Year
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Best Coffee Shop: Drive-Thru
Java Jo's
It's a great treat at City Weekly to do a write-up for a business one loves. And damn if we don't love to give our money to Java Jo's. Their cold brew with sweet foam can't be beat. Looking for a hot take? The oat milk latte never misses. And, although it's not technically coffee, they also make the best London Fog in the valley—get it with lavender syrup.
javajos.com
2. Rawbean Coffee
3. Bjorn's Brew
Best Beignet
Thirst Drinks
With the plethora of bakeries, delis and diners around the valley, it may be a surprise to learn that readers awarded Thirst Drinks—but just wait until you try them! Their beignets come in bite- or regular- sizes, cream-filled or unfilled, glazed or unglazed and with or without a sprinkling of cinnamon or powdered sugar. For the indecisive, consider ordering a bag of minis and a side drizzle of chocolate, raspberry or honey.
thirstdrinks.com
2. Sunday's Best
3. Provisions
Best Boba Tea
Xing Fu Tang
Xing Fu Tang has a variety of drinks to satisfy any palate. It's best known, however, for its signature brown sugar boba milk tea. This rich, creamy drink is only made better with fresh boba pearls and a lightly torched brown sugar topping. The open kitchen lets customers watch as their drinks are made, so you can see for yourself the care that goes into every item on the menu. IG: xingfutang.ut
2. Tea Bar
3. Sunny Honey
Best Brownies
Kneaders Bakery & Cafe
One bite into a delicious brownie from Kneaders and you'll understand what makes it Utah's best. They're rich, fudgy and as chocolatey as you could ever hope a brownie to be. Plus, they're made fresh in-house, so you can indulge in this delicious treat knowing it's been crafted with care. Go earn yourself some brownie points and see what this bakery is all about!
kneaders.com
2. Pie Party
3. The Chocolate: A Dessert Cafe
Best Churros
San Diablo Artisan Churros
It's no surprise that a Utah business with such a strong dedication and love for churros has been named Utah's best. Not only does San Diablo cater events to make any occasion that much more special (and tasty), but they also sell churro-making kits so you can have Utah's best churros at home. Their signature cinnamon sugar blend and variety of fillings and dips really make it the best churro experience possible.
sandiablochurros.com
2. Taqueria 27
3. Franco's Churros & Crepes
Best Cinnamon Rolls
The Dough Lady
Amy Lund started The Dough Lady in 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In just a few short years, her take-and-bake cinnamon roll business has taken off and filled the hearts (and bellies) of Utahns with warm and delicious delights. What's better, her cinnamon roll doughs come in a variety of flavors, so you can make several kinds of quality cinnamon rolls from the comfort of your own home.
doughladyslc.com
2. Straw Market SLC
3. Village Baker
Best Coffee Roaster
Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Co.
Caffe Ibis is what long-term commitments to the values of stewardship, equity and community look like. Starting with its original cafe in Logan, it is now available throughout our beautiful state. We appreciate their dedication to providing quality coffee at an affordable price, and we personally love that we can get it at local grocers like Harmon's and sit and drink our Ibis Coffee with friends.
caffeibis.com
2. Publik Coffee Roasters
3. Kings Peak Coffee Roasters
Best Coffee Shop: Barista
Anika, Tres Gatos Coffee
This Midvale coffee shop has one of the all-time funny-yet-precise taglines on social media: "High end coffee for normal people with a Drive-Thru." What more could you ask for? Great seasonal selections, awesome pastries and a team of beloved baristas like Anika. If you've been to a chain shop, you may never see a favorite face again. Here, you're a simple "hello" away from that perfect employee/customer relationship.
IG: @tresgatoscoffee
2. Omar, The People's Coffee
3. Josh, Loki Coffee
Best Coffee Shop: Sit Down
Loki Coffee
With plenty of natural light streaming in through the windows, plants flourishing throughout and located snug as a bug in the up-and-coming 9th South area, it's clear why Loki Coffee is our readers' top choice. Artisan blend coffee, matchas and teas galore keep customers caffeinated and yes, happy(!) for any and all study sessions, client meetings or daydreaming that needs to get done.
lokicoffeeco.com
2. Tres Gatos Coffee
3. The People's Coffee
Best Cold Brew
Tres Gatos Coffee
If you're looking for your next coffee fix, the cold brew at Tres Gatos Coffee is smooth, creamy, silky and sweet. They have both a drive-thru as well as indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate however you best like to sip your coffee. They are known for their friendly staff, which makes the drinks taste even better.
