The Bar-X

I need to preface this review with the fact that I spent 40 years in Wisconsin. The Badger State is known for its drinking culture, and a bar is a meeting place, a social center where folks come to interact, laugh, and share. If you want intimacy, find a table in the back. Don’t sit at the bar. The bar is for fun and comraderie.
Bar X takes itself too seriously. I recognize mixology can be an art form, but a bar should not be a reverent place. Dark with a speakeasy vibe, Bar X has a large bar and many small «tete a tete» tables to cozy up to. I sat at the bar because I wanted to be gregarious and enjoy a Cheesehead good time. Conversation with the bartender was akin to speaking with an attorney. It was as if each minute was costing money and I better be quick about it. He refused to engage even though he was mixing right in front of me. The NCAA basketball tourney was on, so there was much to converse about. Yet, the other patrons at the bar were more into their drinks than conversation. Bar X ain’t Wisconsin, that’s for sure!
I like a good drink as much as anyone, but I am more into having fun. If I want a private moment with a friend at a place that mixes classic cocktails, Bar X would be perfect. It’s a great date spot. However, if I want to enjoy myself and forget about the seriousness of life for a moment, Bar X is the last establishment I would think of. The jukebox is great though.

Def a nice lil spot to get lost. Dimmed lights, cozy corners & great mixologists. It’s a nice place to get away from the hussle & bussle of the work day. The guys working behind the bar know their stuff. Just gotta be patient if you’re picking from the drink menu of specialty drinks. If you’re in the mood for some tunes & a good drink cruise by here after 9pm.

Lots of hype my SLC friends. However, I will say the bartenders are worthy mixologists of the professional. I was really impressed with my twist on the usually Manhattan. The atmosphere is great to meet friends, but it is relatively small so get here early if you are coming with a crowd.
On a side note, 9pm in SLC seems to be primetime on weekend nights with most bars emptying out by 1am (much earlier than most cities). I would plan accordingly. Also, Beer Bar is next store and a great second spot to check out.

Bartenders here really take their time with your order and are happy to make suggestions for newcomers. It gets overly crowded in the summer on weekends so just be comfortable with getting squished if you really have the urge to go out, or avoid it all together. I really like how it’s connected to Beer Bar and you can mingle between the two. There’s live jazz music from time to time which is fun.

4 start quality. If not 5.
3 star speed of service. Granted, all hand made cocktails. But no reason to only have 1 bartender on duty.

Quality cocktails with a prohibition era vibe.
* The drinks here are fantastic however Rome wasn’t built in a second and neither are those cocktails but patience pays off !
* The atmosphere has a small and dark presence and is true to its purpose .
* Over the past three weeks I could say in confidence that Bar-​x has the best technical bartenders I’ve seen in town .
* The clientele is eclectic and everyone fits in.
If you want a cocktail this ain’t a bad place to start !

Good spot in town. They carry a wide selection of local and regional beers including my favorite beer from New Belgium. Also make sure to try the Curry Bratwurst!

After reading through the reviews I’m going to start off by saying people have some good points about the negative aspects, but then I realized we’re in Utah and sometimes people have sticks up there you know what. First off, most places that specialize in signature cocktails with no food service will have you wait in a line. It ends up being more fair than having to shoulder your way to the bar; yes the drinks take longer, but they are delicious, and that is what you pay for. If we were in another state maybe they could do a slightly more heavy pour, but it’s Utah. Second, people complain about ambiance and crowd size. Get there before or around 8 and you should be fine in terms of crowds. I actually like going early ⁵⁄₆ ish for early drinks and sit outside in the warm weather. It’s a bar. Bars get crowded. Don’t go out if you don’t want to be around people. Oh yeah. Complaining about hipsters now a days is sad and pathetic. Most aesthetic bars now a days will have a hipster feel; from Nyc, Chicago, Portland, Bay Area and everywhere in between. Going to a well designed bar and complaining about hipsters would be like going to Harlem and complaining about the black element. It would be like going to a sports bar and complaining about how many tvs there are. After coming back to Utah after living and working in said previous cities it’s nice to see the SLC move up the bar for its bars. I’m just glad I no longer have to buy a «membership». Haters gonna hate.

