DISTRICT CAFÉ AND BAKERY

Situated in a corner unit at 10011 109 St., District Café and Bakery is a brisk 15-minute walk from campus, and it sure is worth it. In fact, you’re better off walking, because the parking situation is a little difficult — as all students who drive to school can relate to. Despite this, District makes the most of its L-shaped lot. The relatively narrow space is made to feel enormous and airy with a towering ceiling and massive windows. During weekdays, the café boasts breakfast from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. and lunch until close at 5 p.m. Weekends offer a special brunch menu which includes a BBQ Pulled Pork Benny and dark chocolate french toast. No matter when you go, District will delight you with a rotating drip coffee blend featuring beans from Victoria-based Bows & Arrows. The café’s baked goods come from a little closer to home. In fact, all of District’s pastries are made and baked in-house. On your way out, be sure to check out their back wall of merchandise — there you can buy a jar of your very own District hot chocolate mix or granola.

ACE COFFEE ROASTERS

If you’re a coffee connoisseur in this city, there’s a good chance you’ve sipped a cup of ACE Coffee without ever having visited one of their three official locations. The locally roasted beans are stocked in a number of cafés including Coffee Bureau and Choccorrant — but it really is worth visiting the ACE Garneau location because there, the food is just as good as the coffee. There are sweet and savoury scones and various croissants, and you can also buy ACE’s own bombolone doughtnuts individually, or by the dozen. Their Nutella doughnut is especially nice. Both breakfast and lunch menus are largely comprised of sandwiches, but there is also avocado toast and pizza by the slice options from the neighbouring Sepp’s Pizza. For those who love a sip of sunshine, there’s also fresh (and very pulpy) orange juice squeezed on order. The ACE Garneau location is at 11053 86 Ave., formerly the home of Café Leva. The café is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends.

CAFFIEND

As the city continues to expand beyond the borders of the Anthony Henday, so too does its denizens’ need for coffee. For those living on the very southwest end of the city, Caffiend is here to save the day. Nestled in 14132 28 Ave. SW, the café is just over a year old and boasts a very large space — including a small play area for children, a reading nook complete with fireplace, and a patio for sunny days. Given how much room there is, the real surprise of Caffiend is how small the till area is, especially with their sizeable menu. Far from just pastries and coffee, this café serves up affogato, flatbreads, wraps, salads, sliders, toast melts, and even has a catering menu. Their mocha is a pleasant balance of chocolate and espresso, which is nice for those who don’t like things too sweet. The pressed triple cheese slider is simple, but made truly tasty and more than a little fancy by the inclusion of both pesto and a sweet tomato jam. Caffiend’s hours are accommodating for the extra driving time it might take to get to the café — they’re open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.