IG: @tresgatoscoffee
2. Loki Coffee
3. Roots Coffee Utah
Best Cookies
RubySnap Fresh Cookies
Can one ever make the bold claim that any single place has truly "perfected" the cookie? At least around these parts, one could argue that RubySnap has come the closest to such an achievement. Between its daily selections and monthly specials, RubySnap's gourmet treats bridge the expanse between the old-fashioned and the experimental. And the results are deliciously, endearingly, boldly perfect.
rubysnap.com
2. Chip Cookies
3. Fillings & Emulsions (Salt Lake City)
Best Dessert: Bread Pudding
Gourmandise
Made from scratch with white bread and custard, Gourmandise's English Bread Pudding is a cherished classic within an already stellar menu of options. For a fruity twist during select times of the year, be sure to check out the Summer Berry version as well, which adds fresh blueberries and raspberries into the already-mouthwatering mix.
gourmandise.com
2. Délice Bakery & Café
3. Hoof & Vine
Best Crepes
Dali Crepes Catering & Cafe
Whether sweet or savory, Dali Crepes brings delicious, European-style crepes right here to us in Utah. Every order is made fresh and filled on the spot for a great-tasting, crispy and soft experience. Every menu item is elevated with a careful selection of ingredients, like Banana Dreams, which incorporates caramel sauce and almonds to banana Nutella, or the Alfredo Chicken crepe, which combines two great dishes into one amazing meal.
dalicrepes.com
2. Greenhouse Effect Coffee & Crepes
3. Monsieur Crepes
Best Cupcakes
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Moist, rich and packed with flavor, there's so much to love about Nothing Bundt Cakes' cupcakes (or "bundtinis"). These mini bundt cakes come in so many flavors that you're bound to find one you love. From red velvet to lemon to carrot (plus some gluten-free options), Nothing Bundt Cakes has something for everyone. Go find out what they're a-bundt!
nothingbundtcakes.com
2. So Cupcake
3. Mrs. Backer's Pastry Shop
Best Dessert: Cheesecake
Tin Roof Grill
When you want the best, you need to plan ahead. Everything on Tin Roof Grill's extensive menu of cheesecakes isn't available at any given moment, because they make them all fresh each day. So whether you want white chocolate caramel swirl, cookies & cream or raspberry key lime, be sure to call ahead of time to guarantee your mouth-watering selection. You won't regret it.
tinroofgrill.com
2. Momo's Gourmet Cheesecake Co.
3. Doki Doki
Best Dessert: Chocolate Cake
The Chocolate: A Dessert Café
The only problem with assigning the victory for "chocolate cake" to The Chocolate is that you're then faced with the delicious problem of asking, "Which one?" The menu rotates regularly, so maybe we're talking about the dark chocolate raspberry cake, a sinful mixture of tart and bittersweet. Or the elaborately decorated rosette cake? Either way, you win. thechocolate.cafe
2. Cakes By Edith
3. Fillings & Emulsions (Salt Lake City)
Best Dessert: Decadent
Dulce De Leche (Twisted Tiramisu)
With 35+ rotating flavors of tiramisu from which to choose, there are plenty of reasons to keep you coming back to Twisted for more. Our readers suggest you start with the Dulce De Leche: buttery sweet mascarpone, Salt Lake Coffee Roaster Brazil roast-soaked lady fingers, a dash of cocoa and rum, and dulce de leche swirled on top. Order online or keep an eye out for their tent at local farmer's markets.
twistedtiramisuslc.com
2. Peach (Gourmandise)
3. Butter Cake (Sol Agave)
Best Dessert: Gelato
Dolcetti Gelato
This eclectic gelateria in Salt Lake's 9th & 9th neighborhood doesn't need an award to tell you it's good; the line out the door speaks for itself! Even in winter, it's still busy. You can always count on finding Dolcetti's signature coconut sticky rice, chocolate and pistachio flavors in the case, plus numerous other rotating sorbetto flavors. If you go on a day when forest berry is on the menu, you've hit the jackpot.
