La Barba Coffee Roasters

Whenever I visit a new-​to-​me town, I’m always on the hunt for a good cup of coffee. (And no, Starbucks is not a good cup of coffee.) I look for a place that knows where the beans came from, how they were roasted, and can describe the flavors I should expect in the cup. I look for a place that’s going to serve me a cup that will delight my tastebuds, not just deliver me a cup of caffeinated liquid.
La Barba is a fantastic shop to get a superb cup of coffee. Over my two days in downtown Salt Lake City, I had both a pour-​over and a drip coffee. Both were excellently brewed and I savored every last drop.
I highly recommend La Barba if you’re looking for a simply wonderful cup of coffee.

Stopped in for a cappuccino this morning. Great service and excellent espresso! I thought the space in Finca looked lovely but after reading the menu, the jury is out for price/​food ratio. However, I would most definitely return for a nice snack and coffee!

Great coffee (the pour overs to the cappuccinos), super friendly and knowledgeable baristas.
And fancy cold brew (totally my jam) — meaning really high-​quality beans and brews in glass bottles — took some of the reserve (geisha beans!) home with me (couldn’t resist.)

This coffee bar is a decent place to get a cup of coffee. I liked the natural hipster style of ingredients and equipment that are here but I can’t really speak about the coffee specifically. I had a mocha and the chocolate was so heavy, it drowned out any coffee flavor. But the chocolate was good. The place itself is dark and a little awkward because it’s attached and opens up to a restaurant. The barista kind of seemed «over it» or hung over, I’m not quite sure. She wasn’t rude, just not overly pleasant. It felt like I was dealing more with a fast food restaurant drive thru attendant than a barista. Overall, it was a meh experience. Not bad, not great.

Obsessed with this place. The ambiance is amazing with the French Windows as you’re sitting both inside and outside at the same time. Their cappuccino is exquisite and they have a wonderful selection of pastries (try their macarons!)

While traveling for less than 24 hours in SLC I stumbled into this gem of a coffee shop. As a self-​declared coffee snot (that much worse than a snob) I cannot say enough great things about La Barba!

Pretty much everything you’d want in a local coffee shop: friendly service, great tasting coffee and delicious snacks. Cold brew was phenomenal as well as the nitro. Freshly baked churros were also great!

The barista (Scottie) was so nice and accommodating. I arrived pretty late. He had already begun cleaning the espresso machine. I assured him that I could get tea or something. He halted that process and made me a delicious vanilla latte, with latte art. Very considerate.
These guys are famous for their churros, so I had to try some. They were heavenly. No sauce required, but next time I’ll try the caramel sauce because caramel kicks ass.

This was a last minute stop on the way home and I was quite impressed, not only by the ambiance but by the décor, drinks and churros! Earlier in my trip to Utah, I had a matcha green tea latte that was really milky and bland, but here it was done properly and with care. I watched as the barista whipped the matcha tea with the appropriate wooden whisk as well as end every beverage he could with a pretty leaf. The churros, although cold were delicious. If they were warm, I’m sure it’d taste even better!

I absolutely loved this tastefully done café. The way the coffee is served has a special feel to it. Needless to say the coffee is very very good. I wouldn’t be off if I say that coffee means so much to me because of places like these.

Ding ding, my SLC winner!
La Barba poured my favorite cup of coffee throughout my trip all over SLC and it was a clear winner. It was a wonderful Ethiopian roast that can only be described as eating blueberries out of a watermelon.
Going even further, the barista was nice enough to let me sample a few other varieties, but nothing could really compare to that Ethiopian. The shop even had an old-​fashioned maple doughnut from Banbury (which is a nearby doughnut shop that is pretty darn good!).
I will go on record and say that cup of coffee I had was the best I’ve had from all SLC and Denver roasters. Sydney was amazing, the coffee was great and the place definitely has carved itself out something special in a city with a surprisingly underrated coffee scene. That Ethiopian comes highly recommended from this major coffee snob.

