The Red Door

11/20/2008 Posted by dude69

This place is terrible. The owner should be kicked out of this bar, and all the people who feel like me should file complaints. I know I will. Drinks way too expensive. Perfect, if you're a tourist. Che??? What is that all about??? It's an insult to people of 'color.' Bottom Line: Boycott the Red Door.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Doorman/Drinks/Staff

05/01/2008 Posted by shygrl08

So, my girlfriend friend told me about the Red Door and suggested the scene they have there on Saturdays is simply fabulous. It sounded kind of different than other places that we have gone to around Salt Lake. We usually go to The Urban Lounge or The Tavernacle (please don’t ask). The crowd at the Red Door is very cool. It is bit older that The Urban Lounge but that is kind of cool. The door man, Chad, was very charming in this weird way. It was like a challenge to get in but that was a good thing. It felt exclusive, like a cool place in New York or somethin', and I also felt safe. Then their band started playin' in these suits. I wasn’t sure what to think but then they played some songs we knew and it was a lot of fun. Then band played my favorite song "Young Folks" and that was it! Way fun! We will be back for more of this after I recover. I had a little too much fun with their Martinis I guess.

Pros: Exclusive Popular and Fabulous

Cons: Nothin' really.

04/27/2008 Posted by mofuner

Where have I been the last two years? I moved here from Denver and I must say I really put something like the Red Door past Salt Lake City. I mean the decor is so urban and the crowd is different than most people you find at typical bars around town. I have spent most of weekends at The Metropolitan (which also serves a great martini). Now I will mix it up between The Metro and The Red Door. Their drinks at the Red Door are out of this world (a bit spendy though). If you go there, try the martini called the "Ginger Martini" it hat has this Asian fruit in it. Simply delicious. I haven’t tried their beer or wine menu yet but it looks well planned. I will proceed to kick my freinds for failing to tell me about this place sooner. Damn.

Pros: Cool atmosphere unlike other bars in Salt Lake City . Amazing martinis.

Cons: Some drinks are spendy but damn good.

04/04/2008 Posted by guynag

First of all let me make it clear that I have been to many bars in many big cities in America and Europe. Rarely have I met some one as angry and bitter as Chet at the Red Door. Is he the owner too? good god! Why does he sit there and glare, granted I have seen him break up some violence but damn he is grumpy and he makes you feel like you should not be there, or you are some kind of nuisance to him. As far as the drink go, they are good as long as you put up with the slow service (I don't blame the staff they are really busy on weekends). Somehow though my biggest concern with the Red Door is the managements (whoever that is) hiring habits. For example, the (popular) jazz trio which plays there Saturday nights is fronted by a man who has been black balled by the local musicians union and owes nearly all the jazz players in the valley money. Whether the management knows that or not I'm not sure but I would hope some place that could be referred to as a jazz bar would hire one of the many ethical and quality jazz players in Utah. Go for a drink if you can handle Chet, but remember this guy is just innapropriately rude and he really has no right to monopolize what could be a great social scene in the city.

Pros: Drinks, Service on a Slow Night

Cons: The Doorman, Chet, Crowded, Questionable Hiring policies for musicians.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/05/2008 Posted by freqdiner93

I really used to enjoy this place! The artful mechanistic decor offers a truly Cuban feeling. I would concur with another posting about the excellent service we have always had from Sister Melani in the past. Frankly, I would offer a 5 star rating if this were simply about her service. However, the last time we came in, Sister Melani was not there to soften the piss-poor attitude of the doorman and bartender. The evening began with suspicious review of our membership. We were expired, so I payed for another.. not a huge deal but Brad's attitude at the door was arrogant and uninviting (as always). Brad if you truly are the owner, might I suggest that it is time to find a new occupation.. perhaps employment in Cuba would provide you the welcome attitude adjustment you desperately need. We took a table and waited a solid 15 minutes before we got any service. After that we had none. We interrupted our business discussion in several attempts to reach out to the "service," finally gave up and went up to the bar after that. The martinis were good, but no better than those at other martini bars and restaurants in the vicinity. The second half of our party joined us at about 12:30 AM, which is 30 minutes to last call. Our guests were quite put off, again by the atrocious attitude of Brad at the door. Brad was however, kind enough to let them know that it was last call, and that they had better hurry on up to the bar if they wanted to get a drink (rather than to join us at our table). By the end of the night, I was pretty irritated and I reflected it in the tip only 10% when I generally tip 20% or a little more when the service warrants it. When I finally paid the check, the bartender said "hmm big tipper!!" sarcastically. We left shortly thereafter. One thing I also neglected to mention earlier is that there was only 10 yes that's right only T-E-N people in the entire bar that night INCLUDING US!!! Not exactly the busiest night, was it?

