April at Lake Effect looks like this: two final nights down The Rabbit Hole, a Derby Day party with a Woodford Reserve ice luge and a hat contest, cocktails that live somewhere between winter & summer, and a brunch menu that's been waiting patiently for you to notice it. If you're looking for things to do in downtown Salt Lake City this month, you're in the right place.
Salt Lake City's favorite immersive cocktail experience is almost over. Our Alice in Wonderland pop-up bar — tucked inside The Rabbit Hole at Lake Effect in downtown Salt Lake City — returns for its final two evenings: April 20th and May 18th.
Two hours. A reserved table. A room that doesn't look like anything else in SLC. Cocktails named for characters you already know, built by a bar program that takes them seriously. Hand-drawn menus. Custom ceramics. The food is a feast fit for a very strange tea party.
These are the last two chances to experience one of the most unique things happening in Salt Lake City right now. When the seats go, Wonderland is gone for good.
Most Derby parties are just mint juleps and a TV. This is not that.
Lake Effect's Kentucky Derby Day party — Saturday, May 2nd, 3 to 6PM in downtown Salt Lake City — is a full event. Live DJ. Woodford Reserve ice luge. The race live on the big screen. A Hat Contest with real stakes and real competition. A photo backdrop because you worked too hard on that outfit not to document it. Derby Day food and drink specials that hold up to the occasion.
Come for the race. Stay for the energy. Win the hat contest. Lose gracefully. Order another round off the ice luge. This is the Kentucky Derby party Salt Lake City has been waiting for, and it only happens once a year, so get your tickets before we sell out.
April is the kind of month that can't decide what it wants to be, and frankly, neither can we. So we're holding space for both — one drink for anyone still clinging to the last of the cold, and one for whoever already has their windows open. You know which one you are.
This is the drink you order when you're not quite ready to let go. Sweater Weather opens with the warmth of Alpine Lafayette Whiskey — approachable but with backbone — layered against Laird's Apple Brandy, which brings a soft, orchard-ripe sweetness that feels like the tail end of something good. Zirbenz Pine adds a quiet alpine resin in the background, the kind of note that reminds you the mountains are still very much snowcapped. Ginger and lemon keep it honest and bright, while the apple cider ties it all together into something that drinks like a fireside evening — even if spring is already knocking. Order this one while you still can. It won't be here much longer.
If Sweater Weather is a last look over the shoulder, Belle's Rose is already facing forward. Roku Gin leads with its signature botanical elegance — white tea, yuzu peel, cherry blossom — and Ramazzotti Rosa brings a bitter, berry-kissed aperitivo warmth that opens everything up. Sake adds a delicate, grain-soft body underneath, and the yogurt and vanilla smooth it into something unexpectedly silky. Lemon and lavender keep the whole thing lifted and bright. Then the hibiscus rhubarb whip arrives on top — tart, floral, a little dramatic — and you understand exactly what this drink is trying to say. Spring isn't coming. It's here. This is what it tastes like.
Lake Effect is known for its cocktails. The food is why you'll come back.Every day from 11AM to 4PM, downtown Salt Lake City's favorite craft cocktail bar serves a full brunch and lunch menu that earns its place alongside one of the best bar programs in Utah — and three dishes in particular deserve your attention.The Lake Effect Club Sandwich is built on housemade focaccia stacked with bacon, chicken, mortadella, and Manchego, finished with a garlic and chipotle aioli that makes every other club sandwich feel like an apology. The Chilaquiles — available with salsa roja or salsa verde — come loaded with black beans, guacamole, crema, tomato, and two eggs, and are quietly one of the best plates on the menu. Then there's the Shrimp & Lobster Grits: Gulf shrimp and lobster over creamy grits in a saffron lobster reduction with roasted red bell peppers, the kind of dish that has no business being this good at brunch.Pair any of it with a House Bloody Mary, a mezcal Michelada, or one of eight mimosa flavors and you have a pretty convincing argument for a weekday afternoon. This is brunch and lunch in Salt Lake City worth making a reservation for — and we're open every single day.
That's April. Two last nights down The Rabbit Hole, a Derby party worth getting dressed for, a menu shifting with the season, and a brunch situation that's been quietly waiting for you to show up. Lake Effect is at 155 W 200 S in downtown Salt Lake City — open daily, always with something worth coming in for. We'll see you soon.
