Neighbourhood Coffee in Calgary

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Stylish Alforno is an Eau Claire neighbourhood hangout

They’re often off the beaten path and are frequently the survivors of pandemics and unrelenting cost spikes. But the neighbourhood coffee shop manages to not only survive but to thrive in many parts of Calgary.

Why? It’s a cozy but lively place to meet, hang out, sip a latte and nibble a fresh croissant post bike ride.

A caffeinated brew and pastry might set you back $10 these days. But it’s still a relatively affordable treat compared with a $30 plate of highfalutin pasta.

Calgary’s neighbourhood coffee shops have managed to more than compete with Starbucks and Tim’s or local heavyweights like Analog, Phil & Sebastien, Rosso and Deville. They may be unfamiliar to you but not to the couple who lives two blocks away. In fact, they’re probably there once a week.

Serious coffee consumers head to Sought X Found on Centre Street North

Part 1: Southwest Calgary

Here’s my growing list of Calgary’s fine neighbourhood coffeeshops. In this first of three posts, I’m focusing on the city’s southwest. Let me know what I’m missing.

Sierra Cafe
Neighbourhood: Lakeview
39, 6439 Crowchild Trail SW

Every time I meet friends for a mid-morning coffee at this five-year-old café, we have to scramble to find empty seats. The coffee’s good, the pastries are fresh and the vibe is chill. Bonus points for plentiful free parking in the expansive Lakeview shopping mall. Try the sweet and savoury scones.

Sierra Cafe is a true neighbourhood coffee shop, in Lakeview

Monogram Coffee
Altadore
2014 4814 16 Street

Now a little Calgary coffee empire, Monogram started in 2014 as a tiny neighbourhood café and roaster. This cozy, rustic flagship shop remains a local attraction, especially among dog walkers from the nearby off-leash park. Try a pour-over coffee paired with a house-baked croissant or hummus toast.

Monogram’s funky flagship cafe in Altadore

Neighbour Coffee
Altadore
4038 16 Street

The name, and the NHBR abbreviation, is forgettable. But it’s well worth claiming a table, stool or patio seat in this little eight-year-old coffee shop, on a quiet, leafy street. The avocado toast headlines a made-to-order menu that includes a turmeric latte.

Le Comptoir, by Francois
Marda Loop
1928 34 Avenue

A genteel French retreat from the never-ending Marda Loop roadwork madness. Virtually all the seating is on an elevated patio shaded by a large poplar and warmed by an outdoor fireplace. Sip a latte and indulge in a slab of quiche Lorraine or slice of carrot cake.

French elegance at Le Comptoir

Our Daily Brett
South Calgary
1507 29 Avenue

An NHBR brother company, 10-year-old Our Daily Brett is a lively all-day food and drink café that’s an uber-popular meeting place for coffee and maybe a breakfast sandwich.

Our Daily Brett is a busy gathering spot in South Calgary

Millo Millo Bake Shop
Killarney
3003 37 Street

This bright new space offers a wide range of baked goods, from Earl Grey scones to loaves of sourdough bread. Try a delightfully chewy pretzel bagel with a local, Chronicle-roasted coffee.

Millo Millo is a fine new bakery and cafe in Killarney

Q.Lab Coffee
Beltline
926 16 Avenue

Q.Lab certainly takes its coffee seriously. So seriously that after painstakingly making you a pour over—from a bean variety of your choice— they suggest you wait two minutes to let the flavours fully bloom. So seriously they offer no food—just outstanding coffee… and a few high-end teas.

Q.Lab takes its coffeee creations very seriously

Notes: A stone’s throw away, Butter Block (908 17 Avenue SW) is primarily a baker of superb treats, but it also crafts fine espresso-based drinks. A long block away, Analog Coffee is a mini Calgary empire, but its busy 17 Avenue and 8 Street location is truly a neighbourhood gathering spot, morning to night, for young Beltliners.

