Mexico is known for its chocolate. If you've ever visited an all-inclusive resort in Mexico you are…read morevery familiar with the vat of hot chocolate that is almost always on offer - usually at breakfast time - and the clay mugs that you drink it from. Edmonton's ch. Cafeteria, located in Grovenor, is a specialty cafe that celebrates exactly this: Mexican chocolate in all of its forms. The Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2024 list named them as Favourite Dessert and with good reason! I visited their lively cafe on a Sunday afternoon, their corner location and bright fuchsia signage impossible to miss. The entire interior (and exterior) is a work of art with a strong focus on work by local artists, handmade items for sale, and an absolute eclectic explosion of colour. The space feels warm and inviting with cozy seating, communal tables (I met and chatted with a lovely family from South Africa while seated at ours), and greenery in every corner. It's a cafe that feels like a community hub, special and unique from the moment that you enter the building. The friendly staff enhances this atmosphere. Chocolate and coffee feel like pretty close cousins making the Mocha de Olla ($6.75 for small) feel like a natural choice. The best of both worlds! ch. Cafeteria also offers different types of chocolate in their beverages including; dark, milk, hazel, and white. This allows for a wide range of personalization to one's exact taste! Their Xocolatl is prepared spicy which is what many people think of when they imagine a Mexican hot chocolate. The Mocha de Olla is made with coffee brewed with raw sugar and cinnamon, chocolate, and milk. My favourite part of the beverage is how well the warming spices come through, truly highlighting the beautiful flavour of cinnamon mingling with the sweet notes of chocolate. Meanwhile, the slight bitterness of the chocolate is a perfect match for the coffee itself. The balance is perfection! I did find that my drink tasted a little bit watered down and I could have used even more developed and robust flavour. An overall delight nonetheless. I wanted to expand my visit from the typical cafe fare (coffee/pastry) to trying some of ch. Cafeteria's actual food. The menu is bigger than you'd expect! You'll find classics like Molletes and even a pulled pork sandwich. But the star of the menu is the Chilaquiles (Corn chips covered with red or green salsa, sour cream, melted cheese & feta cheese - $13.00). This is the dish that nachos (as we know them in North America) originated from. I got mine with Chicken (+$3.50), Avocado ($+3.00), and Extra Cheese (+$3.00). You can also choose from Mexican pulled pork or chorizo as proteins. I chose the green salsa as the flavour of this salsa is a bit more acidic, which I enjoy. These "Mexican style nachos" are pointed out to be a bit soggy - a texture that is desired in this case. Traditionally eaten as a breakfast dish, the correct texture of the chips is for them to be soft but still with a nice bite to them. ch. Cafeteria achieves this spectacularly. I was shocked by how addictive and delicious these chilaquiles were! The salsa was flavourful, bringing the aforementioned acidity to brighten up the dish. The shredded pieces of chicken were juicy and abundant. There was heaps of melty cheese. Every component, as simple as they were, came together to create one exceptional dish. I can see myself returning regularly to order this because I already can't stop thinking about it. Forget about the nachos that you know, chilaquiles is where it's at!! If there is one must try item at ch. Cafeteria I think that we would all agree on the Chido Dessert ($7.50). These famous layered chocolate mousse treats come in at least six different flavours and new ones are popping up all the time. It's like a mousse parfait and trust me, you want one. My personal favourite is the Woodstock but there is honestly no wrong choice here. The Woodstock is made with milk chocolate, caramel, and peanuts. For a chocolate and peanut butter-loving girlie like myself, this is the perfect chido. Each bite is filled with creamy decadence as you dig down into the bowl to capture every single component. The mousse is whipped to a creamy-light-airy perfection while the caramel adds a gooey sweetness. And the whole peanuts bring a great textural crunch. This dessert can only be described as velvet deliciousness. Everyone should take it upon themselves to try every single type of chido - it would be time well-spent. I also always make sure to grab a couple of ch. Cafeteria's housemade Truffles ($2.50 each) because this is the purist way to taste their chocolateria magic in action. This time I tried a Hazelnut & Chili one and a Peanut Butter one. You cannot go wrong with these! A perfect little bite that truly showcases what they do at ch. Cafeteria. I like the Hazelnut & Chili because its got some heat and really showcases the signature spice that you can find in Mexican chocolate. And the Peanut Bu

ch. Cafeteria Located at 14802 - Stony Plain are in…read moreEdmonton, ch. Cafeteria is a coffee shop and eatery spot. Part of a small strip mall, ch. Cafeteria is a very cozy and charming place to eat and drink for locals, and to meet family and friends. I drive in front of the shop for so many years, telling myself to go try this place - I finally did, and I was happy I did. I was greeted by a very friendly and welcoming employee!! I took a large latte coffee to go, with a Mexican pulled pork sandwich, which was accompanied with a small portion of pickled onions. The onions were a delicious addition to the sandwich!! I used to drink a lot of lattes in my early adult years when I was a university student. I considerably reduced my consumption of the coffee over the years, but once in a while I drink one. The latte at ch.Cafeteria is very tasty - it was very hot and fresh. The coffee shop is cozy and comfortable. It has table for both small and big groups. There is music in the background but isn't too loud, making it easy to have a talk with your coffee drinking companion(s). The shop also sell sweet treats such as chocolates and cookies. You may also find hot and cold drinks, and a good menu as well, as you can see in the photos provided. Coffee beans can also be bought there. A good amount of art and craft works are sold at the shop, this encouraging local talents. Finally, ch. Cafeteria is a very pleasant spot to have a drink and food, to read a book or meet with friend or a date.

