Downtown 

• Erik Daenitz
• Bourbon House

Downtown
Obviously, since the City Weekly offices are located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City—unlike certain mall-dwelling dailies—we need to know how cold the beer is that’s in closest proximity to our front door. And all these places are easily served by TRAX, bike lanes and good old-fashioned sidewalks.

32.3 Gracie’s
An elegant, not to mention massive, West Temple “gastropub,” Gracie’s features the cuisine of chef Sean Wilde. It’s moderately priced (the most expensive entree is the filet mignon at $28), but totally worth it. On summer nights, there’s live music on the spacious enclosed patio. Gracie also sets itself apart in the gaming column by offering the rare and beautiful drunk-time game shuffleboard. On Saturdays, Gracie’s books a DJ for your rump-bumpin’ pleasure. 326 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, 801-819-7565, GraciesSLC.com

32.5 Devil’s Daughter
Formerly Orange, the Devil’s Daughter exterior bears a resemblance to the Titty Twister roadhouse in From Dusk Till Dawn. Inside, it’s a clean, classy barbecue joint/sports bar/live-music venue. The full menu includes pulled pork, ribs, brisket, burgers and mouthwatering smoked chicken or pulled-pork tacos that patrons can consume while watching the game on any of 12 giant TVs. Musically, expect a mixed bag of blues, rock, rockabilly, funk and hardcore country. Well drinks are $3 every day. 533 S. 500 West, Salt Lake City, 801-532-1610, Facebook.com/Devils.DaughterSLC

34.5 The Green Pig Pub
The Green Pig is owned by ex-Port O’Call manager Bridget Gordon, who brought the bar and many other fixtures from the shuttered club. It’s no accident, then, that there are other similarities as far as atmosphere and amenities—it’s still a giant hangout spot/sports bar/live-music venue. On the music side, Bridget books bands four nights a week, and Monday is open-mic blues night. If the selection of tasty burgers, sandwiches and appetizers doesn't tempt you, the view from the new rooftop patio will. 31 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City, 801-532-7441, TheGreenPigPub.com

35.6 Poplar Street Pub
With over 6,000 square feet and three sitting areas, Poplar Street is much more than the neighborhood joint its name implies. The “Euro-pub” located across from Pierpont Place can accommodate live bands and throngs of hungry, thirsty patrons eager to indulge in the 30-beer selection and full menu of handmade pizzas, burgers and appetizers. There’s karaoke on Mondays and brunch on Sundays. 242 S. 200 West, Salt Lake City, 801-532-2715, PoplarStreetPub.com

36.8 Bourbon House
The new joint in the space that once housed Monk’s House of Jazz and D.B. Cooper’s has installed a killer new bar, an extensive selection of bourbons, whiskeys and Scotch, and a food menu that includes both standard pub fare (wings, burgers) and rare treats (chipped beef on toast, bacon and jalapeno-wrapped tater tots). Soul music dominates on Sunday nights, and occasional live music will be part of the schedule soon. 19 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City, 801-746-1005

36.9 Murphy’s Bar & Grill
The slogan “A Step Down In Social Clubs” merely pertains to the short staircase you descend on the way into this downtown Irish pub—which just so happens to serve sour-cream chicken enchiladas on Thursdays. (It doesn’t have to serve only Irish stew. That’d be cliché.) And what sort of pub would it be without dart boards? It has two of ’em. 160 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-359-7271, MurphysBarAndGrillUT.com

38.0 Jackalope Lounge
Nope, the name isn’t, as the huge letters adorning two-thirds of the Jackalope’s countenance may imply, “BAR.” Only a neon sign among similarly sized others and various event posters spell the operative appellation of this kick-ass joint, which is the sum of dive bar casual lounge. Lovers of punk, metal and country will feel right at home here. Oh, and don’t forget the password: TaterTachos. (We’ll leave you to divine the ingredients of this obscenely tasty pub-grub portmanteau.) 372 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-359-8054, Facebook.com/JackalopeLounge

38.1 Beerhive Pub
The Beerhive is like a local-microbrew temple—but it’s the bar that gets the recommend; you just show up and drink. Choosing from the 200-plus beers available from around the world might present a problem to the kids in this brewski arcade, but that just speaks to the Beerhive’s replay value. And get this: The proprietor is none other than the local brew guru himself, Del Vance—author of Beer in the Beehive: A History of Brewing in Utah. You’re in good hands here. 128 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-364-4268

38.1 Junior’s Tavern
Junior’s Website boasts that it “has been the place for jazz, blues and booze in Salt Lake City” since 1974 and serves a constantly evolving “eclectic mixture” of progressive politicians, business people, musicians, poets and sports fans. It also “has not been done in by gentrification as a corporate chain.” But really, it’s just a place to “enjoy pool, great music, sports and conversation.” And, jokes Junior’s loquacious regular/Webmaster, it’s also “a cool place to go if you like old people.” All good things, no? 30 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City, 801-322-0318, JuniorsTavern.com

