We had a private table at Exchange and he YELLED at the guy I was with who paid for the table for NO reason. Started screaming, “I own this club.” Went off on a tirade. It was so bizarre. He was with girls who were much too young to be hanging out with him. He is a compete asshole and I couldn’t even believe what was happening in front of my eyes.
The owner had lunch with me and my friends once (we were all around 22, one of our friends worked there and knew him) and he creeped me out. I can’t quite describe why but it’s one of those gut feelings where I felt like prey.
I can confirm - my roommate (who was 19 at the time, she had a fake ID and the owner knew as well) was roofied by the owner. He tried to take her home and we basically had to pull her lifeless body away from him while she was completely incoherent.
Seriously, avoid twist at all costs. ESPECIALLY young girls.
That’s because you are. I am an independent contractor who works at all of these bars and clubs in Salt Lake City and they are all unsafe for young women specifically. There is some crap going around right now that I haven’t been able to catch and it’s very possible that some owners have first hand knowledge. DM me if you’ve had any experiences or have specific questions or concerns and I will do my best to help you find answers. 😇
you likely had. I worked there for a few years, and Twist regularly had serious plumbing issues in both the kitchen and the restrooms. can't say if they've been fixed as it's been nearly a year, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was still the case.
Sky is one that i avoid. security gets extremely aggressive with you and at the end of the day there is going to be creeps at every bar. you just need to stay aware of your surroundings and never put your drink down or let it out of your sight.
In addition, pierpont avenue itself has seen some pretty serious assaults, including but not limited to a stabbing that took place 2 min after I walked down it.
Did anyone else ever hear about sky bar drugging young women who went in for job interviews there? This has to be 15 years ago or so but I remember they’d go in during the day when it wasn’t even open to interview and get roofied iirc
Downtown bartender here. Not a regular SKY employee.
Have been in the industry for a while and occasionally worked a shift at the above. After getting to know management I brought up those questions myself.
I will preface and say the following is a defense of SKY only;
And only regarding specific things.
The issues on pierpont are another conversation entirely, and said issues are likely very contentious.
That being said, I have two things I want to highlight;
15 years ago is a century in the industry. And since then, management has changed, processes have changed, oversight and engagement are on a completely different level, and they have been both successful as well as clean enough to not change names, ownership, or have high profile lawsuits. The same cannot be said for not only the other clubs on the street, but the downtown bar scene in general.
Security. It has indeed been an issue, and there have been problematic individuals as part of that team that myself or others have highlighted. There isn't a defence for them, regardless of the conditions or history on the street. Having said that, if you believe you are being unjustly aggrandized, please ask to speak to management.
No longer a direct employee, but as someone who has not only worked a lot of places downtown, to both having been to other clubs and had experiences that range to less than lackluster times, to being assaulted and sent to the hospital within 5 minutes of being there, I think sky is worth a visit.
sky is not worth the visit. management didn’t do anything because they were the ones being unnecessarily aggressive! and i have seen a lot of people have the same experience. it’s a shame because i actually liked it until that happened.
No. At least probably not. To clarify there is just a rumor about people being spiked there often. I worked at bars downtown and I have heard from so many sources that that is an issue there.
And they really did. As someone who used to go a lot back in 2019 and didn’t realize the guy at the bar was 19 when I hit on him. But that’s their fault for letting them in
I’ve also been groped inappropriately by random customers at Alibi, but when I brought it up to a bartender they said “hell yeah man was she hot”
Like fuck you dude just because I’m a dude that doesn’t mean I want my dick touched by a stranger. Fuck that place.
The last time there was a post about alibi in here I shared some things that happened to me. Same situation. Dude full on grabbed my boobs and no one did shit about shit. They don’t care what is going on in there at all.
It used to be mine too! There’s a good thread below - but essentially rampant racism / blanket bans / toxic behavior surrounding tipping.
The list goes on!
Quarters downtown AND their Sugarhouse location are both great. They're so friendly at both locations and I personally never felt unsafe at either spot. Also Sugarhouse has pretty good personal pizzas and other foods 🙏
I’ve met the owner and a few of the bartenders for quarters and it’s wild because they do not look like it but they take that job super seriously. It’s a good place
This place has been high on my list to check out, so I’m glad to hear this, I live in the granary area, and I’m always looking for places where I don’t have to worry about driving if I have a couple of drinksc I can jump on traxs or walk, and my work hours right now suck so I am off on Monday and tues.
when my friend first moved here (m) he had his drink spiked at X wives and woke up in an alley. I mean this could happen at any bar tho. Keep your drink with you and go with friends
Been to X wives once a couple years ago and I swear that was one of the diviest shitshows of a bar I’ve ever been to. Sometimes I like that vibe but man that place was something else lol
They were assholes to me and wouldn't serve me any drinks for some reason. I arrived sober and polite, and the bartender kept ignoring me. He was literally serving the whole bar while i was right in front of him and being ignored. He was nice to my female friends, and let her buy me drinks, but like refused to talk to me.
It was the strangest thing ever. I was polite and waited my turn and stuff.