dolcettigelato.com
2. Sweetaly Gelato
3. Capo Gelateria Italiana
Best Dessert: Tiramisu
Twisted Tiramisu
The slogan says it all: "When a slice of cake won't do, order tiramisu!" Founded in 2021, Twisted Tiramisu is the dessert shop you didn't know you needed. Get a two-person tin delivered to your door or order party or cupcake sizes with advance notice. Their 35+ flavors—including fan favorites like creme brulee, horchata and passionfruit—are immediately frozen after they're made to stay travel-friendly. All you have to do is thaw and serve.
twistedtiramisuslc.com
2. Napoli's Italian Restaurant
3. Lupessa
Best Dirty Soda Shop
Swig
Swig has been serving up delicious, refreshing beverages and treats to dirty-soda connoisseurs since 2010. Nearly 15 years later, it remains the place to go for fast, cheerful service and endless combinations of delicious drinks. Whether you're making one to your unique specifications or grabbing their well-thought-out and creatively-named beverages, you're sure to enjoy anything they give you.
swigdrinks.com
2. Thirst Drinks
3. Fiiz Drinks
Best Donuts
Banbury Cross
If it feels like you've been seeing Banbury Cross win this category for years now, that's only because it keeps delivering the decadent, melt-in-your-mouth goodness from classic glazed to cinnamon twists to specialty cake-style. You'll never be more popular with your co-workers than if you plop one of Banbury's trademark boxes with the rocking horse logo into the break room. Just hear the yum noises commence.
banburycrossdonut.com
2. Fresh Donuts & Deli
3. Chubby Baker
Best Eclair
Schmidt's Pastry Cottage
Family-owned and operated for more than 40 years, Schmidt's knows a thing or two about choux. So it's no surprise that their eclairs are local favorites. Available in two sizes—although, let's be honest, you want the large—each pastry comes perfectly puffed and filled with decadent custard, topped with chocolate glaze and a decorative flour. Custom orders are available, if you care to be the most popular person at your company party. schmidtspastry.net
2. Carol's Pastry Shop
3. Eva's Bakery
Best Fried Scones
Navajo Hogan
The food at this little diner is based on long-standing recipes and traditions, particularly their amazing fry bread or fried scones—that Utah favorite featuring a fluffy, hollow interior and crisp bite. This humble restaurant, with its minimal signage and cinder block construction, is as fine a place as any to enjoy your first scone, or to re-imagine your childhood crush on this regional fave.
facebook.com/navajohoganllc
2. Sill's Cafe
3. Midvale Mining Cafe & Catering
Best Fudge
Hatch Family Chocolates
Just in time to place your holiday pre-orders, Hatch Family Chocolates once again wins the Best Fudge award. Creamy, lush and velvety, one bite of this fudge will make your tongue feel, as Tim Curry once remarked on the television show Psych, like an "angel baby swaddled in a cocoon of cloud candy." Nuts are optional.
hatchfamilychocolates.com
2. Fudge Co.
3. Chocolate Covered Wagon - Trolley Taffy Station
Best Hot Chocolate
Hatch Family Chocolates
Olmec pots dating from around 1500 BCE show trace evidence that they were used to serve a ceremonial drink made from cacao. Enjoyed for its energy-giving and aphrodisiac qualities, this chocolate drink wasn't reserved just for the powerful but enjoyed by persons of all ranks. For the third year in a row, Hatch Family Chocolates demonstrates that they have continued what the Olmecs started: providing hot chocolate to the masses. No ceremony required!
hatchfamilychocolates.com
2. Kahve Cafe SLC
3. Cozy Coffee Lounge
Best Macaron
Fillings & Emulsions
If ever you need a last-minute gift idea, get a box of macarons from Fillings & Emulsions. Doesn't matter the occasion—holiday, birthday, anniversary, I-forgot-our anniversary—you can't go wrong with these jewel-toned gems in mouthwatering flavors like chocolate raspberry, pistachio & cherry, caramel florentine, grapefruit mango, passion & pineapple and more. They even have an airport location, in case you need calories to fuel your trek to concourse B.
