The phrase “in Utah, but not of Utah” applies to plenty of differences between Park City and the rest of the Beehive State, but what those words tend to refer to most often is Park City’s thriving bar scene. And that’s no joke. Whatever you’re in the mood for, whether that may be sipping wine or whiskey at a happening outdoor après spot or throwing darts and shooting pool in a family-friendly pub, this intimate mountain town has you covered. So catch that second wind and use our picks to guide your after-dark adventure. After all, if you came to Utah only to ski, you’d be at Alta.

Shake Your Groove Thing

After dark The Spur Bar & Grill (352 Main St) transforms into a “cougar den,” where single 40-somethings prowl the dance floor most nights of the week. Considered small, as far as show venues go, O.P. Rockwell (268 Main St) is known for booking famous bands and crafting epic cocktails (say hello to the Foxtrot while there). The place in Park City for late nights and stiff drinks is Downstairs (625 Main St), an underground nightclub-meets-speakeasy where famous DJs mix tracks on the regular. Rock & Reilly’s (427 Main St) lets the good times roll with a killer Irish cheddar grilled cheese, a thirst-quenching Irish Mule, and super-casual acoustic music. Prime Steak House and Piano Bar (804 Main St), located just across from the Town Lift, offers a more old-school ambience, apropos for sipping a martini or double-malt scotch while enjoying live piano music every night of the week.

Adult Conversation

Reminiscent of a classic New York–style steak house, Butcher’s Chop House & Bar
(751 Main St) offers communal tables and an energetic but not-too-loud backdrop for chatting and sipping a lovely port or the house special Miner’s Hooch cocktail. Dip down into Fletcher’s Library Lounge (562 Main St), a cozy setting where you can sink into a leather wingback chair with a cocktail and a small bite—we love the cheddar chive biscuits and beignets. New to the bar scene but not to Park City (before being purchased by owners of Salt Lake City’s Bar X last year, the “Double E,” as locals refer to it, was—and still is—known for its huge breakfasts) is the Eating Establishment (317 Main St), now a laid-back outpost for extraordinary cocktails and a beer list as long as your arm. Best suited for date night, Tupelo Park City (508 Main St) brings globally inspired food and an array of craft cocktails in a casually elegant setting on Main. Be sure to try the Oaked & Smoked cocktail, made with two different High West whiskies.

Focus On The Booze 

Touted as serving the “official wine of après,” Old Town Cellars (890 Main St) is a come-as-you-are hangout where you can taste your way through several nontraditional varietal blends like Mountain Town Red and also have a beer or cocktail. Another notable Park City vintner is Cognition Winery & Bistro (1260 Iron Horse Dr), offering house wines that are aged locally at 7,000 feet above sea level. The whiskey fanatic in your group will no doubt end up at High West Saloon (703 Park Ave), the world’s only ski-in-ski-out distillery that hosts a lively après and even livelier libations. The Euro-meets-mining-town-rustic 710 Bodega (710 Main St) serves up exceptional Spanish tapas with a thoughtful wine list in a tucked-away locale at the bottom of Main Street. 

You-Know-You-Shouldn’t-But-Can’t-Resist Bar Food

Unbuttoning your ski pants may be in order while noshing on shepherd’s pie and throwing back a perfectly poured pint of Guinness—or three—at Flanagan’s (438 Main St). Or try to the Totchos, an irresistible tater tots–nacho amalgamation served at Drafts (3000 Canyons Resort Dr) that will help soak up the copious amounts of beer you’re sure to consume there. With 25 televisions, Collie’s Sports Bar & Grill (738 Main St) is the spot in PC to watch the game. And they serve a damn good house-made burger.

If pizza is what you crave, Maxwell’s (1456 Newpark Blvd) wins the prize for obvious reasons: New York–style thin-crust pies and beer in a sports bar–style setting. Girls-night-out groups appreciate the Boneyard Saloon & Kitchen’s (1251 Kearns Blvd) funky and casually sophisticated Wine Dive, where 16 wines are on tap and they offer a glorious wood-fired artisan pizza menu.

Tap Into Local Culture

If garage-sale eclectic décor, buffalo burgers, and local brews are part of the plan, post up at No Name Saloon (447 Main St); be sure to hit the heated rooftop patio there for some serious people watching. Schooners of the coldest beer in town, bottomless bowls of peanuts, and the odor of a well-christened watering hole give O’Shucks (427 Main and 8178 Gorgoza Pines Rd) the official “ski bum” bar title. The Corner Store Pub & Grill (at Park City Mountain’s Town Base) hosts serious après-ski action fueled by cheap beers and shots, live music, and solid pub grub. With hunting lodge-meets-saloon vibes, The Cabin (825 Main St) is a gathering place for the flannel shirt–wearing kind—where hot toddies, whiskey served neat, and craft beers are the norm. There’s no shortage of beer in this town, but Park City Brewery (2720 Rasmussen Rd) offers that ski-bum gestalt at a slightly off-the-beaten-path locale with corn hole and free popcorn.

