Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill

My parents and I left Cedar City for St. George one Saturday before lunch, and we didn't stop to eat until nearly four in the afternoon, so on my first trip to Sharky's we were famished!

My mother recommended Sharky's because she remembered that the last time she came they served a lot of good food for very little money. That sounded great to the rest of us, so we pulled onto Red Cliffs Drive, just east of the freeway on-ramp and easily spotted Sharky's near Starbuck's.

The place was already busy, but the line moved quickly, and by the time we'd decided what we wanted, we were at the register. We ordered one large plate of nachos for the three of us (total $5.99) even though the fire-roasted pizza was the same price and the picture on the window looked delicious, though more like a very large tostada than a pizza. We agreed to try that on our next visit to St. George.

The nachos came topped with pinto beans, black beans, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cheddar cheese, guacamole and sour cream. We were very hungry, so even though my mother assured us that we would be full when we finished, we added meat (they have chicken or steak; we chose steak) for another $2. (total now $7.99, plus tax)

We headed for the salsa bar in the corner, and I got excited! They had pico de gallo, green tomato salsa, fire roasted salsa, Sharky's original salsa, a warm salsa, and a very hot salsa. There were wedges of lemon and lime, a mix of onion and cilantro, and lots of little clear plastic cups to fill with your toppings. The cups were much too small. I got one filled with each salsa, and had to refill them twice before I was done. My parents each had a set that they refilled at least once, too.

By the time we got our salsa to the table, our nachos were there, on wax paper covering an aluminum platter about 20" in diameter. The corn tortilla chips were hot (crispy but not overly greasy), and they filled the platter almost completely. The ingredients were all very fresh, the guacamole was smooth with chunks of avacado, the beans were soft and tasty, the steak was diced, tender and juicy. I don't usually like steak, but this was really good!

At first, I thought the toppings were a little sparse for the number of chips they were covering, but halfway through the meal, I realized there was more there than I'd thought, and when the toppings were gone, there was still all that great salsa to go with the rest of the chips!

We cleaned up after ourselves, and I noticed that the dining area was not huge, but it was comfortable enough to be busy without people running into each other.

It's funny, but my mother told me I needed to go see the bathroom before we left, so I went there to wash my hands, which were rather messy from all the finger-food. I was really surprised! They had set stone-like square tiles on the walls, though the floor was just cement painted black. On the wall, where the tiles ended about the level of my elbow, there were rough multi-colored pebbles set in grey grouting in a wave-like pattern. My mother liked it so much that she wants to do something similar at our house!

I give this meal 7 plastic spoons--we fed 3 hungry people on $8, the atmosphere was nice, the place was clean and tastefully decorated, and the food was worth talking about afterwards! It even settled well on the long drive home, thank goodness.

Sharky's serves lots of Mexican dishes, and they all looked as tasty as ours, though some were perhaps more expensive. I hope I get to stop there again and try something else soon!

Location:
158 N. Red Cliffs Dr. Ste. 2
St. George, Utah
(North of the freeway on-ramp going north from St. George)

Phone: 435-656-2991