Do they serve alcohol in Park City?

Utah Liquor Laws

Can you get a drink in Utah? Yes you can. In fact, did you know that Park City was referred to as "Sin City" during the mining era? 

Relaxing with a beer, cocktail, or glass wine is an inherent part of the recreational lifestyle and getting a drink in Park City (if you are over 21 and have a valid form of ID) does not take a Herculean effort or private memberships. You can enjoy a beer with lunch, an après hot tottie, or sample local wine, beer, or spirits in Park City.  

Reading the label: What kind of alcohol am I drinking?

While liquor and wine are the same in Utah as the rest of the country we have two types of beer. Beer or malt beverage with up to 5% alcohol by volume is sold in grocery and convenience stores.  Any beer or malt beverage with more than 5% alcohol by volume is sold in state-run liquor stores, restaurants, and bars. 

Can I see your license?

Restaurants, bars, and events in Park City carry a variety of different types of liquor licenses. Here is a quick list of where you can buy beer, wine, or cocktails. 

  • You can buy 5% alcohol by volume beer practically everywhere: grocery stores, gas stations, arenas, festivals, and events.
  • An establishment with a Beer-only License may serve beer from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. 
  • Venues with a Limited Service Liquor License may serve wine and beer from 11:30 a.m. - Midnight.
  • Restaurants require patrons to order an appetizer or meal in addition to their beverages from 11:30 a.m. - Midnight.
  • Clubs and bars may serve liquor, beer, and wine without selling food to patrons from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Just want to grab a pint?

Utah is home to more than a dozen craft breweries including Wasatch Beers, Squatters Craft Beers, Red Rock Brewing, Mine Shaft Brewing, Uinta Brewing, Bohemian Brewery, and Shades of Pale. And the newest addition, Park City Brewery, which transformed an auto-body shop into a brewery and taproom. You can find beer from Utah's craft breweries in restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and liquor stores. While beer sold in grocery stores and on tap in restaurants and bars is 3.2% alcohol by volume there is a wide variety of full-strength beer produced by these breweries and sold in cans and bottles in liquor stores and many restaurants and bars. 

Does your palate prefer wine?  

Drinking wine in Park City can be as simple as enjoying a glass of red wine with dinner to participating in a wine seminar or private tasting with Fox School of Wine. Several hotels in town have extensive wine cellars and offered private tastings with their certified sommeliers. 

Like to get in the "spirit"?

Utah's distilling history goes back to 1826 with the first recorded whiskey-fest. Today Park City is home to High West Distillery, the world's only ski-in distillery. You can sample flights of whiskey, sip from an extensive drink menu, take tours, and even buy a bottle of whiskey on a Sunday at the High West Salon located on Park Avenue. You can also find High West's whiskeys and vodka at local restaurants and the liquor store. 

Buying it to go?

State Liquor Stores
There are three in town and are closed on Sundays, state, and federal holidays.

Snow Creek Plaza Store
This is the largest liquor store in Park City with one of the best wine selections in Utah. 
Address: 1550 Snow Creek Dr, Park City, UT 84060
Hours are 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Mon-Sat. 
Phone: 435.615.8538

Old Town Store
Address: 460 Swede Alley, Park City, UT 84060
Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Phone: 435.649.3293

Kimball Junction Store
Address: 1612 W Ute Blvd, Park City, UT 84098
Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Phone: 435.658.0860

Convenience & Grocery Stores
 

The Historic Main Street of Park City Utah is the home to a number of pubs, bars and nightclubs which gives guests the best clubbing and pubbing experience of their lives. Everyone is taken care of at any of the present’s hot spots in Park City and the only thing that one needs to remember is to be aware of the Utah alcohol laws that operate in this premier vacation destination. Even though the Utah drinking laws may look a bit quirky you need not worry because you can still enjoy your favorite brew at this center of fun and entertainment at the center of the Park City Resort area.

If you want your favorite drink you need to be on the lookout for some of the so called private clubs which some favorite bars go by, as a way clever way of going round the archaic laws that govern how people drink in the entire Utah area. Anyone who wants to get allowed into these ‘private clubs’ needs to be a member since they don’t allow outsiders; It may therefore be worthwhile for you to consider paying a nominal membership fee with comes to an average of about $4 for a duration of three weeks and with such a ticket you can be allowed in together with about 7 other people.

The Utah drinking laws require that anyone who orders for an alcoholic beverage needs to order the same with food but this can be circumvented in the case that one has entered a private club. Whereas beer purchased in the regular bars and restaurants must have 3.3% alcoholic content the private clubs are actually allowed to sell full strength beer. Remember to ask the bartender the amount of alcohol that is the minimum that can be served in a mixed drink because there are laws governing this area as well.

There is however a lot of agitation for the changing of the Utah Alcohol laws in order to make the Park City a real tourist haven where people can drink as much as they want for as long as they want. With the Park City area having tourism as they mainstay of its economy it remains to be seen whether the authorities will bow to pressure and allow residents and visitors of Utah to drink just like the residents of the other 50 States in America. The same laws for a long time never allowed restaurant servers to pass drinks across the floor because it was against the law.

The liquor laws of Utah also dictate a specific floor arrangement for any new and up coming bars so that alcoholic drinks are not seen by any patrons who are below the age of 21. Any patrons who present themselves in bars and they appears to be younger than 35 will have their driving licenses screened and the records kept in a database. The new law also stipulates that bartenders desist from selling alcohol to anyone who already looks intoxicated because should such a person be involved in a road accident the bartender will be liable for a fine of as much as $2 million. Such are the laws governing your enjoyment of your favorite alcoholic drink in Utah and as thus you need to take note.

Does Park City have bars?

Explore your options: There's a bar for everyone in Park City, from hidden dive bars to upscale cocktail bars to laid-back breweries. Check out a few of our favorites below. You'll find a dense population of bars on Park City's Main Street.

Can you drink alcohol at a park in Utah?

A person may not consume liquor in a public building, park, or stadium, except as provided by this title. A violation of this section is a class C misdemeanor.

Why is Utah so strict with alcohol?

The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (UDABS) has regulated the sale of alcoholic beverages since 1935, two years after the end of Prohibition. Utah is one of seventeen control states, meaning the state has a monopoly over the wholesaling and/or retailing of some or all categories of alcoholic beverages.