High-brow Post-Slope Pit Stops

Nowhere in Park City dishes up the alpine winter vibes as expertly as the Goldener Hirsch Inn, Deer Valley (7570 Royal St), where the award-winning cheese fondue—alongside a robust glass of wine—is an après-ski dream come true. Slide into the Montage Deer Valley’s luxe Après Lounge & Beach Club (9100 Marsac Ave), a swanked-out yurt with leather sofas, chic taxidermy, and fur accents. Pop on your nicest Dale of Norway sweater for an afternoon at Stein Eriksen Lodge’s Troll Hallen Lounge (7700 Stein Way), where you can sip on a Norwegian Restauranteur accompanied by the signature Stein’s Burger and the best Asiago-garlic fries ever. 

Legend’s Bar & Grill (1345 Lowell Ave)—where grilled chicken nachos are actually a legend—offers an upscale pub-like locale to sip an expertly made cocktail. It wouldn’t be a proper ski season without a bowl of Deer Valley’s famous turkey chili and a blueberry mojito from the quaint Edgar’s Beer and Spirits Lounge (Snow Park Lodge, second floor).

Family Style

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street but still close to Deer Valley, The Brass Tag (2900 Deer Valley Dr E) delivers a come-as-you-are vibe with a nice wines-by-the-glass list—and a heartwarming chocolate chip cookie skillet that will satisfy the entire family’s sweet tooth. Wasatch Brew Pub (250 Main St) is arguably the best place for family outings in town; with its award-winning list of beers and a food menu that will tickle everyone’s fancy (read: loaded mac and cheese), all will leave on a high note. Hit up Daly’s Pub & Rec (9100 Marsac Ave) for a competitive evening of games and enticing pub grub—because age is only a number when it comes to vintage arcade games, shuffleboard, bowling, and darts. Pop over to Red Rock Brewing (1640 W Redstone Center Dr) for reasonably priced and satisfying pub fare conveniently located nearby the Jupiter Bowl bowling alley. Come one, come all, as Squatters Roadhouse Grill & Pub (1900 Park Ave) has something for everyone, including a long list of tempting beers and pub favorites for adults, a healthy kids’ menu, and Brigham’s Brew root beer for the little ones. Decked out in vintage cars and bikes, Billy Blanco’s (8208 Gorgoza Pines Rd), a “motor city Mexican burger and taco garage,” is a casual and fun destination eatery worth finding in the Pinebrook neighborhood. 

Drinking Destinations

Park City can’t claim a complete monopoly on the Beehive State’s bar scene. For a taste of the offerings outside Summit County, designate your driver and head to one of these worth-the-trip watering holes.

The Wild West–reminiscent Shooting Star Saloon’s (7350 E 200 South, near Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville) claim to fame is significant: a giant stuffed Saint Bernard head tacked on the wall, a burger to write home about, and the longest continuously operating bar west of the Mississippi. (Yes, in Utah.) 

The Sitzmark Club (10230 UT-210, Alta), named for the mark skiers leave in the snow when they land a jump, is reminiscent of a 1970s ski lodge. This place attracts powder-loving octogenarians and 20-somethings alike, who mingle while sipping wildly popular margaritas or hot cider and munching on simple bar snacks. 

Ski directly to Molly Green’s (8302 S Brighton Loop Rd, Brighton), an A-frame at the base of Brighton, for world-famous nachos and a fireside pint. Back in the 1950s, it was called Majestic Manor and was rumored to be a brothel. Bonus: Molly Green’s caters to the night skiing crowd and is open until 9:30 p.m.

The Garage on Beck (1199 Beck St, Salt Lake City), an auto repair shop-turned-watering hole in industrial northwest Salt Lake, is known for fried funeral potato balls, ice cold beers, live classic rock, and edgy biker-bar ambience. But the biggest surprise is the wine list, a small but alluring collection of well-priced vintages.  

If you find yourself wandering near the Uinta Mountains, State Road Tavern (970 N State Rd 32, Kamas) is an unassuming stop for a warm bowl of ramen, sweeping valley views, and, of course, a spicy marg. Warm up those pipes for karaoke night or leave the singing to the pros and stop in for a First Friday concert.  

At Sundance Mountain Resort, The Owl Bar (8841 Alpine Loop Scenic Byway) serves a slice of history, as the bar itself was transplanted from a bar in Thermopolis, Wyoming, that was a favorite hangout of Butch Cassidy’s Hole in the Wall Gang. Giddy-up.