In Southern Idaho, we like our coffee brewed fresh and hot, with all the trimmings. Maybe you favor two shots of cappuccino, or perhaps a latté, or maybe an iced coffee? No problem!

In the middle of winter, there’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee to warm the soul.

We’re recommending four coffee shops in the western portion of the Southern Idaho region that will provide everything you need to fuel up on your favorite cup of joe and seize the day! Some of them serve food, too!

Our custom coffee trail takes you to Chimney Creek Coffee in Gooding, Soldier Creek Brewing in Fairfield, Main Street Mocha in Castleford and Broadway Java in Buhl. All of these shops are located in charming small towns, where you’ll find the people to be very friendly and helpful.

Chimney Creek Coffee, Gooding, Idaho – Chimney Creek Coffee is run by the Faulkner family of Gooding, which has a deep history of raising cattle and sheep in the Gooding area and in the mountains to the north.

“We named our shop after Chimney Creek, where we summer our cows,” says owner Becky Faulkner.   “We were the first expresso shop to open in Gooding, and we’ve been here for over 10 years.”

On Yelp, Janet of Honolulu says, “In a small town of about 3,000 people lies this small coffee shack that has quality coffee that will make any hipsters’ mustache twirl.”

Chimney Creek is strictly a drive-through coffee shop near the junction of U.S. 26 and Idaho State Highway 46, a key junction in the quiet farm town of Gooding. They’re open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

They also serve muffins, bagels and homemade cookies.

Soldier Creek Brewing in Fairfield, Idaho – Soldier Creek is the only specialty coffee shop in Fairfield (population 385), a small farm and ranch town that is home to Soldier Mountain ski area and miles upon miles of snowmobile trails in the Soldier Mountains.

“We started out as a little coffee house, and grew into a dinner restaurant and brewery,” says Chris Bradley, owner of Soldier Creek Brewing. “We’ve been here 14 years.”

Soldier Creek has a full menu of coffee drinks and serves a light breakfast. It also has a full lunch and dinner menu, and locally made beer. If you go there for dinner, you might catch a local band playing music on the stage.

On Facebook, Harry David said, “World Class food and beer in a World Class setting! There is world class skiing, biking, sledding, hunting, camping and fishing in this untapped “gem in the rough” town of “Fairplay” Idaho!”

Soldier Creek Brewing is located on Main Street in Fairfield, just off U.S. 20. Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and 5 p.m. to close for dinner on Friday and Saturday. You can connect to Fairfield from Gooding via Idaho State Highway 46. Along the way, in the springtime, stop by Gooding Little City of Rocks, a spectacular place to go hiking.

Broadway Java, Buhl, Idaho – Broadway Java is located along the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway on U.S. 30, as it winds through downtown Buhl (population 4,200). Buhl is known as the “Trout Capital of the World” because of all the rainbow trout grown in hatcheries in the vicinity with the fresh spring water from Thousand Springs.

The coffee shop has a drive-through and also has inside seating. It serves breakfast and lunch. “We serve breakfast all day, and our pita sandwiches and pita/salad combos are popular for lunch,” says Shayla Armitage. “People really like our meat-lovers special for breakfast, which has Canadian bacon, bacon, and sausage, eggs and cheese.”

On Trip Advisor, Anna says, “Super friendly employees always greet you with a smile. Fantastic and numerous options for coffee specials. But don’t settle for bean juice the sandwiches, salads, pittas and protein shakes are amazing! Super cute and cozy inside as well as a convenient drive-thru.”

Hours are Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

While you’re in the area, consider visiting the fish hatchery at Clear Springs Foods. They are the world’s largest producers of rainbow trout for grocery stores and restaurants. Contact the company for details.

Main Street Mocha in Castleford, Idaho – Main Street Mocha serves a full range of coffee drinks and also has breakfast sandwiches and lunch specials. It also has a drive-through window for people who need coffee drinks to go.

The coffee shop is open 6:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday – Friday. On Saturdays when there are special events going on in Castleford, it is open on those days as well.

Beyond coffee drinks a couple of favorites they serve are flavored cofees with Almond Joy or Maple Bar flavors and a Redbull life-saver combination energy drink.

“Enjoyed a nice lunch with my hubby! Two thumbs up!” said Victoria Lewis on Restaurant Guru.com.

For coffee venues in the central and eastern side of the Southern Idaho region, check out our coffee trail post for that region.