Coffee & Tea in Calgary

A coffee/ tea house is for me a social place. A place where you sit and sip your cup of coffee/ tea for the socializing aspect of it: you watch passerbys coming and going, the music plays in the background, the place is almost-full and the nice murmur of people chatting warms you up. I’m quite picky about such places, so my taste may not be your taste. But here are some nice places I like to go to in Calgary:

Good Earth Cafe on 17th Ave – well, not really on 17th, but on 15 ave with 11 st (1502 11th Street SW). The place is open until 10pm, and it’s always full with people. It has lots of tables, so you’ll always get a spot – yet it’s still intimate. Oh, and in summer, they have a patio which is lovely, update 2010: after the renovations, the patio isn’t that nice anymore, it’s almost as if you are on the sidewalk, where you get to see people and cars and all the urban buzz…
Kaffa Coffee and Salsa House in Marda Loop (2138 33 Avenue SW, Calgary). If only there were more of these in Calgary… located in a house, you can choose your table in one of the three rooms. Always busy, very good hot chocolate. And in the summer, the lovely patio with lots of vegetation makes it almost perfect…Update 2010: stick to the patio. They need a serious cleaning inside, everything is dusty and filthy.
Kawa Espresso Bar on 8 Street SW (101-1333 8 Street SW, Calgary). I really like the patio in the summer! Intimate, with a few umbrellas to shelter you, and with a great view of the street (and yes, occasionally you can see people on the street too, hurray!). The place is very nice inside too, but it was always way too crowded – we never found a place inside You have to try the pastries, really delicious. Expect Starbucks prices.
Cafe Beano, again on 17th Ave, just a few blocks away from Good Earth (1613 9 St SW). A bit more crowded than Good Earth, but with huge windows so that you can see the world moving by. The caffe latte comes in a huge soup bowl… and the brownies are just delicious. Open until midnight or 11pm.
Oolong Tea House located in Kensington (#110 10th St NW). The tea collection is intimidating at first – what to choose? What to choose? But once you settle on something (I’d advise green tea, cause that’s my favorite), get a brownie too… Open until 11pm or midnight (Friday and Saturday).
Steeps Tea House is right downtown, on 17th Ave (12G-880 16 Avenue SW). Only serving tea (from $ 3.50 the small cup) and hot chocolate ($4.50). A very large selection of teas available.
Primal Grounds – in SW (3003-37st SW), boasts freshly made breakfast and lunches, as well as a selection of coffee.
Gratitude Cafe – in Kensington, vegetarian. Organic tea and coffee, wine, veggie & fruits drinks.
DeVille Cafe in Art Central – I’m a big fan of what they’ve done with place after renovations! Slick design with a white/red/ black theme, great collection of green teas, yummy desserts. Did I mention the very interesting tea cups that are transparent, have no holders but are never warm on the outside? The only major problem with this place is that it closes at 3pm on Sundays. Is there no bohemian elite in Calgary that goes out for a cup of coffee and a dessert on Sundays afternoon? I wish the owners would do a bit of promo and get more people in during the weekends! Expect the price range of Starbucks and Good Earth.
Coffee Cats Cafe – on 17th Avenue (2765 – 17th Ave SW, that’s further west than the downtown area, past Crowchild trail). The place is rather new, with a clean interior design and a very nice barista. Although the location is not perfect for people watching, it still is such a great place to relax, read your morning newspaper or tend to your coffee/tea addictions.