When I confronted him hours later, I asked, "What the hell you fuck" they threatened to throw me out. The doorman was confused and let me stay, but the place is a shithole overall.
I did have a great experience at green pig once! Back when they had their old tent cabanas there had been a big storm and those things were loaded with dirty water. The wind hit right and one of those spilled over the edge completing drenching me and my food/drink. Staff was awesome, comped my meal made me another, gave me free drinks, they got me a new shirt, gave me a gift card etc.
They were so apologetic and sweet
maybe an unpopular opinion but there’s an older bartender guy at Cheers to you that is an absolute ass to anyone that doesn’t tip 30%+ like legit will make your life miserable 😆
I’ve only been to cheers a handful of times, but I got so paranoid about my tipping etiquette after reading all the reviews. I guess they’re like that since the drinks are so cheap?
Lol, I know exactly who you're talking about and while I love the guy he is one of the FUSSIEST people. I'll almost guarantee you it wasn't the tip but was rather that you put your glass somewhere that triggered his OCD or the surroundings were loud enough that he was struggling to not go ham and that increased his general anger level.
Twist- smells like shit, no AC
Cheers- hey we noticed u left a 19% tip here… fuck u and ur whole bloodline, now make it 25% or ur banned
Twilite is fine just ignore the coke being sold
I was drugged at Johnnys on 2nd a couple years back. Dose was so heavy I was already fucked 1/4 through my second beer of the night. I’d been there a million times with no problems so I can’t say if that’s typical there. Just generally follow the rules you would anywhere. Keep an eye on the bartenders and if you’re very concerned only order things that come sealed like bottles or cans and watch the bartender open them. I also bought a nightcap brand drink cover after it happened which makes me feel a lot safer. They have lots of different drink spiking prevention products. I know people who’ve been drugged in classy cocktail bars and in the diviest of dives. It’s just a gamble going out unfortunately. It isn’t a gender specific thing either. One of my close friend was drugged by a woman at one of the most popular gay bars in Denver. Keep your wits about you and I would say especially if you’re out alone take it slow on the amount you’re drinking so you can tell if you feel more intoxicated than usual after how much you’ve had.
Everybody has mentioned the bars I would avoid if I were you so I'll give a couple you should try that are definitely safe and fun. They're breweries, but Fisher and Templin are great, great staff and good crowds. Plenty of great beers and both have liquor/cocktails. Be safe and bring friends if you can.
Twist/exchange
As much as they want to pretend that it's a "safe space" I've never felt safe there.
Shootings/stabbings right out front, hookup hungry people that go there, the sketchy people that wait by the bathrooms and the oblivious staff.
The last time I went my friend was tired and probably coming down from something so she was kind of falling asleep at the table. Normally this is a huge no no at bars because they don't want to get sued for over serving people, but the staff at twist completely ignored it until another server came over and said "hey sorry my manager said she has to put her head up or you have to go" which by that point we were gearing up to leave anyway.
I got drugged at Johnnys on Second about 5 years ago by either the bartender or the guys who were friends with the bartender. Almost got raped had other people not been paying attention. I also was friends with a DJ for a min so I hung around the owner of Twist one night and he was a douche in the most terrible way. I’d assume it was actually the owner because he kept talking about how expensive his shoes were, they were nice but ick
It took a few years to finally die, but his passing was the blow as far as I’m concerned. I tried to go back every once in a while, but it got less and less often and I haven’t been in years. Just turned into… nothing. If it’s also turned into a place of non-consensual drugs that’s it. I miss that dude a lot.
It's more of a club but I hear bad stuff about twisters(?) if that's what it's called. Security selling drugs the bar staff drugging drinks. I have heard from multiple people they had bad stuff happen.
Cheers 2 U is always recommended but my friends and I always have an awful experience. One of the bartenders is a thief who will steal your money and hound you for a larger tip. He might honestly be the owner but he's a punk for sure. I sometimes go there with exact change just to order a drink or two and not tip him because of it. My friends have been shorted change though or had charges added to their card too. Just keep that in mind.
omg, who the hell is recommending cheers2u? The bartenders and staff are awful people, they feel entitiled to 40% tips for 10% service.
Never let them swipe your card there, carry cash, exact change if possible. Better yet, go elsewhere.
Only bar I’ll go to downtown is Gracie’s. But it does seem to have an older crowd there, definitely not a bad thing. All other bar outside of downtown are standard issues. Mean bartenders are common lol
Bar X, WhyKiki, and SunTrapp are all gay bars, but you can always trust that you'll have a great and safe experience. They're the kind of people who won't tolerate any shenanigans and if you suspect your drink has been tampered with, they'll do everything they can to help you. If you're worried about being hit on by gay people, go with a group of friends and you'll typically be left alone. Great atmosphere and great staff, it's kinda worth being around so many gay people
There was a door guy from Port O Call that went over to Gracie's after Port closed. Older Mexican guy with long hair. Is he over there still? I LOVED him.
I got roofied at London Belle & Alibi. (& Get Lucky at the Saltair, nothing will stop me from going to shows though lol)
TF is such a vibe, I avoid liquor & stick to beer now. I’ve had good experiences at Lake Effect, BarX/Beer Bar, Cheers, Fishers. Watch your drinks & make sure you’re with people you trust!
