Giro Messeri knows how to take care of people.
He’s a native Sicilian, a level three sommelier, a former classical mandolinist and a Utah dweller for nine years, and he has made a career out of making people feel seen, working at upscale hotels, high-end restaurants, luxury resorts and exclusive golf clubs.
Messeri is also the face of ‘Mina, a new Sicilian restaurant in Salt Lake City that has its own, more accessible style of hospitality.
Located at 439 E. 900 South, ‘Mina is named for Taormina, a small hillside town on the northeastern coast of the island of Sicily, and Messeri’s birthplace.
He describes the town as colorful and cosmopolitan, and its people as positive, warm and welcoming, because strangers (both conquerors and visitors) have been coming there since its beginnings as a Greek colony in 734 B.C.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mina, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
“We’ve been open to this world for so long, and so in our DNA there is the fact of who you don’t know is a potential best friend for life,” Messeri said.
Not only is the hospitality Sicilian, but so is the look of the restaurant, most of the menu and much of the staff, making ‘Mina the best place in Utah to get a taste of this ancient island, Taormina specifically.
Get Utah Eats newsletter. Every Wednesday, we bring you what you need to know about Utah’s bar and restaurant scene.
“I hope that when people sit down, they go, ‘You know what? I am a little bit in Taormina now,’” Messeri said.
A ‘member of ‘Mina’
Messeri, with his wide smile and colorful suits, is usually the first human connection diners will make when they come to ‘Mina. He started out in restaurants “helping out a friend,” as a dishwasher at age 16, “and then never stopped,” he said.
Messeri “always loved making friends,” he said, and quickly discovered that working in restaurants was an easy way to make new ones, “so that kind of sparked my pleasure in connecting with people.”
Messeri doesn’t come from a family of restaurateurs. His grandfather was an ambassador for Italy and his father traveled the world and lived in the United States for 10 years. Messeri said he always had an American passport and knew he wanted to experience the U.S. at some point.
Encouraged by his dad to apply with Montage Hotels in the U.S., Messeri got a job at Montage Deer Valley in 2017, running the host stand at its signature restaurant, Apex.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Co-owner Giro Messeri prepares Tableside Mozzarella at Mina, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
In the years since, Messeri created a résumé in hospitality, working at Prime Steak House and the Waldorf Astoria in Park City, the Zermatt Resort in Midway, the private resort community Victory Ranch in Heber, the Ken Garff University Club in Rice-Eccles Stadium, and the Glenwild Golf Club in Park City — all establishments known for providing personalized experiences for their guests and residents.
One of the secrets to providing exceptional hospitality at a golf club like Glenwild? “Beautiful massive binders with pictures of all their members and their family and their dogs, and what they like, and when they come in town, when they’re not,” Messeri said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mina on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
When the opportunity to open ‘Mina came along, Messeri put together all of the “little puzzle pieces” of his past work, with the aim of creating “genuine human connection in a Sicilian style,” and said, “How could I make anybody [who] walks in feel like they’re a member of ‘Mina?”
Probably the most significant way that’s manifested at ‘Mina is when you walk in, you’ll likely be greeted by your first name — by Messeri himself.
If you mention your new baby, he’ll remember their name. And if you say on your reservation form that you’re there for a wedding anniversary, Messeri and the ‘Mina team might ask you about your wedding song and then have a small speaker playing it when they bring out dessert, like they did with one couple.
Or if you make an offhand comment that you were recently in Sicily and loved the pasta forno (a widespread Italian dish of any type of baked pasta), next time you come to ‘Mina, the chef might make it for you as a surprise, Messeri said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Co-owner Giro Messeri prepares Tableside Mozzarella at Mina, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
If you order the mozzarella al tavolo, which is prepared tableside, Messeri might be the one to come to your table and stretch the mozzarella while he talks to you about how your night is going.
‘Mina also offers two desserts prepared tableside: cannoli with a variety of toppings available, and affogato with fresh espresso made in a moka pot and poured over housemade gelato.
These gestures are “something so simple but so meaningful,” Messeri said. The key word is intention, an important aspect of modern Sicilian hospitality.
“We always say to our team … you don’t need to know everything,” Messeri said. “You need to do it intentionally, even if you don’t do it perfectly. That’s the cool thing, is that you did it intentionally, and our guests will remember that.”
‘Creating joy’
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mina on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
When Messeri opened ‘Mina with Adam Rosh and Danielle McGuire in March, one of their goals was to create joy, Messeri said.
Part of that joy is the restaurant’s color scheme of deep teal — evocative of the ocean, he said — with contrasting light pink. In Utah, “we are a little afraid of color,” Messeri said, but the co-owners wanted to go bold at ‘Mina, while still keeping the setting “refined.”
The teal shows up in the leather banquettes and booths, and in the cloth napkins, folded square. Pink is the color of the soft velvet upholstery on the chairs.
More of that ocean feel is evident in the undulating wooden forms that divide ‘Mina into two sections, while the black and white tiles on the floor of the bathrooms hearken back to Taormina’s main square, Piazza IX Aprile. Colorful paintings by Sicilian artist Alessandro Florio brighten the hallway and the area by the entrance.
The Simone Guidarelli wallpaper, with its tropical botanicals and climbing monkeys, gives serious “White Lotus” season 1 opening credits vibes. (Coincidentally, the second season of the hit HBO series was shot in Taormina.)