38.6 Keys on Main
It’s one big sing-along at Keys on Main, a dueling-pianos bar where ivories are tickled and booze bottles get juggled. If you’re picky about the music, you can buy a tune—or stop one if it sucks. Just bring plenty of scratch, ’cause it’s a $5 tip (or more, if you choose) per request, and the stop-start price goes up a buck from the original tip at each level. So watch out for well-heeled dudes with crap taste. Keys also has live karaoke on Mondays, track karaoke on Tuesdays and a killer French dip sandwich. 242 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-363-3638, KeysOnMain.com

39.6 Graffiti Lounge
Plastered inside and out with its namesake—and nary a hack job to be seen—the Graffiti Lounge attracts a diverse crowd including after-workers, b-boys, classic rockers, punks, hipsters and barflies. Music is a focus, and the Graffiti books a variety of local rock, blues and hip-hop artists (the latter because it’s housed in the old Uprok spot) on Thursdays and Fridays, and holds an open mic on Wednesdays. There’s free pool on Sundays, as well as occasional beer pong. 342 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-355-2271, Facebook.com/GraffitiLounge

40.5 O’Shucks (Salt Lake City)
A pub inconspicuously tucked into a basement makes a great escape on a hot day, what with the air conditioning and relaxed atmosphere. There’s only one pool table and one video game; otherwise, it’s just a nice place to kill pints and time, not to mention scarf sushi—O’Shucks shares the space with Ahh Sushi, which serves bar patrons till 11 p.m. every day. On weekdays, rolls are half price from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. And every day from 5 to 6 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m., the entire Ahh Sushi menu—minus sashimi, nigiri and beverages—is half off. 22 E. 100 South, Salt Lake City, 801-596-8600

40.6 Mo’s Neighborhood Grill
A neighborhood bar and grill with almost cult status, Mo’s is preferred by regular people who just dig good eats and quality entertainers (usually local, but occasionally famous). When City Weekly dropped by, a guy was playing trance-inducing jazz guitar and the excellent chile verde nachos were the special. Mo’s also has killer pizza and hot wings and continues to host the Sunday Funnies stand-up comedy night. 358 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, 801-359-0586, MosBarAndGrill.com

41.4 Circle Lounge
You can’t beat a sales pitch like this: “Saturdays are huge … packed with the hottest girls in Utah. Every hot girl you see at the bank or the store? She’s here, dressed to kill.” That’s what Eric at the Circle Lounge had to say about the place—just before, one reckons, the stampede. Another attraction is Circle’s sushi bar, which is soon to diversify with dishes like chicken satay and beef yakitori, and the spacious, rose-petal-cluttered main floor, where much dancing, and occasional beer pong, take place. 328 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-531-5400

41.6 Cheers to You (Salt Lake City)
One reason quote-unquote “dive bars” are great is because sometimes you get to see a drunk rejected like a weak-ass layup. Cheers may not aspire to hotel-lounge swankiness, but it’s a comfortable, cozy place for those who eschew the suit life as much as they do spacy, shambling Main Street zombies. City Weekly saw a Cheers barkeep dispatch one shuffler with extreme tact, and it was impressive. Oh, and there’s pool, pinball and video games, three TVs, and wood-fired pizzas from Eva and karaoke on Fridays. 315 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-575-6400, CheersToYouSLC.com

41.7 Brewvies Cinema Pub
If you aren’t already into Brewvies, you’re missing out. The cinema pub—that translates to beer, food and movies—books flicks that exist on the cool end of the arthouse-multiplex spectrum. Pair that with juicy burgers, mountainous nachos, decent falafel (bring back the Y2K-era recipe!) and huge steins of microbrew, and it’s paradise. You can also hang out and play pool after the movie. Even more attractive are the frequent special nights where stuff like midget spy movies are shown for free. 677 S. 200 West, Salt Lake City, 801-355-5500, Brewvies.com

43.6 Inferno Cantina
Housed in the same building that once held Cafe Pierpont and the Sandbar, Inferno serves authentic Mexican food and hot dancing. It pulls off the double-identity nicely; during lunch and dinner hours, it looks like a restaurant, but at night it’s hoppin’. Tuesdays are “Taco 2s Days,” Fridays and Saturdays feature DJs and the club books local bands for Sundays. 122 W. Pierpont Ave., Salt Lake City, 801-883-8838, InfernoSLC.com

51.4 The Garage
The Garage is Salt Lake City’s roadhouse of roadhouses—the real deal. Fittingly located on Beck Street, the last stretch of second-string highway-esque road before downtown, it’s all that a roadhouse should be (minus, we reckon, a Patrick Swayze figure kicking booty in the parking lot) with good food, great tunes and flowing booze. There’s also a slight hipster element in the décor, which has flecks of B-movie and pulp-novel style, as well as the music selection—only the good stuff, whether it’s stoner prog-rock (Danava), blues (Shorty Gilbert) or indie (Suicycles). 1199 N. Beck St., Salt Lake City, 801-521-3904, GarageOnBeck.com

Next: Sugar House/Highland Drive/East Bench