Pros: Martinis tasted good

Cons: Toxic attitude of staff

11/09/2007 Posted by davidsaltlake

If you have someone come from out of town, thanks to red door, there is somewhere great to go. The Mary Martini is the ONLY martini that I have ever craved! The membership is cheap and the atmosphere is quiet and a great place for a first date!

09/14/2007 Posted by aguynutah

i was just checking out the place and noticed a lot of 1 star and 5 star ratings....i looked at the history for the users giving 5 stars...every one of them has exactly one review on citysearch....5 stars for the red door and no other posts. kind of curious...sounds a lot like staff averaging out the ratings. hmmmm......

Pros: lots of 5 star ratings

Cons: looks like they are written by bogus accounts

07/15/2007 Posted by pixie89

I have been going to the Red Door since it opened and continue to recommend it to people. I have always gotten good service and excellent drinks. Friday nights there is music from a DJ and Saturday nights a jazz trio that covers more modern songs from the 80-90's. Both take requests and do a great job at setting the mood. It's a fairly small non-smoking club (unless you're out on the patio). It's a nice place to kick back and enjoy drinks and conversation with friends on one of the couches or small tables. If you're looking for a large, meat market dance club, this is not the place for you. Sometimes I've seen people get upset over having to pay a membership fee, however that is Utah. Membership here is the cheapest they can make it by Utah law.

Pros: great drinks, good services, good ambiance

Cons: no food service

07/15/2007 Posted by dtycoon

When I first visited The Red Door last December I was somewhat impressed with the atmosphere and they had a couple of martinis that were out of this world. My wife and I decided to go back last evening and what a complete waste of money and time. The first thing I noticed was the place was only about 70% full at 10:30 at night compared with standing room only the last time I was there. We took a table and ordered our first drinks about 5-10 minutes after arriving. The first thing that happened was the waitress took our drinks to the wrong table, then she had to look around to see who they belonged to. It's not like this place is big. That was the only time we saw the waitress, well at least at our table. We saw her occasionally walking around the bar but she never came back to see if we wanted to order anything else. I had to grab her and ask for a glass of water, she said she would get it for me and never did bring it. After about an hour I went and found her and asked for my check, it took her another 20 minutes to get it for me. On the way out I told the doorman this was the worst service I had ever encountered at any bar, nightclub, restaurant, or business my entire life. His reply was "Don't bother coming back". Like I would. Anyhow considering on a Saturday night they were at about 70% capacity it seems as if people are catching on and avoiding the place. I recommend you do the same.

Pros: Can't think of any at this time

Cons: Service and staff extremely rude, especially the doorman

06/19/2007 Posted by ohmyheck

My husband and I used to like going to The Red Door from time to time so we eventually bought a membership. The first time we returned with our new membership card, the doorman wouldn’t let me in because he said my name was not on the card and I would have to buy my own membership. My husband and I told him that we had both purchased the membership. The doorman rudely argued that if someone on his staff made the occasional mistake of forgetting to write someone’s name on the membership it’s because they are so busy they don’t have time to double check that each card is filled out completely. (Can I say what the??? No time to make sure that members are treated well?) Then the doorman told us to deal with it and he could let in whomever he wanted and if I wanted in I needed to purchase my own membership. At that point we asked to speak with the manager. To which the doorman replied in the most snobby tone, “I am the manager AND the owner.” I wish I could remember this guy’s name. He was usually the doorman and often acted bitter. I don’t think there's been a time in my life when I’ve been treated more rudely (at least not in this country). This happened last fall and we have not gone back and never will and have advised all our friends to stay away.

Pros: non smoking

Cons: rude doorman who claimed to be the owner