Best Classic Club
Best Place to See a Burlesque Show
Bar Deluxe
Bar Deluxe is one of those venues that can get away with just about anything. The shows at this State Street entertainment joint run the gamut through metal, punk, hip-hop, soul—even burlesque. Yes, burlesque—you know, feather boas, fire jugglers, ribbon dancers and, of course, scantily clad, tattooed ladies. If there’s one place to witness that amazing spectacle, it’s Bar Deluxe, which at least once a month hosts fantastic national and local acts like the Salt City Sirens, The Dolls & Gents and Nobody’s Baby.
666 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-532-2914, BarDeluxeSLC.com
Best Music With Your Meat
Pat’s Barbecue
As if the smoked brisket and ribs weren’t enough of a siren song, this barbecue joint also features killer local acts playing music every weekend from 7 to 9 p.m. Though one would normally have to wait till at least 10:30 p.m. at a bar or venue to hear the trucker-punk stylings of the Utah County Swillers or the sweet Americana crooning of The Hollering Pines, these bands and others regularly hold down the fort during dinnertime at Pat’s, providing meaty rock and blues to accompany the savory items on the menu.
155 W. Commonwealth Ave., Salt Lake City, 801-484-5963, PatsBBQ.com
Best Place to Meet Someone
Best Game Cave
A Bar Named Sue
Sure, you can shoot the shit over a pitcher of beer and a basket of Sue’s fried ravioli, but true bar friendships are formed through (friendly) competition. Both Bar Named Sue locations—the east-bench mainstay and its relatively new State Street sister—offer free games, all day, every day; State Street has pool, darts and shuffleboard in the main room, while the cozy game room at the Highland Drive classic also features a pingpong table and arcade games like Street Fighter II, giving it a nice college dorm-room feel. This come-as-you-are watering hole is a conducive environment for barstool strangers to become bosom buddies.
3943 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, 801-274-5578; 8136 S. State, Midvale, 801-566-3222, A-Bar-Named-Sue.com
Best Cocktails
Best Park City Club
Best Theme Night
Fetish Ball, Area 51
Whatever it is that tickles your fishnets, you’ll probably be able to find it at Area 51’s Fetish Ball, held on the last Saturday of every month. The 18-and-over costume party covers pretty much everything that’s ever been featured in a Robert Rodriguez film—zombies, BDSM, vampires, gas masks … it’s all on the platter. Vendors, fetish demos, two full bars, three patios and three dance floors will fulfill all of your freaky desires.
451 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City, 801-534-0819, Area51SLC.com
2. Dance Evolution, Metro Bar
3. The Spazmatics, Liquid Joe’s
Best Surprise Cinema
Burt’s Tiki Lounge
You never know what you’re going to get at Burt’s Tiki Lounge. One night, a heavy-metal band could be onstage treating long-haired headbangers to a raucous show. On the next, a local band with a wide following will pack the place. Other nights, maybe seven people are seated at the bar, eyes fixed on a TV screen. The bartender, too, is into the movie, quite possibly Godzilla vs. Mothra (the staff collection is eclectic). If the movie isn’t your thing, take a stroll around the place. The walls and ceiling are covered with an array of ephemera that could keep a casual drinker occupied for days. There’s a pool table upstairs, but the busty naked mermaid painted on the wall makes it almost impossible to shoot straight.
726 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-521-0572
Best New Nostalgia
Whiskey Street
Back when Salt Lake City was filled with hard-core drinkers, loose women and bearded men who would say things like “Sir, I say sir!”, Brigham Young christened Main Street with the appropriate nickname Whiskey Street. And you’ll feel that you’ve stepped back into the past—well, a cleaner, shinier version of the past—the moment you walk into the vast Whiskey Street, with its gleaming wood and rows of high-end whiskeys. Featuring well-crafted traditional cocktails and a menu of great upscale pub food like the short-rib grilled-cheese sandwich, Whiskey Street is quickly becoming downtown’s favorite spot for feeling nostalgic.
323 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-433-1371, WhiskeyStreet.com
Best Sports Surround Sound
Dick N’ Dixie’s
Dick N’ Dixie’s has a little bit of everything: a pair of pool tables, cheap beer, swanky beer, a photo booth and one of those digital jukeboxes. But when it comes to watching sports, specifically Utah Utes football, Dick N’ Dixie’s takes the cake. The key to this bar’s place in many a sports fan’s heart is the sound. Jukeboxes and the terrible music usually favored by youngsters these days are jettisoned in favor of that college-football-crowd roar, and the television-less patrons who visit the bar to watch football appreciate this. Of course, Dick N’ Dixie’s is also a nice place to visit for all of the other stuff that happens at bars. But when the Utes take the field, you’ll find more than a few fans huddled there, cans of Coors glued to hands, watching and listening to the game.
479 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City, 801-521-3556