May of 2020, in the Middle of a Worldwide Pandemic
Harris opened his new takeout location, Sammy’s Bistro Express, located in Kimball Junction. Sammy’s Express has the same flavor profiles that everyone knows and loves, but with a different menu in a casual setting. With Covid-19 hitting the restaurant industry hard, Harris viewed it as the perfect opportunity to pivot and provide the community with fast, fresh, and delicious take-out food, at a reasonable price. With his main restaurant in town, Harris hopes for Express to bring some diversity to the Kimball Junction Area!
2
Park City Locations
10+
Years of Success
Sam Harris, owner of Sammy’s Bistro and Sammy’s Bistro Express, is a Park City local through and through.
Harris grew up in Park City and attended Park City High School. He skied competitively and started in the restaurant industry as a teenager. Working as a teen in the restaurant industry, Sam was always on the lookout for good food that he could afford on his waiter/line cook salary, and found it to be lacking in his hometown that thrived off tourism.
The Bistro first began as a booth at the Park Silly Sunday Market. One of his favorite restaurants to work in was Mileti’s. After it closed, Harris 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 Mileti family, he opened a booth at the Park City Silly Market and had great success for four years. When he grew tired of setting up and tearing down a kitchen every Sunday, all summer long, he decided to look for a permanent place to call his own.
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.
In January of 2021, Sam Harris celebrated 10 years of success with Sammy’s Bistro.
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.
