Mad Bison Coffee — Restaurant in Salem

Cozy Jackson Cabin vibes in Salem.

Full disclosure: I was a bit worried about some of the early reviews, but my first experience was great! The problem is that folks aren’t appreciating the attention to detail, understated artistry, and cozy mountain vibes.

In a short drive-thru visit, I learned that they procure beans from multiple sources and roast them in-house, which says a lot. The core menu is inventive, with flavor combinations you’ve never experienced at any other coffee shop, let alone here in south Utah County. As someone who’s traveled and experienced coffee in multiple countries and continents, I know I haven’t. I also don’t know of anywhere else serving pastries with one of my favorite warm and cozy spices, cardamom!

But the menu isn’t the only element of artistry to appreciate. Others have mentioned the cozy mountain vibes of the warmly-appointed, cabin-inspired interior design, but I want to mention the precision execution of their identity, branding, and artistry. Their signature “brownscale” color pallet and geometric designs embody the warm, cozy vibes of their overall aesthetic. The holiday cup is no exception, with handsome geometric evergreens and fun Tale of the Christmas Bison. Don’t miss the holiday menu (which does have a pumpkin option). I got the Maple Bar from the holiday menu. As someone who takes their coffee with cream only, I was pleasantly surprised by the perfectly balanced sweetness, which allowed the wonderful, toasty notes of an expertly-pulled shot of espresso to sing.

I’ll address the bison in the room: Yes, their beverage sizes are smaller than Starbucks and Dutch Bros, but they make up for it with their inventive menu of house-made syrups and flavors the chains would never dare to try, let alone be able to produce at scale.

I would love to see their creativity extended to their website (maybe it’s just under maintenance?), with more information about them and an up-to-date menu. And while there may have been merit to the early reviews, it certainly seems they’ve made meaningful improvements from the feedback.

I’m excited to see where they take things from here, and can’t wait to taste my way through the menu!

Behold, real coffee...

I was so excited to try mad bison! However, the drinks weren’t great. The mocha had chunks of chocolate…that’s not what I think of when I think mocha. Especially because the menu says it’s a syrup. The matcha wasn’t great either, but it wasn’t bad 8/10 for the matcha. The Smokey wagon was good! And the bagel we got was amazing! Ended up spending upwards of 30 dollars. My biggest complaint is they don’t stir their drinks. I get the aesthetics of it but there was way too much ice in the cup for me to mix with the drink spilling out, had to drink the straight espresso down, which was strong. The woman helping us was also a bit sassy when she misheard me and I corrected her. All the employees were nice though! The menu cycle makes it difficult to read what the drinks are. But the drink descriptions were really in depth! The interior was so pretty!...

Based on the reviews and menu pictures, I was expected a really tasty experience here. I ordered a 16oz specialty iced coffee that looked great on the menu board, it had a soft top and a chocolate drizzle with cimmanon powder sprinkled on it too. But when my drink came, It was unmixed and filled right to the very top, so I couldn't even stir it. I had to drink some straight espresso first, which wasn't great, good morning kick start tho. Then, when I could finally mix it, the entire drink tasted bad – like the milk portion was spoiled. High key got the "temu" version of the drink. Maybe they have new employees or something, service was ight too. Overall, the price was kinda crazy, ill stick too starbucks kinda mean batista and shaken expresso for a quick morning wrist workout of...