Our Story

Sam Harris, owner of Sammy’s Bistro and Sammy’s Express, is a Park City Local through and through.

Sam has lived in Park City since he was four, and never left this amazing ski town of his. He skied competitively and started his journey in the restaurant industry as a teenager. One thing he’s always wanted in Park City was great food he could afford on his waiter and line cook salaries. In January of 2011, he filled that niche by opening Sammy’s Bistro at 1890 Bonanza Drive. The menu is inspired by his experiences working with some of the greatest chefs in Utah. That includes Jean Louis, Cucina Toscana-founder Water Nassi and Tarahumara-founder Gregg Vincent Grass. The bistro began as a booth at the Park Silly Sunday Market.

One of his favorite restaurants to work in was Mileti’s. After it closed, he wanted to give Park City a way to continue enjoying its Texas BBQ Shrimp – jumbo prawns wrapped in Applewood-smoked bacon and grilled with jalapenos. With permission from the family, he opened a booth at the Sunday market and had great success for four years. When he grew tired of setting up and tearing down a kitchen every week all summer, he decided to look for a permanent place of his own. With his kitchen experience and head waiter training from the Valaika brothers at Shabu, he is confident he has what it takes to run a successful restaurant on his own. In addition to offering the Texas BBQ shrimp with coleslaw and cornbread.

Sammy’s Bistro also has items like grilled romaine wedge salad inspired by his time with Nassi. It is hearts of romaine grilled and sprinkled with kosher salt and cracked peppercorns drizzled with four-cheese dressing and topped with bacon bits and cherry tomatoes. “It’s a warm salad. It brings out the smokiness and sweetness in the lettuce. It’s a very unique, exotic dish that’s been extremely popular,” Food carts in Thailand inspired his grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich. The fish is marinated in honey and lime, grilled, and topped with fresh mango salsa, cabbage, cilantro, tomatillo aioli and served on a bun. The fish marinated in cumin and lime is also available as tacos with the same toppings. The menu is short and simple, but filled with items Harris can execute perfectly.

The restaurant was featured twice on the hit TV show Diners, Drives, and Dives. With his new found publicity, The Bistro is not only a destination for tourists and fans of the show, but is also unofficially known as the ‘Locals Spot.’ With friendly service, an amazing menu, and a laid-back local bistro vibe, his success continues. So much so, he was able to fulfill his dream of opening another location- Sammy’s Express in Kimball Junction.