For being in a remote part of the state, Thunderbirds offers pretty decent food and the service is really friendly. And unlike most other establishments in the area between Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, their prices are actually quite reasonable! I had a chicken salad sandwich and their "ho-made" coleslaw, both of which were very fresh and delicious. After seeing their ads for "ho-made" everything, I had to ask what the story was. Apparently when they ordered the sign for the restaurant, there wasn't enough room for all the letters in "home," so they spelled out "ho-made" as such, and everything else seemed to follow. The restaurant and its staff have a lot of character, and if you're in the area between Bryce Canyon and Zion along US-89, it's definitely worth a stop! read more

Great place for traditional American food at quite reasonable prices for dinner and alcoholic beverages. The dinner entrees we had were all good since they came with self-served soup+salad bar. Perhaps one of the best country fried steak plates I've had because of it's crispiness without the oiliness in presentation. My only gripe was the AC which was blowing enough to make you want to wear a jacket or another layer of clothing. Service was great, our waiter brought out another round of beers without them asking for it! read more

The location is unique and a worthwhile stop for just that reason. We found the food very tasty, and the staff was very attentive.

Sat down and realized not a single employee wore a mask. Customers, however, mostly did when not eating. Would not take a chance here.

Waiter ignored us. We tried to make eye contact with him to get his attention but he just turned his head the other way whenever he walked by us, pretending we didn't exist. We didn't look or smell like bums. We were potential customers ready to shell out money for food. This went on for 15 minutes before we realized the tall, old, white-haired waiter guy would not take our order, let alone say hello. We quietly watched him serve the other tables with grace and warmth... except ours. Perhaps he didn't like multi-racial couples. Or maybe he was disgusted by my acne - I did have some zits on my chin that day. We left hungry. The only thing good about this restaurant was the sign outside: Thunderbird, Home of the Ho-Made Pies. It even had a ho on it! The apple pie looked good too but you won't get a piece of it without customer service... unless you're the right color, political or sexual orientation, age, creed or whatever criteria that bigoted waiter held. Maybe he had a special kind of asperger's syndrome that goes away around white people. read more

The food at this pit stop was great! It is the first food sighting outside of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes NP so we were HUNGRY when we stopped in but we couldn't even finish the breakfast. The home-made toast with cinnamon and sugar was to die for and I got a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a biscuit....what came was outrageous! Two eggs, two sausage patties smothered in cheese on the most enormous biscuit then smothered in gravy....I was astonished that they expected one person to eat this (and I am a BIG eater!). Awesome homestyle country breakfast in the middle of nowhere! read more

Cute place. Love the slogan. Food was ok. Had the free hot breakfast from the Best Western Thunderbird Lodge. It was a moderate size. They sliced the bacon thick, which is the way that I like it, but they didn't make it crispy. The ham was on the dry side. The toast (homemade bread) was fantastic. We took a couple of pieces of their "ho-made" pies with us and they were pretty good (particularly the apple pie with butter rum sauce). read more

