented us with a check, making it clear we were to leave. The situation was escalated unnecessarily and could have been handled with a simple sentence directed at the adults at the table. The entire staff made us all feel so uncomfortable that my younger sister was crying.
I have never seen a simple situation handled so unprofessionally. Please take your business elsewhere, to a place that has some concept of hospitality or professionalism. -
Review from Sarah C.
6/4/2011 3 photos
Yay! I'm a fan of the Thunderbird restaurant in Mount Carmel, just outside of Zion. We were on a roadtrip from Southern California to Salt Lake City yesterday, and had just stopped at Zion for a few hours when we realized we were famished for lunch!
It is on a corner with only a few options. There's Thunderbird, another diner-type place and a Subway. From the outside, Tbird looked the coolest, so that was our pick. How can you resist "Ho-made pie"? In the large corner parking lot, we picked a spot under a tree for shade. After a photo op with their funny sign, we went into the restaurant and were seated quickly. The restaurant is attached to a motel and a small shop. It was pretty kitschy, but fun.
Our waitress, Tracey, brought over a carafe of ice water and took our order. She said she was trying to get ours in quickly as a large party had just been sat and she didn't want us to have to wait! How nice is that!
And we did not wait! No sooner had I picked up a booklet on the table of all kinds of anecdotes and advice from the 30's, handwritten and bound with a red cover than our lunch showed up! Wow! Boyfriend got the Thunderbird sandwich, which was turkey, cheese and tomato on ho-made bread. He picked potato salad as his side and he was very pleased with his lunch. I chose a cold veggie sandwich that had avocado. Sides choices were cole slaw, french fries and potato salad, and I went with the fries. They were thick cut, steak fries and they were good! Overall, we were pretty happy and left full!
We walked back out into the parking lot to get a move on and we are startled to find one of the car windows broken! We had a couple of suitcases and a snowboard back there as we were finishing up a move to Utah, so our first thought was that someone had broken in to steal our things. Once we got to the car, though, and saw that everything was still there, we were perplexed- why had the window been broken, but nothing was taken?
Arlene, the very kind owner/manager of the Thunderbird, offered to review the surveillance tapes to see what had happened. It turned out a riding lawn mower had thrown a rock up and shattered the window! Kind of ironic since we'd originally parked somewhere else, but moved the car to be under the tree for shade.
She offered immediately to pay for the damages. Her son went home and brought back a shop vac, and then proceeded to vacuum every shard of glass out of the car, and then carefully swept up the parking lot. He also carefully cut a piece of cardboard and spent about 30 minutes taping it in securely so we could continue our 5 hour drive home. He did a really excellent job because even driving 70 down the 15, we never had a problem with it.
It was a mistake, but the way they handled it was great. The payment of the window repair has already been taken care of and I would definitely eat at Thunderbird again. I'd just park somewhere else! -
Review from Weston W.
Hilmar, CA
6/30/2011 1 photo
For what it is it's great -
Do: Come here and order any of the burgers or other dinner fare.
Don't: Come here expecting a great steak house... it's a dinner people, not Morton's.
Stopped in here with a crew of 7 and thoroughly enjoyed our food and service. I personally scarfed down my Jalapeno burger like it was going out of style then consumed most of the super hot fries. It's always nice to get fries hot. Prices were very fair for where this place is and I felt like we got our moneys worth. Left the place happy, full, and ready for the next leg of our journey.
One last thing: On the intriguing Ho-made pie sign... the mystery continues as to where the Ho's were. ?? -
Review from Michael W.
La Verne, CA
4/17/2011 1 photo
Went here before heading into Zion.
Now I got to tell you this is like the ONLY option out here. So basically if you were hungry enough it would be the best thing you ever yelped.
Not to say it wasnt good....
It was pretty good decent service and the waiter was friendly.
Wait time seemed like forever but I was really REALLY hungry.
They have their children there cleaning and its creepy when they sit and stare at you for long periods of time.....a little sixth sense.
I had the chicken fried steak it was pretty big! Came with good mashed potatoes and free soup.. didnt finish it.
Oh and their slogan is home of the Ho made pies. Stay classy rural Utah.Listed in: The werid odd and out of place
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Review from Jennifer W.
Hillsboro, OR
6/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
this is indeed the only option in Mt Carmel Junction. the food is so so and after one time dinner in here, we've decided to drive a bit further to springdale where options are abundant! If you don't want to drive across the Zion National Park all the time, there's one place in Glendale (15 min away) that I would recommend: buffalo bistro.
or go to Subway across the street. -
Review from Michelle E.
Cedar City, UT
9/18/2011
It's in a good location, but the food is just pretty bad and over-priced. Didn't get to try the "ho-made" pie, though.
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Review from paul b.
Revere, MA
6/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
After a day in Zion which included a three hour trail ride on horse(mule for me)back, cold beer and food beckoned. We pulled into the parking lot of the place across the street (forgot the name) based on a AAA listing. The motel looked shabby and the restaurant decidedly un-welcoming, so we U-turned to T-bird. How can you NOT eat at a place featuring HO-MADE pies? I figured it was a re-entry program for female inmates of the Utah Correctional Facility.
Anyway, our server was a very sweet young man who did his job well with all our questions about the menu. This is strictly a 1960's vintage place, just like the old Howard Johnsons restaurants that blanketed the East Coast highways in my youth. So the ambiance was familiar, slightly dated, and yet charming.
