I really wanted to love Sayonara but it fell flat. We arrived shortly after opening and the bartender acted annoyed we were there. He wasn't friendly to us or any other patrons that came in. We ordered 3 drinks, all of which were pretty mid. The wasabi mule tasted like a spicy lemonade, the smoke & cider old fashion entered drinking a candle territory, the shishito sour was probably the most enjoyable and featured a chicken bullion rim. Maybe we just got the wrong drinks? It's hard to say. It appeared the only food they offered was microwaveable ramen but we didn't see it on the menu or featured anywhere at the bar. The atmosphere is really cool and filled with detail. That's the only positive take away from our experience. I want to give them another try but it won't be for quite awhile. read more

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This is the perfect spot for a date night! We went on a Sunday night so it was honestly pretty empty, but the other times that I've driven by they seem pretty packed. The indoor area is super cute especially the cowboy bebop booth. There is an outdoor patio area with heaters the inside is too packed. The drinks all have fun names and are priced as you would expect. I saw on old reviews that they had food but it wasn't on the menu when I went so they probably changed the menu read more

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Amazing experience at Sayonara! It is such a cute place and fun bar! Drinks were great, we tried the bitter fox and lychee ume. Both were fantastic and loved how it was japanese inspired drinks. It's not easy to find chuhais and highballs and typical bars! Bartender was nice & friendly and very helpful while ordering. Great time and definitely will be back! read more

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Love Sayonara. The cocktails are super thoughtful and unique, the DJs and music are always on point, and the staff is welcoming and kind. I lost something during a visit and the team was so helpful and proactive in helping me find it -- truly above-and-beyond service. Such a fun, well-run local spot with great vibes all around. read more

This is one of the newer bars in the downtown area. It took the place of ginger street. It's a Japanese inspired/theme style bar. There's a good amount seating inside and outside. The seats are first come first seat. I'm not sure if there's a reservation system for seating. The drinks here are very standard for Utah. The drink I ordered was very sweet. Could just be the ramune that they use as the base mix. If you have a night of bar hopping/drinking this would be a good place to start or even take a mid break from. They do serve food here but we didn't see a menu about it. I felt like you had to ask the waiter if they serve food. It looks like food here are purely small plates, not super sure cause I wasn't able to pay attention to the list of stuff the waiter was listing and the loud environment. I'm really on the fence about this place. It is a nice place for an Insta pic. read more

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Sayonara is a gorgeous bar with cozy booths for a party or benches for a solo excursion. The moment you walk in, you can tell that the owner put a lot of thought into how they want you to feel while you're there. The vibes are reminiscent of the streets of Tokyo and the low lighting is perfect for a night out. I didn't get to try many drinks, but the one I had was called Snowcone Chuhai. It was a very light and smooth drink, so honestly I could have ordered more, but we had other bars to hop to that night (haha). I will definitely be visiting again, but my only complaint is I wish there was something for me to munch on! (Although, they did have a vending machine filled with Japanese snacks.) Edit: They do serve food! Just before 10 PM read more

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Such a sick Japanese themed bar in Downtown. It does have some anime influences around the actual bar itself. Bartenders were pretty knowledgable and were fun to converse with when they are not busy. The drinks are good and at a reasonable price. read more

Sayonara - Menu - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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ALICE , IS THE BEST MF BARTENDER / FRIEND EVER. This place is legit the atmosphere is 10/10 and you will definitely have a great time out here. Real music and it's LIVE, and the drinks are so cheap, you can save and have fun all at the same time. RECOMMEND, please go. You won't regret it. read more

Sayonara - Corona and good vibes - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

10/10, THOMAS IS DOPE!!! Amazing curation of drinks and can bring outside food inside, we recommend the sushi spot across the street. If u wanna be somewhere cool on a Sunday, come here!! read more

