Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is one of my favorite places in Utah because it has less crowds than other national park sites in the state and because of the coffee and pizza places I’ve found there. I dream about both when I know I’m going to be anywhere close to Escalante. These fall under the “if you know, you know” category. My friend Lisa and I found Kiva Koffeehouse and Escalante Outfitters on an 11-day road trip we did across the Southwest in November 2017. Kiva Koffeehouse was closed for the season on that trip, but I got to try it out on a solo trip a few months later and have stopped every time I’ve past it since.
We did try the pizza at Escalante Outfitters. It’s hands down my favorite pizza in Utah and possibly the Southwest. This is a cool spot blending gear shop, cafe/bakery, pizza joint and small cabin resort. We changed the backend of our 2017 road trip to swing back up to Escalante for pizza and to see some hoodoos and slot canyons we didn’t get to on our first stop. I’ve since stopped multiple times. For dinner, especially on weekends, there’s usually a wait, but I promise the wait is worth it! My go to pizza there is Devil’s Garden, which also happens to be one of my favorite spots to explore in the area. The vegetarian pizza is generously topped with red sauce, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts and feta cheese. Tip – order a large so you have leftovers for your hike and/or road trip the next day. They’ll wrap it up for you. On our road trip back to Denver from Greater Zion this past May, Lisa and I had pizza for dinner, then stopped in the next morning for coffee and muffins before heading to Devil’s Garden to explore the hoodoos.
