Calgary Farmers’ Market – South is a great plaace to hang out with frieds and family

You recognize them as soon as you walk in the door. They’re gathering places, where people hang out with friends and families to share a leisurely meal or drink. They’re usually packed and abuzz with conversation.

With luck or good timing, you might find an empty table. Once you do, you probably won’t want to leave.

Here’s my list of the best such eat and drink “hangs” in Calgary. Let me know yours.

ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Cafe
5302 Forand Street SW

It’s in a corporate headquarters lined by freeways and primarily designed to feed office workers. But it didn’t take long for neighbouring residents, many of them seniors, to flock to this stunning, high-ceilinged building for coffee klatches and affordable chef-made breakfasts and lunches. Good luck finding a parking space.

ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Cafe

Wild Rose Brewery
4580 Quesnay Wood Drive SW

Two strikes against it. It’s in the middle of industrial nowhere, and it lives under the perpetual threat of demolition. No matter. The Wild Rose taproom is generally packed with people in vociferous conversation while sharing a beer and a bite. The real star here is the World War II airplane hangar that houses the pub.

Wild Rose Brewery

Caffe Beano
1613 9 Street SW

A Calgary coffeehouse that’s quietly been a neighbourhood institution for more than 35 years. Caffe Beano keeps things simple, with good, custom-roasted coffee, friendly, efficient staff, in-house baked pastries and fine Wayne’s bagel sandwiches. And a two-level layout that creates lots of nook seating choices.

But the critical element is the ambience. It’s a place where students, artists and neighbourhood regulars gather to read newspapers and have actual conversations. Caffe Beano is a true coffeehouse, not a coffee shop.

Caffe Beano

Calgary Farmers’ Market
South location: 510 77 Ave SW
West location: 25 Greenbriar Drive NW

Over the years, scores of loyal Calgary Farmers’ Market customers have survived stroller Fridays, swarms of private-school students with lunch money, and more vehicles than parking spots. They keep coming back for the fresh produce, the serenading musicians and the meals and drinks, from dozens of kiosks, shared in spacious food courts.

Calgary Farmers’ Market – West

Cold Garden Beverage Company
1100 11 Street SE

Arguing that Cold Garden isn’t the coolest craft brewpub in Calgary could well draw howls of protest.That’s partly because the Inglewood brewery welcomes dogs inside its taproom. And on a busy Saturday afternoon, the canine cacophony adds to the general din of folks chatting over some seriously good pints. Mostly though, Cold Garden is just undeniably funky with vegetated walls, comfy couches and graffiti-covered bathrooms.

Cold Garden Beverage

Primal Grounds Cafe
5255 Richmond Road SW

Every time I walk into this restaurant, I scramble to find a vacant seat. This is a true neighbourhood gathering place, where friends meet for morning coffee and legendary soups and sandwiches. Leave room for a slab of carrot cake and grab some frozen soup on your way out.

Primal Grounds Cafe

Lina’s Italian Market- Mercato
5108 Elbow Drive SW

Lina’s is a mini Calgary empire with four locations to serve all your Italian food needs. The Mercato location’s spacious dining area is a popular place to meet friends over a coffee, breakfast sandwich or plate of pasta.

Lina’s Italian Market – Mercato

National Westhills
180 Stewart Green SW

It may lack the cachet of a craft beer brew pub. But National Westhills more than makes up for that with dozens of local beers on tap and excellent burgers, pizzas and appetizers, often at happy-hour prices. The long, shared tables also encourage camaraderie among fellow diners and imbibers. No wonder it’s my go-to neighbourhood beer house.

National Westhills

Our Daily Brett Market & Cafe
1507 29 Avenue SW

Coffee and pastries, breakfast, lunch, glass of wine, dinner, fresh bread and groceries to go. Daily Brett has you covered. Add natural light streaming through high windows, and it’s easy to see why folks want to hang out here.

Our Daily Brett Market & Cafe

Trolley 5
728 17 Avenue SW

Hook up with some buddies at this hopping Beltline brewpub to watch a Flames game on a big screen TV. The pints are cold and the wings, burgers and pizza first rate. As a younger friend reminds me, “It’s not loud, it’s lively.”

Trolley 5

Lazy Loaf & Kettle
8 Parkdale Crescent NW

Lazy Loaf & Kettle

For three decades, it’s been a popular Parkdale meeting spot for coffee, breakfast, lunch and dessert squares. Lazy Loaf’s signature feature is the thick slabs of fresh-baked, nine-grain, no-dairy kettle bread that envelope its hearty, build-your-own sandwiches.

Blue Star Diner
809 1 Avenue NE

It’s mid-morning, mid-week in late February, and Blue Star Diner is jumping; I’m lucky to grab a vacant counter seat.

“It’s the community,” explains my seat mate, a frequent customer. Yes, Blue Star is smack in the middle of the inner-city Bridgeland neighbourhood. And yes, the tables are full of friends happily chatting away, creating a warm morning buzz.

But it doesn’t hurt that Blue Star offers arguably the best breakfast in Calgary, from novel takes on bacon-and-egg classics to innovative bowls.

Blue Star Diner

Sierra Cafe
39, 6439 Crowchild Trail SW

My idea of a neighbourhood coffeehouse, with folks from the southwest community of Lakeview congregating in this narrow space to chat over good coffee and scones. Other great neighbourhood coffee hangouts: Friends Cafe in Edgemont and Higher Grounds in Hillhurst.

Sierra Caffe