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The Best Bars in Salt Lake City

Utah's strict liquor laws cap the spirit in every cocktail, and Salt Lake City's bartenders say the limits breed creativity. The best bars in Salt Lake City sit downtown and just south of it, in the Post District and Central 9th. In Central 9th, Water Witch, opened in late 2016 by a team of bartenders, invites guests to describe their tastes and let the bar choose; it was a James Beard finalist for Outstanding Bar in 2025 and is marking its tenth year with a new fall menu. Downtown on Market Street, Post Office Place pours its Japanese whisky in tall or short measures and was a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bar in 2023 and 2026. The Vault turns a former bank vault inside the Kimpton Hotel Monaco into a 40-person room around a mahogany bar. Copper Common on Broadway pairs aperitivi, natural wine and oysters, and Melancholy in the Post District stocks rare, special-order wines found nowhere else in Utah. Licensed bars here admit guests 21 and over only. These are the bars we would start with.

Browse every Salt Lake City barBest cocktail bars in Salt Lake City
  1. The Vault
    Hotel Bar

    The Vault

    The Vault is the cocktail bar of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco on Main Street, which bills it as a cocktail bar oasis in downtown Salt Lake City, open every evening from four. The 2025 Spirited Awards named it a U.S. West regional top 10 honoree for Best U.S. Hotel Bar.

    15 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Sun-Thu 4pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-11:30pm
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  2. Post Office Place
    Cocktail Bar

    Post Office Place

    Post Office Place is the sister bar to Takashi on Market Street in Salt Lake City, with a dedicated Japanese whisky list poured in full and half measures, chocolate and mezcal flights on the current menu, and weekly omakase nights from chefs Brice Okubo and Takashi Gibo. The James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2023 and again in 2026.

    16 W Market St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Mon-Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-12am; Sun closed
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  3. Water Witch
    Cocktail Bar

    Water Witch

    Water Witch is a cocktail bar on 900 South in Salt Lake City's Granary District, joined through a rear hallway to its sister Bar Nohm, with seasonal menus that turn over through the year. The James Beard Foundation named it one of five finalists for Outstanding Bar in 2025.

    163 W 900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Mon-Wed 3pm-1am; Thu-Sun 12pm-1am
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  4. Melancholy
    Wine Bar

    Melancholy

    Melancholy calls itself a wine and cocktail lounge in the Post District of downtown Salt Lake City, with an inviting outdoor patio, two refined bars, a selection of custom craft cocktails, domestic and foreign beers, and natural and biodynamic wines. It runs a book club and private parties alongside the bar, opens at four on weekdays and stays open until one on Friday.

    556 S Gale Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm, Fri 4pm-1am, Sat 3pm-1am, Sun 3pm-11pm
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  5. Copper Common
    Wine Bar

    Copper Common

    Copper Common sums itself up in four words, aperitivi, natural wine, cocktails, oysters, and adds the Utah footnote that as a bar, all patrons must be 21 and over. It is the bar arm of the Copper Onion group on East Broadway, opening at five and running until one, Wednesday to Sunday.

    111 E Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT 84111Wed-Sun 5pm-1am
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