by Two Sisters Collective 
Autumn, the brilliant prelude to Park City’s winter season, has arrived, shading the mountains with their orange-and-yellow splendor. Along with the season, other things are changing too — snow tires switched on, sweaters brought to the front of the closet, Halloween decor prematurely arranged and coffee shops announce their annual pumpkin-flavored drinks.
In honor of National Coffee Day on Sunday, here are five coffee shops in the area with house-made seasonal drinks and dine-in seating.
A lesser-known coffee shop, The Kitz is located inside The Inn at Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection at Deer Valley Resort’s mid-mountain and is open to the public. With warmer temps, an outdoor patio overlooks the Austrian-esque hotel and the resort, but guests can also snag a seat by a wood-burning fire in the adjacent Antler Lounge.
Harold Niera, the widely celebrated server as seen in The Kitz’ reviews, has done it again with two drinks heavily drawing from Austrian tradition: the “Kaisermelange Austrian Yolk Coffee” and the “Taste of the Alps.”
The Kaisermelange is an historical drink of the country, traditionally made by blending coffee with egg yolk and cognac when milk was scarce. The Kitz’ version is a blend of espresso, egg yolk and local honey. “Taste of the Alps” is a latte with 12 alpine-grown herbs ground into the espresso, like fennel, clove and Angelica root.
The Kitz’ take on a pumpkin spice latte is just as extravagant as the hotel — Niera calls it a pumpkin pie latte, a latte topped with a pumpkin puree made from pumpkins roasted then blended, along with brown sugar, a streusel-like crumble, nuts and garnished with a pumpkin spice-flavored meringue cookie, decorated like a pumpkin. It can be served hot or cold.
Also available at The Kitz is a full menu featuring food from the hotel’s culinary team led by Executive Chef Senthil Krishnamurthy and Austrian-inspired pastries made daily. A cardamom bun and seasonal danish are some of their popular sweet treats.
- The Kitz
- 7520 Royal St.
- Open daily for breakfast 7-11 a.m.; for lunch, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
A black building at the fork of Park Avenue and Main Street welcomes patrons in bold: “COFFEE. FOOD. PEOPLE.” a sign in the Harvest window reads. It’s a coffee shop-meets-eatery, dedicated to seasonal, fresh food with a robust coffee program designed for to-go or to-stay.
Their coffee menus stay relatively traditional, but yes, they have a house-made Pumpkin Spice Latte for the season that they can make hot or iced. A syrup made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and vanilla extract makes for a subtle seasonal latte, added to their usual espresso-and-milk drink. Ordered hot, it’s topped with a generous dusting of cinnamon for an added spice.
While guests are welcome to do work on slow days, like in a traditional coffee shop setting, they prefer an unplugged experience centered on relationship and conversation. When their outdoor patio closes for the winter season, an upstairs loft space will be available as overflow seating, furnished with two long tables like family-style and decorated cabin-like with an ornate gallery wall.
For a coffee and meal on a ski day, check out their other location “At the Base” of Park City Mountain.
- Harvest
- 820 Park Ave. #101
- Open daily 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Harvest at the Base
- 1385 Lowell Ave.
- Open daily 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
When thinking of coffee in Park City, of course Main Street’s Atticus is a go-to, and they’re all about the seasonal drinks.
A full menu board hanging above the bar lists their drinks named for ubiquitous autumn cliches. While their coffee options are prevalent, they’re also known for their teas, which they can make into tea lattes by adding steamed milk.
“In Cold Blood,” “Sweater Weather,” “Edgar Almond,” “Goblet of Fire Latte” and “Nectar of the Gods” are all special tea drinks that can be hot or iced: That’s a cinnamon tea, a rooibos creme brulee, turmeric chai, almond-cinnamon-apple-beetroot tea, respictively.
And then, of course, their pumpkin drinks. “The Basic Witch” is their pumpkin-spice latte, best for nutmeg lovers. And for those who want iced drinks year-round, a “Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew” has their house-made cold brew topped with a pumpkin-flavored cold foam.
Ever the place to find unique gifts, a mug that reads “Pumpkin Spice Cult” donning Atticus’ seasonal logo — a skeleton in a pumpkin-colored beanie holding a pink “PSL” coffee — is available for $22, and they’ll make your drink in the mug, too.
- Atticus Coffee & Teahouse
- 738 Main St.
- Open daily 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
While the secret Pink Elephant location inside Prospect on Main Street is perfect for grab-and-go specialty coffee drinks, made with their own roasted coffee, the cafe location in Heber is a better space for anyone looking to stay a while.
The cafe space is right around the corner to Pink Elephant’s roasting facility and is connected to Ritual Chocolate’s space, a result of the longstanding friendship between owners. Plenty of seating and parking makes it ideal for working, studying or coffee dates, and with the autumn leaves at their peak, the drive out is a stunning burst of color against the Mount Timpanogos backdrop.
This year’s seasonal menu has three drinks — their “Fall Spice Latte” is a take on pumpkin spice, made with a syrup featuring cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice. A sweet-and-salty drink, their “Maple Sea Salt Latte,” also formulated in house, incorporates salt into the syrup for a salted-caramel-like taste. They’re also serving their cold brew topped with a chai cold foam, iced only.
Most of the pastries for sale, both on Main Street and at the Heber location, are made in-house. A crowd favorite, the chocolate chip cookie is made fresh with Ritual’s chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt — large and chunky, they can be easily shared, or not.
- Pink Elephant cafe
- 2175 W 3000 S Suite 100, Heber City
- Open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Pink Elephant on Main
- 509 Main St.
- Open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
While originally opened in Salt Lake City, Cupla Coffee owners Abigail Purdie and her identical twin Bethany Heath started their coffee career in Park City and later expanded to their Kimball Junction location.
Crafting original seasonal drinks each year is especially fun for the sisters, Purdie said, and aside from their “Pumpkin Spice Latte,” their six other fall specials are brand new this year and push the boundaries of traditional autumn offerings.
The list posted at the front counter includes their “Apple Pie White Mocha,” “Maple Nut Latte,” “Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cold Foam Cold Brew,” “Hazelnut Chai,” “Salted Caramel Espresso Matcha” and “Blueberry Muffin Latte.” Each is meant to taste exactly like it sounds — a warm slice of apple pie, a blueberry muffin fresh out of the oven.
Their shop is friendly to work-from-homers and has plenty of seating. Locally-made and some in-house sweet and savory pastries are available for purchase, and there’s a larger food menu with options like biscuits and gravy, hot oats, french toast and breakfast burritos.
- Cupla Coffee Park City
- 1476 Newpark Blvd.
- Open daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.