Coffee shops staffed by the best baristas in Calgary

With Calgarian Ben Put’s 2014 National Barista Championship win, the cachet of the city’s baristas spiked like my caffeine blood level after two double espressos. Sip the best-made cups o’ joe at these city coffee shops. [Photo: Analog Coffee]

Coffee shops staffed by the best baristas in Calgary
Ian Doig By

Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters

618 Confluence Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0G1

A Calgary coffee phenomenon with three city locations, Phil & Sebastian puts its barista crew through a thorough basic training program. They can cite the pedigree of your bean as well as coax out its best in any of four brewing processes.

Cafe Rosso

803 24 Ave Se, Calgary, AB T2G 1P5

Another of Calgary’s blooming café empires, ROSSO Coffee Roasters’ three Caffe Rosso locations are found in the city core. From espresso to Americano, this cool café collection employs its own house-roasted beans and a whole lot of steaming, frothing coffee knowhow.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Lukes Drug Mart

112 4 St NE, Calgary, AB T2E 3R9

Just about the hippest local drug store chain ever, its flagship Bridgeland location is an institution whose reinvention has seen the installation of a premium coffee counter stocked with Portland’s Stumptown Coffee. Order a straight-up mug, an espresso or cold-brew coffee on tap.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Caffe Artigiano

203-530 8th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3S8

At the top of the Watermark Tower escalators at the inconspicuous second-floor Holt Renfrew entrance, red-and-white-tiled Caffé Artigiano offers more coffee-based beverage choices than perhaps any other Plus 15 hot-drink destination, but espresso is the signature sip. Cups include straight-up espresso, Spanish latte and caramel macchiato. Also order cups of single-origin drip. The café features its own seating, and there are additional tables in the adjacent lobby area to the north.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Pâtisserie Du Soleil

205-500 Centre St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1A6

Where the skywalk from Suncor Energy Centre meets The Bow building high above Centre Street, you’ll find a sunny French café counter that serves Calgary’s own Phil & Sebastian Coffee. Order yourself an espresso with a slice of quiche, a roast-pork Cuban sandwich or a mini apple pie, and take a seat in the airy Bow atrium overlooking Wonderland, the massive mesh sculpture colloquially known as The Giant Head.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:
More from Ian Doig Ian Doig
Ian Doig’s week may include dim sum lunch with friends, rummaging through indie bookstore shelves as well as scribbling in his notepad at Calgary shops and farmers’ markets. It most often concludes with a relaxing Friday evening pint of locally brewed craft beer.
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