Seabird Bar: How Utah's Only Vinyl Listening Room is Redefining Craft Cocktails in Salt Lake City

The record crackles to life—something smooth and instrumental, maybe Khruangbin or A Tribe Called Quest—and suddenly you're not just in another bar. You're in a space where the music actually matters, where bartender Matt Cantu might ask if you want him to flip the vinyl or skip to something new, where the whole damn point is to slow down and actually listen. This is Seabird Bar, and it's the only place in Utah doing this.

Tucked into both The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City and a second-floor space in Draper, Seabird occupies a rare niche in Utah's craft cocktail scene: the vinyl listening room. Not a sports bar blaring ESPN. Not a club pounding Top 40. A listening room, inspired by the hidden jazz kissa bars of 1950s Japan, where vinyl records spin through vintage equipment and craft cocktails arrive with the same care as the music selection. As one customer put it, "Imagine your favorite coffee shop serving craft drinks with natural, hand selected ingredients."

From La Barba Coffee to Craft Cocktails: The Josh Rosenthal Vision

Josh Rosenthal didn't come to Utah planning to revolutionize anything. The Texas musician fell in love with the Wasatch Mountains on a snowboarding trip and, six months later, called himself a Salt Lake City resident. He believed that Utah had all the potential in the world to surprise you in the best of ways, and he set out to prove it—first with La Barba Coffee, the beloved roaster he co-founded with Levi Rogers and Joe Evans.

La Barba started small. Rogers was roasting coffee on a converted backyard BBQ grill and delivering batches via backpack and bicycle. But the company grew ten times over four years and now distributes to 140 Utah-based restaurants, shops, cafes and businesses. That success laid the groundwork for Rosenthal's next passion project: bringing the vinyl listening bar concept to Utah.

In 2018, Rosenthal and his business partners announced plans to open Seabird Bar at The Gateway, alongside a second location in Draper. The concept came from Seabird co-owner Asher Seevinck's trips to Japan, where vinyl bars originated as small hole-in-the-wall type joints where patrons sit and drink anything from cheap beers to high-end whiskey, while listening intently to vinyl records.

"We've just started construction on a Seabird location in Draper," Rosenthal told Building Salt Lake in 2018. "Once we signed the deal to come to The Gateway, we knew it would be another perfect location for us." By early 2019, both locations were open, bringing something genuinely new to Utah's nightlife landscape.

The Vinyl Listening Room Experience: Where Music Meets Mixology

Walk into Seabird's Gateway location and you'll notice what's not there first. No TVs. No screaming sports fans. No generic Spotify playlist on shuffle. Instead, vinyl records are stacked on shelves around a minimal bar with a big window overlooking The Gateway's Olympic Plaza fountains. The menu is a puzzle you have to turn this way and that to read—like a spinning record. Everything about the space is thoughtful.

Behind the bar, a classic turntable connects to a Marantz amplifier, with music pouring through vintage refurbished JBL speakers. The bartender—sometimes Cantu, sometimes Kelley or Castiel (customer favorites)—curates what you hear. Cantu changes records based on the vibe, switching to something more instrumental and quieter for conversation's sake. The experience feels distinctly American—social, conversational, interactive—rather than the reverential silence of traditional Japanese listening bars.

"I think that people are really starting to appreciate listening to the whole album," Cantu explained to City Weekly, "because I think that really got lost with iTunes and Spotify." He gestured at the needle. "Here, it's never, like, 'Play this record and play this one song.'"

The Draper location offers a different energy. Located above La Barba Coffee at 13811 Sprague Lane, the second-floor space features stunning views from the second floor, particularly during sunset, where silhouettes of the nearby mountains add to the enchanting atmosphere. As one Draper regular raved, "This is a cocktail bar that is of such mixology quality and ambient atmosphere that it can stand its own against any cocktail bar in Washington DC, New York, London, Tokyo, or Singapore!"

Both locations feature handmade furniture from local carpenter Colby Wade Carper of Salted Grain, who creates heritage-quality communal tables designed to bring people together. For the Gateway Seabird, Carper created shelving, a full bar, one large communal table, and a wooden wall art installation with a 20-foot bar featuring a waterfall edge. The furniture isn't just functional—it's part of the storytelling.

What to Order: Customer-Approved Cocktails and Small Plates

The cocktail menu at Seabird rotates seasonally, but certain drinks have achieved cult status among regulars. The Verde ($11) combines rye, green chartreuse, lime, smoked rosemary, and lavender simple syrup into something herby, classy, and great for sipping. The Oaxacan Old Fashioned ($12)—made with reposado tequila, mezcal, agave, and orange and chocolate bitters—receives consistent praise for its smoky sophistication.

Then there's the Scarlet Begonia, made with tequila ancho, coconut, and a float of red wine, noted for its nice kick. The Pain Killer ($10) delivers tropical vibes with light and dark rum, orange and pineapple, vanilla, and nutmeg. And for something unique, try the Monk's Brew ($14)—green chartreuse with La Barba cold brew and egg white, bridging Seabird's coffee shop heritage with its cocktail future.

Multiple customers mention the cocktail roulette experience, where bartenders create custom drinks based on your flavor preferences. "Best cocktails in town. Play roulette with your favorite flavor profile," one reviewer noted. Another visitor recalled, "My friend and I lingered around for so long because we couldn't leave in the middle of great records playing, but there's such a variety of cocktails to choose from so it's easy to stay for a while."

