This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters! I’m a little late to the party for Leavity Bread & Coffee, which opened its retail operation in October, but I’m so glad to be acquainted with them now. This is a warm and welcoming cafe and bakery, at 1000 S. Main St. in Salt Lake City, where you can enjoy a sandwich made on freshly baked bread, sip a cup of coffee or pick up a loaf to take home.
Owner/operator Todd Bradley told me that “Leavity started because I had been working a lot of different restaurants and wanted to do something that I felt passionate about, and bread and coffee were the ways that I knew how to do it that bring people together.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bread is left to rise in the kitchen at Leavity Bread and Coffee in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Despite having never worked in a bakery before, Bradley took over a local business called Bread Riot Bakehouse in 2023, supplying bread to stores and restaurants. He changed the name to Leavity the next year.
The spelling of “Leavity” is on purpose. It’s a mashup of “leavened” (bread that contains an agent to help it rise) and “levity” (meaning lightness and humor).
Essentially adding another business to his existing business by opening Leavity Bread & Coffee was challenging but important. “I love making bread, but it’s not the total picture,” Bradley said. Instead, he said the most fulfilling aspect of his work is “interacting with the community that loves the bread.”
As for that bread, Leavity makes it with flours that are organic, heirloom and whole grain, with grains that have been cultivated since ancient times, like spelt. And all of their breads, ranging from the sourdough to the focaccia, are “long fermented” over 20+ hours. Not only does this process make the bread more flavorful, Bradley said, but it also supposedly makes it more digestible.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Employees work in the kitchen at Leavity Bread and Coffee in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 28, 2025.
On Leavity’s website, Bradley shares his story of how he’s able to enjoy sourdough, despite his gluten intolerance. If you have a hard time with gluten, it might be something to look into — if you have celiac disease, though, talk to your doctor first.
Leavity is open every day except Mondays, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bradley and his team make and sell about 300 loaves of bread every day, and you can see them all at work through an open window that looks into the kitchen. Arrive early to snag a loaf of your favorite bread! (Note: You can also find Leavity bread at Caputo’s and Liberty Heights Fresh.)
On the menu is a variety of Leavity breads, sandwiches, tea, scones, toasts (the ricotta toast is pictured above) and more, as well as coffee from King’s Peak Coffee Roasters. Chef Ryan Nelson is the mind behind the menu. To read more about the delectable sandwich I enjoyed at Leavity Bread & Coffee, scroll down to the Dish of the Week section of this newsletter.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bread sits on display at Leavity Bread and Coffee in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Food News
• Bambara — at 202 S. Main St. in Salt Lake City, inside the Hotel Monaco — has a new brunch menu from executive chef JV Hernandez, according to a news release. Some of the new dishes include ricotta donuts with champagne-infused dulce de leche drizzle, birria egg benedict, and blue cheese potato chips. Brunch is served from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily at Bambara; reservations can be made on OpenTable.
• Ali Sabbah, owner of the acclaimed Middle Eastern restaurant Mazza in the 15th and 15th neighborhood, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help get the business out of debt. The trouble for Mazza began during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sabbah said in a letter on the GoFundMe campaign. On Tuesday, the campaign had raised $30,000 in pledges; a day later, that total had nearly doubled.
• South Salt Lake gourmet bakery Cakes de Fleur has released a new product called cake biscottini, according to a news release. A cross between a shortbread cookie and a biscotti, cake biscottini are available in almond, lemon, coconut, funfetti and chocolate flavors, the release said. Buy Cakes de Fleur products at 235 W. Plymouth, Suite #2, in South Salt Lake.
Openings:
• Cold Plunge Coffee opened at 457 E. 300 South in Salt Lake City with a ribbon-cutting on March 7. This coffee spot combines a standing espresso bar with access to cold plunges from Blue Cube, according to a news release.
• Pigeon Alley Coffee, a specialty espresso bar, has opened inside the Sugar House location of Pretty Bird, at 675 E. 2100 South, Suite C, in Salt Lake City. Walk up and get a coffee and a cookie at the window.
Closings:
• Doki Doki is closing its Orem location, according to an Instagram reel from the owner. Its location at 249 E. 400 South in Salt Lake City is still open. Doki Doki is known for its viral fluffy pancakes and other Japanese-influenced treats.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) The entrance to a state liquor store on Foothill Drive in Salt Lake City, Monday, March 31, 2025.
Booze (and Drink!) News
• A new liquor store opened Monday in Salt Lake City at 1615 S. Foothill Drive. The two-story store features 23 doors of refrigeration and a Proudly Utah section. It replaced the existing liquor Foothill store at 1414 S. Foothill Drive, which closed Saturday.
• Two new Salt Lake City bars received liquor licenses at Thursday’s meeting of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services’ liquor commission. The commission also approved a license to sell beer at a new Trader Joe’s in Riverdale. Mayor Braden Mitchell announced in December that the store, which would be the sixth Trader Joe’s in Utah, would be opening this summer. The company historically never acknowledges a new location until just before it opens.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A ham and butter on baguette sandwich sits on display at Leavity Bread and Coffee in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Dish of the Week
The ham & butter sandwich on baguette (called the Jambon-Beurre in French on the menu) from Leavity Bread & Coffee is a perfect example of how just a few simple components can harmonize together.
Made only with Olympia Provisions ham, butter and a Leavity baguette, this sandwich is a song of taste and texture, with the sweet and smoky ham combining nicely with the saltiness of the butter. And don’t even get me started on that bread. Chewy and soft yet crispy, this bread couldn’t be a better vehicle for these ingredients.