When you head out to Zion and Bryce Canyon during the winter, food options are sparse. We stopped at this restaurant because of the prime location (Mt Carmel junction of highways 9 and 89) and the bright neon lights and a sign that said "ho-made pies!" We were hungry, had no place else to go, and we were blinded by the lights and the signage. And my oh my, pie, not just any pie, but "ho-made" pie does sound delectably good! SERVICE: It was soooo slow! The restaurant was large in size as in they had a lot of seating, but there were only 4 other tables in the restaurant that were filled and they were spread out in various areas in the restaurant. They had said they were understaffed but a hostess and two waiters covering 4 tables should not have taken this long. Maybe I was super hungry and tired from our journey from SF to our ultimate destination in Kanab, UT. But, it doesn't explain the 15 minute wait for just water, 20 minutes for the waiter to take our order, 30+ minutes for the food to arrive, and another 15 for the check. Maybe if they grouped people in one area things would be more efficient. FOOD: I ordered the blackened chicken Alfredo pasta along with the boyfriend. I wish he would learn to stop ordering the same thing I order so we have a second option in case the dish was a failure. And the blackened chicken Alfredo, as good as it sounded on the menu, was underwhelming. The blackened chicken was very dry, and not blackened too well, the Alfredo pasta was bland, didn't have much flavor, the sauce lumped with the pasta, and felt a little cold like it's been sitting out for too long. But, the buttered toast was A-OK. PIES: We came here mostly for the ho-made pies! It's a ho-made pie because back in the day, they didn't want to spend money on the extra "me" lettering in "home-made pies." So we decided to order one pie to eat at the restaurant, the apple pie with butter rum sauce with a scoop of ice cream, and take the two other pies to go and eat at the hotel in Kanab, UT. Somehow, one of the two of our take-out pie order got screwed up. The thunderberry pie, which we did order, was good, but not as good as the apple pie, and our chocolate cream pie ended up turning out to be a banana cream pie, which was okay. BEER: We tried the local brew, Polygamy Porter, which was also, just okay. The redeeming quality is that there is quite the souvenir shop on premises which if you wanted to go and look around while you wait for the waiter. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Having dinner at the home of the 'ho-made' pies! Whatever that means. - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Without doubt, the Thunderbird Restaurant catches you with it's amazing neon fueled retro look that is hardly to miss at Mt Carmel Junction. The Inside looks more like a typical hotel restaurant, according to the attached Best Western. As a party of five we decided for a variety of warm sandwiches. Honestly, none of them was worth the money. Loveless, small portions and of minor taste. For the price of 9$ you'll get a proper meat and lettuce loaded sandwich in a NY deli. Here you get a skinny clubsandwich. The BBQ sandwich was dry meat and Bbq sauce. Disappointing. I have posted some photos for you. All sandwiches were ruined by chemical tasting convenience food potato salad or cole slaw. One star for the outside look, one for the swift service. read more

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

Friendly employees. We love the food. If ur hungry eat here b4 moving on to ur next stop :) read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Chili is good. A must try :) - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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The staff was so friendly and wonderful. The food was probably the worst we have ever had at a restaurant and the absolute most expensive meal our family of 6 has ever had (in A diner type place). I'm not sure how a salad could be bad, but it was. My sons $15 cheeseburge was thin, hard, and flavorless. We spent over $100 and left hungry.... I wish we could say it was great, but I don't want other families to waste their money here. read more

Not sure what happened, but the quality of this once venerable establishment has sadly slipped. A fall from grace. read more

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

Ate here two nights in a row. Food was good, pie was amazing. We got the coconut cream pie and the the thunderberry pie. Would recommend the Coconut cream for sure. Good food, cold drinks, tasty pie, friendly staff -- what more can you ask for? read more

Sunday June 26th 2016 4:00 PM My husband was so upset at the terrible service he insisted I leave a review. We were driving back from a weekend road trip and lured by all the cute signs and billboards advertising "Ho-made Pies." We actually changed our route to try it out. We arrived and walked up to the "wait to be seated" sign and the hostess told us "just a minute" while she went in the back. There were plenty of wait staff milling around and the place was not that busy, about half of the tables were empty. The hostess was gone for so long we actually tried to find someone else to seat us. She finally came back after a good 15 minutes later with a lame "sorry 'bout that" and showed us to a table. My husband was so shocked (and angry) at her indifference he asked her jokingly "was it something we said?" She told us they had been really busy early but not now (which made zero sense as to why we were kept waiting so long. You are not busy now yet you couldn't walk us to one of the many clean and empty tables which took all of five seconds to do? We didn't say this to her but thought about it later.) We checked out the menu and were somewhat disappointed by the selection. For a place that advertises pies, all of five choices, but we chose what we would order and decided to get some coffee too to keep us alert on the long drive home .... IF ANYONE HAD EVER COME BY TO TAKE OUR ORDER. We did get served water initially but started noticing all the wait staff just completely avoiding us and deliberately not making direct eye contact so we couldn't wave anyone down. We had the distinct impression of coming at a shift change time and everyone just wanted to go home. No one came to our table. No one even said hello. We did have our pitcher of water and after drinking two glasses of water while waiting we look at each other and decided this was definitely not worth the re-route and the aggravation of feeling like we were imposing on a restaurant just because we wanted to order some pie. As we left, the mouth-breather hostesses was planted like a little black-haired dumpling in her hostess seat staring off in space and we realized from her perch she had full view of our table and (should have been) aware no one had come by to wait on us. My husband said, "I know you don't care, it's obvious, but the customer service here is terrible and we will never come back." She made no apologies. Just continued sitting there with a dumb look on her face. It is kind of amazing how they would put such a clueless person at the front to greet people. Maybe she was daydreaming about all the pie we would never eat? Or how the "Ho" that makes the pies has such a waspish waist-line, certainly not a problem this young girl had! This place may have some genuine history but is now essentially a (less-friendly) Dennys on steroids thinly disguised by a sprinkling of quirky decor, i.e., out-of-state license plates on the walls, bull whips attached to the ceiling beams and a large standing cut-out of the "Ho" in a very short apron for photo ops. Obviously this place relies on the fact that it a situated where there is heavy tourist traffic and not too many other eating options around. I would be curious to know who owns this place now and if they are aware at just how bad the service is. Note to owner: instead of hiring young, minimum-wage earning, inexperience numb-skulls, please hire some seasoned pros and have them train the young staff on basic common courtesies....like saying "hello." I like to try to give a place the benefit of the doubt but hubby says "Never again." read more