Sayonara - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Love this new bar in SLC. Very fun and mellow. When we came it was semi busy but we ended up being able to get a booth. Seating is limited when it's busy. But there's always the option of going out to the patio to hang out. They have heaters out there so it's not cold. If you can get a booth than it's just even better because you can play games that they have and get drinks and food. It seems like their munchies menu changes which I thought was pretty cool. I seen pictures of food that weren't on the menu when I came, so I think they switch it up. Love the decor and vibe of this place! Reminded me of Japan! Staff was pretty friendly. Service was great when we were in a booth and had a table. Food and drinks came or quick. I really liked the lychee Ume Highball! This was my favorite drink! We got fries and they were a good snack! Overall this place was super cute and fun! If you are looking to have a mellow night this is the place. read more

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This place was sooooo fun! Came here for a girls night out, they had indoors and outdoor seating and a pool table! Service was mid but it was busy when we came so we just gladly walked to the bar to order our drinks. We didn't get to try the food because we were mainly there for drinks this time but I will definitely be coming back to give it a try. We ordered the Lychee drink and the mango one as well. read more

Sayonara - Lychee drink and Mango - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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I keep a sharp eye on the food+drink scene in the Salt Lake Valley. The appearance of Sayonara was a welcome addition to the, let's be honest, small selection of truly modern (and GOOD) bars in Utah. Things that were good: -food We got 2 rounds of every food option (because it was so delicious!). Shrimp and gyoza were perfectly cooked and flavorful. Only adjustment would be some quality control of the chicken skewers as the second round was over cooked. -music More disco remix than j-pop but it worked. -decor Very instagram-friendly without feeling like it's pandering for social media influencers Things that could've been better: -service was slow (we went early-right at 7) -dirty glassware Now, Sayonara was a positive experience overall, but being brand new there is room for improvement. I look forward to coming back to see how they grow. read more

Sayonara - Snack food options 08/12/23 - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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Highly recommend! We are visiting from out of town and we're trying to find things to do on a Sunday evening- this place is the move! Wonderful cocktails and they allow outside food :) we got sushi next door and Thomas the manager could not have been more accommodating! Def worth the visit! read more

Walking into Sayonara is like walking into a Tokyo street bar. The vibe is fun and friendly. We were just going to have one drink and go but Oliver the bartender was so knowledgeable and talented, we could not have just one drink. This small cozy bar is the perfect place to relax and have a delicious well thought out cocktail of two. We will be back. read more

Good sushi in a great spot downtown. Nothing amazing, but definitely a spot we will go back to anytime we need sushi downtown.

My new favorite spot for a night out! The vibes here are truly immaculate. Totally feels like you have been transported to Japan read more

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The ambiance of this place is incredible. It is super cute and esthetic and has lots of photo ops for those who are looking for trendier places. There are booths, and outdoor seating as it can get pretty packed inside on the weekend. There are also pool tables for use. Their drinks are super tasty and we love the options. I am excited to get to try their food soon on their updated menu. The service was also pretty good considering how packed they were. Would highly recommend if you are into the area and want to try a cute trendy place anytime soon. read more

Came out on a Saturday night, place was packed! Literally no room to walk. Bathroom only has one person use so the line was super long. Interesting drinks but there's only one bar. Wanted to give the bartenders the benefit of the doubt but they ignore you and when it is your turn they are still really rude. If you don't like making drinks then maybe you should reevaluate what you do. Sucks though, our friends all came out to support the dj since he is also like family and we didn't have that great of an experience for the first time being there. read more

If there was an option for zero stars, I would leave zero stars for this place. This was my second time here. The first time, my group of friends and I came out to support the DJ and wanted to get drinks at the bar, but the bartenders didn't even acknowledge us even if we got there before others. They would take care of the others before us. Their service was very poor. The second time, (also came to support the DJ) gave it the benefit of the doubt that it's busy, but unfortunately the same thing happened. Get this, the bartender even said F-you because we added more drinks after the first order. If you don't like your job, then you shouldn't be working in this industry. On the bright side, the decor at the bar/restaurant looked very authentic. read more

