4 Best Restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah

This ubercool artisan-coffee purveyor has several locations around town, with this simple, streamlined shop in a converted service station in the Avenues arguably the most inviting, in part because of its handsome wooden tables and for its location along a block of lovely historic homes. Publik sources its fair-trade beans from high-quality farms throughout Latin America and Africa, and always offers an interesting array of seasonal espresso drinks, like the wintertime favorite Sweet Melissa, a honey syrup–infused latte with lemon balm, sage, and sweet mint.

In a city known for healthy living and spiritualism, this Sugar House purveyor of exceptional loose-leaf teas, fine wines (by the bottle or in single-serving cans), and light but tasty snacks has a devoted following. Pick your tea from the lengthy menu—the blueberry matcha is a standout—and enjoy it hot, as a latte, or iced.

In the Liberty Wells district a little west of Sugar House, this eclectically furnished café with cozy armchairs, rotating art exhibits, and high-ceiling rafters is an inviting place to while away a morning or afternoon. Veggie quiche with house-made aioli, thick-cut sourdough avocado toast, and well-crafted espresso drinks provide sustenance, and there's always good music playing.

This cozy branch of a well-established minichain is in an atmospheric old building a few blocks west of the capitol and is a perfect place to relax on the patio with an Earl Grey latte or flat white, maybe while enjoying a slice of raspberry shortbread. It's also a great stop for grabbing cold brew or kombucha to take with you on a hike in nearby City Creek Canyon.