The staff does not wear masks. The tables have reusable salt, pepper & sugar in the tables. Utah's laws are too lax.

I had the chance to dine at the home of the Ho-Made pies on two occasions, as I was also staying overnight at the adjacent 9-hole golf course, gift shop and Best Western hotel (owned by the same family), plus there aren't many dining options to be found in Mt. Carmel. Therefore, the restaurant tends to be pretty busy with people staying in town overnight or passing through between Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon or Zion National Parks. First I had dinner at the restaurant, which is filled with local memorabilia and old signs from the road. I had salad and a pasta dish, which was very tasty, but not quite as good as what I've come to expect from living in New York over the years. They also serve steak and chicken, amongst other menu items. I also washed down the food with a Polygamy Porter from the Wasatch Brewery. Who could pass up the chance to drink a beer called Polygamy? I couldn't. I didn't have a chance to try one of their famous Ho-Made pies, but I did try their strawberry shortcake. I also had breakfast here (the hotel did not have a continental breakfast). After examining the menu options, which included pancakes, eggs and more, I decided to order a small skillet meal, which included scrambled eggs, sausage gravy and peppers. It was very filling and satisfying. In all, the Thunderbird Restaurant is good restaurant and worth stopping at. As for calling the pies ho-made instead of homemade, I read a small snippet while waiting for my food, and the reasoning behind that was when the neon sign was made many moons ago, they didn't have room to fit the word homemade, so the owners at the time decided to use ho-made instead. read more

Great breakfast! Service and food were fantastic. Great choice in an area thin on choices at the moment.

After a long day of being at the Demolition Derby down the road in Orderville, the group of guys I was with, along with my kiddos and myself, were FAMISHED. We had passed by this place on the way to the derby and I almost cried when I saw the sign that said 'ho-made pies', because I knew we weren't able to stop for a heavenly slice. Imagine my delight when we stopped on the way home! The special was a meatloaf, which, by coincidence, I had been craving all day. The waitress made her rounds and one by one, all of the big burly guys I was with, ordered the same thing-the meatloaf! I was on the verge of water works out of my eyes again as I feebly asked the waitress that I'd like the meatloaf too....if there was any left. She said that there sure was, and there I was, back in my foodie heaven again. A quick trip to the salad/soup bar left my tastebuds ready to try the real treat-the meatloaf I had been craving. But surprise! There was another treat before the meatloaf came. Mini loaves of warm bread! I snatched up a piece before any of those big burly guys threatened to leave none left for me. The meatloaf was so good. It had a sweet 'ketchup' sauce on the top. Steamed veggies topped off the meatloaf and mashed 'taters. My stomach was satisfied. But my curiosity was not. Neither was the curiosity of fellow team mate/big burly man, who bellowed, "So where is this HO who is in charge of making the pies?". The waitresses experiences this type of banter all the time I suspect, because she sweetly joked back. The chocolate cream pie was GOOD. In fact, I feel like I need to drive the 4.5 hours right now, just for another slice. read more