I was excited to check this place out. I love when we get a new bar downtown! I will say this seems to have a lot of potential to be a really fun spot. I went on Halloween and it was a bit less busy than some other bars that night. They had a few pool tables a DJ, and a good amount of tables you could sit at. The drinks were good, and I thought they had a good selection of specialty cocktails. As we were leaving, I noticed they had a vending machine with a bunch of Japanese snacks, which was a really cute touch. All in all would definitely suggest stopping in and giving it a try. read more

Worse place ever. Order a hot sake and it was not. Told my bartender my hot sake was cold and that he was allowed to touch it and he did. He realized it wasn't hot and instead of taking it back and brining me a hot sake he went on. Only for me to bring it up and be told that I paid for a sake; not a hot sake. Whoever runs this establishment reach out me so I can give you more details and whoever else who needs more info on the incident, reach out to Me too. Completely unprofessional. If you know that a client ask for a drink a certain way and then didn't receive it that way; make it right. Take the drink back and get it right then . Don't leave the drink and act like you're going to fix it. read more

This place has beautiful decor, but i can never shake the strange operation they run inside. the staff power trips. The people dont look of age. The music is always very raunchy. They have created a weird atmosphere and had so much potential to do well. Just not vibes at the end of the day :( read more

Fun Japanese Anime vibes. They had some small plates, o enjoyed the katsu sando. The bartender was great, so friendly and helpful to an out-of-towner. Her name was Jaycee, very sweet. read more

Sayonara - One of the fun booth rooms - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

I highly recommend ordering the Lychee Ume or the White Rabbit! It's one of the best drinks I have had in SLC. Also, snack on the fries! I loooved those as well. read more

Sayonara - The drink menu - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Super cute place! The ambiance and decorations were my favorite part personally. Would definitely go again!

Bartenders gave attitude. We also got a "F- you" from one of them. Same guy seemed like he just didn't want to be there and rolled his eyes every time someone ordered. read more

Decided to celebrate my birthday out with friends and wanted to check this place out. Our time at Sayonara was so much fun! While they have a very limited food menu, what they do serve is amazing! They have a cool vending machine with Japanese snacks and we were told they allow outside food (but that could have been a temporary thing). The service was great, the servers were all very attentive. The drinks...what can I say other than AWESOME! I ordered a couple different highballs and the Hojicha Old Fashioned (pictured) and they definitely didn't disappoint. I also tried everything my friends ordered and every single drink tasted fantastic. We will definitely be back to try more drinks! read more

Sayonara - Hojicha Old Fashioned - Bars Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

It was a full house when going. I visited from Cali and the ambiance and people were great. I was in a booth and service was awesome and fast as well. It was fun and a very active location. read more

Zero stars due to service of the bar tenders on a nice Saturday, not even really packed , acknowledged me and other companions and skipped taking other orders from others even we've been waiting before them read more

Great ambiance, fun and chill. The menu is small but pair perfectly for their drink options.

Ari and Todd are the best. The bartenders are mwah. The drinks are bomb. The atmosphere is beautiful. read more

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Love the location as it is right across the street from our favorite sushi bar Kaze! We started the night off over there for food and walked right over to Sayonara to finish the night off with great cocktails and a round of pool. Love the vibe and look forward to our many more nights of taking our friends out for fun evenings like these. read more

The vibe is great, everyone is eager to ask if you have been helped yet or not. Service is pretty fast. Beautiful crafted drinks with authentic Japanese flavors. The place is beautifully arranged and designed. read more

new favorite bar in SLC, great vibes and excellent cocktails. Super nice staff all around, and the decor is really cute too.

Such a beautiful place with detailed decor all Japanese style. Great drinks and delicious gyoza. Ill be back 100%

Went here for my 21st birthday and had a great time! The only problem was that they didn't know how to scan a passport. I waited for about 10 minutes while a line filled up behind me and 3 different people tried to scan it. read more