Coldest Beer & Bar Guide 2012 

Page 5 of 13

Southern X-posure
36.6°
This State Street strip club has one of the most ingenious specials in town: “Sunday Services: Free lunch to all members dressed in their Sunday best.” With a full menu that ranges from salads and sandwiches to burgers and hefty steaks, it might be worth clipping on that tie. Or there’s the simpler “Tag Team Tuesdays: Two Girls Per Stage,” which is also quite tasty. 3420 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-288-1488, MySouthernX.com

Trails Gentlemen’s Club
33.0°
When asked what it’s best known for, the response is “boobs” with a frank smile. It’s also the home to City Weekly’s 2012 Best Strip Club DJ, Tyler Justice. Here you can enjoy watching “meat” while you eat meat—a 9-ounce steak is just $5. The service is always friendly and prompt. Don’t plan on a soulful conversation since the music is loud and the lights dim—but then again, isn’t that the point? 921 S. 300 West Salt Lake City, 801-363-2871, TrailsClub.com

Live Music

A Beuford Gifford’s Libation Emporium (ABG’s)
40.4°
Come for the drinks and music, but don’t forget the food. For instance, the owner, Big Dane, makes his own barbecue sauce, the Big Mouth BBQ Sauce, which is almost worth drinking by itself. The bartenders are friendly, welcoming and easy to talk to. There’s also live music every weekend that ranges from local rock bands to blues to heavy-metal screamers. ABG’s is super casual and will feel like home if you’re not careful. 190 W. Center St., Provo, 801-373-1200, ABGsBar.com

Brewskis
39.7°
What can you say about the bar that does everything? With three separate rooms that almost qualify as separate bars, Brewskis has the market cornered on live music—local and touring bands on Fridays, cover bands on Saturdays—sports, games, pizza and draft-beer selection. No matter the time of day, Brewskis is buzzing—both because of the crowds and the plethora of neon signage in and outside of the bar. 244 25th St., Ogden, 801-394-1713, BrewskisOnline.net

Burt’s Tiki Lounge
37.3°
Everything about Burt’s falls into step with its gritty persona. The rugged venue is lined with hilarious, creepy and just-plain-awesome nostalgia, which has been donated entirely by staff members and by bands that have performed there. More importantly, the concert calendar is booked six nights a week with local and national performers—mostly rockers and metalheads, but also some rap and country (yes, country) acts. 726 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-521-0572,

California Night Club
43.3°
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, California Night Club delivers a full set of music with some of the biggest names in Mexican live bands and DJs. The impressive stage looks out on a massive dance floor and lounge area. When the neon lights subside and stereos power down, patrons can head next door to California Tacos for some of the spiciest and most authentic Mexican cuisine in town. 49 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, 801-532-2226

Canyon Inn
41.4°
The location at the foot of Big Cottonwood Canyon makes it a favorite of skiers, but that doesn’t mean nothing’s happening during the warmer months—just that the crowd’s a bit more heavy on the locals. Outdoor “Sunset Sessions” concerts benefiting the Utah Food Bank liven up the summer, but the weekend live music keeps the house lively throughout the year. Plus, the legendary Chicago-style pizza will keep your hunger at bay. Pool tables are free weekdays. 3700 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights, 801-943-6969

Club Mixed Emotions
35.7°
It’s not the Copacabana, and you’re not Henry Hill, but to patronize this local hangout you’ll need to use the back entrance, Goodfellas-style. You can drop the gangster act inside, where you’ll find a mellow atmosphere, friendly staff, and live bands and hip-hop shows that frequent the Mixed Emotions stage. The bar’s roomy interior also houses two pool tables, electronic darts, a pinball machine and a host of old-fashioned candy dispensers. Enjoy a vast beer menu and 7- or 12-inch pizzas, depending on how much of an appetite you work up bouncing to the tunes. 1030 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-355-8055

