The Bean Yard

The Bean Yard is my favorite coffee shop in the Salt Lake City (Sandy) area of Utah, USA. It’s within biking distance of my home, so I visit here often.

It’s well-cared for and spacious. The coffee is between good and great–I would definitely recommend it, but I wouldn’t tell a coffee aficionado that they should travel here just for the coffee. When there’s down time, I notice the baristas often try out new flavors, beans, foods, combinations, experiments. And every once in a while, a winning entry ends up on the menu. The real pleasure here is the vibe–the baristas are kind, the people are good, and I never have the sense that smiling is merely perfunctory.

The owners have a distinct style–I believe the family that owns the place is Korean (they visit often, and occasionally take advantage of an opportunity here or there to practice speaking English on their guests ;) I find it to be clean, open, and stylish, without falling prey to the usual attempts to make a coffee shop seem authentic without really being authentic.

There’s an area at the back wall with a sofa for a relaxed chat with a small group of people. Larger groups can be accommodated (and often are!) by pulling tables together. There are highchairs for a kid or two. There are a few long benches and stools for the digital traveler. The wifi is fast (at least 5 Gbs in my estimation–probably Google Fiber. I work here for my hybrid remote software engineering job about one morning per week and I’ve never had any issues). Two individual bathrooms in the back welcome anyone of any gender.

In short, it’s the real deal. Come and have coffee here with your friends, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.