Analog attracts plenty of young folks, day and night, to its Beltline location

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee
Muslim community
1441 17 Avenue

During the day, Qamaria operates as a typical Beltline coffeeshop, albeit with a Middle East-leaning pastry and drink menu. It really comes alive late at night as a lively Muslim gathering spot, especially during fast-ending Ramadan. Order a slab of rose tres leche cake and a pistachio latte.

Qamaria’s late-night Yemeni treats include rose tres leche cake

Frida’s Coffee Home
Downtown West End
1110 9 Avenue, base of West Village Towers

Here’s an ode to often overlooked Mexican coffee, in this case beans direct traded from hilly regions and roasted locally. Order these Mexican treats: spiced café de olla and sweet conchas bread.

Frida’s celebrates all things Mexican coffee

Bono Coffee
Downtown
102 8 Avenue

A Bridgeland fixture, Bono has just added a Stephen Avenue cafe to serve those who live or work downtown. This family-run business draws on its Ethiopian roots to feed beans to its Calgary roastery.

MobSquad Cafe
Downtown office tower
21st floor, Edison Building, 150 9 Avenue SW

A unique coffee shop in the sky—a 21-floor elevator ride that overlooks downtown Calgary and is open to the awestruck public Tuesday to Friday.

MobSquad Cafe overlooks downtown Calgary from 21 floors up

Caffe Levant
Downtown office workers
550 6 Avenue

This may be the most fashionable café in Calgary, with stylish furniture, table lamps and floor-to-ceiling curtains. Treat yourself to a latte and a decadent, house-baked cinnamon bun.

Caffe Levant an oasis in the heart of downtown Calgary

Alforno Bakery & Cafe
Eau Claire
222 7 Street

This leafy retreat on the riverside edge of downtown attracts a steady stream of mid-morning, high-rise residents. A cronut or spinach artichoke calzone goes well with a thrown-back espresso.

Folks lining up for Alforno’s many baked treats

The Origin of Philippine Chicken

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Smoking hot Philippine chicken at Darwin’s

It’s a gorgeous summer’s day in a generic new mall in northeast Calgary, and Darwin’s Charcoal BBQ Chicken is jumping. The narrow space is packed with diners, with takeout bags flying out the door.

A lot crammed into a small space

They’re all here for Darwin’s Philippine-style chicken, marinated for 48 hours and then grilled in a rotisserie over hardwood charcoal. The dozen rotating birds produce a cloud of smoke mercifully sucked up by powerful exhaust vents. The resulting moist, delectable chicken appears on most menu items, from a quarter-pound leg to grilled breast chunks in my massive tropical salad bowl ($18, two meals).

My massive chicken salad

The servers and cooks are a whir of efficient activity; a worker transports boxes of supplies inches from my arm. Wouldn’t want to waste any space not devoted to this fabulous chicken.


Darwin’s Charcoal BBQ Chicken
Monday to Saturday 11 am-9 pm, Sunday noon to 8:30 pm
2550 Country Hills Boulevard NE, Calgary
587-575-6516

Calgary’s Best Eat-Drink Pairing?

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Impossibly good Butter Block bread pudding muffin with a Q.lab pour over

First, stop at Butter Block (908 17 Avenue SW) and pick up this odd concoction—chocolate banana bread pudding—which may be the finest muffin in the known universe. Then walk a short block north to Q.lab, (926 16 Avenue SW), which may make the best, most precise pour-over coffee in Calgary.

Bliss ensues.

Baristas at Q.lab expertly prepare pour-over coffee in a modern café setting.

Pita Pies Better Than Pizza?

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Fabulous folded pita pie and brisket sandwich at Doughlicious

Doughlicious does a lot of things well. First and foremost, it’s a northeast Calgary Mediterranean market, selling big bags of fresh-baked pitas, baklava and all manner of Middle Eastern groceries.

It’s half Middle Eastern market, half restaurant

For its mouthwatering Friday and Saturday 11 am barbecues, it serves applewood-smoked brisket and roasted chicken platters. It even deep fries made-to-order little doughnut balls.