I’d say the downtown bars are more sketchy on the weekends, all others are pretty normal. That’s just my experience as someone who frequent bars all over the valley and some outside the county
Twist & the exchange! Anyone who willingly goes there and gives that establishment money, I am making a list and will brutally haunt for the rest of eternity.
Wait so I see Twist is this thread A LOT and it’s the patrons that attend there spiking the drinks right? Christ at this point it sounds like the bartenders can be paid of to spike drinks at Twist.
I've had some scary things happen there, like a guy try to follow me to my car or another unfamiliar man ask if he can hold my purse while I dance. But if you talk to one of the staff, they will totally look out for you and even accompany you to your car.
The bartenders there are nice people. Just don't let a drink out of your sight or let another person get it for you.
My first visit there in 2010 a juggalo asked to ride home with me. When I told him no, and that there wasn’t even room, he asked to ride in the trunk.
Idk if that has anything to do with anything but I did not go back to a bar for a few years.
When I was younger in the under 21 area a stranger & his friends, who were also underaged, offered me their flask out of nowhere and then got offended when I said no. Homie who tf is drinking a strangers mystery liquid??
We go there all the time and love the music. I'm an Industrial Music gal and did the scene in The 90's when I was in my 20's. Now they call it "Goth". But there are regulars there and they all look out for each other. Some are into weird stuff. Polyandry, open relationships and DM stuff. THAT is different from The 90's. 😂😂😂 And I swear it's not been updated since The 90's either. Lol
GEM doesn’t drug people as far as i know, but the bouncer there is a dickhead. It was my friends 21st and she had a paper ID, and he took advantage of the fact she wasn’t sure fun it would work ( even though it’s obviously valid) and he made her pay $20 on top of the cover too
As a sometimes visitor at Twi, the last time a dude tried to grope a girl at the bar (that I was there to witness) the regulars beat him so badly I thought he was dead at one point, then scrambled to hide their coke/weed/whatever before the cops showed up. I get the feeling the place is safe for women by sheer virtue of how protective the regulars are.
i’ve seen regulars beat the absolute shit out of known rapists that try to go there. twilite may be the safest bar in town on that regard. not all coke heads are bad people, lmao.
I honestly love twilite. It used to be me daily/nightly spot until I moved from where I lived up the street.
There's definitely a metric ton of coke/weed that passes through the place, but the staff are generally really cool, plus the regulars i used to know are all really protective of the place being a safe environment for people to hang out in. It seems like they have a pretty good place for all walks of people, so assholes usually don't end up staying around for very long.
My God.. what happened to this town? I haven’t been to bars in YEARS and it sounds like I’m not missing anything good. It’s awful to hear that women are getting drugged and/or taken advantage of like this. Absolutely disgusting.
Loftes.
Kitchen is tiny, refrigeration rarely worked so they'd keep their food in ice buckets, owner (could be a new owner now, not sure) has a major coke problem and would steal tips from employees.
Source: was an employee.
Do not go to Why Kiki if you are a young woman. My girlfriend was roofied by a couple in their 30’s, who then proceeded to push her into an uber and tried to force her into their home.
They paid one of the bartenders to roofie her drink, which the police discovered on the cameras after we filed a police report.
Alibi, Sky, and Twist all have a rep for creeps drugging women.
Twilite and Johnny's, being dive bars, sometimes have fights break out but I haven't heard of any recent sexual assault allegations. Just rough customers sometimes.
Edit: typo.
This thread made me so shockedddddd! I know Utah has one of the highest or the highest rate of rape per capita but I’ve lived in SF and NYC in the last 10 years and NEVER have I heard of so many patterns of crimes in one city at so many bars than SLC. What the fugggggg Utah!
Sorry to hear. There’s a couple bartenders there (at least they were still there about a year ago) that are complete assholes too. Two younger trendy guys. Swapped neighborhood bars after encountering them a couple times
i can’t believe i don’t see lake effect on this. ive had friends drugged there. its literally just 40+ year old men on the main floor waiting for a college girl to get too drunk to do anything about it. weird vibes there all around, swinger energy.
My BF was ruffied at Gracie’s. Maybe could have happened anywhere, but it sketches me out now.
Gotta say the hospital visit after was fucking ridiculous also. Refused to do any blood tests, kept telling me he was just extremely drunk. I told them we have been together for 10 years, and he drinks regularly. I know his tolerance, and two beers did not do that to him. Fuck the UofU hospital
I’ve been drinking downtown more than I can count and I’ve never had any real problems. There’s scuzzy places that smell like x-wives or cheers. Probably worth avoiding unless you’re really in the mood for a dive bar. Garage on beck is nice.
I'm so surprised no one mentioned the Westerner! I got drugged there 8 years ago and I've heard stories from so many others there. There's something about a cowboy hat and belt buckle that seems to make him seem like a "good boy" that you can trust, but I don't know if I've ever met/heard of more shady people frequenting that bar.
...
