Eight Settlers expands to downtown SLC with multi-level bar and lounge

It was back in 2020 when Katia and Radu Dugala debuted their Eight Settlers Distillery concept over in Cottonwood Heights. Six years later, and the Dugalas are back, expanding into the downtown area with a new bar and lounge facility. And a surprisingly sprawling one at that.

Located in the Newhouse Realty Building on Exchange Place, the exterior of the historic building is a tardis like deceit for what lies behind the doors. On entering, staircases to the left and right lead guests to both a basement area (the Devil’s Gate Lounge) and an upper level that peers down on the main bar. Notably, each of the three floors features its own dedicated bar. The capacity, just shy of 400.

As you might expect, beverages begin with cocktails that showcase the distillery’s work, which itself is “rooted in [Radu’s] childhood experiences with his grandfather in Romania”. Spent barrels from the Cottonwood site perch above the downstairs bar, a suggestive nod as to where to start your order. On the flipside of the cocktail list are beer, wine, and NA selections.

The launch food menu (see below) is the work of exec chef Angelique Pereat, and one loaded with Spanish flair – Galicia Grilled Octopus, Langostino Valentino, and Brochetas a la Espanola to name three. At first blush, it’s certainly a unique roster for a 21+ bar. The latter is where I begin, because anything twirlable is a personal must. Let’s bring back cocktail umbrellas, I say. The speared bite-sized pieces of beef come interleaved with fatty pork guanciale, making for a fun textural contrast. A honey vinegar glaze and chimichurri aioli finish the dish. There’s good beefy earthiness and smokiness too, and again, you get to point, twirl and pontificate.

From there, it’s onto a range of flatbreads, I go with the fried eggplant, plated with a honey-tinged yogurt, and pomegranate bell pepper sauce. One more dish on a first visit, Mosaic Black Cod, and one that illuminates Pereat’s technique-driven cooking. The modernist presentation sees sablefish rendered into smaller pieces, seasoned and compressed. A bath in the sous vide comes next, allowing for a captivating presentation, sliced cylinders of pressed chilled black cod gussied up with a champagne citrus sparkle.

On my first visit, just a few days into opening, only the ground-floor bar was open, but the crowds will undoubtedly spill over from Main Street in due course. With White Horse back in action, and Eva back online too as of last Friday evening, the central nightlife hub of the city looks set for a strong 2026.

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Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.