The food? Well I would say that if this place had any serious competition it would not survive. The vaunted salad bar featured brown edged iceberg lettuce and the tomatoes, cukes, and such lacked imagination. Luckily sliced beets were on hand to lend the only upscale note available. It would have been helpful to have the salad dressings labelled. I was leaning toward the chicken fried steak but on the advice of our server chose the grilled chicken with BBQ sauce instead. "Ho-hum!" Just ok, nothing special. My girlfriend had a 6 oz steak that was also nothing to write home about.
Yes, the beer was cold, cheap at $3 per, and the best thing about the place.
Seems like most restaurants in Utah make pies (a very welcome discovery). The T-bird's were just okay. Guess those HOs need more training.
If you are hungry or thirsty, the T-bird fills the void, but only just that. For a truly unique experience, go a few miles up Rt 89 to Glendale and try the Buffalo Bistro next to the Smith Hotel B and B. -
Review from Carol A.
Rancho Cordova, CA
7/23/2011
Awesome food and great, friendly staff! Cool restaurant!
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Review from Mel G.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2011
True, this is the only food option for miles and miles around. But, it was just not that good... my boyfriend and I ordered the 6 oz. NY strip and it was just.. simply not that tasty. But, again, there is no other option. :) The main thing the place has going for it is that the dining room itself is pretty charming and has a great environment. The gift store next store is also fun to take a look in.
Listed in: Utah 2011!
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Review from Newman N.
Plano, TX
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
The Cheese burger at thunderbird resaurant is pretty good, along with the atmosphere of the restaurant itself. The pies are phenomenal. Some of the best pies I've ever tasted.
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Review from Ali P.
6/23/2009
For being in a remote part of the state, Thunderbirds offers pretty decent food and the service is really friendly. And unlike most other establishments in the area between Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, their prices are actually quite reasonable!
I had a chicken salad sandwich and their "ho-made" coleslaw, both of which were very fresh and delicious. After seeing their ads for "ho-made" everything, I had to ask what the story was. Apparently when they ordered the sign for the restaurant, there wasn't enough room for all the letters in "home," so they spelled out "ho-made" as such, and everything else seemed to follow.
The restaurant and its staff have a lot of character, and if you're in the area between Bryce Canyon and Zion along US-89, it's definitely worth a stop! -
Review from Bony K.
San Diego, CA
5/20/2009
Great place for traditional American food at quite reasonable prices for dinner and alcoholic beverages.
The dinner entrees we had were all good since they came with self-served soup+salad bar. Perhaps one of the best country fried steak plates I've had because of it's crispiness without the oiliness in presentation.
My only gripe was the AC which was blowing enough to make you want to wear a jacket or another layer of clothing. Service was great, our waiter brought out another round of beers without them asking for it!Listed in: Stay at Zion Park, Utah
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Review from Carolyn P.
Vacaville, CA
10/11/2011
Just about same as Denny's. Only ate the bread.
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Review from Randy B.
New York, NY
12/20/2010
I ordered six pieces of pie and the bill came to $28.50. Making matters worse was that fact that the slices were miniscule. I don't fault a business for making money but when they try to rob me I have a serious problem. I came here because I thought it was humble family owned place with a kitchy sign promoting, "Ho Made Pies".
Making matters worse the waitress at the register kept telling me while I was waiting for my take-out order how disappointed she was that my party was not eating in the restaurant since she did not have a party all day - she mentioned this about five times.
When I got to Vegas I saw that I could have a substantially bigger slice of pie from the legendary Payard's for the same price. Nothing like a restaurant trying to take its customers to the cleaners because they feel they are capable of getting away with it.
Stay away from this place - it's a tourist trap offering lousy food at high prices. -
Review from Melissa B.
Boston, MA
3/12/2008
The food at this pit stop was great! It is the first food sighting outside of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes NP so we were HUNGRY when we stopped in but we couldn't even finish the breakfast. The home-made toast with cinnamon and sugar was to die for and I got a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a biscuit....what came was outrageous! Two eggs, two sausage patties smothered in cheese on the most enormous biscuit then smothered in gravy....I was astonished that they expected one person to eat this (and I am a BIG eater!).
Awesome homestyle country breakfast in the middle of nowhere! -
Review from Eli G.
Newtonville, MA
11/21/2010
Home of the Ho-Made Pies. 'nuff said.
We haven't actually eaten there, though we bought a pie. It was reasonable. A bit heavy on the starch.
- Are the berries local, m'am?
- Local? LOCAL?! Nothing grows here. -
Review from Vanessa W.
Bethlehem, PA
4/15/2008
Decent food in an area that is very scarce on restaurants. Homestyle eats with tons of gravy. Pie is especially good though and worth a stop, or if you're too full like we were, get it to go. Definitely a local hang out.
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Review from merlin g.
Sedona, AZ
5/6/2010 1 photo
This is an authentic old school diner that does it right. Awesome vibe, awesome food. The pie and coffee are worth the trip. The Thunderbird rocks people!
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Review from noodlebean d.
Bolivar, MS
10/19/2009
Fun, cute place with food that's just okay but great atmosphere and history. Worth a stop -- and you won't have many choices, so just go for it. Unfortunately, the ho-made pies are somewhat disappointing, but the rest of the food we had was pretty good. Yay!
