No trip to Moab would be complete without a visit to Eddie McStiff’s. Advertised as "Moab’s oldest legal brewery", this restaurant is popular with everyone from families with small children to mountain bikers to grandparents. And why not? There is something on the menu here for everyone – pizza, pasta, steaks, burgers, salmon, Mexican favorites, a special kids’ menu, and of course, 13 handcrafted microbrews.
McStiff’s was a bustling place. The atmosphere was a little noisy, but everyone was having a good time. We had a long wait in the bar while we waited for our table. We amused ourselves by keeping one eye on the televised sports and the other eye on the clientele. This was a fun place for people watching. Those less easily amused might wish to go upstairs and play pool or foosball while they enjoy their microbrew of choice. The bar also had a small dance floor, but since there was no music that night, it saw no action. The restaurant’s tables were covered with plain white paper and each has a small cup with crayons. Kids and adults alike can pass the time between ordering and eating by drawing or playing tic tac toe.
Since McStiff’s was only a short walk down Main Street from our motel, we ate here twice. On our first visit, we dined on house specialties, the Stiff’s Hummus Plate, dinner salads and pasta. The hummus and salad were originals, unlike what we have had at home. The hummus was on the thick side, and light on the lemon, garlic and tahini. The dinner salads were topped with crunchy wheatberries (as opposed to croutons) and the house miso dressing. The dressing was an interesting blend of miso, cider vinegar, honey and soy, and it gave the salad a distinctly oriental flavor.
Looking around, it seemed as though we have missed the boat by not ordering a pizza. McStiff’s has been voted among the "top 100 Independent Pizzerias in the U.S." and waitresses were delivering them to every table but ours. We vowed to try one on our next visit to see what all the fuss was about.
There are almost as many pizza toppings as there are microbrews. Of course, there are the standard Italian sausage and pepperoni, but perhaps you would prefer green chiles or jalapeno peppers. You can choose from 6 "loaded" specialty pizzas (4-11 toppings) or build your own. We chose to top ours with fresh garlic, onions, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. Even our server agreed that this would be a great pizza. We were not disappointed. The pizza was delicious and made more than a meal for two hungry hikers. Should we ever return to Moab and McStiff’s, we will pass up everything else and head straight for the pizza!
For a souvenir of your visit, McStiff’s has a retail store with T-shirts, hats, water bottles, etc. You can also get the miso dressing and the microbrews to go.