Cupla Coffee

Twin sisters Abigail and Bethany own Cupla; the name means twins in Gaelic, and the chess set is always out on a permanent table, which is the kind of detail that tells you what the room is for. The Cottonwood Heights shop expanded both its space and its menu in the past couple of years, and the result is a large interior with soft furniture, nice lighting, and tables to spare, which puts it in a different category from the squeeze-around-the-counter neighborhood cafes nearby.

The cappuccino is the everyday pick across the bar. Cortado, orange cardamom latte for the more specific orders. The breakfast burrito and the sausage-egg muffin handle the food side, with gluten-free options in the case for the customers who need them and don't want to settle for a slice of toast. Dogs come in for Puppuccinos, which the staff treats as a menu item rather than a courtesy. Branded merch sits at the counter for anyone who wants a sticker or a mug to take home as proof.

This works as a neighborhood gathering spot, a chess hangout, and a remote-work room without compromising any one of those uses, which is harder than it sounds and the reason most cafes pick one and live with the trade-off. Skiers stopping for breakfast on the way to the slopes have it on the morning route. Regulars settle in for hours and treat it like a living room. The wifi works and the outlets exist where you'd expect them. For dog owners, chess players, families wanting a breakfast burrito before a Saturday in the mountains, or anyone in Cottonwood Heights who wants a cafe that doesn't feel like a chain, Cupla is the answer the twins built and have been steadily enlarging. The expansion was the right call, and the chess table sitting in the middle of the room is the small reminder of what kind of place they wanted it to be.