This diner is the perfect stop before heading into Zion, easy, welcoming, and exactly what you want before a day on the trails. The service is genuinely good, with staff who keep things moving and make you feel taken care of without any fuss. But the real standout is the pie. Truly some of the best anywhere; flaky crust, rich fillings, and the kind of "ho-made" taste that makes you consider ordering a second slice to go. A great starting point for your park day and absolutely worth a visit for the pie alone. read more

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Driving on US-89 and UT-12, there were a number of billboards up advertising the famous "Ho-Made Pies" served at Thunderbird Restaurant. Since we were staying in the attached hotel, we figured we would try a slice! When we checked into the hotel in the afternoon, we wanted in and saw a bunch of fresh pies in the display case in the front, but we decided to hold off until after dinner. When we returned, they were all gone! Luckily we talked with the waitress and she told us that they still had plenty in the back. They also fresh bake pies every morning to be ready by 7AM opening. Chocolate Cream Pie Slice ($4.99) - That's one hefty slice of pie! It's at least half a pound of pure sugar. The topping is stabilized whipped cream while the base is a really chocolatey super thick custardy, probably cornstarch-thickened, pudding, more like jello than pot de crème. The pie crust seems a little wan, not that heavily baked given the lighter color. It's a harder crisp with a good amount of flakiness and is probably shortening based. Yet the crust still stays crunchy even with the onslaught of pudding above. As a whole the slice is ridiculously heavy and rich, super filling after dinner. I can't vouch for anything else on their menu, but Thunderbird Restaurant certainly serves some good pies! It's reasonably priced and is served in a huge portion. There's not much else I could ask for. Bathrooms - Outside in the hotel lobby read more

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I had never heard of this restaurant prior to passing it on my way out of Zion but it's a must-stop. The history of the place is written on little laminated cards on the table and it's fun to read about the family that started it all, and the amazing home made pies that Fern created and shared with the community. I had a slice of the coconut cream pie and can confirm - ITS INCREDIBLE PIE! I did also get a cup of their soup of the day (was tomato bisque that day) which was smooth and lovely, and got an order of their homemade bread to go with it. I cannot stress enough that it was some of the BEST home made bread I have ever had, and it paired so well with the creamy soup. It was an unconventional lunch but I left so happy! And my server was very sweet and attentive. Overall - if you need food or just want to try a spectacular slice of pie, you have to stop here. The place is absolutely iconic, an American treasure for sure~~ read more

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04/17/26 If you read nothing else, read this - DO NOT SKIP THE PIE! The pie will change your life. Sorry other pies, but Thunderbird has ruined it for all other pies. This is my new standard for pie excellence. We got the Thunderberry and apple pie with buttered rum sauce served warm in the diner and a la mode. Excellent choice. Both were warm and delicious and we just couldn't stop eating both of them. We loved the pie so much that we got a slice of coconut cream to go and ate it for breakfast the next day. I have been dreaming about this pie ever since and have even had the thought of taking a flight back to Utah just to get a slice. On top of all that, our waitress Jersey was a delight. She made meaningful conversation with us and was spot on with her service. The burgers were good too, but man, if we didn't order burgers, we probably could have eaten two more slices of pie and I would have liked that just fine! read more

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Definitely 4 stars, fine if you count the fact that it's in such a remote area just outside on Zions East gate. First off the service was phenomenal. I even left my credit card behind accidentally and picked it up the next morning with no issues. Their ho-made apple pie with buttered rum sauce was outstanding. The crust was flaky and the apple filling held up well. The sauce was the perfect complement. Their 1/3 Burger was delicious. Ate it so fast I didn't get a chance to take a picture. The fettuccine was surprisingly good, perhaps a little thick on the sauce but that's personal preference. The ho-made chips were a little disappointing for the simple fact that all the cups were of uneven thickness. read more

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Love this Ho-Made pies!! Thunderbird restaurant has great American food. Just like mom used to make! The service was great and pleasant. Ambiance is a step back to the 40-50's which is AWESOME!! My apple pie to go awaits! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Apple pie with hot buttered rum sauce! - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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The interior has so much character and the food was really good. I had the country skillet which had some of tge best chicken fried steak I have ever had. Their hash browns aren't frozen potatoes fried up. Nope. You get real potatoes with some onions added for a really nice flavor. And if you have Amanda for your server, she's a great gal. read more

Great hospitality and service. Delicious French toast with eggs breakfast. Restaurant is great to look at, with lots of vintage pieces to admire. read more

Had to stop for pie, obviously. Classic all-American diner vibes kinda gave IHOP's cooler, slightly less chaotic cousin. Service was fast, friendly, and the chocolate cream pie was quite yummy. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Pies - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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Busy restaurant, getting seated, order and food all took some time. Decent chicken fried steak was a bit dry. Small portion size is ok for me but some may be disappointed vs an IHOP or Denny's for example. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Chicken fried steak - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Get the pie! Apple with rum sauce and thunder berry, both warmed à la mode. Jersey was our waitress and she was friendly and wonderful. Had a thunder burger and chili fries. Both were delicious. Great little place to stop, read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Apple pie - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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Apple pie with rum sauce and ice-cream was yummy! Enjoyed the spot. Nice service very pleasant all the way around. Ambience is old school which fits the environment and vibe. Very quiet and nice. Food was great. read more

