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    Van Ryder

    3.6 (247 reviews)
    Closed • Closed

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    VAN RYDER ATMOSPHERE

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    Hipster
    Touristy
    Trendy
    Intimate

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    Dj !!!!

    Finally !! went to Van Ryder tonight ready for a boring night. I was so refreshed to see that they had a DJ up there on a Friday. I hope you keep the DJs on the weekends like this..The vibe was way up. They had lights and the waitresses,bartenders and everybody's excitement was up. This is the way this location should look and special things to CarlI. She was an extreme help and was very professional. Keep the DJs on the weekends. Keep the vibe up you guys own the vibe in Salt Lake City. Keep entertainment on the rooftop..

    Shakira M.

    While on a weekend getaway, my friend and I decided to check out this spot. With a western meets sleek ambiance, Van Ryder delivers. The views on the rooftop were amazing. We ordered the calamari and the Tuna Tartare which were both tasty. For my drink, I ordered the high desert bloom which was very refreshing. Service was great. Glad we had the opportunity to check out this spot.

    Cassie C.

    Great views, great vibes! I was staying at the Courtyard Marriott a block away and wanted to come here for a nice cocktail and rooftop sunset views - and it didn't disappoint in either fronts! Beautiful space with a small bar, tables, a fireplace, and a nice decent size outdoor space with tables and fire pits too. Service was great and I enjoyed both my drinks. I ended up ordering the nachos to go so I could lazily enjoy them back in my hotel room, and though I still enjoyed them I'm sure they're even better fresh. I will definitely be back here next time I'm in town for work again!

    Lindsey S.

    Very chic rooftop bar. The music was on point and the drinks were delicious. I ordered the cookie skillet and it was SO GOOD Also ordered the Parmesan fries which were also yummy. Service was good and they were quick to get orders out. The only thing that was annoying was the amount of reserved seating. Also noting there were TONS of open seats that were supposedly reserved yet no one was sitting there for the hour and half we were there. It was frustrating that on a busy weekend there wasn't even first come first serve. The lack of actual space to hang made the whole experience mid. Will try again in the summer tho. Hopefully with a better experience!

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    Lamari B.

    I recently visited Van Ryder and had a very mixed experience. When we first got there, things started off a little rough. The fries came out cold, and when we asked about sitting closer to the view, the hostess told us we couldn't--even though the table was completely open. That honestly threw the vibe off for us. At that point, we told our server Kyle to just cancel the food and that we'd pay for our drinks and head somewhere else. But I have to give credit where it's due--Carli, the manager, completely turned things around. She stepped in, moved us to the open table, and made sure we were able to actually enjoy the experience and the view. That made a big difference. Once we reset, the lemon drops were amazing--definitely a highlight. The burger was fresh, flavorful, and really good. The calamari wasn't our favorite, and the fries were way too salty, which was disappointing after the first round already came out cold. We're not here on vacation and may not even be back in the state, but overall I'd rate the experience a 6/10 and the food an 8/10. Carli really saved what could've been a complete miss.

    Galentine's Sweet Board - $32 for stale Trader Joe's items and two warm globs of cream cheese that were advertised as "cheesecake bites."
    Haley B.

    If you want anything more than a drink and a view, do not go here. Definitely don't go here for food. I've eaten here 3 times and never enjoyed my meals. The Southwest Salad is Applebee's quality for triple the price. I will not be back again. The hostesses aren't great at their jobs. Every time I've gone I've had a reservation, and every time there is an issue on their end. Most recently, they sat me and 2 friends before our 4th person arrived. When she arrived 5 minutes later, she gave them my name (which the reservation was under) and they said I hadn't arrived and went to seat her at a completely different table. My breaking point was when my friends and I ordered the Sweets Board off of their galentines menu. It was $32, and it said it included 4 different treats: fudge, cheesecake bites, cookies, and red velvet cupcakes. The picture I took is EXACTLY how it looked when the waiter set it down. We hadn't even touched it. The cookies were so hard you couldn't even bite them, and the "cheesecake bites" were literally just warm globs of cream cheese with sprinkles. The cupcakes are from Trader Joe's for like $5. I know because I went to a TJs right before this. We asked the waiter if it was a mistake, and even he seemed shocked by how bad it looked. Most of it was just inedible junk. I simply could NOT believe they charged $32 for a messy plate of stale Trader Joe's food. Absolutely abysmal. The waiter asked the chef about it and apparently that's "how the chef designed it." I would be embarrassed to serve this to my own friends even in my home for a chill movie night. For $32 at a specialized event at an "upscale" restaurant to serve this is almost too crazy to believe. Do NOT eat here.

    Expresso martini
    Jenni T.

    For the luv of sunsets, I'm there for it. Van Ryder is 21+ & on the rooftop. Valet out front near STK or find metered street parking. Take the elevator up. Recommend a res if you want outdoor seating for the views, but they do take walk-ins. Staff's country-style outfits are superrrr cute. Diggin it. Our server was super friendly and attentive. Cocktails & food were mediocre, but the view w/live music makes it worth it. Great spot for drinks & small bites before a night out.

    Audra M.

