A recent lodging trend is that hotels and motels provide free breakfast to their guests, ranging from a full hot buffet to a simple toast and pastries offering. The quality can sometimes be surprisingly good, but the cuppa Joe you’ll get from the big banquet-style coffee urn is often, well, tolerable at best. I’ll admit I’m a bit of a coffee snob, which probably comes partially from the fact that I lived in France for a year in my younger days. Ahhh…the espresso and croissants. Since I’m basically one of those folks who doesn’t start the morning without a cup of java (or two, or three), I’m always on a quest to find the best coffee stops. Here are the coffee stops I consistently hit during my trips to canyon country.
Comb Ridge Coffee (Bluff)
Owner Andrea Martin says she knew the first time she drove through the tiny town of Bluff that she wanted to live there. And wow, did she do canyon country visitors a big favor by opening Comb Ridge Coffee in 2005. Dedicated to fair trade values and fair treatment of animals, Comb Ridge serves coffee from India that’s guaranteed to be shade-grown, hand-picked, and bird friendly. The coffee is made from fresh-ground beans and manually brewed using a pour-over system. Lattes and cappuccinos are made with organic milk. Cool off during the summer by treating yourself to a Honaker Freeze—a yummy frozen toffee mocha with hazelnut flavoring (I downed mine in about two minutes flat).
Breakfast menu items include homemade granola and their famous blue corn pancakes. Andrea and her friendly crew recently added gourmet dinners to the menu, and you can even get a glass of wine (or two). Comb Ridge Coffee is proud to support local artists and features a gallery of local-made jewelry and Southwest art and pottery. If you’ve been driving for miles without your daily latte fix, Comb Ridge will be a welcome watering hole in the Utah desert.
Location: Main Street (Hwy 191) in Bluff, across the street from Desert Rose Inn; www.combridgecoffee.com
Esca-Latte Café (Escalante)
After a night of camping or staying in the rustic cabins at Escalante Outfitters, there’s nothing better than being able to hop over to this café for a cup of organic fair-trade coffee. You can choose from house coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, or get creative with the flavored syrups they have on hand. Breakfast options include muffins, pastries, and egg dishes like quiche, which you can enjoy at a table inside or outside on the patio. I’ve wasted away many a canyon-country morning sipping coffee and reading a book here.
The café is known for its homemade pizza and calzones, so try to work it into your evening schedule, too. The adjacent store sells outdoor and travel clothing, topographic maps and guidebooks, and a variety of miscellaneous supplies for adventuring in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s also one of the few places for miles around where you can buy wine and liquor.
Location: 310 West Main Street Escalante; www.escalanteoutfitters.com/restaurant/
Eklecticafe (Moab)
I’ve been a faithful groupie of this place since its early days. Owner Julie Fox first opened her business in 1996 as a coffee and collectibles shop, but she soon realized that her coffee shop was much more popular than the collectibles. So in 1999 she added a kitchen, and Eklecticafe was born. Located in the historic Schaeffer House on the north side of Moab, Eklecticafe brews some of the best coffee in the West and offers a variety of homemade breakfast and lunch options.
The friendly staff will go out of their way to accommodate special needs, offering gluten-free bread, almond milk, and vegetarian options. Their claim to fame is the “Wake Me Up” Wakame—scrambled egg and organic brown rice topped with steamed seaweed. My personal favorite is the huevos rancheros with green chili, which you can also get in a half-size order. Be warned that you’ll be tempted by the delicious desserts in the case as you stand in line to order. There are a few tables inside and a larger patio and garden section outside. Although you’ll have more room on the patio, I love the bohemian ambience of sitting at a table inside the “house.”
Location: 352 North Main Street in Moab.
Kiva Koffeehouse (midway between Escalante and Boulder)
With nothing but sandstone canyons surrounding you as you drive the scenic Utah Highway 12 between Escalante and Boulder, this is probably the last place you’d expect to find a coffee shop. But just around the corner from the Boynton Overlook is the Kiva Koffeehouse, a great place to sip a latte while taking in the grand redrock views. Grab a coffee drink from their full espresso bar and enjoy the large picture windows inside the unique circular “kiva” structure.
Completed in 1998, Kiva Koffeehouse was designed and created by artist and engineer Bradshaw Bowman using Ponderosa Pine logs, stone, and glass. The structure and its location are so impressive that many travelers stop to take a look, not even realizing that it’s a coffee shop. The food menu includes breakfast items, pastries, soups, and salads. This is one stop in southern Utah you definitely should not miss.
Location: Near mile marker 74 on Utah Highway 12, 14 miles from Escalante; www.kivakoffeehouse.com
Love Muffin Café (Moab)
It won’t take you long to figure out why locals and visitors alike flock to this café every morning. Located right on Main Street in Moab, they offer a variety of options from fair trade coffee to lattes and cappuccinos. On the food side, breakfast offerings include “Sunrise Panini” breakfast sandwiches and scrumptious breakfast burritos. On my first visit, the cashier suggested I try the Bomberos Burrito—eggs, slow-roasted brisket, avocado and cheese. I was a bit skeptical about the combination of eggs and brisket, but I decided to live on the edge and try it…and wow! Now, I have it at least once every time I’m in Moab. (The only downside is, if you’re a person who loves sour cream on your breakfast burrito, you’re out of luck here.)
On the lighter side, their warm quinoa with fresh berries and nuts is also a tasty and healthy choice. Lunch selections include sandwiches and salads. Note that although they’re open until 1:00, breakfast service ends promptly at noon, even if you beg and plead at 12:05—I tried once.
Location: 139 North Main Street in Moab; www.lovemuffincafe.com
What is a recent trend in hotels and motels?
They offer free breakfast to guests, ranging from simple pastries to full hot buffets.
How is the quality of hotel breakfast coffee usually described?
Often tolerable at best, especially from large banquet-style urns.
Why does the author seek out good coffee spots during trips?
Because they’re a coffee lover who needs a good cup to start the day.
What kind of breakfast is typically offered at local cafés?
Options include muffins, pastries, granola, pancakes, quiche, and breakfast burritos.
How do local coffee shops improve on the hotel breakfast experience?
They serve high-quality, often organic and fair-trade coffee, with freshly made food.