I originally stopped just to takes picture of the Ho-made sign. Decided to go in for dinner and the pie. The dinner was okay, but the apple pie was fabulous. The hot buttered rum sauce was great on the pie and the ice cream. Nice roadside stop. Fast and friendly service. read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Ho-made pies. Yummy. - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

Microbrews and Ho-made pie. Apple pie ala mode with hot buttered rum sauce and an ice cold brew from one of Utah's breweries. Life really doesn't get much better than this. read more

Food was good but not outstanding and I wished I had read reviews and saw piks of the chocolate cream pie. was like pudding in a pie crust, not a fav. Service was good. read more

True, this is the only food option for miles and miles around. But, it was just not that good... my boyfriend and I ordered the 6 oz. NY strip and it was just.. simply not that tasty. But, again, there is no other option. :) The main thing the place has going for it is that the dining room itself is pretty charming and has a great environment. The gift store next store is also fun to take a look in. read more

Actual conversation: Me: "Thunderbird Restaurant. Would you give that one or two stars?" Boyfriend: "Uh................ I'm leaning toward one." Me: "Yeah, I feel bad, but I can't think of anything redeeming." Boyfriend: [trying to think of something positive] "It wasn't dirty or anything... that's good." So, I was really let down by Thunderbird Restaurant. I loved the neon sign and the kitschy stuffed bear at the entrance and the fact that I could get a beer called Polygamy Porter. And I was really looking forward to trying a piece of the "ho-made pie." I think it was called "ho-made" because they were trying to save space/letters when writing "homemade." Of course, because I am easily amused (by myself, no less), I kept pronouncing it "ho-made" rather than "homemade." :) Anyway, we showed up at the hostess stand and were seated quickly, but then we sat in our booth for 15 minutes before the server even acknowledged us. We tried to amuse ourselves with the little booklet of bad jokes that was tucked in with the salt and pepper shakers of each booth, and I even went outside and took a bunch of pictures of the hummingbird feeder and the neon sign The server seemed to be very attentive to three other tables, bringing them food, hanging around and bantering back and forth, running checks very quickly. Meanwhile, we weren't even given water or the chance to order our beverages. Finally, he came over to our table and said, "Do you know what you want to drink?" Seriously?! How about a "sorry for the wait" or even a hello?? We gritted our teeth and said we were ready to order everything. We both got burgers and fries, figuring they would be pretty safe. He took our orders wordlessly and stalked off. Great people skills, guy. After what seemed like an eternity, we were presented with our burgers and fries. The burgers turned out to be thick, dry, and grayed hockey pucks that were burnt all around. No amount of mustard could mask this. I've definitely had better at backyard cookouts and even at company picnics where hundreds or thousands of burger patties were being cooked and were not burned to a crisp. The fries were frozen steak fries. They were edible... but I've had better frozen steak fries in school cafeterias. My favorite parts of the meal were the lettuce and tomato (which were nice and fresh) and the Heinz ketchup (tried and true and incapable of being ruined by a restaurant!). Because of the outrageous wait, MIA server, and terrible burger and fries, I did not have any ho-made pie. I just wanted to leave the damn restaurant. I ended up going to the gas station next door and bought a peanut butter cookie. That tasted better, and the gas station attendant was really nice. Thanks, gas station! read more

Great diner close to Zion and other national parks and wilderness areas. Good place to come in off the road or come in for your first hot meal in days after camping. We had delicious breakfast skillets and coffee. Extremely friendly staff as well. Great stop! The bathroom in the restaurant/hotel lobby was being worked on so they sent me across to the gas station. I thought "oh great I really don't want to go in the gas station bathroom." Well guess what it was the cleanest nicest little gas station bathroom I have ever been in. It was so nice they even had a little card collector (like you'd see at a wedding) for all the notes of appreciation travelers had left about the bathroom! Well done! read more

Home of the Ho-made pies! This place has a very heart warming back story, which will tell you exactly why they have Ho-made pies. Other than pies, the food was awesome too! read more

