Deli meets grill at GriDeli’s North in Marriott-Slaterville
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- Managers Yolanda Godinez and Juan Raya-Godinez of GriDeli’s North, with the signature Big Nasty Burger.
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- The Big Nasty Burger is the signature of GriDeli’s North in Marriott-Slaterville.
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- The Philly steak sandwich at GriDeli’s North in Marriott-Slaterville.
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- The Greek souvlaki bowl of marinated chicken and beef gyro meat, served over lemon rice with house-made tzatziki sauce, at GriDeli’s North in Marriott-Slaterville.
The quirky name, GriDeli’s North, sometimes gives a mistaken impression to those who pass by Marriott-Slaterville on Interstate 15.
No, GriDeli’s North is not an Italian restaurant. It’s not a chocolate factory either.
The name is actually a cross between the words “grill” and “deli,” according to owners Mae Miya and Jan Hoch. It’s called GriDeli’s North because it’s located in the northern end of Weber County. In the beginning, there was also a GriDeli’s South in South Ogden, which closed a couple of years ago.
Miya and Hoch credit much of the success of GriDeli’s North to manager Yolanda Godinez and her son, Juan Raya-Godinez, who are also part owners.
“We have carved out a great niche here,” Miya said. “That’s due to Yolanda, Juan and our staff. They will often greet people by name when they come in and ask if they want ‘the usual,’ because they can remember their orders.”
“The usual,” might be the signature Big Nasty Burger — two 1/3-pound patties topped with onion rings, bacon and barbecue sauce. It’s one of Raya-Godinez’s favorites. If that’s too hearty for your appetite, there’s always the Little Nasty Burger — a single 1/3-pound patty topped with bacon, onion rings and barbecue sauce. “It’s like the little brother,” he said.
Besides big burgers, the restaurant has a variety with something for just about everyone — sandwiches, salads and even a few Greek specialties. GriDeli’s North has been a past winner of the Standard-Examiner’s annual Best of Northern Utah contest, mainly for “best lunch.” But it has also garnered a past “Best Greek” award for its items like chicken souvlaki — cubes of chicken marinated in red wine vinegar and seasonings. The souvlaki bowl includes souvlaki chicken and gyro meat, served over lemon rice.
“All our sauces and dressings are homemade,” Hoch said, “including the Greek tzatziki sauce.”
The Greek souvlaki bowls are popular for many of the school team and community events that the restaurant caters. A few weeks ago, the staff did 125 Greek bowls for one event, and 230 burritos for the Weber County Livestock Show. In the winter, they often cater drill team competitions, including one for 700.
GriDeli’s also serves breakfast, with the Loco breakfast burrito as the top-seller, according to Juan Raya-Godinez. It’s stuffed with bacon, ham, potato, egg and cheese, and topped with house-made salsa.
When it comes to sandwiches, “Our brisket sandwich is really good,” Miya said. “I just discovered it a few months ago, because I usually get a BLT.”
The Philly steak sandwich is another customer favorite, with slices of beef, cheese, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and steak sauce. There are a couple of riffs on the Philly concept — a Philly Steak Bomb has added pastrami, and the Firecracker Philly has spicy heat.
The Flying Buffalo sandwich features chicken, Buffalo sauce and bleu cheese or ranch dressing.
If it’s salad you’re craving, GriDeli’s has several.
“The Get Fit is possibly our best-selling salad, with our homemade strawberry vinaigrette,” Miya said.
It has a base of spring mix greens, topped with grilled chicken, strawberries, walnuts and feta.
They also have a kids’ menu, with the usual choices of a burger, chicken fingers, grilled cheese or mini corn dogs.
Hoch is a retired school administrator, and Miya is a retired high school teacher and athletic director. They’re not chefs or cooks; their only food background is that “We both love to eat.”
“In retirement, we were looking for something to do,” Miya said. “It started as a group ownership, and then we bought it for ourselves. Yolanda has been with us from day one. She bought into it, so it’s run by three minority, multicultural women, which is awesome.”
Lunch is the busiest time for the restaurant, with a variety of patrons — business executives, farmers, ranchers, blue collar workers and women.
“We want to make it a comfortable place, with sports on TV — just a great place,” Hoch said.”Our concept was that we wanted somewhere our dads (who had been farmers) would like to go and chat with friends.”
When asked what sets their restaurant apart, Miya responded, “The way that Marriott-Slaterville has been so good to us for more than 10 years that we’ve been in business. We have incredibly loyal clientele.”
IF YOU GO
GriDeli’s North
Location: 380 N. 2000 West, Marriott-Slaterville
Contact: 801-732-2550 and https://www.gridelisnorth.com/
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday
Price range: $5-$10