It’s Tiki Time!

Where to find island vibes this summer

The resurgence of the tiki trend has hit Utah like a tsunami, leaving no shortage of places to catch a wave of island flavor. —

Christie Porter

PARADISE PARLOUR AT FLANKER KITCHEN & SPORTING CLUB

This Polynesian-themed pop-up is stowed away inside Flanker’s speakeasy, which has been reborn in the image of America’s most iconic tiki hideaway: Elvis Presley’s hangout in Graceland. The cocktail menu is likewise inspired. The Paradise Parlor is open Wednesday–Saturday evenings and reservations are recommended. flankerslc.com/paradiseparlor

ACME BAR CO.

The Acme Bar Co. pop-up brings craft island-themed cocktails to Sugar House, taking over the building left vacant by Campfire Lounge. The drink and food menus rotate seasonally, keeping the concept fresh and their patrons coming back to try the latest refreshing tropical creations. Open Wednesday–Monday evenings. acmebarcompany.com

Why Kiki

If you want a colorful bowl of your favorite tiki drink, Why Kiki can oblige. The bar hosts a Silent Disco every Friday and Saturday and a regular Sunday Drag Brunch—an entertaining main dish served up alongside phallic waffles and maximum-sized “max-mosas.” Open Wednesday–Sunday. whykikibar.com

The Vault –202 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-5454. bambara-slc.com/the-vault. A quintessential hotel bar, with big windows overlooking pedestrian traffic. Special cocktails may be themed to what’s on stage across the street at Capitol Theatre.

Wakara Bar – 480 Wakara Way, SLC, 801-5811000. One of the few bars on the west bench, Wakara serves craft cocktails and hosts live music, trivia nights, liquor education and even, occasionally, drag queens.

Water Witch–163 W. 900 South, SLC, 801462-0967. waterwitchbar.com. Three of Utah’s leading bartenders join forces in this charming tiny bar. Whether you want a classic drink, a draft or glass of wine, or a cocktail custom-designed to your taste, this is the place to belly up.

Whiskey Street – 323 S. Main St., SLC, 801433-1371. whiskeystreet.com. This stretch of Main was once dubbed “Whiskey Street” because it was lined with so many pubs and bars. A 42-foot-long cherry wood bar encourages you to bend the elbow.

Why KiKi– 69 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-641-6115. whykikibar.com. A tropical beach-themed club to get away at with a fruity drink in a tiki glass (or bowl!) or shake it on the dance floor. Don’t miss Taco Tuesday or the regular drag shows.

Zest Kitchen & Bar –275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-433-0589. zestslc.com. Zest offers hand-crafted fresh juice cocktails with the same emphasis on local and organic ingredients as the food—try an original concoction like the Straw-bubbly Lavender Martini.

Beers & Brews

Bohemian Brewery–94 E. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5474. bohemianbrewery.com. Enjoy the lagers beloved by Bohemian’s owners’ Czech forebears, following the ancient Reinheitsgbot or German Purity Law.

Bewilder Brewing– 445 S. 400 West, SLC, 385-528-3840. bewilderbrewing.com. In a building decked out with an awesome Trent Call mural, Bewilder Brewing set up shop next to the bygone nightclub Area 51. Try the house-made sausages and a beer list that skews toward traditional German styles.

Desert Edge Brewery–273 S. Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-8917. desertedgebrewery.com The constantly changing variety and Beer School set Desert Edge apart from all the others. This classic Salt Lake bar (and restaurant) continues to innovate its brews.

Epic Brewing Company– 825 S. State St., SLC, 801-906-0123. epicbrewing.com. Epic exclusively brews high-alcohol content beer. The brewing facility moved to Colorado, but you can still buy cold beer to-go at the taproom.

Fisher Brewing Company– 3 20 W. 800 South, SLC, 801-487-2337. fisherbeer.com Fisher takes its name from a brewery originally founded in 1884, but the brews and low-key atmosphere are strictly right now. One of the few in town that has cask ale occasionally.

