Caffeine Quest: Where to Find the Best Coffee in Downtown Salt Lake City

Like much of America, I enjoy a great cup of coffee. But I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a snob. Anytime I walk into a shop with letter boards for a menu, exposed duct work, poured concrete and reclaimed wood, I think, “Oh no, I’m about to get emotionally iced by a barista just to pay $9 for a drink that tastes like campfire regret.”

When my bestie and I planned a girl’s weekend to Salt Lake City, I wasn’t expecting to stumble into what would quickly become a self-made coffee culinary trail. We landed early and headed downtown, grabbing coffee out of pure necessity at the first shop we saw. It raised all my personal red flags… and immediately proved me wrong. The people were genuinely warm. The coffee was incredible—the kind that balances sweetness and acidity so naturally that milk becomes optional. At breakfast, I grabbed another cup out of curiosity: delicious again. Then we grabbed another. And another. Each one well-roasted with a hint of the cherry or nut from its origin.

We left the city extremely caffeinated and pleasantly surprised. That surprise makes more sense once you understand how much Salt Lake City has changed. As one longtime downtown coffee shop owner told me, the city has “grown up and grown outward,” welcoming new residents from places like California and other higher-cost cities—many bringing with them a taste for quality coffee, wine and food.

So, here’s where we went, all great coffee within walking distance of each other.

Three Pines Coffee

Many of the coffee shops you’ll find in Downtown Salt Lake are new, but Three Pines has been in business long before the post-pandemic boom. Owner Nick Price opened it in 2015 after briefly trying to survive a Utah winter with a mobile coffee cart. He moved indoors and has been on Main Street ever since.

The shop is small—just 380 square feet—and sits one block from Hotel Monaco, a favorite for touring musicians. That means Price occasionally looks up from the espresso machine to see familiar face, like Joe Jonas and Tony Hawk.

Celebrity sightings aside, Three Pines is about one thing: doing coffee right. Price sources his beans from Heart Roasters in Portland, favoring a Scandinavian-style light roast.

“Coffee is the seed of a tropical fruit,” he told me. “You should be able to taste that—its natural sweetness and acidity—without processing it into bitterness.”

He makes his own vanilla syrup in-house and treats espresso and filter coffee like a science experiment (scales are not optional). I tried a latte with the house-made vanilla, and it was unreal—subtle, fragrant and clearly made from real ingredients.

Learn more at threepinescoffee.com.

Cupla Coffee

Cupla is a newer, but booming business with three locations in the state. Inside, it’s bright and cozy, with plants overhead and furniture that encourages lingering. I ordered a latte and added honey from the self-serve bar, which felt both charming and dangerous. Beans are roasted daily before being transported to all Cupla locations, giving their coffee a fresh, bright profile and a flavor uniquely shaped by Utah’s altitude—something you won’t get at every chain. Fair warning: the pastries are incredible, so carb discipline may be tested here.

Learn more at cuplacoffee.com.

Café on 1st

An old-school café that’s quietly stepped up its coffee game is Café on 1st. I met my brother (who lives in Salt Lake) here for breakfast, and he insisted I try the breakfast wrap with cream cheese and bell peppers. Weird? Yes. Good? Shockingly so. The coffee was even better; I grabbed an espresso that was strong and well-rounded in flavor.

Learn more at cafeonfirst.com.

Eva’s Bakery

Another one on the list probably more thanks to its food, Eva’s Bakery is a French-style café that has a to-go line, or you can sit and dine in. We decided to hang here for a midday brunch, where I ordered a lemon blueberry French toast, which alone could make someone reconsider their life choices. My friend went savory with tomato soup and grilled cheese (unhinged behavior, but tasty). Their coffee lineup, featuring Caffé Ibis (and pour-over and drip options), delivers a richer, more dessert-friendly drink. I ordered a mocha made with their special chocolate, and it was decadent without tasting like a sugar bomb.

Learn more at evasbakeryslc.com.

Loki Coffee

We found this shop while busy thrifting and antiquing. At the time, there were vendors on the patio with jewelry and handmade items, which made for a fun atmosphere. Loki partners with local roaster Idle Hands Roasting Company, a Salt Lake City roaster that focuses on traceable, direct-trade beans sourced responsibly from growers around the world. This approach shows in their espresso and pour-overs, which are flavorful without artificial syrups taking center stage. It was fall when I went, so I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte, which was even better than those crafted by big chains famous for their Pumpkin Spice Lattes, in my estimation.

Learn more at lokicoffeeco.com.

Next time you’re looking for a place with shops to stroll and great beverages to sip, consider Salt Lake City.

Plan your trip at visitsaltlake.com.