Thunderbird Restaurant - Love me some country gravy on biscuits! - American Near Me - Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah

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This place is disgusting. The only redeeming factor, they were the only place open for miles and miles. We left Byrce Canyon, thinking we'll find something closer to where we were staying. Bad Idea! Eat a the places right outside Byrce, otherwise be prepared to starve or stop here. The Ho-made pies were not all that great, I don't see what the big deal is. I have had really good pies at places that don't even advertise their pies. Our party of 6 had a variety of dishes, none of which were impressed by the food. We ordered dishes that were deemed safe, since this place is in the middle of no where, we just needed something to hold us through the night. The only reason why this restaurant was still open was that it is attached the the Best Western, which is one of the closest places you can stay to Zion. Servers were friendly at least. read more

Microwaved pie & double billing This place bills itself as having wonderful "ho-made pies," but our pie was microwaved to mushy oblivion, the service was poor and we were double-billed for our meal!! Watch out!! read more

If you are anywhere near Zion National Park, you simply must stop by the Thunderbird Restaurant and try their famous "ho-made" pies! Most of the food is typical diner fare, so don't come looking for a fancy meal. But if you're in the mood for a diner breakfast, a truly great cup of coffee and a slice of the best homemade pie you will probably ever eat in your life, this is the spot. We stayed at the adjoining Best Western hotel for several nights during a recent trip to Zion National Park and joked that we wanted to try and make it through the whole pie list. My favorite hands down was the Thunderberry Pie, which is a mix of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and I forget which other berries...just, all of them. If you're a berry fan, you'll be in heaven. The homemade crust is also divine. My husbands favorites were the Coconut Cream Pie and the Chocolate Cream Pie. The decor is kitschy and fun...they definitely have a sense of humor about the original neon "home of the famous ho-made pies" sign, which dates back to the 1930s. The staff here is very friendly, prompt, and personable. Super classy group of folks. We will definitely be back! read more

Captive audience We waited to be seated for half an hour and the restaurant wasn't crowded! The hostess Linda took an inexplicably long time to seat us. The line spilled into the hotel lobby and wrapped around the reception desk. The delay seemed to be because the slow moving hostess sat a party, explained the simple menu, then brought water to the table. When my party sat we declined water to help the line move and We watched as Linda went into the kitchen or wherever not returning to her post directly . Our waiter Lloyd was pleasant and efficient. The salad bar tomatoes were rotten and the chick peas were coated with an unappetizing slime. The blue cheese dressing had a yellow tint. This place is the only restaurant for miles around and I felt that they take advantage of their captive audience. read more

I had a feeling from the minute we stepped foot into the very awkward waiting area of this place. Our waiter, Jason, was very nice & attentive; however, the lousy food called for this review. Let's start with the lackluster salad bar. The tongs were small & just sitting inside each bin (where people's hands have used & held onto them). You literally had to pick up the tongs inside each bin & then lay them back inside to where they were touching the food after having used them. My daughter ordered the Cajun shrimp Alfredo against my unconvincing "are you sure" glance. The noodles tasted like the strong potpourri smell throughout the front desk area & restaurant. She spat something out into a napkin that she couldn't make out but knew it tasted bad & later got very sick (like needing IV assistance due to what seemed to be foodborne illness at the local hospital sick). I'm not one to want to bad mouth a business, as I understand how hard it is to please everyone these days - but I feel like this place needs to (hopefully) see this review & make some changes. I also want to help others make informed decisions. I've read some people's reviews that just loved the place. Not sure if we just weren't a lucky bunch - but my group did not enjoy any of it..... not at all. read more

The service was very cheerful. The food was extremely overpriced and not very good but good enough when there is no other option. We were told this was the only open restaurant on a Sunday night but later learned that there are open restaurants in Kanab. We wish we kept driving. We barely ate what we ordered but didn't have the heart to complain to our waiter who was very positive and upbeat. I would not go back. read more

Fresh simple food that was tasty. Mini white bread loaf at start was fresh, soft and great taste. Had herb chicken Brest/wing with baked potato and mixed vegetables. Vegetables needed a little seasoning but fresh and not mushy which is important to me. Chicken was excellent as was the potato. 15 minute wait when place appears to be half empty was not understandable. The staff was polite and service quick. read more

