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This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters .
Hello, Eaters! After construction delays held it back, Shades Brewing ’s new brewery and taproom is now open at 1405 S. 300 West in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood. The new space features a full list of craft beer that’s brewed onsite, a craft cocktail/mocktail menu, and a full kitchen with an “elevated” food menu, said chief operating officer Trent Fargher.
The facility has 50 taps, so Shades can always rotate their selection of beers and put something new on tap. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fifty taps at Shades Brewpub in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025. The new spot also offers beer to go and beer flights for sampling.
Shades Brewing opened April 4, and the team has plans to add east and west patios soon, plus a rooftop patio. By raising a garage door, an “inside-outside” bar will be able to serve patrons both inside the brewpub and outside on the east patio. “We want to make it a community space, so that everybody’s welcome,” Fargher said.
“Doesn’t matter if you’re 21, if you’re 81 or older, you’re welcome in the space.” (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Shades Brewpub in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025. Shades Brewing started out as Shades of Pale in Park City in 2010, strictly as a production brewery.
In about 2014, Shades moved to South Salt Lake, where it operated as a brewery as well as a taproom that served snacks. By the end of the year, that production brewery is being moved to Evanston, Wyoming, which is where Shades will be making most of its beer (the stuff that goes to grocery stores, liquor stores and the out-of-state market) as well as opening a second brewpub. Back in Utah, the new brewpub on 300 West is going to serve as Shades’ “research and development” facility, Fargher said, a place where they can test out new types of beer.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Shades Brewpub in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025. The building that houses the brewpub is called the Engine Block, across the street from the food hall on 300 West. It used to be a repair shop for industrial machinery — watch for the bright yellow crane by the bar from those old days.
My dining companion and I visited Shades Brewing on a Wednesday for dinner, and everything we tasted was delicious. I really enjoyed my mocktail, the Stripped Geared Mule ($9), made with pineapple, lime, lemon, mint and ginger beer. I’d never tasted that combination of pineapple and ginger beer before and I loved it.
Before our entrees came, we enjoyed the pub pretzel ($8.50), which came with cheddar sauce that was made with Shades Brewing’s award-winning K1 Golden Sour. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Pub Pretzel at Shades Brewpub in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025.
For my main dish, I got the smash burger, which came with two American wagyu patties, melty cheese and caramelized onions, and I was a big fan. But as far as flavor goes, my dining companion’s dish won out. Read more in the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.
Next time I visit I’ll have to try Shades Brewing’s New Haven-style pizza. Fargher said they’re the only establishment in the state that’s making these Connecticut-born pies, which he said are much crispier and crunchier than New York-style pizza and full of flavor. Shades Brewing is open from 11 a.
m. to 10 p.m.
during the week, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. It opens at 10:30 a.m.
for brunch on Sundays. Live deliciously, Kolbie Food News (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) the former Brownies! Brownies! Brownies! building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. • A small building in Sugar House that has housed several different bakeries and coffee shops over the years will soon have a new look and a new occupant.
The blue building at 1751 S. 1100 East, most recently the home of Brownies! Brownies! Brownies!, is going to be the new home of Hruska’s Kolaches , which will be moving its Salt Lake City headquarters out of its spot at 2030 S. 900 East.
• The company that owns the Utah-born Squatters Craft Beers and Wasatch Brewery labels won’t be making those brands in Utah anymore, once they close their Salt Lake City brewery at the end of May. • The Ruin , a downtown bar at 159 S. Main St.
, closed April 5, according to an Instagram post , which also said “we’re excited to create something new for SLC in the coming months.” • Frankie & Essl’s , a breakfast sandwich shop near Liberty Park at 490 E. 1300 South, won’t be reopening after a flood, according to an Instagram post .
Booze (and Drink!) News (Repeal) The sign for the new jazz and cocktail bar Repeal, located in the basement of the Walker Center. The folks who own Prohibition in Murray have announced an opening date for their new bar, Repeal , in the basement of the Walker Center at 19 E. 200 South in downtown Salt Lake City.
The jazz club and cocktail bar will open April 29. The location was the home of Bourbon House until 2023, and long ago was known as D.B.
Cooper’s. Dish of the Week (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Rueben sandwich at Shades Brewpub in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025. Shades Brewing’s smash burger was great, don’t get me wrong.
But their Reuben made me feel like I’d got slapped in the face with flavor. Made with corned beef brisket; fennel and Napa cabbage coleslaw; Gruyere cheese; and Thousand Island dressing on marbled rye bread, this juicy sandwich was it ..
