Area 51 — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

Came with some friends on a Friday night. I usually never leave bad reviews, but there are some things needing to be brought to attention.

We arrived around 11:00. I’m 21 but came with some friends under 21 so we made our way to the 18+ section after paying a $7.50 cover. (Even though cover is advertised online at $5.00) There were maybe 5 people on the dance floor… absolutely unappealing atmosphere. I was borderline embarrassed.

We made our way to the outside patio to talk and hang out. More people were outside talking than inside dancing. I peaked into the 21+ section and there was a small crowd and it was a little more fun in there.

We waited around until a bit past midnight to see if anyone would show, but still no crowd. While sitting outside, someone’s mom busted in screaming, “why haven’t you answered your phone!”. Kid must’ve been in trouble and broke out in hysterical tears and left. Quite dramatic… Embarrassing, but Area 51 has no control over helicopter parents, so I understand.

Some girls even came up to us and asked if there were any other 18+ clubs in the area because they wanted to have “more fun than whatever this is” Once again… Embarrassing. It finally occurred to me that I wasn’t the only person not having fun. I felt bad for bringing my friends there.

We brushed off the encounters and continued our chat outside, only to see a rat run across underneath our table. (I understand that we were outside in the city, there’s going to be pests, but the rats are obviously living underneath the patio) We panicked and ran back inside to the empty club, but had a hard time doing so due to the floorboards in the patio literally falling apart, I’m guessing due to the consumption of material from the rats. I’m talking rotting wood, large holes in the floor, and loose/missing floorboards. Extreme safety hazard. They seriously need to close off or repair the patio before someone hurts themselves.

Inside was still empty and outside was a vermin playground, so we left after only really being there for about an hour. I felt like I kept giving Area 51 a chance but it kept proving to be a bad experience over and over again. This was the final straw.

Ironically, there was more of a crowd at the Maverick across the street than at Area 51. We grabbed some snacks and called a lift home.

Between the cover charge and uber there and back, my group spent over $60 just to sit outside and talk for an hour. Could’ve done that at home. Waste of money and a good Friday night.

Here’s my key points: -Atmosphere: Not ideal for socializing. I love the dark, apocalyptic theme they have going on, but it needs some work… especially in the 18+ area. -drinks: decent and fairly priced. Soda Bar in 18+ section is a nice touch. Loved that. -price: affordable but cover not as advertised -cleanliness and maintenance: 0/10 and probably a code violation of some kind. -Staff: friendly bartenders and attentive bouncers. Can’t complain there. -Security: Not ideal. Aside from a bouncer ensuring no one underage makes it into 21+ section, there’s really no one supervising at all. No bag checks or anything like that. Location: located in an unsafe area downtown where I would not recommend or feel safe walking at night. Parking is minimal. Activities: 21+ section has karaoke, pool, giant Jenga, etc. 18+ section only really has the dance floor, which I feel is backwards.

All in all, this was the 2nd chance I gave this place and I will probably not return. My friends and I made an adventure out of it, so no hard feelings.

If they were to clean the place up a bit and advertise their events/themed nights more effectively, I think they would have better business. They have lots of good things about them. Being the only 18+ club in UT, (that I know about) they definitely have potential to be a great gathering spot for young adults wanting to let loose and make friends! But unfortunately, they are just...

My friends went last night to Fetish Night to celebrate their recent marriage. We had never been before and had no idea what to expect. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE NIGHTS EVER. I've always been super lonely being the only goth I know of in Provo, but if I had known there was an entire community of goths meeting once a month to dance the night away I would have started attending years ago. Everyone was so kind and friendly and their outfits were GORGEOUS! I made five new friends in one night and felt so joyful. There were goths of every variety and age and I even danced with an elder goth. It was truly magical. The only very minor downside were the few normies that came in to crash the party. Everyone of the goths I met were super kind, loving, and respectful; but the normies kept trying to bully us and start fights. They would say rude things and try to boss us around. One guy came in on cowboy boots and crutches, but would ditch them every chance he got to just walk around and creep on people and talk about his "package." There were other guys in plain t-shirts and jeans that would just stare at the women and make everyone uncomfortable. I'm not a gatekeeper, but being told I'm not allowed to hang out with my new friends by a guy wearing flannel is not my idea of a fun time. Thankfully one of the bouncers was super cool and told us to allert him if that ever happened again. Mr. Nobody, if you're reading this, you rock! All in all the whole experience was spectacular. My friend tried out the electric table and we danced like it was 1999. If the music gets too intense I highly recommend going out to one of the porches or balconies. I met some truly outstanding people there and one guy was celebrating his birthday and recovery from brain cancer. Everyone cheered and we...

Quite a few people complaining about the only cash cover when that is a perfectly normal thing. Most clubs I have been to all over the country only have cash covers. It is slower than a lot of clubs but if you embrace it, it is no problem. Definitely not the place to go alone but if u have 3+ people with you, you will have a blast.

The music downstairs is meh to me but they also have an upstairs dance floor that plays bangerz a lot. People complaining about the music are dumb because the top floor takes song requests and it is slow enough 90% of the time that your music WILL be played. Me and my friends had an absolute blast. Being able to dance around the dance floor freely without being crushed by other people. A stage where you can cheer your friends on and cages where you can dance if you are feeling frisky.

The drink prices are the cheapest in the area and the bartenders and security are the nicest I have experienced at any club in Utah. Made some great recommendations.

As for the people complaining about the bathrooms and chairs- yes some are a little worn and torn but it isn't like they are completely destroyed. They are good enough to do their job and that is that. Nothing there is grossly dirty about any of it. Just because it is a little run down compared to some of the other clubs around doesn't mean it is gross or dirty. It was made 25+ years ago which in Utah is wild.

Best time going out I have had in a while and will definitely be returning. Sorry to this place for all the 1 star reviews very few of them are based...