Despite jokes about finding a drink in Utah, it’s not like Prohibition never ended here—except in a fun way, with modern bars inspired by the speakeasies of the 1920s and 30s.
Despite its reputation, Utah has always had a drinking culture. As the Utah State Historical Society noted on its History to Go blog, Utah had lots of speakeasies, just like the rest of the country: between 1925 and 1932, federal agents closed more than 400 distilleries.
They also seized 25,000 gallons of booze, 13,000 gallons of wine, and 332,000 gallons of mash. Ogden’s 25th Street was particularly notorious during this era, but even the tiniest rural towns operated surreptitious drinking establishments, some run out of people’s houses.
Utah’s modern speakeasies, by contrast, are legit and legal, and merely inspired by the clandestine bars that flourished under the 18th Amendment. They add fun, glamor and a bit of theatricality to a meetup for a drink with friends.
1. The Rest
Location: 331 S. Main St., Salt Lake City
Hours: Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The Rest, located under tavern/convenience store Bodega, is one of Salt Lake’s longest-operating modern speakeasies. “The Rest” is short for “The Restroom”—a cheeky bait-and-switch, with the door under the bathroom sign leading to a downstairs basement bar. The Rest nailed the contemporary speakeasy vibe from the start: low lighting, quirky vintage decor, books, taxidermy, record spins, and absinthe fountains. Owner Sara Lund (who also founded Honest John Bitters Co.) drew inspiration from the hidden bars she frequented while living in New York City.
Opened in the summer of 2013, The Rest is the city’s first post-Prohibition speakeasy, but is now, shall we say, more of an open secret. There’s still a ritual required for entry: an OpenTable reservation—and a verbal request to see “the rest” of the establishment.
2. Hide & Seek
Location: 20 E 600 S, Salt Lake City
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (dinner); Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Opened in 2024 in a new mixed-use space on 600 South, Bonnie & Clyde’s may be housed in a newly built structure, but it takes its inspiration and its feel from the raw, gritty history of the 1920s and 30s, as embodied by America’s favorite jazz-age gangster couple. B&C’s operates as an upscale cafe during the day, then at night becomes Hide & Seek, a speakeasy and supper club.
Dinner requires reservations; the bar is first-come, first-served. Access both experiences by walking through a swinging bookcase door filled with vintage books. The food menu tilts heavily toward fish, including a caviar service; the cocktail menu features standards like a basic dirty martini as well as concoctions like B’s Signature, which uses Sugar House vodka, a locally distilled spirit.
3. The Hidden Boot Saloon
Location: 6 N. Rio Grande St Ste 35, Salt Lake City
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Gateway’s Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club has gone through a few pop-up bar concepts over the past several years, including an 80s-themed bar. But when it settled on a more permanent concept, it picked the perfect one for the Mountain West: a country-and-western speakeasy.
Like Bodega, The Hidden Boot’s decor includes taxidermy, but it has a whole different, super local vibe—think deer season at Diamond Mountain versus the East Village’s Please Don’t Tell Bar. (You’ll probably never ride a mechanical bull at PDT—even a taxidermied one—but you can do that at Hidden Boot.) Subtitled “the country experience you’ve been waiting for,” Hidden Boot features a country music soundtrack and an extensive menu, including themed cocktails with fun names like “Rattlesnake Milk,” “Here Comes Dolly,” and “Whirling Ropes (and Snarlin’ Guns).”
4. Kemo Sabe
Location: 268 Main St, Park City
Hours: Monday through Sunday, seasonal hours
Also embracing a western theme—just at a much higher altitude—is Kemo Sabe, a high-end westernwear outfitter with a hidden cowboy bar (though in Utah, where every liquor license makes the local news, no bar is ever truly a secret). The chain, based in Aspen, Colorado, opened its Park City location in the summer of 2023.
If you know Park City, you won’t be surprised to learn that you can buy custom hats, as well as fancy cowboy boots in every color, including turquoise and pink. And you’ll find something else here in that hue: a speakeasy informally dubbed Pink Pony Club, an elevated country and western whisky bar where you can sip on cocktails with clever names like Vigilante, Troubled Waters and Clover in the Dust. How to get in? Just ask where you can get a drink around here.
5. Underground Social Hall
Location: 65 N University Ave, Provo
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tucked beneath Provo’s Town Hall, The Social isn’t a speakeasy per se, but it is a hidden gem with a very 1920s vibe. It features a full menu of appetizers, entrees, desserts, and fun mocktails like “Aimee’s Bathtub Gin,” made with N/A gin, coconut, lemon, lime, Blue Curacao, edible glitter—and a tiny rubber ducky. True to its name, The Social aims to bring people together, with events like food pop-ups, live music, and board games. It’s not hidden, but it can be very hard to find on your first visit. Here’s a quick video tutorial on how to find it!
6. Spiritual Speakeasy
Location: 2 W St George Blvd, #5, St. George
Hours: Sunday through Monday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
St. George, traditionally an L.D.S. stronghold, might’ve been a place where you’d really have to search hard to find a drink—but that’s no longer the case. Despite its name, Spiritual Speakeasy isn’t a hidden bar, but it takes its inspiration from the speakeasy aesthetic: dim lighting, jewel tones, plush furniture, rich fabrics. It features a fun, inventive menu of cocktails, many of which are made with local spirits.
If you’re in Southern Utah and want the true speakeasy experience, try Book Club Bistro, secreted inside Social District at The Shoppes at Zion (250 Red Cliffs Dr, St. George). Once there, you pass through that most speak-easiest of doors: a swinging bookshelf. Note that BCD will be closed during Utah’s July holidays (weekends of July 4 and 24). Reservations are recommended.
7. Prohibition Utah
Location: 151 E 6100 S, Murray
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Another establishment that’s more 1920s-inspired than hidden bar, Prohibition strives to give you the speakeasy experience—minus the secret knock. The foyer is decorated with playful vintage items, many with an owl theme; after paying your cover, you’ll be ushered through—you guessed it—a swinging bookshelf.
The bar itself is expansive, with dim lighting, vintage furniture, antiques, and a performance floor that’s often host to jazz and blues musicians, cabaret performances, and old-school burlesque dancers. Prohibition serves a full menu, including a rotating lineup of seasonal cocktails. Formal and vintage attire are encouraged; sportswear, torn jeans, and flip-flops are not.
8. Repeal
Location: 19 E. 200 S. B-200, Salt Lake City
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 6 p.m to 12 a.m.
Repeal Jazz Bar and Speakeasy is located downstairs in the historic Walker Bank Building in downtown Salt Lake City. Open during the day for brunch and lunch, Repeal’s speakeasy bar is, like its sister establishment Prohibition, inspired by speakeasy aesthetics rather than a true hidden bar. The decor is dark and rich, with lots of Art Deco touches; it has a full menu that includes sophisticated craft cocktails, martinis, and whiskey.
The real draw here, though, is the jazz—it’s on the schedule most nights of the week, including its Wednesday night Swing Sessions, where you can dress up in vintage clothes, do your best Lindy Hop, and immerse yourself in 1920s speakeasy culture.
