City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta made a goal to visit every bar in Salt Lake County (all 216 of them) in 2023. And she frickin’ did it, y’all! Here are some of her picks of the best bars for every occasion.
Best Dive Bar
“It’s a tie between the Bongo Lounge and Club 48. The diviest thing about Bongo Lounge is that it's sandwiched between two furniture stores. And has the cheapest draft pint in Salt Lake County. Club 48 is just so underrated. They have a bell on the wall that you can ring to buy the whole bar a round, and I think that only works at a dive bar where drinks are cheap. It's also such a great way to make friends and a fun thing to do if you're celebrating.”
Best Bar for a First Date
“Depending on your vibe, in the summer it's Garage on Beck (may they reopen soon!) because that patio's so fun and there might be a band. It's very casual. When I am thinking about a good place for a first date, I don't want it to be fancy, you want the drinks to be cheap. I also think Junior's is a great place for a first date. It's small, it's cozy, it's right downtown. If you're having fun, you could easily go somewhere else after.”
Best Bar for an Anniversary
“Either Bar Nohm, which is the restaurant attached to the Water Witch. It's gorgeous in there and you're going to have a bit of a fancy meal and it's kind of new. If it's not a deep anniversary or if you want to do something a little more relaxed, Sayonara just opened on State Street downtown. It is in the theme of a Tokyo street bar. You can make out in the booths.”
Best Bar To Bring the Family
“The Garage in Herriman aka Salt Flats brewing is owned by a former professional race car driver. It's basically a giant airplane hangar full of race cars. They used to have a race car in there that was owned by Paul Walker from “Fast and the Furious.” It's a legit collection. Upstairs, there's a bar and drinks are cheaper up there because it's the area where you can't bring your family, but the rest of it is technically a restaurant so you can bring the kids.”
The Best Underrated Bar
“It's Bob's Redwood Lounge. This is just an iconic Salt Lake place. [It’s] been in Poplar Grove for more than half a century. It's family-owned, Bob owns it. Before that, it was Pete's Redwood Lounge, named after his dad. When his dad passed, he took on the torch. It's cozy in there, you can have a great time. It used to be a house so if you look at it from the street, you'll see a pitched roof that the bar was built around. It's Salt Lake history.”
In your humble opinion, what’s the best bar in Salt Lake County?
