Five5eeds: The Australian Café That's Redefining Park City's Breakfast Scene

There's a moment—about halfway through the legendary hotcake at Five5eeds—when you realize you're not eating typical Park City breakfast fare. The pancake (though calling it just a "pancake" feels criminal) arrives looking like something between a work of art and a fever dream: lemon mascarpone pooling into wild berries, edible flowers catching the morning light, pumpkin seeds and pecans scattered across microgreens. One reviewer called it "the most remarkable breakfast item I have ever eaten—it tastes better than it looks and it looks like a Monet painting." That pretty much sums up what Ian Pope has been building since he arrived in Park City seven years ago.

The Australian café sits tucked in the Snow Creek shopping center, away from Main Street's tourist crush, where locals line up 40 minutes deep on Saturday mornings. Customers describe every item as "a work of art" crafted with fresh, organic ingredients. This isn't brunch theater. This is what happens when someone who grew up eating breakfast in Sydney's eclectic café scene decides Park City needs a serious wake-up call.

From Sydney Cafés to Snow Creek Drive: Ian Pope's Culinary Journey

Ian Pope arrived in Park City in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the town, starting as general manager at Five5eeds before purchasing the café five years later from founders Andrew and Tiffiny Percy. The Percys—fellow Australians who'd been running the place for eight years—created "something extraordinary," Pope says, bringing Melbourne's hip dining scene to Utah's mountains.

But Pope wasn't just stepping into an established business. He was continuing a tradition he'd been building his entire life. Pope earned his kitchen chops at eclectic Sydney cafes and "an Ecuadorian street restaurant," and visited coffee farms in Papua New Guinea and South America, seeing firsthand how ethically sourced coffee changes communities. That's not the resume of someone looking to flip eggs and pour drip coffee. That's someone who understands that breakfast in Park City should be treated like the day's most important meal—because it actually is.

Now Pope owns not just Five5eeds but two other restaurants—Matilda and Tilly's Charcoal Chicken—each "a taste of home" that the whole Park City community shares. He serves on the Chamber board, raises a two-year-old, and somehow still finds time to experiment endlessly with local produce and unique flavor combinations. "I'm passionate about Park City, but I'm Aussie through and through," Pope laughs, fondly recalling his mom's Down Under recipes.

The Five5eeds Experience: Where Melbourne Coffee Culture Meets Utah Mountain Living

Walk into Five5eeds any morning and you'll get it immediately. The vibe isn't precious—it's energetic, buzzing, alive. A leading Australian interior design firm created the upscale interior that feels trendy but not cold, with dishware made by a family of Australian potters who've been in business for 60 years. But honestly? You're not here for the décor.

You're here because someone told you about the Melbourne coffee flown in from Australia, or because you heard whispers about the smashed avocado toast that'll make you reconsider every sad version you've eaten before. Australian coffee is medium-bodied with milder flavor than beans worldwide, known for chocolate and nutty flavors with distinct sweetness and lack of bitterness, made espresso-style rather than drip for a much smoother, lighter, more caramel-tasting cup.

As one regular puts it: "If you've heard about Australians complaining about the terrible coffee in the United States, come down to Five5eeds and find out how they like it." The flat white game here is serious business.

The beauty of Five5eeds isn't just that they do Australian café classics—shakshuka, Turkish eggs, smashed avo—it's that they do them with ingredients sourced from Utah farms and a scratch kitchen mentality. Pope emphasizes using "only the best ingredients" with everything made in-house, noting that "people recognize that."

The Hotcake remains the undisputed champion. Multiple visitors report the hotcake is "so big and delicious" they had to share it, with its texture similar to actual cake with a crispy, buttery crust. The thick hotcake doesn't require syrup due to the seeds, honey, fruit, microgreens, edible flowers, and cheese topping. One guest ordered steel-cut oatmeal and an açaí bowl, then saw the hotcake pass by and couldn't resist. "I scarfed that thing down so fast, it was ridiculous," he admitted. "One massive pancake basically with a ton of yumminess on top."

The Smashed Avocado Toast is what introduced Park City to proper Australian "avo on toast" culture. Customers rave about "a pile of fresh avocado on amazing thick-cut bread," topped with mint, feta, chili jam, and your choice of a poached egg or thick-cut bacon. The Infatuation notes that "even if you've had dozens of avocado toasts in your life, their version will still impress you."

The Shakshuka and Turkish Eggs represent the global breakfast menu that's pure Melbourne café culture. Pope explains these are "things you'll see on menus in Australia all the time, but not necessarily over here," including Moroccan shakshuka and Turkish eggs alongside breakfast congee. The Turkish eggs feature "a spicy red sauce with cool yogurt, unlike anything I've tried before," while reviewers specifically call out the "Shaksouka eggs" as exceptional with "very pleasant and efficient staff."

The Pulled Pork Benedict shouldn't work as well as it does—but this is what happens when technique meets creativity. Groups ordering family-style consistently include the pulled pork Benedict alongside the smashed avocado toast, Turkish eggs, and berry hotcake, finding "they were all delicious."