fillingsandemulsions.com
2. Gourmandise
3. Délice Bakery & Café
Best Ice Cream Shop
Normal Ice Cream
Noted for its unique flavors (black sesame, blood orange, green tea, ube, etc.), Normal serves their specialty treats on cones and in cakes, on sticks and in sandwiches—not to mention their purveying the public with pints and popsicles. A dessert run to this little shop on 900 South will hardly be dismissed as normal.
normal.club
2. Monkeywrench
3. Leatherby's Family Creamery
Best Juicery
Vive Juicery
Looking for a cleanse to your body? Vive Juicery has just the thing! Whether you opt for one of their curated cleanses, DIY your own selection of cold-pressed juices, or simply start a subscription to save 10% and score free delivery, there's no better way to start a full-body reset than with Vive.
vivejuicery.com
2. The Juice Shop
3. Just Organic Juices
Best Latte Art
Coffee Garden
There are days when the line at Coffee Garden stretches from the counter to the front door. Even in those moments, the courteous and uber-professional baristas at Coffee Garden keep their cool, putting out caffeine drinks that are pleasing to multiple senses. With some expert twists of their wrists, the Coffee Garden crew set out lattes made with care and flair. That perfectly-prepared cup is always worth the wait.
coffeegardenslc.org
2. Kings Peak Coffee Roasters
3. Cozy Coffee Lounge
Best Made in Utah Chocolate Bar
Ritual Chocolate
Ritual Chocolate believes in ethically-sourced cacao and that chocolate is a gift to unfold. Combining old-world techniques with modern machinery, they provide a unique experience with every bite. Be sure to try the Juniper Lavender Chocolate, an ode to their Utah roots with a blend of lavender grown by Blue Canyon in Heber City.
ritualchocolate.com
2. Sweet Hazel & Co. Bakeshop & Bistro
3. The Chocolate Conspiracy
Best Milkshake
Iceberg Drive Inn
(3900 South)
There's something comforting and reliable about a culinary standby, and ever since Lamar Sorensen commenced the Iceberg Drive Inn at this location in 1960, that is just what Salt Lakers have had. While their other food options warrant praise, it is the towering, thick milkshakes that have kept customers coming back after all these decades. Can't finish one in a single sitting? No sweat. Iceberg will be there whenever you're ready for more.
icebergdriveinn.com
2. Dairy Keen - Home Of The Train
3. Hires Big H
Best Smoothies
Space Tea
Space Tea is known for a wide-ranging selection of milk teas, boba drinks, desserts, ice creams and all things sweet and tasty, served up to a youthful, energetic clientele. The business—which serves drinks as amazing to look at as they are to taste—is also given to local, small-scale philanthropy, their business calendar dotted with good deeds. If you've never enjoyed the wonders of boba, this is a great place to be introduced.
spaceteaslc.com
2. Tropical Smoothie Cafe
3. Roxberry Juice Co. Drive Thru
Best Mango Lassi
Royal India
Seeing as India has such rich and diverse cuisines, it's difficult to pinpoint only one item at Royal India's table, thanks to owner Emmanuel Shanthakumar. We can report, however, that the Mango Lassi is truly something to behold. A housemade yogurt blended with buttermilk and mango, it's an absolute must during any visit.
royalindiautah.com
2. Saffron Valley
3. Mumbai House
Best Muffin
Picnic Café
Picnic Café provides the idyllic setting for grabbing a tasty treat before promenading through Salt Lake's nearby Liberty Park. It's their rotational fresh-baked pastries that separate this cafe from the rest. Made in-house, the muffins are an experience to enjoy and savor. Paired with their other delicious eats, a walk in the park never tasted so good.
picnicslc.com
2. Vosen's Bread Paradise
3. The Dodo Restaurant
Best Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
HK Brewing Collective Taproom & Bar
This collective began in a dorm room closet, where founder Hannah Hendrickson brewed kombucha as a student. Since then, this women-owned business has grown into a full-scale kombucha brewery and taproom. What's better, it features a range of zero-proof cocktails for customers to enjoy. So whether you're the designated driver or planning a sober excursion, you don't have to miss out on sipping a well-crafted drink.
hkbrewing.com
2. Post Office Place
3. Hopkins Brewing Company
Best Pastry Shop
Gourmandise
Whether it's scones or croissants, tartlettes or cannolis, pains au chocolat or the kouign-amann, the odds are good that you'll find within the doors of Gourmandise that particular pastry for which you're pining. Odds are even better that you'll find more than you anticipated, necessitating several visits. When you add to this the many seasonal treats offered throughout the year, this European delight becomes the sweetest sure bet around.
gourmandise.com
2. Tomodachi Bake Shoppe
3. Délice Bakery & Café
Best Pie: Cream
Flake Pie Co.