RoHa Brewing Project – 30 E. Kensington Ave., SLC, 385-227-8982. rohabrewing.com

A friendly local taproom in the heart of Salt Lake’s Ballpark neighborhood. This taproom offers 12 draft beers, a variety of high-points beers, local ciders, wine, canned cocktails and spirits. Enjoy the live music, a firkin and other events.

Distilleries & Tasting Rooms

333 W. 2100 South, South Salt Lake,801-906-8390. gridcitybeerworks.com. Grid City does triple-duty as a pub, brewery and restaurant. They also triple the ways they serve their one-of-a-kind beers—cask, nitro or CO2. The hard seltzers are pretty tasty, too.

Grid City Beer Works

HK Brewing Collective – 370 W. Aspen Ave., SLC, 801-907-0869. hkbrewing.com. Before the HK Brewing taproom, there was Hans Kombucha, a women-founded and queer-owned brewery. Now they’re slinging ‘booch-cocktails, local spirits, beer, cider and small bites from their taproom and lounge.

Hopkins Brewing Company–1048 E. 2100 South, SLC, 385-528-3275. hopkinsbrewingcompany.com. If you like craft beer served with a focus on sustainability, “The Hop” could be your new favorite watering hole. The overall vibe is a natural fit for the Sugar House scene with live music multiple nights a week.

Kiitos Brewing– 608 W. 700 South, 801215-9165. kiitosbrewing.com. A rising star, Kiitos brews are on several menus around town. But if you stop by the brewery to taste, you can play pinball, too.

Level Crossing Brewing Company–2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake, 385-270-5752. levelcrossingbrewing.com. A welcoming bar and community-minded gathering place for trivia and board game night and, of course, hand-crafted beer and wood-fired pizza.

Roosters Brewing Co.–253 25th Street, Ogden, 801-627-6171. roostersbrewingco.com. A local favorite in the heart of everything Historic 25th Street in Ogden, Roosters Brewing Co. offers both a comfortable dining experience in their restaurant and a 21+ tap room. The owners are deeply involved in the community, and that love shows in their drinkable beers and reliable American pubfare.

Saltfire Brewing–2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake, 385-955-0504. saltfirebrewing. com. Located in a distilling and brewery hub of South Salt Lake, SaltFire has grown alongside its contemporaries, bringing a punk/metal edge and the tongue-in-cheek labels of its tasty craft brews, including “crushable” collaborations with the Heavy Metal Shop.

Salt Flats Brewing Co.–2020 Industrial Circle, SLC, 801-828-3469. saltflatsbeer.com. Born in a garage—the Garage Grill to be exact—Salt Flats’ drinkable beers each takes its name from racing and motorsports culture. This is beer brewed to celebrate the racecar driver in all of us.

Shades Brewing–154 W. Utopia Ave., South Salt Lake, 435-200-3009. shadesbrewing.beer. A mom-and-pop brewery supplying many local restaurants—check the website—stop by their tap room.

Beehive Distilling–2245 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake, 385-259-0252. beehivedistilling. com. Perhaps best known for their Jack Rabbit Gin, Beehive Distilling also serves up craft cocktails from not just a tasting room, but a full bar.

Clear Water Distilling Co.– 564 W. 700 South, Ste. 401, Pleasant Grove, 801-997-8667. clearwaterdistilling.com. Utah County’s lone distillery is doing the Lord’s work in bringing that part of Utah equally singular spirits. Tastings/tours are available.

Dented Brick Distillery– 3100 S. Washington St., South Salt Lake, 801-883-9837. dentedbrick.com. Steeped in history, Dented Brick spirit start with water from a local artesian well. The driller of the well is also the distillery’s namesake. Try their handcrafted, signature vodka, rye, gin and rum in a scheduled tasting.

Hammer Spring Distillers – 3697 W. 1987 South, SLC, 801-599-4704. hammerspring. com. The distillery makes a variety of spirits, including vodka, gin, coffee liqueur and whiskey. Tours and tastings are available.

