Where Champions Roast: FS Coffee Co Brings World-Class Coffee to Downtown St. George

There's a corner in downtown St. George where the smell of fresh-roasted coffee hits you before you even walk through the door. At FS Coffee Co on W Tabernacle Street, something extraordinary is happening—the kind of thing you don't expect to find in a town better known as a gateway to Zion than a specialty coffee destination. Here, beans roasted by an actual U.S. Coffee Roasting Champion are being pulled into espresso shots and poured over ice, and the locals who've discovered it aren't keeping it quiet.

"This is the coffee oasis of this town," one regular wrote in a recent review. "If you're finding the medium roast coffee, this is the one and only otherwise you'll find super-dark roast here in St. George!!!"

That's not hyperbole. It's what happens when a 2023 national champion decides to make Southern Utah home.

The Champion Who Chose St. George

Andrew Coe didn't set out to become a coffee roaster. The mathematician-turned-engineer fell into specialty coffee almost by accident while living in Seattle, working a cafe job for the health insurance while finishing his graduate degree. But once he tasted coffee he actually liked—not the burnt, bitter stuff he'd been choking down for caffeine—something clicked. By 2016, he'd co-founded Elevator Coffee in Portland and was winning roasting competitions with a home popcorn popper against seasoned professionals.

Then came the big one: the 2023 U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship in Portland. Competitors roasted identical beans from the Democratic Republic of Congo, judged on flavor balance, aroma, sweetness, and aftertaste through blind tastings. Coe earned a perfect score on green coffee assessment—the ability to identify defects in unroasted beans—and took first place. That win qualified him to represent the United States at the World Coffee Roasting Championship in Taipei, Taiwan, where he placed third against 20 of the world's best roasters.

And then he relocated to St. George.

When FS Coffee Co opened in 2024 as the sister restaurant to the beloved Bon Rue Bakery (formerly Farmstead), Coe brought his championship-level expertise to their in-house roasting operation. It's not just marketing—when you order coffee at FS Coffee Co, you're drinking beans roasted by someone who literally competed on the world stage and won.

The Best Coffee in Downtown St. George (According to People Who Actually Drink It)

Walk into FS Coffee Co on any morning and you'll find Utah Tech students camping out with laptops, families grabbing breakfast before hiking, and coffee nerds who drove across town specifically for the medium roast. The patio—prime real estate in a city with 300+ days of sunshine—fills up fast, especially during St. George's endless summer weather.

The nitro cold brew has a cult following. "The nitro cold brew was delicious. Roasted in house," one customer raved. "The in house roasters have been mentored and taught by a world champion coffee roaster. It's a great spot and the patio is ideal."

But here's what people keep coming back for: the iced coconut macadamia latte. Rich, balanced, with that trademark smoothness that comes from beans roasted by someone who understands the science behind every degree of heat. The iced chai latte with oat milk is another standout—customers describe the smell and taste as "amazing," the kind of thing that makes you want to come back when fall hits.

For breakfast, the sesame seed bun sandwich is "killer," according to multiple reviews, with one person noting "some kind of amazing maple taste" that elevates it beyond standard coffee shop fare. The veggie egg Danish and roundabout breakfast croissant both get high marks, but that's no surprise when your pastries come from Bon Rue Bakery—the European-style operation founded by chefs who trained under Thomas Keller at French Laundry and Bouchon.

And if you're the type who drinks black coffee because you actually want to taste the beans? "I drink only black coffee, but it had no acid taste," one reviewer noted with obvious relief. That's the medium roast difference—balanced, smooth, none of the burnt bitterness that dominates so much of St. George's coffee scene.

The Bon Rue Connection: When Pastry Meets Coffee Excellence

FS Coffee Co isn't just another coffee shop that happens to serve pastries. It's the deliberate pairing of two passions: "Passion Through Coffee" meeting "Passion Through Pastry," the tagline of sister business Bon Rue Bakery.

Bon Rue (formerly Farmstead) was founded in 2021 by Chris Connors, Li Hsun Sun, and the late Chris Herrin, who trained at Bouchon and French Laundry under legendary chef Thomas Keller. The bakery quickly became a Southern Utah institution, expanding to three locations across Washington County. Their head pastry chef Marie Yonge studied under Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, Michael Mina, and Giada De Laurentiis. Head baker Benjamin Garcia worked under Wolfgang Puck and spent 14 years at Bouchon Bistro with Thomas Keller.

When the same team opened FS Coffee Co in 2024, they brought that same commitment to craft—European-quality pastries paired with championship-caliber coffee, all roasted fresh on-site. It's the kind of combination that shouldn't exist in a city of 95,000 people, but here we are.

