Michele R.
Yelp
Perched on a bluff, to enjoy the St. Regis Bar for all it has to offer you'll need to know how to get to it. Because you cannot drive to the St. Regis hotel entry, park your car and walk through the lobby to take the elevator to the Bar. There are homes on the path of travel to drive to the St. Regis main entry and the homeowners' association put the kibash on tourist vehicle traffic through the neighborhood. I get it.
So, here is THE DRILL:
*Park your car at the lower area parking, walk across the lot and up a small incline to enter a building where you take stairs or elevator up to a loading platform for the enclosed lift car, called the Funicular, that you will ride up to the St. Regis hotel / bar.
*There is valet service outside this Funicular building. If you'd rather not or are unable to park and hoof it yourself up to the building entry, the nice valets will take your vehicle and park it for you and retrieve it when you're back down.
*Riding the Funicular is free. It arrives at the Bar / Restaurant level of the St. Regis. Funicular cars have AC and heat, some seating and standing room too, and windows all around to let in the view as you go up or come down. They are ADA accessible.
*If you want to peruse the beautiful lobby and outdoor terraces at lobby level too (and you should) you can take an elevator or stairs down to it.
THE FACILITY: We went twice on our early Fall visit to Park City, choosing Happy Hour times to be able to see the outdoor sights as well as the interior with a minimum of crowd. Although no mural can come close to matching the Maxfield Parrish one in the King Cole Bar at the mothership St. Regis in NYC, the mural behind the bar here is lovely and fits this space.
There is high perch seating at and in the bar area, standard table height seating to the side of the bar in an area surrounded by windows and also an outdoor patio with splendid outlook. It is casual attire appropriate setting, in fact we were surprised at how "jeans n tees" it was for some folks.
THE SERVICE: Servers on both of our visits were cordial and informal, something we invited and encouraged so perhaps they are more formal with others. But service was quite slow on both visits in spite of few customers present in the bar.
THE LIBATIONS: Like most places in Utah, you're going to pay a lot of money for average glass of wine (as in $16 - 20 for pretty plebian pours) which has less to do with the St. Regis than arcane state liquor laws that prevent restaurants from buying vino wholesale, so they in essence have to mark up retail prices. Bottom line, cocktails are a better choice here for $14 - $18. Among the cocktails you may want to make your choice any one of the half dozen Bloody Mary's ($16). Mary's are signature drink of the St. Regis (said to have originated in NY) and each St. Regis location has one designed for them. This bar makes all five (or six) varities and highlights them on the menu.
THE EATS: If you want a nosh or a full meal, the food comes from the grill / restaurant next door which is a Jean-George Vongenrichten family kitchen. Having eaten at Jean-George restaurants elsewhere, I can say the kitchens are typically very good, although I didn't try the eats here.
THE ACCESSIBILITY: There is no marked accessible (aka ADA) parking in the lower lot. Regardless, steepness of 'walk and roll' route from lot to elevator building would be tough for mobility limited people. (I have MS so I pay attention to this.) Plan on using valet service. The entire facility, including the Funicular, is fully accessible. The ladies and gents loo are too and beautiful to boot.
THE CEREMONY: At certain times of the year there is a 'big deal' nightly (I think) sabering ceremony of a bottle of champagne by the fire on the outside patio near sunset. (Sabering means removing the cork cap with a...well...yes...saber.) If that schtick appeals to you, you may want to call ahead to see if tables are reserved for that event.
A TIP: Valet parking is free service, but of course you'll tip the valets given if one can afford the beverage and food prices at the St. Regis Bar, one can afford to be gracious with service staff who are trying to earn a living in pricey Park City, with the highest cost of living in all of Utah.