Holystone Distilling–207 W. 4860 South, Murray, 385-800-2580. holystonedistilling. com. Holystone is a small batch distillery, maker of an 114-proof gin, a grape-based vodka, Utah’s first legal absinthe and first Shochu. Tastings and tours are available by appointment.

Mountain West Cider

425 N. 400 West, SLC, 801-935-4147. mountainwestcider.com. With handcrafted ciders ranging from dry to sweet, all named for Utah’s iconic natural features, the people at Mountain West Cider know their craft and their community.

Park City Brewing–764 Uinta Way #C1, Park City, 435-200-8352. parkcitybrewing.com. Their core beers are brewed in Park City and are named for the community. The brewpub is kid-friendly, making Park City Brewing the perfect family après spot.

Prodigy Brewing–25 W. Center Street, Logan, 435-375-3313. prodigy-brewing.com. A family-friendly brewpub, Prodigy serves an upscale twist on classic brewpub fare and beers with labels tailored to the area, like “Cached Out” Hefeweizen and “Rusty Hoe” Farmhouse Ale.

Proper Brewing Co.– 857 S. Main St., 801-953-1707. properbrewingco.com. From the same proper folks who brought you the Publick House, Proper Brewery and Burgers hugely expands the brewing capacity of the original.

Red Rock Brewery–254 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-521-7446. redrockbrewing.com. A longtime favorite for tippling and tasting—the pub draws on 45 recipes for its rotating selection.

Squatters/Wasatch–147 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-2739; 2110 Highland Dr., SLC, 801783-1127; 1763 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-466-8855. saltlakebrewingco.com. Salt Lake’s original breweries merged to form Utah Brewers Cooperative and are now in the hands of Salt Lake Brewing Company. Squatters and Wasatch are the most popular watering holes in Salt Lake.

Talisman Brewing Company–1258 Gibson Ave., Ogden, 385-389-2945. talismanbrewingco.com. Talisman’s friendly tap room has 18 beers on tap, and you can pick up your own cans and growlers to take home. Patrons are welcome to bring their own food or order from a nearby restaurant. Dog friendly.

TF Brewing–936 S. 300 West, SLC, 385-2705972. tfbrewing.com. TF stands for Templin Family. Brewmaster Kevin Templin has a long history in Salt Lake’s beer scene. Expect meticulously made German-style beer and don’t miss game night.

Uinta Brewing Company–1722 S. Fremont Dr., SLC, 801-467-0909. uintabrewing.com Founder Will Hamill says, “We make beer. Period.” Uinta produces certified organic beers and beer in corked bottles.

Ogden’s Own Distillery– 615 W. Stockman Way, Ogden, 801-458-1995. ogdensown.com Ogden’s Own brings fun and passion with its labels, the most well-known of which is their award-winning Five Wives Vodka. Craft cocktails tailored to their spirits are served at their on-site cocktail bar, Side Bar.

Outlaw Distillery– 552 W. 8360 South, Midvale, 801-706-1428. outlawdistillery.com. Outlaw makes rum, spiced rum, white whiskey, whiskey and Outlaw moonshine. Distillery tours available.

Simplicity Cocktails, LLC – 335 W. 1830 South, SLC, 801-210-0868. drinksimplicity. com. Are you “ready-to-drink” craft cocktails and spirits? At Simplicity Cocktails, they follow one motto: keep it simple. When your product tastes that good, there’s no need to overcomplicate. Tastings are available at Simplicity’s Micro Lab.

Sugar House Distillery–2212 S. West Temple, #14, SLC, 801-726-0403. sugarhousedistillery.net. Sugar House’s distillers have a keen eye for detail, and ingredients for their spirits are sourced locally whenever possible. Everything goes down smooth. Open for tours and tastings.

Waterpocket Distillery–2084 W. 2200 South, West Valley City, 801-382-9921. waterpocket. co. Waterpocket’s spirits are often fresh takes on old favorites or venturing into entirely new territory. Tours and tastings are available by appointment.