The food menu keeps things simple with elevated small plates: meat and cheese trays featuring Creminelli Calabrese, Manchego, Marcona almonds, olive blends, and crostini ($11 each). The Apple Brie Honey Sandwich has developed a following for its creative twist on classic flavors.

For craft beer lovers, Seabird offers carefully curated options, including discoveries like the Piña Colada Sour from Shades brewery, recommended by knowledgeable bartenders.

The Scene: Date Nights, Music Lovers, and Draper's Hidden Gem

Seabird attracts a specific crowd—and that's intentional. "The atmosphere was so chill compared to other bars. Let's be honest, not everyone wants to go to a sports bar and hear TVs blaring and people screaming," one customer wrote. It's the anti-Affliction shirt bar, the counterprogramming to Utah's sports-heavy nightlife culture.

Musicians, roadies, and sound technicians from nearby venues like Metro Music Hall gravitate to Seabird, noticing the music and often requesting specific records. The bar hosts vinyl listening parties with prolific local record collectors like DJ Finale Grand and DJ Sneeky Long. Some nights are dedicated purely to listening, while others maintain Seabird's distinctly social American vibe.

The Draper location has become a date night destination for South Valley residents tired of driving downtown for craft cocktails. "Bar" and "Draper" aren't words you usually hear together, but Seabird changed that. The cozy yet open layout fosters a relaxed environment, making it a perfect spot for social gatherings or casual business meetings.

Bartenders make or break the experience, and Seabird's staff consistently earns praise. Kelley, Castiel, Sam, and others are mentioned by name in reviews for their knowledge, hospitality, and cocktail expertise. "Favorite bartenders in town they treat you like it's the best neighborhood bar. Remembering you from going on a first date there onwards," wrote one regular.

Gateway's Transformation and Utah's Growing Cocktail Culture

Seabird opened as part of The Gateway's $125 million transformation from struggling mall to mixed-use entertainment district. Located at 7 S Rio Grande Street, right next to La Barba Coffee, the bar occupies prime real estate in downtown Salt Lake City's revitalization story.

The location matters. The Gateway now houses Megaplex Theatres, The Depot, Clark Planetarium, and Discovery Gateway Children's Museum. Seabird adds to the district's cultural offerings—proof that "what they can do with coffee is second-to-none, and now, they're going to bring that same level of quality and uniqueness into the cocktail scene," as The Gateway's Vice President of Leasing Jenny Cushing noted.

Utah's craft cocktail scene has quietly matured over the past decade, shedding its "good enough for Salt Lake" mentality. Seabird stands alongside bars like Water Witch, Copper Common, and Under Current as proof that world-class mixology exists along the Wasatch Front. The vinyl listening room concept gives Seabird something none of those other excellent bars can claim: it's genuinely one of a kind in Utah.

Planning Your Visit to Seabird Bar

Gateway Location: 7 S Rio Grande St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5pm-1am (Closed Sunday-Monday) Phone: (801) 456-1223

Draper Location: 13811 Sprague Lane, Suite 210, Draper, UT 84020 Hours: Monday 4pm-9pm, Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-11pm, Friday-Saturday 4pm-1am (Closed Sunday) Phone: (385) 255-5473

Pro Tips from Regulars:

• The Gateway location has an outdoor deck area—perfect for warmer evenings
• Thursday nights tend to be the sweet spot for crowds at both locations
• Ask bartenders about custom cocktails if nothing on the menu speaks to you
• The Draper location's second-floor mountain views are spectacular at sunset
• Follow @seabirdutah on Instagram for special vinyl listening events and seasonal menu updates

What to Expect: Prices run $10-14 for cocktails, $11 for small plates—right in line with other craft cocktail bars in Salt Lake City. The intimate setting means both locations fill up quickly on weekend nights. Some reviewers note the music can get loud (it's a vinyl bar, after all), but most consider it part of the charm. The atmosphere trends dimly lit, cozy, and conversation-friendly despite the music.

Why Seabird Matters to Utah's Food and Drink Scene

In a state still wrestling with its cultural identity around alcohol, Seabird represents something important: the maturation of Utah's nightlife beyond mere tolerance into genuine sophistication. It's not trying to be "good for Utah"—it's just good, period.

The vinyl listening room concept honors music as something worth paying attention to, not just background noise. In our algorithmic age of Spotify shuffles and TikTok sound bites, Seabird demonstrates a very American take on the vinyl bar—one that is still undeniably social, where you can appreciate full albums while having real conversations over expertly crafted drinks.

Josh Rosenthal and his partners didn't just open another bar. They created a space that challenges Utah to appreciate nuance, to slow down, to listen. From the handmade Salted Grain furniture to the carefully curated vinyl collection to the seasonal cocktail rotations, every detail tells the same story: this place gives a damn about craft, quality, and bringing people together around shared experiences.

"They change up their cocktail menu seasonally and the drinks are always creative and delicious. I hear something new from the record collection every visit," one loyal customer wrote. That's the magic of Seabird—it gives you a reason to return, to discover, to spend an evening doing something more than just drinking. You're participating in a culture, a movement, a quiet revolution happening one spinning record at a time.

Whether you're in downtown Salt Lake's Gateway or suburban Draper, Seabird offers the same promise: craft cocktails served with intention, vinyl records played with care, and a space designed for humans who still believe that how we spend our time together matters. In Utah's rapidly evolving food and drink landscape, that kind of thoughtfulness deserves to be celebrated—and savored, preferably with a Verde in hand while Khruangbin fills the room.