    This venue is staffed with some of the best bartenders, and the views are amazing. It was great to order some local beers while also slipping to the outdoor space to watch the gorgeous sunset.

    Diem A.

    We were here for 2 special events. The rooftop views of the skyline and mountains at Van Ryder are stunning. The décor is sleek and modern. The staff had limited English, which made communication a bit tricky at times. The omelet station for breakfast was delicious! Some of the fried food was cold and hard but that was expected for a buffet. The dinner buffet was great though. The atmosphere and the view make it worth a visit.

    Courtney K.

    Not sure why this place has such low ratings, but I was there almost right when they opened, so maybe my experience was different. I was in town for a conference and sought out a place where I could see the mountains. This place has an incredible view! The service was really friendly and my cocktail was delicious. I didn't try the food, but the menu looked really good. I enjoyed it and would go back!

    Bianca N.

    When you walk into Van Ryder you are welcomed to lovely decor and a beautiful outdoor space. All of their drinks (margarita, Moscow mule, martinis, etc) were lovely. The nachos we ordered were actually delish as well with a delicious cheese cause and fresh toppings. Will definitely join again!

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    4 months ago

    I went on a date here and got some onion rings and now I crave them everyday i fucking love this place

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    2 months ago

    Drinks were amazing but Sammy was better! Would recommend to anyone, even in this heat. Hard to find a rooftop like this in salt lake!

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    Review Highlights - Van Ryder

    “Drinks are even better, especially when Matty is your waiter!”

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    Little dive bar. Big fun! I needed to take the edge off from work and found this gem on Yelp! It's…read moreone of the closest bars by my house and it was open late on a Sunday! Drinks are cheap and so are their Hennessy shots at $7 each! Plenty of seating available, but everyone seems to congregate at the bar. I soon found that the bartender is such a hoot and so friendly! There's a couple of pool tables. The bathrooms are a little "shocking." I was looking for the women's restroom and when the lights automatically turned on, I saw lots of 70s models posing nude. So this is what regular bodies look like before the surgery era! The men's restroom was more classy with people smoking cigars.

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    Why Kiki - S'more dick specialty platter.

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    3.3(101 reviews)
    0.3 mi•Downtown

    Great silent disco in the basement, very friendly staff and service, very good place to celebrate…read moresomething!

    I've been attending the burlesque shows here for the past two months and have been coming here to…read moredance for years. The performers are absolutely incredible and clearly put so much time, energy, and heart into what they do. The bartenders have also consistently been awesome, friendly, and welcoming. Unfortunately, my experiences with the door person have become increasingly troubling. On multiple separate occasions, I've noticed a very clear difference in the way he treats me and my more visibly gay, queer, and trans friends compared with straight friends who are standing literally right beside us. The interactions have felt noticeably less welcoming and, at times, openly disrespectful toward queer people. I understand being a door person requires some directness and boundaries, but that should not mean kindness and compassion are thrown out the window. For a bar that serves as an important space for the LGBTQ+ community, this is really disappointing. There aren't many queer-friendly places in this city, and it's frustrating to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome as soon as you enter the building because of the person responsible for greeting people at the door. I really hope management considers providing additional training around LGBTQ+ etiquette, inclusivity, and respectful treatment of guests. I'd also love to see more queer people represented among the staff, particularly at the door, or at minimum see a meaningful change in the way this particular employee interacts with queer patrons. After multiple separate negative experiences, I honestly have been contemplating not returning, which is unfortunate because I genuinely love the performers and have otherwise enjoyed this venue. I'm going to give it one more chance in the future, because I want to support the performers and the queer community here, but I hope things change. If you're queer and you have a bad interaction with an older white man with scraggly facial hair at the door, please know that you're not imagining it or necessarily doing something wrong. My experiences suggest that there is a real issue with the way some queer patrons are being treated.

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    I wanted to love this place because they were a 2025 finalist (top 5) by the James Beard Foundation…read morefor outstanding bar. In full transparency it has been 2-3 years since my first and last visit to Water Witch. I noticed this in my drafts and thought I should complete my review. That said, I think I hyped this place up in my head too much before my visit because of the James Beard nod. So when it didn't quite hit the mark for me, I was disappointed. It's quite an intimate bar. By that I mean small space inside. The main bar has seating of course and there are a few seating areas directly behind the barstool area. There is a small walkway that separates the bar and the seating area. So the seating area is looking straight forward at the bartenders and the backs of people on barstools. I felt like the people behind me were staring into my soul lol, but that's a me problem ha. It's a modern design and beautifully decorated. I had two drinks. One from the menu and one that I told the bartender what I liked and disliked. He then made a drink based upon my taste. In my opinion it tasted similar to the one from the menu, which was disappointing because I was hoping for something different. There was one bartender that evening and one bar back, so even with the few people at the bar (I'd say 6-7 including me and a guest) and the 4 people seated behind us. It took some time to get his attention and order a drink. Which is part of the reason I only had two drinks. I would probably give this place another try since it's been some time since I've been there. As I always like to say. Stop in and judge for yourself.

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    Water Witch - Good vibe

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    Van Ryder - bars - Updated September 2026

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