Tobin Shea’s Little Tokyo
“And it’s something quite peculiar
Something shimmering and white
Leads you here despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight”
—The Church, “Under the Milky Way”
I had never been to Redbird in Los Angeles until I was in town for a conference in 2018 and stopped in for a drink at the downtown LA restaurant, located in what was once the rectory for the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, the second Roman Catholic church in Los Angeles and the seat of the local archdiocese.
The full-circle bar is split between two dining rooms and is overseen by Bar Director by Tobin Shea, a striking, affable, old-school bartender with a modern sensibility who was a 2025 James Beard Finalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
With his pressed apron, ready smile, and slicked-back salt-and- pepper hair, Shea downplays his role at Redbird, insisting he’s in service of making everything and everyone else in the restaurant shine. But if you’re sitting at the bar, he has that mesmerizing quality of celebrities and other magnetic personalities to make you feel like you’re the only person in the room.
As he told me: “One of my biggest strengths as a bartender happens when someone sits down in front of me. I love talking to people—finding out where they’re from and if I know something related to that area, I try to always make those connections instantly. If you’re from Binghamton, let’s talk about spiedies. Rochester? Then you know I’m going to bring up Genny Cream Ale.”
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