Devil’s Daughter
38.9°
Get your sin on at this spacious, recently opened bar with unholy drinks like Jim Beam 90-proof Devil’s Cut bourbon and a signature Devil’s Daughter drink called the Blue Devil—a demonic combination of Stoli Blueberi vodka, blue curacao, sweet & sour mix, grenadine and a cherry. Nonliquid attractions include house-smoked barbecue, pool and other games, live music on the weekends and an entire second floor you can reserve for your next rockin’ birthday party. 533 S. 500 West, Salt Lake City, 801-532-1610, DevilsDaughterSLC.com

Five Monkeys
36.9°
It’s a roomy joint, with an elevated stage and an upstairs bar overlooking a bodacious dance floor. Five Monkeys serves up all the usual libations, including $3 Coors steins (and was, in fact, a previous Coldest Beer winner)—the perfect accompaniment to an order of wings or a garlic burger. With free pool, there’s no better place to monkey around in. Father and son owners Craig and Ryan Oliver take pride in the bar’s wide-ranging live music on Fridays and Saturdays. “Bands want to play here,” says papa Craig. (Privileged info: The name Five Monkeys actually refers to his grandkids.) 7 E. 4800 South, Murray, 801-266-1885, 5MonkeysBar.com

Gino’s
36.3°
Gino’s used to be known almost exclusively as a karaoke bar, but the joint has stepped up its live-music bookings (mostly hard rock & roll) to compete with the stage amateurs. Likewise, they don’t just have pool, they have pool tournaments (Thursdays), and Gino’s is known to take its parties just as seriously. 3556 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-268-1811, Facebook.com/GinosSLC

Kamikazes
34.9°
This club is in a distinguished-looking church just outside of downtown Ogden, but it’s probably also the most raucous place in town after 10 p.m. most nights—that’ll teach you to judge by appearances. On Friday and Saturdays, Kamikazes hosts local and touring rock bands in one, er, chapel?, while a DJ spins in the next room, ensuring that the joint is always packed and pumping. On weeknights, people come to play pool and chow down on Greek food and the array of eyebrow-raising drinks, like the Purple Boner—the ingredients are top secret but it tastes just like a lime rickey. 2408 Adams Ave., Ogden, 801-621-9138, Facebook.com/Kamikazes.Ogden

Liquid Joe’s
33.4°
“We are a live music venue”—and that says nearly everything you need to know about Liquid Joe’s. Since the early ‘90s, Liquid Joe’s has done one thing very well, and that’s hosting everything from cover bands (‘80s dorks the Spazmatics every Saturday, classic-pop crooners the Pop Jockeys on Thursdays) to local bands and touring acts like Dick Dale, who made a repeat visit earlier this month. It offers all the other stuff—pool, TV, video games—but the real fun here is hoisting a huge frosty stein of domestic brews (or local microbrew) and singing along to songs you know by heart. 1249 E. 3300 South, Salt Lake City, 801-467-8512, LiquidJoes.net

Bar Deluxe
44.1°
As a member of what some call the “Statehood” district (on State Street between 600 to 900 South), Bar Deluxe is a classic venue for artists and concert-goers. With a great stage, expansive dance floor and a well-stocked, moderately priced hooch selection, Bar Deluxe has in no time become a go-to downtown nightspot. Its established headliners and rising local stars feel at home in the mid-size venue. Thanks to the attentive bar staff, the audience can take full advantage of the great bar without missing a beat. 666 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-532-2914, BarDeluxeSLC.com

The Spur Bar & Grill
40.1°
Dating back to the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Spur does everything in its own, feisty way, right down to the long alleyway you have to trudge to get there. As the bartenders swap jokes and dude-festooned comments, you can’t help but admire what they say is one of the last all-live music venues in town. The Go Green cocktail—Hendricks gin, sake, Thai basil, cucumber and fresh lime—is the definition of summer, even if, unlike in the winter when it’s open seven days a week, it’s only Thursday through Sunday. Charming, gnarly and always good fun, The Spur sums up the good-natured soul of Park City like no other bar. 352 Main, Park City, 435-615-1618, TheSpurBarAndGrill.com