Tag Archives: Calgary coffee

Calgary Neighbourhood Coffee: NE and SE

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Coffee and a fabulous cheese bun at Rosso Coffee Roaster in Ramsay

Velet Bike Ski Cafe
Victoria Park
Back alley 105, 206 11 Avenue SE

Don’t be surprized to see folks arriving at Velet on two wheels. That’s because this funky, edge-of-downtown coffee spot is also a bicycle/ski repair and tune-up shop. Owner Hakan Kayabasi does it all: ski/bike technician, expert barista and purveyor of fresh-baked Turkish treats.

Velet is a unique ski-bike shop and cafe

Semantics Cafe
Victoria Park
1010 1 Street SE

Semantics, on the edge of downtown, is perhaps the artsiest coffee shop in Calgary. Beneath its impossibly high ceiling are local art, a drum kit, old vinyl records and books. Bonus points for the fresh Butter Block pastries and Chronicle-roasted beans.

Semantics artsy cafe on the edge of downtown

Gravity
Inglewood
909 10 Street SE

Gravity is a cozy, 13-year-old coffeeshop that welcomes residents and visitors to vibrant Inglewood. Come for fresh-roasted beans and a berry yogurt bowl. Stay for the unparalleled live music.

Inglewood’s Gravity mixes coffee and live music

Canela Vegan Bakery
Inglewood
1319 9 Avenue SE

Canela is a destination for vegans seeking a different take on baked treats, like cinnamon rolls or gussied-up croissants. The casually elegant space, which includes a cozy café, is perfect for a mid-morning sweet treat and a latte.

Grab a vegan treat and coffee at Canela bakery

Rosso Coffee Roasters
Ramsay
15, 803 24 Avenue SE

Rosso is a Calgary coffee juggernaut, hitting it out of the park with this flagship cafe in the historic Dominion Bridge Building in Ramsay. Watch award-winning baristas pull shots while you munch on a fabulous, toasted and buttered cheese bun (recipe from the owner’s mother).

Rosso Coffee’s historic Ramsay cafe

Eight Ounce Coffee
Coffee geek community
2040, 2600 Portland Street SE

Want to seriously up your coffee game? Just pop by Eight Ounce and peruse hundreds of roasted beans, from as far away as Florence, or perhaps invest in a $5,200 espresso machine. Or sample a much cheaper flight of coffees.

Eight Ounce is where the coffee geeks hang out

Baya Rica Cafe
Bridgeland
204 7A Street NE

It’s not hard to spot Baya Rica Café, near the western entrance to the Bridgeland community. Just look for the bright yellow house with a long metal smokestack. The latter is attached to an in-house stove roasting beans from an affiliated Costa Rican farm. A cappuccino goes well with a Mexican wedding cookie.

Baya Rica’s bright yellow cafe and coffee roaster

Mari Bakeshop
Bridgeland
103 Saint Matthews Square NE

The good espresso-based drinks are mainly a pretext for loading up on arguably the finest baked treats in Calgary—from airy croissants to slices of roll cake. A warning: This place gets crazy busy on summer weekends.

Folks flock to Mari Bakeshop in Bridgeland

Congress Coffee
Tuxedo
1A, 215 36 Avenue NE

Hidden in a Tuxedo industrial park, the dimly lit Congress is nonetheless a new community gathering spot for small-batch-roasted coffee, art shows and live music. Combine a pecan tart with a “pay what you feel” drip coffee.

Congress Coffee is a new Tuxedo gathering place

Calgary Neighbourhood Coffee: the Northwest

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The Roasterie a 40-year fixture in Sunnyside

The Roasterie
Neighbourhood: Sunnyside
314 10 Street NW

Amazingly, I was around when The Roasterie opened 40 years ago in this little Kensington shop. Not much has changed over the years, including the owners and an onsite, gas-powered roaster. Try the cold brew to stay or bottled to go.

Higher Ground
Hillhurst
1126 Kensington Road

This nearby café is even older (established 1982), focusing on organic, ethically sourced beans. Try a “Hi Test” mix of espresso and brewed coffee, along with an in-house baked pastry or a breakfast burrito.