This place is fun and the drinks are amazing. Only downside is that it is ALWAYS packed. Get there early if you want a table or somewhere to sit.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS PLACE. I don’t even know what else to say. Low lit, rundown, amazing beers, local feel. fun little table games are also provided.

the ambiance is nice. the reason for the low score starts and ends with how you order a drink… THERE ARE NO WAITERS/​WAITRESSES!
To order, you have to pack like lemmings against the bar as three bartenders scramble to turn out drinks… SLOOOOLWY.
I stood for 15 minutes to get my first drink and longer to try and get a second.
I gave up on the second drink after a group of barely legal aged girls flirted their way to the front of the bar.
The bartender was asked by another couple (who had also cut in line) if they could order. The bartender pointed to the girls and said he would help them after the girls… all of whom were behind me.
So, I gave up rather than waste another futile 15 minutes in line.
I would gladly pay more for a drink to support some wait staff.
I will never go there again.

Great atmosphere, unique and modern drinks. Great staff and brings in a good crowed.

In town for work, business mate told this is the spot of hotties. HE WAS RIGHT. My Bartender (Nando?) made me a SICK drink. It was bomb. Not usually a cocktail guy myself but this dude made me wanna pound 10 more.
ITS LIT.

Had a great experience here, there is a back room with a small bar that wasn’t crowded at all. (Main area was pretty crowded) the bartender was an artist, he knew what he was doing and made some amazing drinks! Would definitely recommend it to hangout & like others said, it’s connected to beer bar, which is bigger bar with plenty of room. They also had a taco truck outside that was amazing!

Beer bar is our favorite place, but tonight they really shined because my boyfriend lost his damn wallet and after asking all the people no one could find it. And then they found it and found me and gave it back!!! Best thing ever thanks BB

Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails!
That sign actually works. My brothers were determined to come here after dinner and kept yelling COCKTAILS, COCKTAILS, COCKTAILS!
I love the ambience and the backlit bar. The drinks are unique, tasty, and made with precision. The bartenders were cool. We went on a weekday so it wasn’t too crowded. The noise level is on the livelier side and an upper for your mood. Probably a good place to start out the night! Apparently there was this one guy demanding three «Slippery Nipples» for him and his lady friends. Haha.
Definitely will come back to this super hip bar!

If you’re over the age of, say, 27, you probably won’t appreciate bumping shoulders with this crowd of kids in jorts who look thrilled to be able to legally enter a bar. Bartenders are slow. The bar is supposed to stay open beyond 1 to allow patrons to finish their drinks, but right at 1am on a weekend they turn on these obnoxious spotlights to ruin the ambiance and spoil your night (see pic).

The bar is okay, but this is the worst customer service on Earth because of one guy: the bald bartender with a long beard.
Besides being rude, he took away a drink that we paid from my friend’s table because my friend didn’t tip him and got mad. Besides being illegal, that’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Literally no words. I wish I could
give negative stars to this place.
The rest of the staff is actually very nice and it’s very sad how one person can ruin the entire experience. Fire him.

worse service and attitude from bartenders. Never going back!!! You work in customer service so your job is to serve me not call ANYONE BITCHES for making you work.

I’ve been here several times since opening. It’s gotten better over time. I’ve never been here when it was crowded, and that’s not an accident. I don’t know if I just picked a tough day on my last trip. There was just one bartender and a barback serving way too many people. Still, the system was set up to keep things running smoothly.
Early on, the owners cared about classic craft cocktails, but some of the bartenders were pretty much clueless. If you didn’t want what was on the menu, you were screwed. They didn’t really know much. Over time that has changed.
This last trip, I was with a group of four. We had two drinks on the menu, and two we requested. One I thought wasn’t that obscure, and he didn’t know it. OTOH, he had the Vieux Carre nailed, even though the bar was missing an ingredient. Very nice.
I would have liked that they offered to use Aviation Gin in an Aviation, rather than just using the «well» Beefeater. I’d pay the extra.
That’s small nits. It’s a great place to have near downtown. Cheers!