My husband and I stopped here for breakfast on our way from Orderville to Springdale & were pleasantly surprised! It was a neat mom 'n pop diner feel with a really interesting history behind it (very inspiring story about the original owner, Fern). Our food was good & their "ho-made pie" was great!! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Great stop! Power was unfortunately out and some folks were grumpy but the staff and service were still Amazing to my family and I and hooked us up with some pie! We will be back - great folks! read more

Great diner ambiance and a heart warming origin story. Stopped for breakfast, and the food is great. Service is amazing - friendly staff and efficient service. I had the senior breakfast that came with two slices of bacon, an egg, hash browns and toast. Just a bit too much food. My husband had a "short stack" of two pancakes and couldn't even make a dent in them! Two huge pancakes about 8" in diameter and each about an income fluffy goodness. This place is on the side of the ride on the way to the east side of Zion or on the way to Bryce. Take the time to stop - it's worth it! read more

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We ended up eating here a few times because it was so good. Mediterranean Salad was DELISH!!! Burgers were delicious too. Great place!!! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Thunderbird Restaurant - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

OMG what a fantastic place to have a great a meal and relax. Our server Tanner was fantastic, attentive, great advices. The steak was superb. And the pie delicious. We will be back. Thank you. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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Nice retro diner full of memorabilia and Knick knacks, pies are to die for!! Service ok. read more

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Stayed at the Best Western Hotel this restaurant is a part of and decided to get food togo from the restaurant. We were looking for a pasta dish and they recommended the Blackened Chicken Alfredo ($25), as it's their best seller. It sure lived up to the hype. Chicken were well prepared and not dry. I thought the "blackened" party was going to make the chicken super peppery, but that was not the case. The pasta itself was made el dente and the sauce is great. This also came with two garlic toast and they also tasted great. This was one of the better meals I have had on this national park trip. read more

Oh my goodness, what an amazing find! Big Food, Great Service and affordable. Wonderful combination. You must stop here whenever you're anywhere near. We were too full to try their incredible pies but next time we'll start with dessert! Eric Fregger read more

I had the pastrami burger with French fries. It was delicious! Also, our waitress Kaylee provided exceptional service and checked in on us multiple times throughout our meal. We're visiting from CA and felt very welcomed and taken care of. If I'm ever in town again, I'll definitely come back again! Thanks Kaylee! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - It was so delicious, I didn't take a photo until I was halfway done. Haha! - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Very mediocre food. We went out from Zion after 8 pm so this was the only restaurant that was still opened. We arrived at around 8:20 pm, the restaurant was only 1/3 full. It has many empty tables but the front desk made everybody to wait 20-30 minutes. There's a gift shop next door. I could only assume that they wanted to boost sales. Regarding the food, the 6oz steak was good, but the other foods we ordered (sausage pasta and beef dinner) merely reached "eatable" level. The pasta was not even heated through and part of it was cold. Do not go to this place if you have another choice. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Sausage pasta. - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Stopped in for a late lunch on our drive from Bryce to Zion. We ate light for our meal, having a stop at the salad bar plus soup. The food was good and the staff were friendly. Lots of interesting decor. We also got a strawberry rhubarb pie, which was ok but we were shocked when it came out heated up. This kind of pie shouldn't be heated, nor did it say it would be on the menu. But other than that, we enjoyed our visit. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Great coffee and interesting decor. Glad I stopped here when passing by. Breakfast ends at 11 but the hostess snuck us in when we arrived just after 11. Outstanding service! Breakfast was great! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

We came to eat out of sheer convenience the first night but tried a few other places nearby and can safely say if you're hungry and need some quality food to fill you up after a full day of hiking? This is the place to be! Note they're only open Friday-Tuesday so you'll need to plan some backups if needed! Since we were dining a bit later in the day, our server was super chill with us just grabbing a plate at the salad bar if we wanted and didn't charge us extra. We also got complimentary bread with our order. For my entree I ordered the New York strip and my husband got the trout. My steak was amazing and so juicy! They cooked on really well and our server was so sweet, super friendly, and went out of his way to search literally everywhere to find me their last bottle of A1 sauce. I think he may have asked all of the servers because another one came by and was like, hey do you need more A1? I found another bottle! It was really great service and everyone was super cheery and just seemed genuinely happy. My husband got the trout which he said was probably the best fish he's had in a really long time which is saying a lot seeing we live in the land of 10,000 lakes! We would highly recommend coming here and will definitely stop in again if we make it out to Bryce again! read more