The Açaí Bowls and Breakfast Bowls cater to Park City's health-conscious ski crowd. "The Merperson" Smoothie Bowl showcases blue spirulina, coconut milk, bananas, mango, and pineapple, while the granola bowls and chia pudding provide that fresh, energy-rich fuel before hitting the slopes.

A Locals' Favorite in Park City's Competitive Breakfast Scene

Here's what matters: basically everybody in Park City knows and loves Five5eeds, even though the wait can be long—sometimes over an hour on the weekends. But locals will tell you to stick it out. Put your name on the list, grab an americano or green juice from the coffee bar, and wait for a table in the dining room that mixes small bistro two-seaters with high tops, large round tables, and even a secluded nook with a bar counter.

Pope built the restaurants to be "not just places to eat, but places to gather," creating something "really special for the locals." "I've learned that Parkites are loyal and kind," Pope says of his Park City business experience. "People are so welcoming and quality focused."

The café attracts everyone from families with teens who "beg us to go for breakfast" multiple times a year to solo diners who frequent Five5eeds "at least 2 times per week for their fabulous food and drinks." Families appreciate that "kids menu is absolutely brilliant too" with all dishes "freshly made, superbly presented and exceptionally tasty."

And it's not just breakfast. The lunch menu—featuring items like shrimp tacos, chicken noodle soup, and Niçoise salad—holds its own. One group visiting for both breakfast and lunch over several days tried "the chicken noodle soup, bacon and egg breakfast sandwich, Smashed avo on toast, shakshouka, eggs our way and the best shrimp tacos we've ever had. Nothing failed."

Five5eeds and the Evolution of Park City's Food Scene

What Pope has done—first at Five5eeds, then expanding with Matilda next door and Tilly's Charcoal Chicken in Kimball Junction—is bring a slice of Sydney's food culture to Utah's mountains. "I always swear that anything I do will have little nods to back home because I miss it so much. But I also love it here. So, just desperately trying to have my own little piece of Australia in Park City," Pope explains.

The gluten-free and vegan breakfast options are clearly marked and genuinely good—not afterthoughts. Staff are knowledgeable about celiac disease and alert the kitchen when orders come in, with extensive menu modifications available. The Turkish eggs and bacon-egg breakfast sandwich both come with excellent gluten-free bread options (though be warned: GF bread costs an extra $2).

Five5eeds changes the menu with the seasons, ensuring tasty fare year-round and that there's something new to try no matter when you visit. That commitment to seasonal, local sourcing while maintaining Australian authenticity is what makes the place special. It's not trying to be a Sydney café cosplaying in the Wasatch Mountains. It's a genuine expression of what happens when Australian café culture meets Utah's incredible local ingredients and outdoor lifestyle.

Planning Your Visit to Five5eeds

Location: Suite EF, 1600 Snow Creek Drive, Park City, UT 84060

Hours: 7:30am - 3pm, every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving

What to Order:

First-timers: The hotcake (share it unless you're very hungry) and a flat white
Health-conscious: The açaí bowl or smashed avocado toast
Going big: Turkish eggs or shakshuka with a side of the exceptional bacon
Lunch crew: The shrimp tacos or tuna Niçoise

Insider Tips:

Weekend waits can exceed an hour—get your name on the list and grab coffee from the bar while you wait
Best time to visit: Weekday mornings between 8-9am or after 1pm for lunch
The location makes it "the perfect breakfast stop before exploring and hiking at McPolin Barn" or "before or after a summer or winter outdoor activity with Red Pine Adventures"
Plenty of parking in the Snow Creek shopping center—way easier than downtown Park City
They take reservations, which is clutch during ski season
Follow them on Instagram @five5eeds for seasonal menu updates

Why Five5eeds Matters to Utah's Food Story

In a state where breakfast culture often means diners serving massive portions of eggs and hash browns, Five5eeds represents something different: the idea that breakfast can be art, nourishment, and community all at once. As one reviewer perfectly summarized: "After spending a day eating at the over-priced and over-hyped downtown Park City restaurants, we drove a few miles to Five5eeds for breakfast on our second day. Five stars isn't enough for this establishment."

Pope's vision extends beyond just serving good food. He's building a piece of Australian culture in Park City—through the specialty coffee sourced from Melbourne roasters, through the globally-inspired menu that reflects Sydney's multicultural food scene, and through the commitment to quality ingredients and scratch cooking that defines Australian café culture.

"The coffee was terrific," one breakfast guest noted, along with the "outstanding breakfast" where "a couple of people had Shashuka and loved it." That's the Five5eeds experience: coffee that Australians actually approve of, food that makes you rethink what breakfast can be, and a space where Park City locals gather because the quality never wavers.

Whether you're fueling up for a powder day at Park City Mountain, recovering from last night's après scene, or just want to understand why Melbourne café culture has conquered the world, Five5eeds is your answer. Just don't skip the hotcake. Seriously. Don't.

Five5eeds Café
1600 Snow Creek Drive, Suite EF
Park City, UT 84060
Open daily 7:30am-3pm
Instagram: @five5eeds

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