Best coffee shops in Calgary

There is no shortage of excellent coffee in Calgary. Our city is full of cafés brewing up cup after cup of beautiful coffee, often sourced and roasted by the very companies serving it. Whether you’re looking for a light meal or a public space to hunker down with your laptop to get some work done, these cafés are all worth spending some time in.

Alforno Bakery and Café

With multiple locations throughout the city, the Teatro Group’s Alforno Café offers plenty to eat, but it’s also a great place to just hang out and have a hot drink. The bright and spacious café serves a full range of espresso drinks (plus drip coffee) and, in addition to more substantial pizzas and pastas, plenty of snacks and light bites. Some of the locations are satellite coffee counters while others are full sit-down cafés

Multiple locations

Analog

The 17th Avenue S.W. The flagship Analog café is a bustling Beltline hot spot, but you can also grab a great cup of Analog’s coffee in several other locations like Southcentre Mall and the Calgary Farmer’s Market as well as a number of downtown office buildings. Over on 17th Ave, the seats are packed in tight, and the espresso machine is always buzzing. Analog’s single origin beans are all ethically sourced directly from the farmers who grow them and roasted in Calgary before becoming a rich cup of pour over coffee or an espresso-based drink.

Multiple locations

Bono Coffee Roasters

Bono ’s mission is to promote Ethiopian coffee culture within Calgary. The cafés’ owners grew up in Ethiopia and bring what they learned about coffee to Canada through their small batch coffee roasting company. Bono offers a number of roasts and blends and brews them up in their comfortable cafés.

Address: 733 1 Ave NE , 4704 Manhattan Rd SE , 102 8th Ave SW

Canadian Heritage Roasting Company

Located in the historic brick Snowden building, Canadian Heritage Roasting Company is as bold and rustic in style as it is in taste. The shop’s giant coffee roaster sits right at the front entrance, creating beans that showcase savoury, chocolatey, nutty, smoky, caramel and toffee tasting notes, avoiding citrus, acidic, or floral flavours. CHRC is all about connecting with nature and has committed to plant one tree on Canadian soil for every bag of coffee sold, with the goal of planting one million trees by 2030.

Address: 2020 11 St SE

Café Alchemist

This downtown coffee shop bills itself as a “health-conscious fast-casual cafe,” and offers a selection of light meals, but it’s also worth coming in just for the excellent coffee. The team chooses beans with distinctive flavours and brews them with care to create special coffee-based drinks inspired by coffee culture around the world.

Address: 850 2 St SW

Café Gravity

An Inglewood community hub and coffee roaster that has branched out to several locations throughout the central part of the city, Gravity is a top spot for all sorts of meetups. The cafés are spacious and comfortable, the coffee is expertly brewed, and the food always hits the spot. The Inglewood location also doubles as a wine bar and live music venue, hosting regular shows featuring local artists.

Address: 909 10 St SE , 1221 8 St SW , or 240 Riverfront Ave SW

Caffé Beano

A Beltline mainstay since 1990, Caffé Beano is an absolute Calgary institution. The café almost always has a large group of locals (and more than a few dogs) gathered outside, with more people sitting inside the café’s roomy back room. The muffins are fresh-baked and the coffee is strong, which is exactly what you need in a good coffee shop. Well, that and one of Beano’s much-beloved chocolate espresso milkshakes.

Address: 1613 9 St SW

Congress Coffee

Harkening back to the glorious coffeehouses of 1990s Calgary, this little neighbourhood spot in the Tuxedo neighbourhood is designed for unpretentious hangouts. Coffee and lemonade are on deck, along with sandwiches and other casual meals and snacks. In true ‘90s style, Congress also acts as an arts space and music venue with special events taking place throughout the week.

 Address: 215 36 Ave NE #1A

Deville Coffee

A Calgary-born chain that has now expanded into British Columbia, the now ubiquitous Deville has grown steadily, thanks to its mission to bring high-quality direct trade coffee beans to the masses. Multiple coffee roasts are always on the menu complete with tasting notes and information about the beans’ origins, allowing coffee lovers to make choices that will suit their personal tastes and sense of social responsibility.

Multiple locations

Higher Ground

Serving organic coffee that is fair trade, bird friendly, and rainforest alliance certified, this large Kensington coffee house is a relaxing spot to get some work done or visit with friends. The list of coffee and tea creations is long (and delicious — it’s hard to find a more creative collection of caffeinated drinks) and the café also serves an extensive selection of sandwiches and salads as well as a tasty all-day breakfast.

Address: 1126 Kensington Rd NW or 2502 Capitol Hill Crescent NW

I Love You Coffee Shop

Inspired by Japanese jazz bars, vinyl records, cheeky humour, and a strong community-minded spirit, the irreverently named I Love You Coffee Shop is a cool little hideaway for anyone looking for the polar opposite of a corporate coffee chain. The coffee is great, but the clubhouse-like space, vinyl records, and laid-back attitude are what make this spot a real inner-city gem.

Address: 348b 14 Ave SW or 520b 12 Ave SW

Monogram

A shop for serious coffee lovers, the talented team from Monogram were winning national barista awards before most Calgarians had even heard of their then-tiny coffee house. These days, Monogram has grown to include several locations, serving some of the best brews in the city. The coffee brand has extended its dedication to excellence with Primary Colours , a full-service restaurant and café hybrid in the Britannia neighbourhood.

Address: 4153 University Ave NW , 420 2 St SW , 4814 16 St SW , or 800 49 Ave SW

Neighbour Coffee

Part of the Our Daily Brett family of local businesses, Neighbour provides the communities of Altadore with tasty coffee and wholesome fresh meals and snacks that go well beyond your average grab ‘n’ go sandwiches. Come for the coffee, but down’t miss out on the fancy toasts, wraps, tostadas, and bowls.

Address: 4038 16 St SW

Phil and Sebastian

One of Calgary’s best known coffee brands, when it first launched in 2006 Phil and Sebastian set the bar for what a cool café could be in this city. Owned by two actual guys named Phil and Sebastian, P&S makes distinctive tasting coffee from beans they source and roast themselves. They’ve also has created over half a dozen comfortable and stylish locations in which to drink it, including a flagship location in the East Village’s Simmons Building .

Multiple locations

Rosso Coffee Roasters

Another café that sources and roast its own beans, with many locations, Rosso has become the go-to for many Calgarians in need of a premium coffee fix. The shops are all chic but cozy and offer top-notch snacks and treats — if grass roots vibes and a high standard of excellence is what you’re seeking, Rosso is the place to find it.

Multiple locations

Sought x Found Coffee Roasters

A small boutique roastery in the Crescent Heights neighbourhood, Sought x Found strives to present coffee in a way that the special aspects of the beans and the roast shine to their fullest potential. Different coffees are presented each month along with notes about the bean varietals, processes used to roast the coffee, history of the farm, and other facts that help each cup tell its unique story.

Address: 916 Centre St N