I'm not going to say anything new. We had a long day driving from 4 corners to Zion, lots of exploration, hiking to and a little ways into the narrows.So at about 8, when everyone else decided to eat at the pizza joint in the Zion Village we were faced with an hour or more wait. We were staying in Panguitch, so it only made since to swing by this place on the way to our hotel, since they were open until 10 and their sign had made my list of roadside oddities to seek out in our roadtrip! I'll be honest...it might have been faster to have stayed for pizza...the service here is painfully slow...especially when you have 3 hungry kids that you've already pushed to the limits. There are open tables everywhere but they won't seat you for 10 minutes. I don't know if the hold up is the hostess, wait staff, cooks, or dish pit...but they seriously need to realize most of us have been hiking and are famished...waiting when we see an empty table 15 feet away is not good for business...I'm not buying any trinkets...I want a glass of water and a place to rest my ass! Yet...I give this place 4 stars...why? Because the service is also very good. Hostess is friendly and engaged with the kids (albeit, this slows her down) and the waitresses are kind and attentive...(I did only see 3 in the whole place).Then the food itself was more of the same...long wait but then when it arrives it was DELICIOUS...maybe I was so famished that mud from the clouds of my boot would have tasted good...but nonetheless, it was a very good meal! The fried chicken was perfectly crispy and juicy. The mashed potatoes were hand smashed with an old school chicken gravy...the steamed veggies were meh...but aren't they all? My wife had a big salad and the kids had large kids meal portions. Then of course there is pie...More strawberry than rhubarb, their strawberry rhubarb pie was probably one of the best I've had...but skip it if you must in order to get the Apple pie with bourbon sauce...I'm so glad my wife shares. so why 4 stars? Because being from a small sleepy town myself, I realize that life here moves at a slower pace. We are here on vacation...as I assume most of us are and even though we have agenda and waiting isn't scheduled...it should be because what you get is quality service...quality food...and TIME to sit and relax and be with your loved ones. Put away the phones and spend precious time with one another...let this place take you back. Just go a half hour earlier than you anticipated and just BE! read more

this is indeed the only option in Mt Carmel Junction. the food is so so and after one time dinner in here, we've decided to drive a bit further to springdale where options are abundant! If you don't want to drive across the Zion National Park all the time, there's one place in Glendale (15 min away) that I would recommend: buffalo bistro. or go to Subway across the street. read more

Great little place to stop on the road to bryce from zion. How can you not stop at a place that boasts their "ho made" pies. Food was good we had burger, patty melt and the meatloaf special. All of it very good. Service was a little slow, but come on what else do you have to do in this kneck of the woods just chiiiiiil. read more

The only reason this is two stars is because our server was very kind and attentive but if you can help it, just don't go here. The lady at the host stand was immediately rude and disinterested in us walking in, but more importantly the food is EXTREMELY overpriced for something that came out of the kitchen in 10 minutes. You'd really be better off going and getting a microwaveable dinner because the quality is the same. read more

Neat history, great place to stop between Zion and Bryce ... Especially with 3 kids and a pet in tow. We only ordered pie. Apple pie was average, but the kids loved the chocolate pie. Nice grass area beside the parking lot for puppy to explore while we ate our pies in their to go containers. read more

Nice clean comfortable place. Had breakfast which was good (not great, but good). Bathrooms spotless! My kids had breakfast and pie. They are tough food critics and insisted I rate this place a 5. But I thought my eggs were good, not great so just a 4. Unlike some of the other reviews we had good service but we were there mid morning and it wasn't too busy. read more

Nice restaurant. We had fried chicken. It was brought out promptly. I think it was precooked then dropped in the fryer before coming to us. Would not recommend. Our friends had liver and onions. They liked it. Had a piece of their famous pie. Coconut cream. It was decent. Not the best I ever had. read more

Great pie. The service was outstanding. Very friendly and outgoing. Chocolate pie, thunder berry a la mode, exceptionally good. Coconut cream was not as coconutty as hoped. Made special effort to get back here for the pie. Great stop convenient to Zion and Bryce. read more