Salt Lake City, Utah · Founded 1933
A downtown Salt Lake City post-Prohibition bar revived in 2010 by a Ty Burrell-led family partnership and known today for craft cocktails.
Bar X is an active cocktail bar at 155 East 200 South in downtown Salt Lake City. It traces its historic origin to 1933, when Utah's ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment helped end National Prohibition, although the claim that it opened the very same day remains local legend rather than verified fact. In 2010, actor Ty Burrell, his brother Duncan, and other partners restored the long-running bar and turned it into its current craft-cocktail destination.
Utah became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Twenty-First Amendment, completing national repeal of Prohibition. Bar X dates its origin to the post-repeal moment, but the claimed same-day bar opening is described by co-owner Ty Burrell as legend.
Source: Utah State Archives, "Utah Paves Way for the Historic Repeal," September 29, 2022; Federal Judicial Center, "Prohibition in the Federal Courts: A Timeline"; Utah Business, "Ty Burrell on why he opened four bars in Utah," April 12, 2021; Bar X, "About"
Ty Burrell, his brother Duncan, and other family/local partners took over Bar X, restoring the deteriorated bar and establishing the modern craft-cocktail format.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Ty Burrell of 'Modern Family' opens restaurant in Utah," April 22, 2014; Utah Business, April 12, 2021; NBA Utah Jazz, September 30, 2021
Beer Bar opened next door to Bar X under the same Burrell-family partnership and became connected to the cocktail bar by an interior door.
Source: Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2014; 7x7, "A Modern Guide to Salt Lake City," January 23, 2017; Beer Bar official website
Bar X continues operating at 155 East 200 South, with official posted hours of Tuesday–Saturday 4 p.m.–1 a.m. and Sunday–Monday 6 p.m.–1 a.m.
Source: Bar X official website and "About" page, accessed September 1, 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Utah's December 5, 1933 ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment is documented. Bar X says it opened after repeal, but co-owner Ty Burrell calls the story that it was immediately ready to serve alcohol that same day a legend. No 1933 license, permit, newspaper opening notice, or city business record was reviewed to prove the exact opening date.
Ty Burrell is a co-owner, not the sole owner. Los Angeles Times reports that he owns Bar X with his brother Duncan and other family members; Utah Business identifies him as co-founder of Bar X Group, and NBA coverage calls him a part-owner of Bar X and Beer Bar.
Bar X's current history says the business changed hands through the years, and this review did not locate business-license, ownership, closure, or operating records establishing uninterrupted service from 1933 to the present. Local discussion also reports a substantial closure period, though that claim was not independently verified. The current record cannot support a continuous-operation statement.
Ty Burrell describes the pre-2010 Bar X as a longtime "cool dive bar" that had fallen into disrepair before his partnership restored it. The current cocktail-lounge identity was built through that 2010 revival, but detailed pre-2010 menus, ownership, and operations require city records and local press review.
Los Angeles Times reports that Beer Bar opened next to Bar X under Ty Burrell's ownership group, while 7x7 describes the venues as connected by an interior door and owned by the same Ty Burrell–led family partnership. Beer Bar's current site confirms its adjacent 161 East 200 South location.
Bar X has been proven to operate continuously since December 5, 1933.
Bar X dates its origin to the post-Prohibition period, but the same-day opening is described by co-owner Ty Burrell as legend. The business changed hands over time, and this review did not locate a complete licensing and operating record proving uninterrupted service since 1933.
Source: Utah Business, April 12, 2021; Bar X, "About"; Utah State Archives, September 29, 2022
Ty Burrell is the sole owner of Bar X.
Ty Burrell is a co-owner. Los Angeles Times reports that he owns Bar X with his brother Duncan and other family members, while later reporting calls him a co-founder of Bar X Group and a part-owner of Bar X and Beer Bar.
Source: Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2014; Utah Business, April 12, 2021; NBA Utah Jazz, September 30, 2021
Bar X's signature red neon sign was installed in 1955.
No reliable source for a 1955 sign-installation date was located in this review. The sign and interior are part of Bar X's current identity, but their construction and alteration history need Salt Lake City building, sign-permit, and preservation records.
Source: No independently verified historic sign record located
Bar X has always been a craft cocktail lounge.
Ty Burrell describes the pre-2010 Bar X as a long-running dive bar that had fallen into disrepair. His ownership group restored it in 2010 and developed its current craft-cocktail identity.
Source: Utah Business, April 12, 2021; Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2014
Bar X survived because it kept its downtown location and post-Prohibition identity while accepting that a neighborhood bar cannot stay frozen in one era. The bar changed hands over decades and eventually fell into disrepair, but Ty Burrell and his partners saw a chance to restore its social role rather than replace it with another generic nightlife concept. Their 2010 revival connected its old-bar atmosphere to a modern cocktail program, and the adjacent Beer Bar expanded the idea into a broader hospitality destination.
Bar X traces its historic origin to 1933, when Utah's ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment helped complete the repeal of National Prohibition. The bar's own history says it opened following repeal, though the legend that it began serving on the exact same day is unverified. In 2010, Ty Burrell, his brother Duncan, and other partners restored the long-running bar and created the craft-cocktail format it has today.
No settled oldest-bar title is established for Bar X in this record. It has a credible 1933 post-Prohibition origin story, but the review did not find a citywide comparison of historic bars or a complete license-and-operating history showing uninterrupted service since 1933. Bar X should be described as a historic post-Prohibition bar, not a verified city-oldest title holder.
It is a local Bar X legend. Utah's December 5, 1933 ratification was the decisive state approval that completed repeal of National Prohibition, and Bar X dates itself to that post-repeal moment. But co-owner Ty Burrell calls the story that the bar was ready to serve immediately that day a legend, and this review found no 1933 license or newspaper opening record to prove it.
Ty Burrell is a co-owner of Bar X. He owns it with his brother Duncan and other family/local partners, not as a sole proprietor. Burrell is also a co-founder of the Bar X Group and a part-owner of the neighboring Beer Bar.
Bar X and Beer Bar are sister establishments under the Ty Burrell–led family partnership. Beer Bar opened next door at 161 East 200 South in 2014 and is connected to Bar X by an interior door. Bar X focuses on cocktails while Beer Bar emphasizes beer and food.
Bar X currently lists hours of 4 p.m.–1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 6 p.m.–1 a.m. Sunday and Monday. Hours can change for holidays, private events, or Utah liquor-law requirements, so confirm directly before visiting.
155 E 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 355-2287
Bar X is a downtown cocktail bar next to Beer Bar. It currently lists Tuesday–Saturday hours of 4 p.m.–1 a.m. and Sunday–Monday hours of 6 p.m.–1 a.m.; confirm current entry policy, private events, and holiday hours before visiting.