After 17 years on North Temple on Salt Lake City’s west side, and after serving numerous Mexican mochas and countless empanadas, Mestizo Coffeehouse is closing.
An Instagram post from the end of August said Mestizo, at 631 W. North Temple, would be holding “una taza mas,” or “one last celebration,” on Sept. 27, which is also the coffee house’s last day of business.
“Let’s celebrate the legacy of a space that gave voice, culture and belonging to so many,” the post said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mestizo coffee shop, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Mestizo co-owner Dave Galvan, who has operated and funded the Latin-influenced coffee shop with Dan Stanger since 2010, said the reason for the closure is simply a lack of customers.
“The business is not robust enough,” Galvan said. “The business isn’t there. We don’t have enough traffic. ... But that isn’t new for Mestizo.”
There aren’t any plans to move Mestizo to another location, Galvan added.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mestizo coffee shop, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Supporters commented on the Instagram post with shock, disbelief and sadness, but also gratitude for the role the coffee shop has served in the community as a hub for art and activism.
In 2008, writer Terry Hurst and artist Ruby Chacon, who were married at the time, opened Mestizo along with Mary Ann Villareal, Maria Garciaz (former CEO of NeighborWorks Salt Lake) and Stanger.
Galvan said Hurst and Chacon wanted Mestizo to be a community space, especially because there were virtually no coffee shops on Salt Lake City’s west side at the time.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sora pours coffee at Mestizo, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
“Mestizo is part of a beautiful community with cultural heritage, of family, of neighborhood,” Galvan said.
Hurst came up with the name Mestizo, Galvan said, after a Spanish word that refers to people of mixed race.
The Mestizo Institute of Culture & Arts, an arts organization separate from Mestizo Coffeehouse, will remain open in The Gateway.