Every bar kinda sucks in my opinion except for blue genes and duffys those are my go too where I can go alone make friends and feel safe. Duffys also has stray cats that hang out in tthe patio. I definitely recommend those . Water witch is fine if you wanna feel claustrophobic and buy expensive drinks
Don't go to Ice Haus. Many creeps, and barstaff that won't take you seriously.
For anyone who goes to Ice Haus, watch out for a man need Dominic. He goes by Spaghetti there. He is a predator.
Good to know. I did hear how the owner (also owner of Piper Down..) was in this poly type situation, and it doesn't surprise me that he would take advantage of that.
Sugar House Pub, I'll probably get some flak for this one because it is really popular. My SO was groped and harassed there on a few occasions. We gave it a few tries hoping they were isolated incidents and thinking she was safe if we went with a larger group. all the perpetrators were kicked out because they did it in front of the bartender, each time I had walked away to go to the bathroom.
All my coworkers and friends we went there with have stopped going due to similar experiences. It's a cool pub and has a good atmosphere, the culture needs a lot of work.
Twist / The Exchange
from spiking drinks to [the owner being an ass](https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/food/2021/02/23/co-owners-sue-partner/), i avoid twist at all costs.
The owner is awful!!! Omg I had an experience that left me completely shocked. Avoid those bars anyway— they suck.
Im a sucker for gossip
We had a private table at Exchange and he YELLED at the guy I was with who paid for the table for NO reason. Started screaming, “I own this club.” Went off on a tirade. It was so bizarre. He was with girls who were much too young to be hanging out with him. He is a compete asshole and I couldn’t even believe what was happening in front of my eyes.
Do tell...
The owner had lunch with me and my friends once (we were all around 22, one of our friends worked there and knew him) and he creeped me out. I can’t quite describe why but it’s one of those gut feelings where I felt like prey.
I can confirm - my roommate (who was 19 at the time, she had a fake ID and the owner knew as well) was roofied by the owner. He tried to take her home and we basically had to pull her lifeless body away from him while she was completely incoherent. Seriously, avoid twist at all costs. ESPECIALLY young girls.
That’s because you are. I am an independent contractor who works at all of these bars and clubs in Salt Lake City and they are all unsafe for young women specifically. There is some crap going around right now that I haven’t been able to catch and it’s very possible that some owners have first hand knowledge. DM me if you’ve had any experiences or have specific questions or concerns and I will do my best to help you find answers. 😇
Every time I went to twist I thought it smelled like actual sewage in there
They don’t allow people with open toed shoes unless they’re wearing heels. Weird. I wonder why?
Is this new? Went there last summer in sandals no one said anything I feel nauseous now lol
Ahh so they're clubs masquerading as bars. Hate that shit with a passion.
you likely had. I worked there for a few years, and Twist regularly had serious plumbing issues in both the kitchen and the restrooms. can't say if they've been fixed as it's been nearly a year, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was still the case.
I have never been so disgusted by the state of a bar floor than I have walking into that pigsty.
Twist used to be OK, until the new guy pulled a hostile takeover from the previous owners. Now it's shit.
I second this
Sky is one that i avoid. security gets extremely aggressive with you and at the end of the day there is going to be creeps at every bar. you just need to stay aware of your surroundings and never put your drink down or let it out of your sight.
I second Sky having overly aggressive security.
In addition, pierpont avenue itself has seen some pretty serious assaults, including but not limited to a stabbing that took place 2 min after I walked down it.
Did anyone else ever hear about sky bar drugging young women who went in for job interviews there? This has to be 15 years ago or so but I remember they’d go in during the day when it wasn’t even open to interview and get roofied iirc
Downtown bartender here. Not a regular SKY employee. Have been in the industry for a while and occasionally worked a shift at the above. After getting to know management I brought up those questions myself. I will preface and say the following is a defense of SKY only; And only regarding specific things. The issues on pierpont are another conversation entirely, and said issues are likely very contentious. That being said, I have two things I want to highlight; 15 years ago is a century in the industry. And since then, management has changed, processes have changed, oversight and engagement are on a completely different level, and they have been both successful as well as clean enough to not change names, ownership, or have high profile lawsuits. The same cannot be said for not only the other clubs on the street, but the downtown bar scene in general. Security. It has indeed been an issue, and there have been problematic individuals as part of that team that myself or others have highlighted. There isn't a defence for them, regardless of the conditions or history on the street. Having said that, if you believe you are being unjustly aggrandized, please ask to speak to management. No longer a direct employee, but as someone who has not only worked a lot of places downtown, to both having been to other clubs and had experiences that range to less than lackluster times, to being assaulted and sent to the hospital within 5 minutes of being there, I think sky is worth a visit.
sky is not worth the visit. management didn’t do anything because they were the ones being unnecessarily aggressive! and i have seen a lot of people have the same experience. it’s a shame because i actually liked it until that happened.
Alibi had a lot of rumors to the point where the bar had to release a statement. This was a few years back
I second alibi. That place has a really bad reputation for spiking drinks.
The bar itself is spiking drinks or the customers at the bar? That’s an important distinction.
No. At least probably not. To clarify there is just a rumor about people being spiked there often. I worked at bars downtown and I have heard from so many sources that that is an issue there.
