If you’ve driven anywhere in Utah lately, you’ve seen the lines: cars wrapped around drive-thru soda shops at every hour of the day. Dirty soda, a fountain drink loaded with flavored syrups, fruit purées and coconut cream, is Utah’s unofficial state beverage. And now it’s a national trend.
How dirty soda was born
It started on April 2, 2010, when Nicole Tanner opened Swig in a small building in St. George. Drinks cost a dollar for the first couple of months, and by the end of that first year the lines were wrapping around the corner. Swig’s team coined the name “dirty soda” when they added a Dirty Dr Pepper, soda with coconut syrup, and later trademarked the term.
The idea spread fast, partly because many Latter-day Saints skip coffee and tea and were happy to have a fun drink stop of their own. Copycats followed, along with at least one lawsuit. Then a 2021 social media post from Olivia Rodrigo and the 2024 Hulu show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives pushed dirty soda into the national spotlight.
Here are the shops worth knowing.
1. Swig (St. George and statewide)
Come for: the original.
The first Swig was a tiny drive-thru stand in St. George across from what’s now Utah Tech University. Today Swig has more than 160 stores and is opening a new one roughly every six days, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, with Larry H. Miller Co. as majority owner. Its CEO, Alex Dunn, has compared Swig’s ambitions to what Starbucks did for coffee.
Order: the Texas Tab (Dr Pepper, vanilla and coconut cream), its most popular drink, or The Founder (Diet Coke, sugar-free coconut, lime and coconut cream).
2. FiiZ (born in Bountiful)
Come for: a drink with a cookie butter treat on the side.
FiiZ was started in Bountiful in 2014 by two families and is now headquartered in Ogden. It has grown well beyond Utah, opening in Oklahoma in 2026.
Order: the Berry Bad Dr. (Dr Pepper, coconut, vanilla, raspberry purée and cream) with cookie butter FiiZ Puffs. According to Utah Business, it’s the company president’s own go-to.
3. Thirst (Salt Lake City)
Come for: drinks and beignets.
Ethan Cisneros founded Thirst in downtown Salt Lake City in 2016. “We want to give Swig a run for their money,” he told St. George News. It now has nine locations, with more on the way.
Order: the Dr. McCreamy (Dr Pepper, raspberry purée and coconut cream) with beignets or pretzel bites.
4. Quench It! (Heber City)
Come for: a Wasatch Back original that started in a shack.
Former English teacher Erika Stover started Quench It! as a little shack in Heber in December 2014. It now has stores across Utah and in Texas, and it even owns a cookie brand, Süss Cookies.
Order: the O.G. (Diet Coke, coconut and lime) or the Dr. Cream Berry.
Where: 760 S. Main St., Heber City, plus more locations at quenchitsoda.com
5. Bevvy’s Soda Shop (Payson)
Come for: small-town, family-run soda.
Bevvy’s is an independent, woman-owned, family-run shop in Payson with a drive-thru and a mobile trailer that shows up at events.
Order: The Girlfriend (Dr Pepper, raspberry purée and coconut cream).
6. Soda Retreat (Salem)
Come for: soda and Rockwell ice cream in an old gas station.
Soda Retreat runs out of a renovated gas station in Salem and pairs its drinks with Rockwell ice cream.
Order: The Fastlane (Dr Pepper, raspberry purée and coconut creamer).
Where: 195 W. SR 198, Salem
7. Pop N Dot (Orem)
Come for: a sibling-run shop that’s open on Sundays.
Pop N Dot is run by siblings inside Will’s Canyon Stop in Orem, serves Dutchman’s Market cookies, and is one of the few shops open on Sundays.
Order: the Rocket Science.
Where: 1565 E. 800 North, Orem
How to order dirty soda like a Utahn
- Pick your base. Diet Coke and Dr Pepper are the classics.
- Add the “dirty.” Coconut syrup or coconut cream is what makes it dirty. Lime and fruit purées are popular too.
- Choose your ice. Pebble ice is a must for most regulars.
- Get a treat. Cookies, pretzel bites and other sweets are part of the experience.
Find more Best Of guides from around Utah. Run a local soda shop with a story to tell? Tell us about it.
Details in this guide draw on reporting from the Salt Lake Tribune, KSL, Al Jazeera, Utah Business, St. George News, the Lehi Free Press, Visit Utah and Greater Zion, plus each company’s own website. Menus and hours change, so check before you go. Top photo: Walker Kinsler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.