There is no shortage of excellent coffee in Calgary. Our city is full of coffee companies and cafés that brew up cup after cup of beautiful coffee that is 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.
Top Calgary Coffee Shops
Best Coffee Shops in Calgary
Top Calgary Coffee Shops
Alforno Bakery & Cafe
Much more than a coffee shop, Alforno 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.
Analog
The 17th Avenue SW Analog location is a bustling Beltline hot spot, their other locations provide a great cup of coffee in locations like Southcentre and the Calgary Farmer’s Market. On 17th Ave, the seats are packed in tight and the espresso machine is always buzzing. The place looks cool and sleek, but the coffee itself is the real draw. The 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.
Calgary Heritage Roasting Company
(New addition - 01/19/21)
Located in the historic brick Snowden building, Calgary Heritage Roasting Company is as rustic in style as they are in taste. Their giant coffee roaster sits right at the front entrance and wafts beautiful aromas down the block. The coffee showcases savoury, chocolatey, nutty, smokey, caramel and toffee tasting notes and avoids citrus, acidic or floral flavours. CHRC is all about connecting with nature and has committed to plant one tree on Canadian soil for every 340g bag of coffee sold.
Caffé Beano
A Beltline mainstay since 1990, Caffé Beano is a 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.
Gravity Espresso and Wine Bar
An Inglewood community hub, Gravity is a top spot for meet-ups. It’s spacious and comfortable, the coffee is expertly brewed and food (quick meals like paninis, soup, and chili) hits the spot. The café also serves a good selection of wine and beer (and accompanying cheese plates) and doubles as a live music venue, hosting regular shows featuring local artists.
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.
Fresh coffee is always ready at the Italian Centre Shop.
Espresso drinks reign at the Italian Centre Shop.
Italian Centre Shop
The Italian Centre Shop’s café is basically just a cordoned-off section of the specialty grocery store, but it is a surprisingly fun and lively place to spend time in, especially to people watch on a visit to Calgary. The coffee — espresso drinks reign, obviously — is rich and satisfying and cappuccino and Americano drinkers can also order something from the shop’s bakery or a pizza or two for added sustenance.
Lukes
With two Lukes Drug Mart locations in Calgary and the two Lukes cafés at the new Central Public Library, what started off as a family-run pharmacy (Calgary’s oldest independent pharmacy, by the way) has turned into a mini empire of all things cool. The Drug Marts are hip hangouts that sell charcoal soft serve ice cream and vinyl records, among regular drug store items, while the cafés serve library patrons and other hungry visitors to the East Village. What do they all have in common, however, is excellent coffee.
Ten Foot Henry
The coffee shop inside the very popular veggie-forward restaurant Ten Foot Henry is a sweet bonyus, serving up drip coffee and espresso drinks, a nice selection of Naked Leaf tea and other morning-time drinks like kombucha, smoothies and fresh-pressed juice. Peckish customers can try out a salad, an avocado or mushroom toast or a treat from the bakery menu.
Phil and Sebastian
One of Calgary’s best known coffee brands, 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 that they roast themselves. They’ve also has created six comfortable and stylish locations in which to drink it, including a flagship location in the East Village’s Simmons Building.
Monogram
A shop for serious coffee lovers, the owners of 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 three locations, serving some of the best brews in town.
Rosso Coffee Roasters
Another café that sources and roast its own beans, with five locations, Rosso has become the go-to for many Calgarians in need of a premium coffee fix. The locations are all chic but cozy and offer top-notch snacks and treats — their homemade Oreo-style cookies have become iconic in Calgary’s coffee scene.
There’s never a reason to have a bad cup of coffee in Calgary. Get out there and caffeinate!
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