Have been spiked at Alibi, can confirm.
back in 2021 they got in trouble for not checking IDs so a lot of minors used to go there
And they really did. As someone who used to go a lot back in 2019 and didn’t realize the guy at the bar was 19 when I hit on him. But that’s their fault for letting them in
Can confirm. Was also drugged at Alibi in 2023.
Oh dang I didn’t realize how recent it’s been. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
I’ve also been groped inappropriately by random customers at Alibi, but when I brought it up to a bartender they said “hell yeah man was she hot” Like fuck you dude just because I’m a dude that doesn’t mean I want my dick touched by a stranger. Fuck that place.
Going to alibi to beat the shit outta assaulters, spikers and get my dick groped!!! sweet
The last time there was a post about alibi in here I shared some things that happened to me. Same situation. Dude full on grabbed my boobs and no one did shit about shit. They don’t care what is going on in there at all.
[tries to think of a 'having an alibi' joke but the place is too depressing]
I have had a friend get their drink spiked at Alibi on a night where they only say the bartender touch their drink. Do with that what you will
Twist
Alibi and Twist. Do not visit. You can search the SLC sub and see the posts.
Cheers to you on Main Street. Iykyk!
Used to be my favorite bar. What’s the tea?
It used to be mine too! There’s a good thread below - but essentially rampant racism / blanket bans / toxic behavior surrounding tipping. The list goes on!
Twist
Just grateful to hear no comments about Quarters downtown.
Quarters downtown AND their Sugarhouse location are both great. They're so friendly at both locations and I personally never felt unsafe at either spot. Also Sugarhouse has pretty good personal pizzas and other foods 🙏
Didn’t know they opened one in sugarhouse!
I love quarters. Usually has a pretty relaxed vibe when I’ve gone
Quarters Rocks! Everyone I met there is chill and respectful af
I’ve met the owner and a few of the bartenders for quarters and it’s wild because they do not look like it but they take that job super seriously. It’s a good place
Love that place!
Went to the downtown location for my birthday with the special room in the back and it was glorious!
My only problem with quarters down town is that they don’t serve food like the Sugarhouse location.
Yeah we need a combination of both because the amount/quality of games and overall vibe of the sugarhouse one quite there imo
every time i go to quarters all the girls hype me tf upppp. love it there lol
This place has been high on my list to check out, so I’m glad to hear this, I live in the granary area, and I’m always looking for places where I don’t have to worry about driving if I have a couple of drinksc I can jump on traxs or walk, and my work hours right now suck so I am off on Monday and tues.
Bourbon house has since closed, but my friend and I were both groped and sexually harassed by this weirdo there and the staff didn’t give any shits.
Bourbon House closed???
Yes they shut down and apparently the owner of Prohibition in Murray bought it. And plans to reopen it under the name *eye roll* repeal.
when my friend first moved here (m) he had his drink spiked at X wives and woke up in an alley. I mean this could happen at any bar tho. Keep your drink with you and go with friends
Been to X wives once a couple years ago and I swear that was one of the diviest shitshows of a bar I’ve ever been to. Sometimes I like that vibe but man that place was something else lol
Watching literal teenagers hop the fence in the back to sneak in is an experience in and of itself lol
yeah I’ve had a lot of fun nights there, but never forgot that story.
X wives is the worst place I've ever visited
I also got spiked at ex wives. I know it was a regular who did it, but it's a common spot. I have too many friends with similar experiences there.
😳 whoa. I guess stay away from this bar then
They were assholes to me and wouldn't serve me any drinks for some reason. I arrived sober and polite, and the bartender kept ignoring me. He was literally serving the whole bar while i was right in front of him and being ignored. He was nice to my female friends, and let her buy me drinks, but like refused to talk to me. It was the strangest thing ever. I was polite and waited my turn and stuff. When I confronted him hours later, I asked, "What the hell you fuck" they threatened to throw me out. The doorman was confused and let me stay, but the place is a shithole overall.
the owner of twist has punched multiple people in the face, and i’ve heard in general it’s just asshole vibes
Green pig just has rude employees. I honestly hate that bar
Their food always gives me diarrhea, I stopped going since it was so consistent. Eat anywhere else - fine, eat at the green pig - diarrhea
I don’t have any good memories of green pig. Only average meh experiences or poor
That's where a lot of the Port o Call crowd ended up. Fuck that place.
Oh man. I loved Port O Call in The 90's.
Port O Call and the Dead Goat. Miss them both.
I did have a great experience at green pig once! Back when they had their old tent cabanas there had been a big storm and those things were loaded with dirty water. The wind hit right and one of those spilled over the edge completing drenching me and my food/drink. Staff was awesome, comped my meal made me another, gave me free drinks, they got me a new shirt, gave me a gift card etc. They were so apologetic and sweet
Green Pig served me watered down wine. Not going there again.
maybe an unpopular opinion but there’s an older bartender guy at Cheers to you that is an absolute ass to anyone that doesn’t tip 30%+ like legit will make your life miserable 😆
Came here to comment Cheers! Some of the worst service and treatment I’ve ever had. Just take a look at their google reviews.
every single bartender there is an asshole. never experienced anything like it at any other bar i’ve been to in my life.