Higher Ground serving Hillhurst since 1982

Pocket Coffee
West Hillhurst
317 19 Street

Now here’s a true partnership. The aptly named Pocket Coffee is owned by attached Dairy Lane Café, with roasted beans from Fratello and baked treats from superb Butter Block. Be bold and tackle a French toast latte and double-baked apple croissant on the sidewalk patio.

Pocket Rocket attached to partner Dairy Lane Cafe

Cadence Coffee
Bowness
6407 Bowness Road

Cadence is the morning gathering spot for residents of Bowness and Montgomery. A loaded breakfast bagel ($11) goes well with a few cups of java.

Weeds Cafe
Capitol Hill
1903 20 Avenue

Weeds Cafe

Described as a bohemian hangout, Weeds often attracts folks actually reading books and writing with pen and pencil. Soak in the relaxed scene while sipping a 49th Parallel coffee and munching on a sausage roll.

Fenyk Coffee & Social
Brentwood
110, 5049 Northland Drive

Fenyk is named for the community-minded fennec fox, having recently burrowed in next to the Northland Village Mall. The Rosso-roasted coffee goes well with a breakfast omelette hand pie.

Fenyk a new Brentwood coffee shop

Alenn Sandwich and Coffee
Varsity Estates
5403 Crowchild Trail

With a name like this, I gotta try a made-to-order sandwich alongside my caffeine fix. My choice is a substantial Californian ($16.50)—a piling of turkey, chicken and bacon—chased by a macchiato, made from Fratello beans (it also serves locally blended Grounded Teas). Alenn is a newish café tucked in a Varsity Estates strip mall off busy Crowchild Trail.

Alenn marries sandwiches and coffee

Minuet Cafe
Charleswood
1161C Northmount Drive

Minuet is a calming space, focusing on house-baked cakes, tarts and a half-dozen types of mini quiches, including my fine, warmed up cheddar and broccoli.

Minuet specializes in quiches and tarts

Bullet Coffee House
Cambrian Heights
2, 728 Northmount Drive

While it shares the name of the fat-infused coffee craze, Bullet Coffee House shows the staying power of a 25-year-old neighbourhood café. It treats loyal customers to warm, over-the-top oat muffins and bullet coffee featuring coconut milk, cinnamon, cocoa and honey.

Bullet Coffee more than just a trend

Friends Cafe
Edgemont
104, 45 Edenwold Drive

Whether you’re coming off a nearby Nose Hill park walk or meeting friends, this cozy café has for three decades been a popular place for a coffee, baked treat or panini. An early Friday lunch is advised to snag a bountiful bowl of New England clam chowder before they run out.

Friends Cafe a long-time Edgemont hangout

Sought X Found Coffee Roasters
Crescent Heights
916 Centre Street N

Arguably the best combination roaster and coffee shop in Calgary. It’s well worth visiting the brick-walled café for a hand-brewed drip coffee and a pastry from the celebrated Butter Block. Even the milk for its drinks comes from an organic farm.

Sought X Found a top-three Calgary coffeehouse

Adola Cafe
Springbank
120 Maclaurin Drive

Okay, this incongruous place is just west of Calgary. But if you’re close to Springbank Airport, it’s worth dropping in to new Adola Cafe, an elegant, high-ceilinged space serving Ethiopian coffee, with calming classical music in the background.

Adola Cafe is elegant coffeehouse near the Springbank Airport

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

Patient Perfection at Calgary’s Q.Lab Coffee

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Q.Lab is all, and only, about coffee

You don’t go to Q.Lab, just to drink coffee. You go for the whole ceremonial experience.

Sound pretentious? No, simply a laser focus on painstakingly producing the best possible cup of coffee… without the distraction of offering food. And that takes time.

When I order a pour-over at Q.Lab’s tasting lab/café in Calgary’s Beltline, I’m asked to choose from one of eight bean varieties from parent roaster Chronicle. While I’m waiting for the pouring to complete, I have time to read, on a little card, a detailed description of my Huila, Colombia bean choice.

When you order a pour over, here are all your bean choices

Soon enough, my coffee arrives, in a glass beaker, along with a suggestion I wait two more minutes to allow the flavours to fully form. Patience, grasshopper.

I’m now ready to savour the obvious superiority of this dark nectar over garden-variety espressos. And it’s a generous pour, making the $6.50 cost quite reasonable.

