The Salt Lake City couple behind 900 South’s newest bar want it to be ‘a safe place for everybody’

When Danielle Petek and Chase Worthen opened their new bar in Salt Lake City’s bustling Milk Block development, they wanted to fill what they saw as a gap in the local bar scene.

The couple, who got engaged a year ago, felt like the neighborhood around 900 South and 400 East was missing a “pocket bar”: a comfortable, no-frills third space where people could come as they are.

“We’re just trying to be a neighborhood bar,” Worthen said. “We really just want to create a safe place for everybody here — and that anybody in the neighborhood can walk to, can come after work.”

Petek and Worthen named their spot, fittingly, Neighbors Bar, “because we wanted it to be neighborly and cozy like if you came to someone’s house,” Petek said.

Some of their “neighbors” live as close by as Denver Street, just around the corner. And with Neighbors Bar situated right on the 9 Line Trail at 430 E. 900 South, Petek and Worthen say they’re excited to see more foot traffic as the weather warms up.

Building the bar

Worthen is connected to two other bars in town: He’s a partner at The Pearl, in the Central Ninth neighborhood, and Mother Cafe & Bar, on Main Street downtown.

He said Kathia Dang, who’s the developer behind the Milk Block, approached him and asked if he could open a bar as part of the project. He and Petek decided they’d work on the bar as a team, even though they had never officially worked together before.

For some inspiration, they looked to Taiwan, where Petek is from.

The result is a cozy space that’s “just a little bit Taiwanese,” as it says on the bar’s website.

A year ago, when the couple went to Taiwan (that’s also where Worthen proposed), they took photos of everything they saw, collecting future design references, Petek said.

“We don’t want to be a theme bar or anything like that,” she clarified, or “too on the nose.”

Instead, that Taiwanese inspiration can be seen in the speckled concrete floor and glass block dividers, both common sights there.

Neighbors Bar is also stocked with dark wood furniture and shelving. The wood on the bar itself matches the chairs and tables, and the green tiles on the front of the bar give it a lush feel. At night, its warm lighting can be seen from the street or sidewalk, inviting people in.

With Worthen acting as the general contractor (he’s also built Bar Nohm, The Pearl, Mother and HK Brewing) and Petek in charge of branding, the two collaborated with designers and artists to “help us pull everything together here,” Worthen said.

Shley Kinser, a fourth-generation sign painter and muralist from Salt Lake City, painted the bar’s cursive outdoor sign, its bathroom signs and the bold letters on the main mirror that spell the question, “Can we be neighbors?”

Daniel Dooreck, a potter in Los Angeles, made the ceramic shades on the light pendants that hang down over tables. Look for the two shades that show the brown dog playing cards — that’s the couple’s dog, Mabel.

Food and drink

The phrase “just a little bit Taiwanese” applies to the food at Neighbors Bar, too.

Worthen describes the menu as “American fusion with the Taiwanese flair” — you’ll find Asian dishes like scallion pancakes next to American standbys like crinkle-cut fries.

One of the most popular dishes is the popcorn chicken (double-fried chicken thigh chunks tossed with basil and white pepper powder, served with sweet soy peanut chili dipping sauce). Petek said that in Taiwan, it’s great to munch on while you wander the night markets.

Another popular item is the classic cheesesteak, inspired by head chef Matt Sullivan’s Philadelphia roots. Sullivan has also worked at Matteo and Central 9th Market.

On the drink side, Petek said, “We’re making sure we have options for everyone,” including cocktails, mocktails, wine, cider and more, plus beer and nonalcoholic beer on draft and in cans and bottles.

Check out the special cocktail menu called Cocktail Lane, which features cocktails named for the little streets surrounding Neighbors Bar.

For example, the “Hubba Hubbard,” named for the nearby Hubbard Avenue, is made with Toki Japanese whiskey, Neisson Rhum, Lustau Amontillado sherry, pineapple and kiwi Thai chili puree.

With an 11 a.m. opening time on weekends — and cold brew coffee on the menu, too, from nearby Better Than Coco — Petek said the bar has “the morning crowd, the afternoon crowd and a nighttime crowd. ... It’s just really fun to see.”

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