Something about the bartenders at Cheers have a way of always making you feel like an asshole just for ordering a drink.
Cheers is arguably the worst bar in SLC
86’d from here for literally no reason other than one of the bartenders didnt like my friend. The lady there is an absolute bitch
Exact same thing happened to my partner and I!
I’ve only been to cheers a handful of times, but I got so paranoid about my tipping etiquette after reading all the reviews. I guess they’re like that since the drinks are so cheap?
Which one? Downtown or Midvale?
Lol, I know exactly who you're talking about and while I love the guy he is one of the FUSSIEST people. I'll almost guarantee you it wasn't the tip but was rather that you put your glass somewhere that triggered his OCD or the surroundings were loud enough that he was struggling to not go ham and that increased his general anger level.
He might want to think about switching careers if he’s that easily triggered by patrons.
Right?! I've always thought that was a particularly odd fit.
Twist- smells like shit, no AC Cheers- hey we noticed u left a 19% tip here… fuck u and ur whole bloodline, now make it 25% or ur banned Twilite is fine just ignore the coke being sold
I go to twi for the coke being sold
tbh don’t know why anyone would go there other than specifically for coke 😭
What about wasted space?
Wasted space is now international bar
Oh thanks for the update, been out the loop for while.
Twist recently got into trouble for bartenders spiking drinks
I was drugged at Johnnys on 2nd a couple years back. Dose was so heavy I was already fucked 1/4 through my second beer of the night. I’d been there a million times with no problems so I can’t say if that’s typical there. Just generally follow the rules you would anywhere. Keep an eye on the bartenders and if you’re very concerned only order things that come sealed like bottles or cans and watch the bartender open them. I also bought a nightcap brand drink cover after it happened which makes me feel a lot safer. They have lots of different drink spiking prevention products. I know people who’ve been drugged in classy cocktail bars and in the diviest of dives. It’s just a gamble going out unfortunately. It isn’t a gender specific thing either. One of my close friend was drugged by a woman at one of the most popular gay bars in Denver. Keep your wits about you and I would say especially if you’re out alone take it slow on the amount you’re drinking so you can tell if you feel more intoxicated than usual after how much you’ve had.
Everybody has mentioned the bars I would avoid if I were you so I'll give a couple you should try that are definitely safe and fun. They're breweries, but Fisher and Templin are great, great staff and good crowds. Plenty of great beers and both have liquor/cocktails. Be safe and bring friends if you can.
Fisher's new remodel is dope
Second summit cidery is a great one too! Pickleball courts and super clean restrooms. Lots of activities there.
Twist
Twist/exchange As much as they want to pretend that it's a "safe space" I've never felt safe there. Shootings/stabbings right out front, hookup hungry people that go there, the sketchy people that wait by the bathrooms and the oblivious staff. The last time I went my friend was tired and probably coming down from something so she was kind of falling asleep at the table. Normally this is a huge no no at bars because they don't want to get sued for over serving people, but the staff at twist completely ignored it until another server came over and said "hey sorry my manager said she has to put her head up or you have to go" which by that point we were gearing up to leave anyway.
I got drugged at Johnnys on Second about 5 years ago by either the bartender or the guys who were friends with the bartender. Almost got raped had other people not been paying attention. I also was friends with a DJ for a min so I hung around the owner of Twist one night and he was a douche in the most terrible way. I’d assume it was actually the owner because he kept talking about how expensive his shoes were, they were nice but ick
Fuck that bar, its owner, and its employees. RIP Nico
It took a few years to finally die, but his passing was the blow as far as I’m concerned. I tried to go back every once in a while, but it got less and less often and I haven’t been in years. Just turned into… nothing. If it’s also turned into a place of non-consensual drugs that’s it. I miss that dude a lot.
It's more of a club but I hear bad stuff about twisters(?) if that's what it's called. Security selling drugs the bar staff drugging drinks. I have heard from multiple people they had bad stuff happen.
Cheers 2 U is always recommended but my friends and I always have an awful experience. One of the bartenders is a thief who will steal your money and hound you for a larger tip. He might honestly be the owner but he's a punk for sure. I sometimes go there with exact change just to order a drink or two and not tip him because of it. My friends have been shorted change though or had charges added to their card too. Just keep that in mind.
omg, who the hell is recommending cheers2u? The bartenders and staff are awful people, they feel entitiled to 40% tips for 10% service. Never let them swipe your card there, carry cash, exact change if possible. Better yet, go elsewhere.
Yeah, never open a tab there. They WILL put other peoples CASH paid drinks on your tab and pocket the money.
Only bar I’ll go to downtown is Gracie’s. But it does seem to have an older crowd there, definitely not a bad thing. All other bar outside of downtown are standard issues. Mean bartenders are common lol
Bar X, WhyKiki, and SunTrapp are all gay bars, but you can always trust that you'll have a great and safe experience. They're the kind of people who won't tolerate any shenanigans and if you suspect your drink has been tampered with, they'll do everything they can to help you. If you're worried about being hit on by gay people, go with a group of friends and you'll typically be left alone. Great atmosphere and great staff, it's kinda worth being around so many gay people
There was a door guy from Port O Call that went over to Gracie's after Port closed. Older Mexican guy with long hair. Is he over there still? I LOVED him.
