Publik Ed’s: 210 E. University St., SLC Web: publikcoffee.com Phone: 385-522-2487 Entrees: $
Publik Ed’s — For generations of students at University of Utah, Ed’s God Awful was the standard hangover recipe: hash browns and eggs, covered with chili, cheese and onions and topped with sour cream. Whether or not this sounds appealing to you as an eye-opener, you have to agree its name is appropriate. And Big Ed’s—a definitive greasy spoon—was a go-to for students and alumni for 50 years before it suddenly, shockingly, closed a year ago. According to some stories, the reason behind the closure was a gambling problem in the owner’s family. Whatever the sad reason for the suddenly locked doors, it looked like it was the end of an institution.
But thanks to Missy Greis, owner of Publik coffee shops, Big Ed’s, now called Publik Ed’s, is open again. Greis salvaged the original chairs, church pews and sign but you can’t really call the new Big Ed’s a greasy spoon anymore. It’s got the hipster look of all the Publik’s—and the good coffee. The God Awful is back on the menu as well as beer, but—a sure sign of how student population has changed—so is avocado.
Campos: 228 S. Edison St., SLC Web: camposcoffee.com Phone: 801-953-1512 Entrees: $
Campos — Lots of people have had coffee revelations in the past few decades—recognizing that coffee is a more complicated beverage than Sanka, understanding the cultures and people who grow coffee, recognizing the unfair trade the world condoned for years.
Australian Will Young had his coffee enlightenment at 1:40 p.m., July 12, 1997. It says so right on the Campos Coffee website. The realization that coffee was more than a wake up call and a subsequent trip to a coffee farm led to the founding principle of his business: “Cultivated by good.” Campos opened this year in Salt Lake City and yes, it serves a damn good cup of coffee, with lots of reassurances that besides growing coffee, Campos is building schools, funding health organizations and generally helping out in the communities where they source the beans. Besides coffee, Campos serves an all-day menu that’s out of the Utah ordinary: muesli, milk and honey panna cottta, superfood acai (with dragonfruit, cocoa nibs, goji berries, hemp, flax, chia and coconut); at lunch, the kitchen offers meat pies filled with vegemite-braised short rib and a Buddha Bowl with too many ingredients to mention. But, hey, you can also get avocado toast.
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