A generous pour of black nectar

So if you’re serious about your coffee, give Q.Lab a try. Just don’t expect to grab and go.

Q.Lab Coffee
926 16 Avenue SW, Calgary
Weekdays 8:30 am-5 pm, Saturday 8:30 am-4 pm. Closed Sunday
368-299-1535

Late-Night Yemeni Coffeehouse a Unique Experience

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10:30 pm and Qamaria Yemeni Coffee is just starting to fill up

It’s 10:30 at night, and I should be tucked in bed. I’m also 10-plus hours beyond my usual last caffeine hit of the day. Yet here I am, about to order a high-dose coffee and, what the hell, a sugar blast of cake.

Welcome to Qamaria, Calgary’s first entry into the late-night Yemeni coffeehouse craze sweeping the U.S. Here, people often arrive around 10 pm and eat, drink and socialize till 1 or 2 am… or until they get kicked out.

Qamaria is a spacious space in Calgary’s Beltline

And there’s not a drop of alcohol to be found. Instead, the drinks of choice are spicy coffees and teas, consumed alongside desserts. Indeed, these Yemeni coffeehouses are designed as a liquor-free, late-night alternative for Muslims, particularly during Ramadan, when they fast from dawn to dusk.

Rose tres leche cake and pistachio latte

Qamaria is the first Canadian location of a U.S.-based franchise of the same name, started by two Yemeni entrepreneurs. The café’s coffee beans are sourced from small farms in Yemen, which boasts a 500-year history of producing and drinking coffee, beginning with Sufi monks seeking a stimulant.

A Turkish coffee for a late-night jolt

So, too, are the throngs of predominantly young Muslim women who, close to midnight, have filled every table in spacious Qamaria, many commemorating the moment with phone photos. It’s a vibrant, joyous mood, unlike anything I’ve experienced in a typical coffeehouse.

The pistachio latte and rose tres leche cake are delightful. But it’s the late-night people watching that makes this my best culinary visit of the year.

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee
1441 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
Open till 11 pm Monday to Thursday and 1 am Friday and Saturday
403-454-4123

Best Calgary Eats and Drinks

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Fresh-baked pitas are just the start of the excellent shawarmas at Beirut Street Food

A new year, a new project. Inspired by this resolution: Schedule more spontaneous acts into my day.

The project is to discover and celebrate the best eats and drinks in Calgary. The best burgers, the best croissants, the best coffee roasteries, the best brewpubs, the best Lebanese poutine. It’s a long list.

Sought X Found is arguably Calgary’s best combo roastery and coffee shop

The rules: Calgary-based, independent places, serving up excellent fare. (small, regional chains are okay). Bonus points for interesting, even quirky spaces; hello Cold Garden Brewery! I’ll try to stick to one “best of” pick per category, though there will be instances of runners up and “also recommended”.

Cold Garden is certainly Calgary’s quirkiest, dog friendly brewpub.

Prices. I’ve pledged to banish “cheap eats” from my vocabulary, since they scarcely exist anymore. “Affordable” isn’t much better; affordable for who? I try to steer clear of high-end places but am no doubt fighting a losing battle against $20 breakfasts and $25 burgers and fries.

Subjective as hell? Maybe. I favour IPA beers and darker-roast coffees, which may prejudice some picks. The good news is you can comment here on my choices and offer superior alternatives and maybe gems I’ve never heard of.

There’s enough potential best-of categories to make a weekly pick last a year or two. I’ll try to restrict my posts to a paragraph or two. So let’s dig in.

The world’s best carrots beckon

Every couple of weeks, for the past 15-plus years, I’ve made a pilgrimage to the Calgary Farmers Market to pick up a 10-pound bag of Beck carrots. Yes, I’m seriously addicted to this Innisfail-based (central Alberta) grower’s super sweet Nantes carrots.

Ten pounds of the world’s best carrots

Indeed, I defy you to just eat one. Once you’ve been introduced to Becks, you’ll never go back to grocery store imposters that taste like wood. You can thank me later.

Beck Farms
Available at Calgary Farmers’ Market south (Thursday to Sunday) and west (Wednesday to Sunday) locations, opening at 9 am