Awesome little coffee shop! The ambiance is on point — perfect for some reading, writing, or having a chat. It’s in the restaurant Finca, but off to the side in a separate space so it doesn’t feel strange.
Good array of pastries, I was surprised to see that they even had a Tarta de Santiago (a special cake made in the north of Spain). Didn’t have any though as I didn’t see any vegan options when I was there, though I think they have them.
I had a cortado and some drip coffee, both of which were delicious and left me sufficiently wired for the rest of the day, and also led to some inspired writing. Yes. They had almond milk too which was great, and the barista was super nice and friendly. There was only two other people there when I was there which was good because it is a small space (only 3 tables), though you can go sit at window tables in Finca if there isn’t an open table in the La Barba area.
They also sell beans and some other coffee related things (including a portable espresso maker which I’d never seen before), including t-​shirts.
I’ll definitely be back!

Great coffee, excellent pastries, friendly baristas. Check this place out. Really. Do.

Beautiful ambiance, beautiful presentations, and delicious coffee.
What a great find in the middle of Salt Lake, especially since our conference didn’t serve coffee :)

Very cozy setting, nestled in the front left hand corner of Finca, with very good coffee.
La Barba offers a wide variety of pastries and snacks. I was particularly enticed by the guava churros, but the churros are cooked to order and take 10 – 15 minutes. Being on a bit of tight schedule I settled for their coffee cake, which was very good.
In addition to the snack, and traditional coffee offerings (espresso, cappuccino, etc.) they have some nifty concoctions, another, bolder patron ordered a drink that mixed espresso and grapefruit, among other things. And was even warned to wait for the espresso to settle or it would «blow up». She mentioned that it was actually good!
I went with a traditional pour over coffee. Most of the other places that serve pour over have a variety of roasts available (usually 3 or 4). Here they only had one option, it was good, but I guess I’m spoiled used to having some variety to choose from.
They only other downside is that they have very limited seating, four tables. Although I’m not sure if customer would be allowed to use some of the seating in Finca.

Ver friendly. EXCELLENT pour over coffee made by expert chemist barrister. I was charmed by its intimacy and loved the service.

The best coffee in slc. They make their vanilla from real vanilla bean it’s amazing. I wish they did iced coffee though.

When I first walked in my immediate thought was «wow, what an amazing space.» It’s hard not to feel just a wee bit cool for knowing about this place. I had a very good cappuccino & delicious müesli with steamed milk. If I lived in SLC you would definitely find me sitting by one of the beautiful large windows, cup in hand, reading my New Yorker.

Clean presentation, wife had a latte, I had a orange ginger chocolate tea. The tea was light with a finish of bitter chocolate which was unexpected (having never had chocolate tea) but welcome. Churros were delicious, don’t think they really need a sauce as they are delicious on their own.
The place is very trendy and fortunately I fit right in with my hipster beard.
It is odd that it’s located inside the same space as Finca but this does give it a more open feel rather than a cramped coffee shop.
Came in the early evening and they were out of many of the pastries so come early if that’s your plan.

La Barba has all of the coffee (buy the cup and bag) and pastries you need. Located in Finca, La Barba features Charming Beard coffee and pastries by Finca. The coffee is generally a light roast and La Barba has everything from pour overs, lattes, cortados, and tea. La Barba also has churros with different sauces including a chocolate sauce.
The coffee is locally roasted in small batches. I prefer a pour over of the latest roast, but you cannot go wrong with a latte or espresso. Charming Beard is one of the established coffee roasters in Salt Lake City and their coffee speaks for their excellence.
The pastries including the churros are amazing. The croissant is flaky, buttery, and melts in your mouth. The churros are light, delicious, and not like your typical churro. I prefer it without any of the dipping sauces, but you should try them all. I would suggest getting the churros that begin at 11am and a latte. The ambiance of La Barba is very comforting day and night. The service and knowledge of the staff is impeccable. Parking is a bit of a pain since the city charges, but a Trax stop is near. Check out their menu and swing by. Finally, La Barba features an Instagram guide on each table that features people and organizations in the shop for all your tagging needs in Instagram. It is a nice attention to detail.