Brewpubs

Despite Mormon nondrinking culture, brewpubs caught on in Salt Lake City [1] and are often the most convenient places to enjoy good food and drink. Note that by law all draft beer in Utah is 3.2 percent alcohol. Beer with a higher alcohol content is considered hard alcohol and is sold only by the bottle in liquor stores.

The state's oldest brewpub is Squatters Pub Brewery (147 W. Broadway, 801/363-2739, www.squatters.com [2], 11 a.m.-midnight Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri., 10:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat., 10:30 a.m.-midnight Sun., $7-18). In addition to fine beers and ales, the pub (part of Salt Lake Brewing Company) serves sandwiches, burgers, and other light entrées in a handsome old warehouse. In summer, there's seating on the back deck.

Very popular and kind of a scene, the Red Rock Brewing Company (254 South 200 West, 801/521-7446, www.redrockbrewing.com [3], 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat., $8-27) offers steaks, pasta, salads, and sandwiches, including an excellent variation on the hamburger (baked in a wood-fired oven inside a bread pocket). There's often a wait to get in the door, but the food and brews are worth it.

Desert Edge Brewery (700 East 500 South, 801/521-8917, www.desertedgebrewery.com [4], 11 a.m.-midnight Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Thurs.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat., noon-10 p.m. Sun., $10), in Trolley Square, is also known simply as "The Pub." The inexpensive menu offers sandwiches, pasta, Mexican dishes, and salads all day; some of the ales are cask-conditioned. The atmosphere is retro industrial chic, and there's a second-floor outdoor veranda.