Best Coffee Shops

Boxcar Coffee Shop

Why are we so fascinated with trains? From train sets to LRT enthusiasts to railway museums, this mode of transportation captures our imagination like no other. So why not carry that theme over to a coffee shop that’s just a whistle away from the CN rail yards?

Boxcar is located in an old strip mall on 129th Avenue (for the historians, it was once known as Lincoln Avenue) and packs a lot of charm into a small space. In the summer, it has a really sweet, plant-laden patio.

The coffee is solid, and the snacks are on point, from a Tres Leches bun called a Train Wreck, to the decadent peanut butter and jam sandwich. How can PB & J be decadent? When it’s made with whipped peanut butter, crammed with strawberries and covered in icing sugar, that’s how. — Steve Sandor

Boxcar Coffee Shop
Calder | 11926 129 Ave NW, Edmonton | boxcar-coffee-shop.square.site

The Colombian Coffee Bar & Roastery

Back in 2018, this magazine profiled Santiago Lopez and Kristin Panylyk de Lopez, who had a dream of bringing the flavours from the family coffee farm in Colombia all the way north to Edmonton. That simple concept certainly won a lot of followers — enough that The Colombian Coffee & Roastery has expanded to four locations across the city. Whether you’re stopping for a freshly brewed coffee or specialty drink, or buying beans to bring home, what you get is a promise of ethically sourced product. We’ll drink to that. — Steven Sandor

Lui-Chi’s Coffee

It feels like there should be some sort of sliding bookcase or secret wall that separates Lui-Chi’s from Rice Howard Way. The vibe is definitely steampunk, with brassy whirlygigs that make you wonder if Willy Wonka is going to greet you as you order. But the coffee is on point. Lui-Chi’s takes its beans and then places them in whiskey barrels for 90 days, before they’re roasted over an open fire. If this comes off as a ridiculously strict attention to detail, it’s because it is. Lui-Chi’s keeps downtown Edmonton weird, and we like that. — Steven Sandor

Lui-Chi’s Coffee
Downtown | 10020 101A Ave NW, 10220 103 Ave NW, Edmonton | 780.756.2009 | luichiscoffee.com