The 6 Best Cafes in Calgary

Source: Pixabay

By Lucas Hebert

If you’re looking for a place to catch up with your friends or with your backlog at school or work, the best cafes in Calgary can be your safest bet.

With some strong yet flavourful brewed coffee and a conducive atmosphere, a cafe might just give you a jolt of energy to awaken your productive self. Cafes are also the perfect places to sit down and enjoy the company of your friends.

Here’s our list of the best cafes in Calgary to help you find a safe space for relaxation sessions and productive work hours.

1.  Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar

Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar is the best cafe in Calgary for its drinks and food.

You can have some quiet alone time in this cafe with their selection of coffee, sandwiches, and baked goods. But if you want to meet with friends, this cafe is also great for that, what with their assortment of wines and gourmet cheese.

Gravity has two locations to accommodate its customers in Beltline and Inglewood. They also have live music on weekdays, so check on their schedule before going there for productivity.

Highlights

• Live music
• Coffee and wine
• Sandwiches, pastries, and cheese
• Good parking space

Customer Reviews

With its assortment of food and drinks, this cafe is a versatile meeting space. If you want to know more about their services, read up on these reviews from their customers.

” Great cafe with delicious coffees, teas, smoothies, baked goods and sandwiches/paninis. The best pumpkin spice latte I’ve had so far.”—Samantha Lemna

“A very versatile space. Great spot to get work done, relax or socialize. They have drink specials, warm and cold food options, good coffee, fast wifi and lots of seating options. They play live music sometimes so you might want to check in advance before coming to get work done.”—Elise Vogels

2.  Hexagon Board Game Cafe

Hexagon Board Game Cafe has coffee, pastries, games, and even coffee equipment. It is the best cafe in Calgary for groups of friends looking for a place to chill out and catch up.

Hexagon has about 600 board games, and they also have the latest games released. You can check their site to know which games they have in their library.

Hexagon prides itself on its coffee, games, and community, so you can be sure its spaces are excellent for group activities. You can also book tables for you and your friends before visiting the cafe.

Highlights

• 600 in-house board games
• Coffees and pastries
• Online orders

Customer Reviews

Hexagon Board Game Cafe also has the best staff to help you pick which games are best for your group. Here are the reviews to verify their excellent customer services.

“Amazing games, their drinks are absolutely amazing, especially the London fog and hot chocolate, and so many games to play and buy! Plus the staff are super friendly!”—Karli Irvine

“I love Hexagon! Only costs $3/hour to play board games there, which I think is more than a fair price. Basically every board game you could ever want to play is there.”—Stanton Thai

3.  The Roasterie

The Roasterie is the best cafe in Calgary for its broad coffee menu and in-house film screenings.

You can choose any cold or hot blend of the best coffee beans from around the world. They have decafs and dark blends you can choose from and purchase for your home brewing.

The cafe is relatively small, but you can enjoy a good movie here while being surrounded by friends and the smell of ground coffee beans.

Highlights

• Small and cosy place
• Around 40 coffee beans and five flavours
• Coffee beans for home roasts
• Film screenings

Customer Reviews

The Roasterie can give you what the best cafe in Calgary should—superb coffee, a calm ambiance, and warm customer service. These reviews will make you want to visit this family-owned cafe as soon as possible.

“One of Kensington’s local gems.  Great coffee, friendly staff.  Awesome spot to hang out or a quick stop at the walk by window on the street to get your coffee on the go.”—Sasha Stoudenikina

“It is my favorite cafe in Calgary.. It’s cozy and it has this vintage look to it. And I love the music they play.. It’s unconventional and goes well with a warm cup of latte and an interesting book to read !”—Chandni Sinha

4.  Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters

Phil & Sebastian is the best cafe in Calgary for its accessibility and shared love for coffee. They have 6 locations spread out across the city to help anyone get a taste of their coffee and customer service.

They brew their espressos from the highest-quality beans from 12 countries. You can even buy their coffee beans if you want some rich-tasting coffee at home.

Phil & Sebastian love coffee so much that they even have coffee classes to teach fellow enthusiasts about brewing the perfect cup and designing lattes. They also have coffee tasting sessions and roasterie tours.

Highlights

• Flavourful brews
• Coffee classes, tasting sessions, roasterie tours
• Six locations all over Calgary

Customer Reviews

Not only do they have great coffee, but they also have a place perfect for productivity. If you still can’t wrap your head around why Phil & Sebastian is the best cafe in Calgary, you should read these reviews.

“One of my favourite coffee spots. Awesome espresso and brewed coffee. Fresh beans for sale roasted in the next room. Really cool rustic atmosphere. Very good public wifi (300+Mbps).”—Justin Tessier

“High quality tasty single origin self roasted espresso. Good work! Plus the place is a multi-functional building with bakery, restaurant and coffee bar. You get as well a nice walk along the Bow River, a nice playground for kids close by and next to the St Patricks Island, probably the most pretty spot of the city in my sense.”—Patrick Berzi

5.  Société Coffee Lounge

Société Coffee Lounge surely has the most relaxing ambiance in town. They have a variety of coffees and pastries to help you enjoy your time at the cafe.

With its peaceful atmosphere, you can surely be productive even while sitting on their comfortable and cosy chairs.

What makes Société the best cafe in Calgary is its generosity for its place. You can rent the cafe for special events so you and your loved ones can drink their top-notch coffee and pastries.

Highlights

• Warm and cosy ambience
• Flavourful coffee selection
• Venue rental

Customer Reviews

Société Coffee Lounge aims to provide its customers with good coffee, good life, and good vibes. Here’s what their customers have to say about their services.

“Cute little place with great coffee! This is a good place to come if you want to get some work done. Very nice and peaceful atmosphere with friendly staff! My cappucino and my friend’s flat white were excellent!”—Laura 

“I like the laid back atmosphere and how ppl are just studying there. Not too huge to cause anxiety. Cosy enough and great food and drinks !”—Jennifer

6. Higher Ground Cafe

Higher Ground was established in 1982, and was in the long time promoting community & sustainability on a local and global scale. Ensured with their products of coffee that is 100% organic, fair trade & rain forest alliance certified.

They are able to support farmers abroad through fair trade and by also partnering with local organizations to promote local artists, we are passionate about enhancing our community.

Highlights

• Live music
• Coffee and pastries
• Online orders

Customer Reviews

Here’s a review from one of Higher Ground Cafe clients:

“They have a cozy ambiance and a relaxing place where you can enjoy good food and coffee. They also have computers where you can rent and play.”

Here’s another one:

“This is a great place to spend on if you are looking to burn some time or do work that needs reliable and fast internet connection. If I recall correctly, their internet speed reached up to 200mbps, which is more than what we usually need in casual surfing. Should you feel hungry, you can order food from your workspace and have it served to you. I’d recommend the continental breakfast. And yes, it is open 24 hours.”

All of these can be the best cafes in Calgary, and you only have to choose one to fit your needs. We hope we helped you find the perfect place for you to be productive and, at the same time, relaxed.

But if you’ve been working hard far too long, a cafe may no longer be enough to relax you. Try out the best acupuncture specialists in Calgary to help alleviate back and shoulder pains caused by hours of labour, in that case!