Tin Angel Cafe

About the Tin Angel

Since 2007 Tin Angel has been one of Salt Lake's best loved dining destinations. The Chef/owners have a passion for quality local ingredients, an ecclectic style and a love for Salt Lake City.  Jerry and Kestrel Liedtke found an old Pioneer-era home in the heart of Downtown Salt Lake and transformed it into a lively destination for high end cuisine, wines and cocktails. Jerry's dedication to quality, flavor and local ingredients found the perfect home in the Historic Pioneer Park area. With the Salt Lake Downtown Farmer's Market right across the street and local purveyors of high quality ingredients like Caputo's and Rimini Coffee a short bike ride away, the couple have built a strong anchor in a growing neighborhood. The charm and style of this upbeat cafe cannot be denied. The city has embraced this vision with open arms: six-time winner of Salt Lake Magazine's Dining Award--including the coveted award for Best Restaurant 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018!

The History of our Name

Our Chef and co-owner Jerry Liedtke Jr. grew up in the bar business.  His father, Jerry Sr., owned bars here in Salt Lake in the Sixties and Seventies.  In 1967 Jerry Sr. opened a quiet little bar on State Street between Third and Fourth South on the East side of the street and named it Tin Angel. 

Jerry Sr. was just starting out and business was slow so when a man approached him about doing a fashion show there on Friday nights he thought he didn't have anything to lose and booked him for the following week. The man arrived to get set up. His hair was piled up in a tall beehive and costume jewels glinted from his ears.  In poured a bar full of 1967 Drag Queens with Bitch Sticks, Bouffants and Feather Boas.  Jerry Sr. was surprised to find that the planner of the event had neglected to mention that his show was a Cross Dressing extravaganza and came with an audience hungry to see the routine.  What was a bartender to do? Surrender to the party and The Tin Angel became famous as Salt Lake’s main venue for Drag Queen Cabaret. Eventually, the lease ran out, the party died down and The Tin Angel was torn down to make room for parking.  Jerry Sr. moved on to other projects.  (Some Utahns may remember Jerry’s Brown Bag across the street from the old Tin Angel location).

Jerry Jr. always loved the name of his father’s famous hot spot. Almost forty years later, when he and his wife and their best friend opened a restaurant just a few blocks from his dad's old place, "The Tin Angel" was the only name they ever considered.

We are looking for memorabilia from this era of Salt Lake history.  Drop by and tell us your story (preferably in drag). Photos of Jerry Sr.'s Tin Angel, stories from customers or performers, hand bills,  etc. can be emailed to thetinangel@gmail.com.

TheTinAngel@gmail.com

The Fabulous Zara Shalbetter

did the background art.