They even deep fry, made-to-order mini doughnuts

But what keeps me coming back is the huge, chewy pita pies, with more than a dozen toppings—ranging from a basic zaatar (a steal of a lunch deal $4) to my roasted red pepper and cheese mumhmara ($6.99). And how’s this for a mashup: a shish tawock, featuring roast chicken, fries and garlic sauce wrapped in a pita?

How about chicken and fries wrapped in a fresh pita?

Now that I think about it, a good pita pie is a poor man’s pizza, costing about one quarter the price of an upscale, thin-crust pie. So why not also check out the longstanding Village Pita Bakery in the city’s northeast, where you can grab a pizza-sized meat pie for only $5.25.

A pizza-sized meat pie at Village Pita Bakery

If you want to go hog wild, order an additional covering of grated cheese for an extra $3.75. Or, for $9.00, get a fresh spinach and feta cheese pita. To really stretch your wings, consider toppings of zattar spices or strained yogurt (labneh). And don’t forget to grab a bag of fresh-baked pitas.

Doughlicious
4140 6 Street NE, Calgary
Monday to Saturday 9 am-7 pm, Sunday 9 am-4 pm
403-230-5160

Village Pita Bakery
208, 255 28 Street NE, Calgary
Monday to Saturday 8 am-7 pm, Sunday 9 am-5 pm
403-273-0330

Great New Calgary Bakery is Just a Millo Away

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Millo Millo Bake Shop is a fine new bakery in Calgary’s Killarney neighbourhood

It’s great to see an upscale bakery just open in my neighbourhood. Millo Millo Bake Shop is an elegant space on Killarney’s busy 37 Street SW, a 2-kilometre drive from my house.

It offers a wide range of baked goods, from croissants and Earl Grey scones to loaves of sourdough bread, bagel sandwiches (starting at $12) and high black forest cakes.

Mostly sourdough loaves

I start modestly with a lovely, chewy pretzel bagel ($3.75) and a local Chronicle-roasted coffee. After all, it’s a short drive for repeat visits.

A nice, chewy pretzel bagel

This little pocket of 37 Street is becoming a bit of food scene, with Freo Breakfast & Lunch next door and Balkan-based Erina Bakery around the corner.

Millo Millo Bake Shop
3003 37 Street SW, Calgary
Wednesday to Saturday 8 am-4 pm, Sunday 9 am-4 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday
587-353-0777

Calgary’s Best Pizzerias: It’s a New Culture

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UNA Pizza delivers a perfect margherita

The votes are in (just mine count). Here are my five best Calgary pizza picks, also reflecting my thin-crust bias.

5. UNA Pizza + Wine
618 17 Avenue SW and four other Calgary locations

At the vanguard of the thin-crust movement in Calgary 15 years ago, UNA has since expanded to five city locations. A dozen blistered-crust offerings are complemented with a mountainous kale Caesar salad topped with crispy prosciutto and a hard-boiled egg.

4. Coco Brooks
649 42 Avenue SE and two other Calgary locations

Not so much a guilty pleasure as a three-decade love affair, I always order the hearty, one-person scrambled egg ’n bacon pizza ($11.43), served in a little cardboard box.

Perfectly pleasing egg ‘n bacon pizza at Coco Brooks

3. Azzurri Pizzeria
2404B Edmonton Trail NE

This is old-school Napoletana pizza, from the 00 flour dough to the Riccioppo family that runs this cozy joint.

Fabulous blistered crust at Azzurri Pizzeria

2. Noble Pie
Back alley, 720 11 Avenue SW

Noble Pie transitioned from a brewpub pop-up to a back-alley Beltline location. No matter. The cool kids are all over this delightful spot, lining up for a 4 pm opening.

And the winner is…

  1. Pizza Culture
    1114 Centre Street North

It’s not just me who loves Pizza Culture. It’s a certified Napoletana pizzeria and has been named the 96th best pizza place in the world. Bonus: The sourdough crust is perfectly blistered in 90 seconds in the 900-F wood-fired oven.

90 seconds in Pizza Culture’s wood-fired oven and it’s done