Downtown St. George's Coffee Culture Gets an Upgrade

Location matters, and FS Coffee Co landed in the perfect spot. At 14 W Tabernacle Street in downtown's Historic District, it's a mile from Utah Tech University (close enough to become a student study haven), walking distance from the St. George Temple, and right on the route tourists take heading to Springdale and Zion National Park.

The atmosphere reads like someone imported a slice of Portland or Seattle and adapted it for Southern Utah. "The interior is super cozy and the outdoor patio space allows for pets as well," one customer wrote. "It's family friendly. A chill spot to catch up on work/business/meet up. Nice crowd of friendly staff & customers too—lots of aloha here (Hawaii vibes)."

That "aloha spirit" isn't accidental. Multiple reviews mention the genuinely friendly staff, people who seem to actually care whether you're having a good morning. "Love, love, LOVE FS Coffee Co! Everyone there is so sweet and you can tell they really care for their customers," reads one five-star review. Another: "I'm always greeted with a smile and a friendly person taking my order. I'm a big fan of the flavored lattes."

It's the kind of place where you can post up with your laptop for hours and no one minds, or grab a breakfast sandwich and nitro cold brew to fuel a day hiking Snow Canyon. The seasonal drinks rotate—pumpkin spice matcha in fall, specialty holiday drinks in winter—but the core menu stays strong year-round.

Coffee Before Zion: The Pre-Adventure Stop

St. George sits at the intersection of outdoor adventure and urban convenience, and FS Coffee Co has positioned itself perfectly for both crowds. Open daily from 7 AM to 3 PM, it's become the go-to morning stop for people heading to Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park, or any of the hundreds of miles of red rock trails surrounding the city.

Fresh-roasted coffee, breakfast sandwiches made with Bon Rue quality ingredients, and grab-and-go options that actually taste good—it's everything you want before spending six hours hiking Angel's Landing. And because Coe roasts in small batches focused on quality over volume, you can even take beans home, the same award-winning coffee that tourists and locals drink every morning.

The medium roast focus is intentional and rare in St. George. "This is the one and only otherwise you'll find super-dark roast here in St. George," one relieved customer noted. That balanced approach—strength and smoothness, body and acidity, aroma and flavor in harmony—comes directly from Coe's competition training, where judges score coffees on exactly those elements.

Planning Your Visit to FS Coffee Co

Address: 14 W Tabernacle St, St. George, UT 84770
Hours: Daily, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Instagram: @fscoffeeco

What to Order:

• Nitro Cold Brew (customer favorite)
• Iced Coconut Macadamia Latte (signature drink)
• Breakfast Sesame Seed Bun Sandwich (get there early)
• Iced Chai Latte with Oat Milk
• Medium Roast Black Coffee (for purists)
• Any pastry from Bon Rue Bakery

Parking: Street parking on W Tabernacle or in nearby free lots within a block or two. It's downtown, so plan accordingly during busy hours.

Best Time to Visit: Early morning (7-9 AM) for the full breakfast experience and first pick of Bon Rue pastries. Afternoons are quieter if you're looking for a study spot or meeting space.

Pro Tip: The patio is pet-friendly and perfect for St. George's year-round sunshine. Grab your coffee and enjoy one of the 300+ sunny days the city gets annually.

Why FS Coffee Co Matters to Utah's Coffee Scene

Championship-level coffee roasting isn't supposed to happen in towns like St. George. Neither are European bakeries run by chefs who trained at French Laundry. But Chris Connors, Li Hsun Sun, and Andrew Coe didn't get the memo, and Southern Utah is better for it.

FS Coffee Co represents something bigger than good coffee and pastries—it's proof that small cities can support world-class food culture when people who genuinely care about craft decide to plant roots. It's the U.S. Coffee Roasting Champion choosing St. George over Portland or Seattle. It's Thomas Keller-trained pastry chefs building a bakery empire in Washington County. It's locals and tourists lining up at 7 AM because they know the difference between coffee and great coffee.

"Love this place! Not as many people know about it as it gets confused with FS bakery," one regular wrote, "but the coffee is delicious, fairly priced, and I'm always greeted with a smile."

That's the whole story right there. World-class coffee, roasted by a national champion, served by people who care, in a town that's rapidly becoming more than just a Zion basecamp. If you're in St. George and you haven't been to FS Coffee Co yet, you're missing the best cup of coffee in Southern Utah.

And Andrew Coe has the trophy to prove it.