BARKING BUFFALO CAFÉ

Anyone familiar with 124 Street knows that there is no shortage of places to find delicious coffee, but there’s only one Barking Buffalo Café. The small coffee shop can be found at 10842 124 St., situated inside Salgado Fenwick, a shop known for silk-screened apparel featuring original art, usually of animals. The emphasis on local is carried over into Barking Buffalo — the café is regularly stocked with cookies from Bloom Co., chocolate from The Violet Chocolate Company, and scones from an Edmonton test kitchen who deliver their baked goods fresh daily. The beans are an exception; Pilot Coffee Roasters are based out of Toronto, but the coffee is still very good. Being a smaller café with no kitchen hiding in the back, Barking Buffalo delivers snacks more than full meals, but it always offers a welcoming atmosphere and is nonetheless a place where one can spend a decent part of the afternoon.

BEAN AROUND THE WORLD CAFÉ

When Bean Around the World Café first came to Edmonton in the spring of 2018, it caused a bit of a social media fuss. In addition to being the only location of the wildly popular coffee shop outside of British Columbia, it also happened to be the only café in our city to feature a set of indoor swings. Finally, a one-stop-shop for fashionable foodies and influencers alike to snap a selfie and sip some espresso! But looks aren’t everything, and while Bean certainly has them in spades, it’s also overflowing with food. Scones and cookies, breakfast and lunch sandwiches you can get panini pressed, a rotating soup menu, smoothies, even veggies with hummus dip, almost all of which is made in-store. Whatever you need to get through the day, there’s a good chance you can get it on a plate or in a cup here. As bountiful as it is beautiful, the best part of Bean Around the World Café is that it’s walking distance from MacEwan University, directly behind Allard Hall in fact, at 10510 111 St. NW. Better yet, the café is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, making it an ideal evening study spot.

AWAKE COFFEE HOUSE

It seems like an odd idea at first — a café sharing space with a pharmacy? — but once you step foot inside Awake Coffee House, you’ll find yourself wondering why more places haven’t adopted this kind of symbiotic relationship. Awake means a pleasant pick-me-up while you wait for your prescription, a bright and unexpectedly welcoming space to sit and get some work done, and for those who thrive off people-watching, this is prime caffeinated real estate. Located at 11029 9 Ave. NW right next to the Twin Brooks Pharmacy, Awake’s main fare includes both sweet and savoury bubble waffle sandwich- es, and the usual array of tempting pastries. The BEG, a combination of bacon, scrambled egg, and housemade guacamole might just be the breakfast sandwich to end all others. Awake sources their beans through Vancouver’s own Drumroaster Coffee, though if you aren’t feeling like a cup of java, the café has a robust selection of other beverage options — including grapefruit lavender lemonade and a special turmeric latte to help stave off cold season. Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, Awake Coffee House is worth getting up and going out for.