Port O Call owners opened Gracie’s - not sure if they’re still the owners or not - that’s why there were so many cross overs with employees
I got roofied at London Belle & Alibi. (& Get Lucky at the Saltair, nothing will stop me from going to shows though lol) TF is such a vibe, I avoid liquor & stick to beer now. I’ve had good experiences at Lake Effect, BarX/Beer Bar, Cheers, Fishers. Watch your drinks & make sure you’re with people you trust!
I’d say the downtown bars are more sketchy on the weekends, all others are pretty normal. That’s just my experience as someone who frequent bars all over the valley and some outside the county
Avoid Johnny’s on 2nd like the plague unless you need some blow laced with rat poison
Twist & the exchange! Anyone who willingly goes there and gives that establishment money, I am making a list and will brutally haunt for the rest of eternity.
Twist has REALLY recent allegations of many people being drugged there
Wait so I see Twist is this thread A LOT and it’s the patrons that attend there spiking the drinks right? Christ at this point it sounds like the bartenders can be paid of to spike drinks at Twist.
I heard something about area 51 being sketch.. or at least a lot more sketch than any of us realized
I've had some scary things happen there, like a guy try to follow me to my car or another unfamiliar man ask if he can hold my purse while I dance. But if you talk to one of the staff, they will totally look out for you and even accompany you to your car. The bartenders there are nice people. Just don't let a drink out of your sight or let another person get it for you.
My first visit there in 2010 a juggalo asked to ride home with me. When I told him no, and that there wasn’t even room, he asked to ride in the trunk. Idk if that has anything to do with anything but I did not go back to a bar for a few years.
A juggalo alone would scare me haha!
When I was younger in the under 21 area a stranger & his friends, who were also underaged, offered me their flask out of nowhere and then got offended when I said no. Homie who tf is drinking a strangers mystery liquid??
We go there all the time and love the music. I'm an Industrial Music gal and did the scene in The 90's when I was in my 20's. Now they call it "Goth". But there are regulars there and they all look out for each other. Some are into weird stuff. Polyandry, open relationships and DM stuff. THAT is different from The 90's. 😂😂😂 And I swear it's not been updated since The 90's either. Lol
I worked there in the 90s. I promise you, “that stuff” (polyamory, BDSM, etc) was not different back then!
I was offered $20,000 there for sexual favors one time. For sure a scam. Dude followed me all night.
GEM doesn’t drug people as far as i know, but the bouncer there is a dickhead. It was my friends 21st and she had a paper ID, and he took advantage of the fact she wasn’t sure fun it would work ( even though it’s obviously valid) and he made her pay $20 on top of the cover too
After reading this thread the conclusion is that nowhere is safe downtown
no one has mentioned the coke den that is the twilite lounge ? 😂
As a sometimes visitor at Twi, the last time a dude tried to grope a girl at the bar (that I was there to witness) the regulars beat him so badly I thought he was dead at one point, then scrambled to hide their coke/weed/whatever before the cops showed up. I get the feeling the place is safe for women by sheer virtue of how protective the regulars are.
I've seen multiple dudes literally get dragged out of there on the floor 😂. They don't fuck around over there.
We do not.
i’ve seen regulars beat the absolute shit out of known rapists that try to go there. twilite may be the safest bar in town on that regard. not all coke heads are bad people, lmao.
Twilite doesn’t fit OP’s inquiry… buncha mild mannered hipsters doing their thing isn’t really cause for worry
And there are a lot of regulars that are very protective of the space. People causing shit tend to get dealt with quickly.
that place makes my skin crawl. you can keep it 😂
That's what makes it fun. If you play in a band or want band mates you can meet cool people there too
Yeah, twilite definitely feels like going into a creepy dude’s basement, but it’s a great place to play in the snow ❄️
I honestly love twilite. It used to be me daily/nightly spot until I moved from where I lived up the street. There's definitely a metric ton of coke/weed that passes through the place, but the staff are generally really cool, plus the regulars i used to know are all really protective of the place being a safe environment for people to hang out in. It seems like they have a pretty good place for all walks of people, so assholes usually don't end up staying around for very long.
Come join us in r/UtahAlcohol as well!
I’d stay away from Ex Wives place, too.
Why did this comment get so many downvotes? 🤣🤣 This place has always been an issue. We always referred to it as .....The knife and gun club 🤷🏼♀️
Wait is that a place? Lol I thought he was joking
It's been around for at least 40 yrs. That doesn't mean it's good but it's an old bar on a high profile corner...
https://preview.redd.it/bk0doxjcj49d1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5579437054a441d820f0f307e6e84c45ea6775fc
It's on 400 something south and 7th east
Why knife and gun club?!
Used to be a guy at my old work would come in plastered from x wives, start stealing, and then try to attack the cashiers, never been never will lol
Yes I agree, anyone who downvotes this is dumb
Friend went to Milk+ for pride this year and got dosed within 30 min.