While this South Jordan bakery also offers cakes, brownies and toaster pastries, it is the personal mini pies that are the stars of Flake Pie Co.'s menu. From banana cream and chocolate caramel to cookie dough, these rich and indulgent bites are begging to be shared with others for a sweet capper to any evening.
flakepie.com
2. Pie Party
3. The Dodo Restaurant
Best Pie: Fruit
Flake Pie Co.
Not content to excel solely among their more cream-centric offerings, Flake Pie Co. provides unique zest to their fruitier personal pastries as well. Whether the featured filling is apple, peach streusel or berry medley, you can be sure that the mini pie before you will not remain uneaten for long.
flakepie.com
2. Pie Fight
3. Pie Party
Best Shaved Ice
Hokulia Shave Ice
To the rest of the United States, landlocked Utah might be a surprising home to a burgeoning Polynesian culture—in Utah, island themes and flavors are part of the everyday lifestyle. Arriving in Provo in 2008, Hokulia Shave Ice has flourished and grown to over 80 locations, offering premium island-inspired shaved ice. They have even partnered with Farr's Ice Cream to pack further flavors into their unique treats.
hokuliashaveice.com
2. Bahama Buck's (Draper)
3. Just A Craving
Best Specialty Cakes
Tulie Bakery
Most of us are already well-acquainted with Tulie's delicious cake stylings, most famously with their olive oil confection. (If not, pay them a visit ASAP!) On top of the traditional flavors, Tulie offers coffee and tea cakes as well. Because its cakes come in sizes ranging from 6 to 14 inches around with up to three layers, you'll need to call ahead for one of these beauties, but we can assure you that they're worth the wait.
tuliebakery.com
2. Cakes By Edith
3. Mrs. Backer's Pastry Shop
Best Tea Service
The Grand America
The Grand America Hotel does the very civilized practice of high tea remarkably well. From a harpist creating the perfect background ambiance to the tower of finger sandwiches and pastries, the elegance you experience there is second to none. Dress up and get fancy—it's your time to shine.
grandamerica.com
2. Tea Zaanti
3. Space Tea
Best Vegan Dessert
Sweet Hazel & Co. Bakeshop & Bistro
Felicia Hanson kicked off her sweet empire selling out of her car during the pandemic, and now Sweet Hazel is the go-to vegan dessert spot in the city! Their wares include the cheeky "Better than Sex" cake and the "Better than Theirs" candy bar (think Snickers, but better). And guess what? It's all dairy- and egg-free without skimping on flavor. We look forward to the inclusive treats they'll be whipping up next!
sweet-hazel-co.myshopify.com
2. Monkeywrench
3. City Cakes & Cafe
Best Bit of Disneyland with Your Movie
Dole Whip at Megaplex Theatres
Fans of Disney parks are familiar with that delightful treat known popularly as the "Dole Whip"—a tart, tangy, creamy mountain of pineapple-flavored soft-serve ice cream. If your cinematic snacking tends to be more sweet than salty, you can grab one of these desserts at several Megaplex Theatres locations. Just don't block the view of the people behind you with your mouse ears.
megaplextheatres.com
Best Imported Sweetness
The Old Dutch Store
While this Dutch, German and Scandinavian import store offers an impressive array of sandwiches, soups and imported goods, it is the dessert items that warrant consistent visits. From their stroopwafels and Olliebolen to the windmill cookies and marzipan cake, the goods at this family business have long been mixing their own style of zoet ("sweet") to our City of Salt.
facebook.com/olddutchstore
Best Parkside Latte
Picnic Café
Picnic is a delightful haven for coffee enthusiasts and casual sippers alike. With its cozy atmosphere, this quaint spot is renowned for its extraordinary specialty drinks like the Pandan latte. Whether you're craving a velvety matcha latte or an inventive seasonal creation, Picnic offers a refreshing escape just steps away from Liberty Park. Enjoy your favorite beverage after a park walk on their serene patio—it's the perfect place to relax and recharge.
picnicslc.com