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The menu was absolutely terrible and disgusting. I ordered the warm beef dish, and it was served with a sauce that literally looked like crap. My wife ordered a salad -- it was awful, a weird mess with random ingredients thrown together. The menu is just horrible. I looked at the neighboring tables and the way the food was presented there too, and I honestly do not understand how this place can have 5 stars. This isn't even a one-star place -- it's zero stars. They should close it, completely redesign it, fire the chef, and create a proper human menu. Other than burgers and some cheap fast food, there's basically nothing on the menu, and the presentation is absolutely disgusting. read more

We stopped by here after visiting Zion. The ambiance was really cool, had all these car along the walls and decor was a cabin like feel. The service was great, and food came out really fast. But the food wasn't anything impressive, granted I had breakfast. Maybe lunch is better. I mainly stopped by to get some pies. Overall, I would maybe come back. But out there is slim pickings! read more

I thoroughly enjoyed the food and my experience here. We came for lunch and had the big boy with sweet potato fries, a blt with potato salad, a cup of chicken gumbo and a thunderbird pie. Everything was so yummy and as expected! Our server Tayler was also incredible attentive. She made sure that we had everything we needed and was very friendly. We came on a Saturday afternoon, so there was no wait to be seated and it took about an hour for our experience. Would return! read more

Great place for a historical Kanab diner. We had breakfast there. The girls are sweet and helpful, and the food was good. read more

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Stopped in for the warm apple pie on the way to Bryce Canyon and it didn't disappoint. Great food. Service was friendly and the ambiance and decor were a lot of fun. Really enjoyed stopping here and will hopefully be back. read more

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Great pies!!! When in Utah especially near Zion or Kanab, must stop and grab a slice of pie especially between hikes. Usually sold out of the whole pies and had to settle for a slice. Our favorites are the Strawberry Rhubarb and Thunder Berry. The diner also has good quick food. read more

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Cozy atmosphere and friendly service. My wife ordered steak, I ordered the trout almandine. I love the lemon pepper seasoning on the trout but was a bit confused it didn't come with almonds. I opted in for the salad bar so i just grabbed almonds from there so its was nbd. I'm glad i ordered it with rice as the flavors meshed really well together. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Steak - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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Great old school dinner. Big portions friendly staff. 2 out of 3 of our 6oz Meat cuts were great

Delicious homemade pies of many options. Delicious food all made from scratch. Exceptional service. Unique ambiance. This was our third visit as we traveled from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park, and we've never been disappointed. You don't stay in business for 93 years underwhelming your patrons. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Entrance to the restaurant and store. - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

We ate here twice because theres not much else on thus side of Zion. Service was pretty good snd food came out quick. We had burgers and a chicken fried steak. All were cooked well, burgers were pretty big with alot of fries. Definately had an old school restaurant vibe. read more

Simple down home good cooking. Service is friendly, helpful and welcoming. They truly make you feel at home. Pies and bread and biscuits are all made from scratch and simply delicious! The restaurant is southwestern cabin style with lots of wood, license plates from all over the United States hang from the beams and along the wall, collections of old cameras and vintage pictures are displayed all over the restaurant. It is so relaxing. I could just sit and feel at home. Prices are a little higher than I expected. I was surprised they had a whole vegetarian vegan menu. This made me really happy! read more

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Stopped her for lunch and had the chefs salad. It was packaged lettuce with lunch meat in it. The wife had the hot turkey sandwich that she liked. We had to try the pie as everyone talked about it. I had the coconut cream. Not sure what it was but did not find much cream except for on top. More of a pudding pie with coconut sprinkled on top. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Coconut cream pie - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

GREAT pies and enjoyed the chili of the chili cheese fries. The 3 items were about $25 which seemed like a tourist trap pricing and not likely where the locals dine. Ambaince was fun with license plates everywhere and the service was respectful & responsive Only getting 4 stars due to the higher price point for a snack stop read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Thunderberry and apple pie with butter rum sauce - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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We had the best dining experience of our lives thanks to our waitress, Jersey. I don't say that lightly. From the moment we sat down, Jersey was incredibly attentive, and genuinely kind. She anticipated what we needed before we even had to ask, explained the menu perfectly, and somehow struck that perfect balance of being present without ever being intrusive. You can tell she actually cares about her guests and about making the experience great. It's rare to come across service this good anymore, and Jersey absolutely made our random visit worth it. The food was great but she is the reason we'll be telling everyone we know about this place. If you're lucky enough to get Jersey as your server, you're in for a fantastic experience. (THE CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE IS TO DIE FOR!) read more

The Mt Carmel Junction is the nexus of all traffic from Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon--it may as well be the intersection of terrible food, awful service and over-priced snacks. I would steer clear of the Thunderbird and have a Subway sandwich--you may want to hike Angel's Landing without exploding diarrhea. If you are looking for a pleasant local experience, go with McDonald's in Kanab--the burgers are actually good. And if you want a beer, grab a sixer at the gas station, waiting for Taylor will definitely leave you RED. And the "pie girl"? Hostess has nothing to worry about. Keep driving--Kanab is only 20 miles away and won't require a doctor's visit. What's the word? It ain't the Thunderbird. Second verse, worse than the first. read more