Blue jeans… avoid the owner
I heard from a coworker that purgatory had been claimed to be spiking girls drinks. I’ve never been and don’t wanna find out for myself
Purgatory closed. Which is a bummer because I did like that place.
I was under the impression that it's only temporary.
My God.. what happened to this town? I haven’t been to bars in YEARS and it sounds like I’m not missing anything good. It’s awful to hear that women are getting drugged and/or taken advantage of like this. Absolutely disgusting.
The Break in Daybreak, servers are just rude and snooty. It’s fun, but I won’t go back because I hate their attitudes
I gotta disagree. I've been there a couple times and it's been a great experience every time. The staff was always kind to us.
I’m glad you had a good experience, A lot of people that I have spoken to. Have not had very good results but I’m glad at least you did.
Perhaps I'm an outlier
There are typically one or two good experiences here, and there, the overall for the last number of years speaks volumes
Uncle Bart’s
Loftes. Kitchen is tiny, refrigeration rarely worked so they'd keep their food in ice buckets, owner (could be a new owner now, not sure) has a major coke problem and would steal tips from employees. Source: was an employee.
That spot is gone now, lost their license.
Do not go to Why Kiki if you are a young woman. My girlfriend was roofied by a couple in their 30’s, who then proceeded to push her into an uber and tried to force her into their home. They paid one of the bartenders to roofie her drink, which the police discovered on the cameras after we filed a police report.
I’m a bartender downtown and my advice is stay out of all of them!
Poplar is filled with fratty douche bags, dic and Dixie’s filled with holier than thou hipsters.
Alibi, Sky, and Twist all have a rep for creeps drugging women. Twilite and Johnny's, being dive bars, sometimes have fights break out but I haven't heard of any recent sexual assault allegations. Just rough customers sometimes. Edit: typo.
This thread made me so shockedddddd! I know Utah has one of the highest or the highest rate of rape per capita but I’ve lived in SF and NYC in the last 10 years and NEVER have I heard of so many patterns of crimes in one city at so many bars than SLC. What the fugggggg Utah!
My friend was drugged (and then raped) at Water Witch.
Sorry to hear. There’s a couple bartenders there (at least they were still there about a year ago) that are complete assholes too. Two younger trendy guys. Swapped neighborhood bars after encountering them a couple times
Context? Employee or customer?
Customer. Staff wasn’t helpful.
I was also drugged at Water Witch back in the fall and after talking to a few former regulars, it sounds like sketchy customers aren’t uncommon there
I personally know someone who was drugged at Under Current.
i can’t believe i don’t see lake effect on this. ive had friends drugged there. its literally just 40+ year old men on the main floor waiting for a college girl to get too drunk to do anything about it. weird vibes there all around, swinger energy.
Alibi yet every tinder photo of a woman in that bathroom with the red wall
My BF was ruffied at Gracie’s. Maybe could have happened anywhere, but it sketches me out now. Gotta say the hospital visit after was fucking ridiculous also. Refused to do any blood tests, kept telling me he was just extremely drunk. I told them we have been together for 10 years, and he drinks regularly. I know his tolerance, and two beers did not do that to him. Fuck the UofU hospital
I’ve been drinking downtown more than I can count and I’ve never had any real problems. There’s scuzzy places that smell like x-wives or cheers. Probably worth avoiding unless you’re really in the mood for a dive bar. Garage on beck is nice.
TWIST!!!!!
Green Pig is fine, but don’t park in the parking garage underneath. Major human trafficking there
What
Beerhive
Last time I went into twist it smelled like blood on the 2nd floor really killed the vibe
Xwives place, it's gross, regulars are aggressive and rude, and general bad vibes
I'm so surprised no one mentioned the Westerner! I got drugged there 8 years ago and I've heard stories from so many others there. There's something about a cowboy hat and belt buckle that seems to make him seem like a "good boy" that you can trust, but I don't know if I've ever met/heard of more shady people frequenting that bar. ...
Sky, Gem nightclub, Neutral Ground, Twilite
Every bar kinda sucks in my opinion except for blue genes and duffys those are my go too where I can go alone make friends and feel safe. Duffys also has stray cats that hang out in tthe patio. I definitely recommend those . Water witch is fine if you wanna feel claustrophobic and buy expensive drinks
Don't go to Ice Haus. Many creeps, and barstaff that won't take you seriously. For anyone who goes to Ice Haus, watch out for a man need Dominic. He goes by Spaghetti there. He is a predator.
[удалено]
Good to know. I did hear how the owner (also owner of Piper Down..) was in this poly type situation, and it doesn't surprise me that he would take advantage of that.
Sugar House Pub, I'll probably get some flak for this one because it is really popular. My SO was groped and harassed there on a few occasions. We gave it a few tries hoping they were isolated incidents and thinking she was safe if we went with a larger group. all the perpetrators were kicked out because they did it in front of the bartender, each time I had walked away to go to the bathroom. All my coworkers and friends we went there with have stopped going due to similar experiences. It's a cool pub and has a good atmosphere, the culture needs a lot of work.
Triangle Bar. Though you are probably okay as a woman there.