Local Coffeehouse | The People's Coffee | Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah

The People's Coffee is a true DOWNTOWN coffee shop. On the corner of 200S and 200E, or Second and Second as locals would say, is a bustling coffee shop built in the heart of an old art gallery. The street is busy, there's consistent walk by traffic, and there is construction everywhere - and that's why we like it!

There are a lot of styles of coffeeshops in the world and I have a warm place in my heart for the busy, diverse, community-oriented, city coffee shop. One that pops into my mind as I write this is the 1369 Coffee House back in the mid-2000s.  

I've actually been to The People's Coffee twice this week. The first time was because I knew I wanted to write about it so I went for a 2:45pm snack and pick-me-up. The second time, my wife and I actually had the opportunity to take an afternoon walk together and we wanted to walk with coffees in our hands since Fall has begging us to do so. 

Food & Drink

I've had The People's Coffee's cold brew and buttered sesame seed bagel this week and it was great. Cold brew was delish, the bagel was toasted with warm melty butter, and I was happy! The first barista was friendly, chill, and genuine. She warned me ahead of time there might not be seating which was thoughtful and then she celebrated with me when she saw some people packing up to go. I secured a bar chair facing South and watched the people go by while I ate my warm bagel and drank my cool coffee. It was perfect. 

Community

The second visit was around the same time on a different day and this visit is the one that sealed my business with The People's Coffee. There was a person who appeared to be hungry and unhoused at the counter when I walked in. This was a different barista than the day before but she was equally personable. I asked if he was asking for food or a drink because I like to take those opportunities to help out when they are thrown in front of me. She said he was but not to worry because they give him food and drink. 

That's what makes these types of coffee shops so important. It really added a warm glow to the whole experience. You have this room full of people from various backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses, and they are all choosing to come together and chill and be a part of the downtown community. And on top of it the coffee shop is helping people out.

The Vibe

The People's Coffee has these gorgeous green herringbone wood floors that were installed when this location was a cool art gallery. There's a huge purple neon sign that takes up the entire west wall. And there's a view of downtown SLC from every seat. There are various types of people streaming in and out - business people, college students, local business owners, and tourists. There was lo-fi indie music playing inside and half the crowd was working and the other half were simply enjoying the moment. It's a cool, non-pretentious coffee shop. 

WiFi

Wifi was crazy fast. Like 131Mbps down and 35Mbps up. I used to do a lot of video projects and man, I would have killed to come sit here and do uploads instead of waiting at my house on my slow internet. 

Takeaway

If you are looking to be in the thick of what's happening on the cool side of downtown, check out The People's Coffee. There are tons of places to walk to from here as well including Bar X, Fice, The Green Ant, or you could check out a flick at the Broadway Cinema.