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mina on 900 South, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
A mysterious figure can be found on the outside of the building and throughout ‘Mina. That’s a minotaur (or as they call it at the restaurant, a “Mina-taur”), a creature from Greek mythology that is typically depicted with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man. But at ‘Mina, the minotaur, the symbol of Taormina, looks more like a centaur — half-human, half-horse — and is definitely a she.
Messeri said they wanted their minotaur to be female because Sicilians typically view the island as female, and because they wanted to incorporate the symbol as an acknowledgment of the strong women who contribute to ‘Mina.
Soundproofing in the ceiling cuts down on echoes and excess noise, making it easy to have a conversation with your dining companion.
All of these elements combine for an experience that makes you feel you’re in a “modern Sicilian home,” Messeri said.
An evening at ‘Mina
With ‘Mina’s menu, Messeri said they wanted a selection that was “true Sicilian,” but updated, incorporating high-quality ingredients that are local to Utah whenever possible.
Sicilian executive chef Leonardo Li Mura’s menu is divided into “sfizi” (sharable small bites), “insalate” (salads), antipasti (sharable starters), housemade pasta, “secondi” (entrees), “contorni” (sides) and “dolci” (desserts). There’s also a small selection of caviar if you’re feeling extravagant.
Messeri said the menu ranges from traditional to modern, and for my meal at ‘Mina, I wanted to try examples of both.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) “Trio di Arancini”Ragù Bolognese, Saffron with Mushroom & Truffle oil, Squid Ink with Shrimp, Ricotta, Zucchine at Mina on 900 South, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
I started with the trio di arancini ($18), a small plate that’s both traditional and playful. A popular Sicilian street food, arancini are typically fried balls of risotto with different savory fillings. At ‘Mina, they’re pointy on the top, a nod to Sicily’s active volcano, Mount Etna.
I thought the most flavorful of the trio was the squid ink arancini, filled with shrimp, ricotta and zucchini. The squid ink gave the rice a striking blue-black color.
Next was pasta, and I chose to go a more classic route and ordered the lasagna ($30), because I wanted to see how the chef would treat it.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lasagne with Parmesan Chip, at Mina on 900 South, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
It was perfect, with a decadent and comforting three-meat bolognese sauce and a hint of creamy bechamel. The ‘Mina twist was the translucent disc of golden, crunchy Parmesan lace placed on top. Note: All of the pasta at ‘Mina is made in house, from Italian flours that incorporate Sicilian grain.
And then I had to try one of the entrees, because Messeri said that none of them was very traditional.
I had the filetto al pistacchio ($62), although I elected to order a half portion to stay closer to my budget. It’s a center-cut beef tenderloin with a pistachio crust, charred asparagus and a tasty asparagus soubise (a French onion sauce).
The beef (which comes from a producer in Kamas through the UT47 program) was melt-in-the-mouth luscious, with the tender texture contrasting beautifully with the crunchy, seasoned pistachio crust. (Apparently, pistachios really love to grow in the fertile volcanic soils on the slopes of Mount Etna — one town even has a pistachio festival.)
To drink throughout the meal, I took advantage of the wine pairing service that’s available on request. I sampled a light and fruity white called Tenuta Fertuna Vermentino, from Tuscany, which was lovely with the squid ink arancini, and I sipped a glass of Calcaneus Etna Rosso, which is a full-bodied red from Sicily that paired nicely with the beef. Both wines aren’t typically available in Utah; ‘Mina special ordered them from Italy.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) “Sicilian Olive Oil Cake” Extra-virgin olive oil cake, zabaglione, olive oil gelato, orange glaze, Maldon sea salt at Mina, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
For dessert, I had to try the popular olive oil cake ($18), a creation of ‘Mina pastry chef Francesco Biondo, who’s from Palermo, Sicily’s capital and a city with a rich pastry heritage, Messeri said.
The cake is soft and moist, with subtle olive oil flavor that’s gorgeous with the cake’s notes of citrus. It’s served with an olive oil gelato that has Maldon sea salt in it, so you get sweet and salty and citrusy in each bite. Heavenly.
I didn’t partake, but there’s an extensive amaro list and a mixology program by Daniele La Corte that sounds interesting. They don’t use sugar at all, Messeri said, instead extracting the oils from the fruit to flavor the cocktails.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Almond cookies at Mina., on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Every meal at ‘Mina ends the same way, with a heart-shaped plate of Sicilian almond paste cookies, called paste di mandorla, one for each person at the table. They’re crunchy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside, and just loaded with almond flavor.
Messeri told me the staff often give people little boxes of these cookies to take home and have with coffee the next day, and he gave me one, too.
It was a night that really made me feel like I was what Messeri calls “a friend of ‘Mina.”
Note to readers • The Salt Lake Tribune pays for all of the food and drink I order to write about restaurants.
‘Mina Ristorante Siciliano
Address • 439 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City
Hours • Monday-Thursday, 4:30-9:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4:30-10 p.m.
Price • Entree prices range from $32 for the chicken and $185 for a 36-ounce dry-aged porterhouse that’s meant to be shared.
Vegetarian options • Yes.
Vegan options • Yes. (Dishes can be adapted.)
Gluten-free options • Gluten-free pasta is available, and the staff have a separate cooking process for those with celiac disease.
Off-street parking • Yes.
Patio • The patio is shaded on sunny days, heated on cold days, but not covered. String lights create a mood.
Noise level • Mid. Sound insulation cuts back on excess noise.
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.