This is my regular west end Starbies…read more The staff are fast, friendly, and always get my order right! What more could you ask for in a Starbucks? Just remember the parking lot her is a b it akward and when you exit on the road it's one way on either side of this location (West or East) onto 170th where it intersects with Stony Plain Road.

I frequent this location because it is so close to my work. Sometimes going more than once a day!…read more My drinks are always hot/refreshing and made just the way I like them. Sometimes I'm even upgraded to a larger size at no charge. Since I've been going here I see the same faces on both sides of the counter! That's saying a lot for a coffee shop. I often wonder if some patrons ever leave! After their recent facelift it has helped with flow of the queue that forms in the morning and lunchtime rush. Less in shop seating now from the looks of it, but I've never actually sat and enjoyed my drink. The only thing negative I have to say is that they usually run out of sandwiches before lunch even starts! And there is one staff member who could benefit from smiling once in a while... But over all my experiences have been above average!

Beautiful space to meet up with friends, study, or grab a light bite…read more The iced latte was delicious and perfectly crafted. The baklava with ice cream was great as well and I hope to try some of their future desserts too. It can get quite busy but they are able to get out their drinks relatively quickly.

Always a great place to do some work. Although it's a bit noisy because it's busy but nothing a…read moregood headphones won't fix. Grabbed Iced White Mocha and I highly recommend it.

another hidden cafe gem in Edmonton close to the high level bridge…read more It's a cool cafe that looks like a house from the outside.

Oh. Em. Squeal!!!!!…read more First off, mad props to my friend for introducing me to this charming new addition to the coffee scene. Stop Gap opened just under a month ago in Oliver. They describe themselves as a temporary (stop gap) means to filling a need - coffee - served with an intentional and caring heart. Caleb Kam, the owner, is warm and inviting. He definitely knows his coffee. You may know him from his former life at Brown Butter Cafe. Caleb focuses on Canadian, fresh, and local! I spotted Ace and Candid today (Edmonton gems). The clientele were sweet and happy to offer up their faves! Nathan, a regular, told me Caleb is the go to for the best pour over in town. I opted for a Dirty Chai - made to perfection and my friend had a oat milk chai complete with milk art adorning the top. Both beverages were perfection. Coffee can be consumed in house complete with adorable coasters (el gato was my fave naturally, meow) or taken to go. For seating, there is a cute bench against the window front and a side room available if not booked. Caleb also had fresh donuts from Fuzion in Chinatown. My friend and I shared the cake and Cinnamon bun donut today. Sooo ridiculously good. Be sure to check Fuzion out online - they don't have a storefront so you will need to order in advance if you are looking to up your donut game at your next office meeting. I seriously can't wait to come back here again! Oh and they also have a beautiful meeting space available for rent on the main floor in case you want to bring your next staff meeting to the best coffee in town! Such a true pleasure meeting you today, Caleb! Stop Gap is exactly what YEG needs!

This place tastes like home! It's beautifully decorated and the service was really nice. I ordered…read moretake out and the whole family really enjoyed it. Must check this place out!

Lamb shank was great, very flavourful and tender. It's served on the side of a very seasoned and…read morecolourful rice. The chicken kebab platter was a bit plain as the rice had very little flavor. Red tea was nice and hot and the service was good. We also had the deep-fried eggplant and a phyllo pastry filled with spinach and feta (similar to spanakopita) as appetizers. Both were delicious. I would recommend this place but the rice that had the seasoning was much more flavourful than the plain rice so I would keep that in mind.

We were exploring a different part of the city in search of a new place for coffee and breakfast…read more That's when we spotted Cafe Rista. The large list of breakfast wraps and sandwiches was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the spicy breakfast wrap for $9.50 in 2025. It was freshly made to order and hot both in spices and temperature. I enjoyed it once it cooled down a little. My partner ordered the Italian breakfast sandwich which was also $9.50. It looked similar to what I ordered except for it being a sandwich and less spicy. She enjoyed her dish as well. We both had a large drip coffee. The coffee was served in a generous sized cup so we thoroughly enjoyed our drinks. Noise was not a factor here as it is in so many places now. The cafe seemed to be clean. There's several tables of various sizes so finding seating should not be a problem. Overall I was very pleased with our morning coffee and breakfast experience although, strangely, the fellow behind the counter seemed somewhat indifferent to our being there. Maybe he was just having a bad day. The prices are excellent for the quality of food and coffee so I know that we'll return here.

The food was good and reasonably priced. I ordered the lox bagel. The guy behind the counter nodded…read moreyes when I asked if he was the owner. I found him surly, but it was 10 am and maybe he's just not a morning person. He seemed to be more friendly toward a male who came in after me. The lox bagel came unconstructed. When I asked if I could move the chairs, he said he didn't care. The guy just doesn't seem to love his work. A couple hours later another staff member came in. I had already ordered my medium latte, which had arrived hot. She may have been friendlier- did not interact with her. Overall the food was good, the decor was fine, and the service was ok.

We stopped by Credo on a whim for some iced lattes and they were surprisingly good. Strong coffee…read moretaste, milky enough but not too much, and not too sweet at all. Don't come here expecting dessert-like drinks, though. 5 stars.

I came here during winterval and was quite pleased: not only by the speed of service but also the…read morenon-caffeinated beverage options for me and my kid alongside the Winterval deals. My cinnamon maple steamer was great, my kid and I enjoyed cookies, and the kid loved the hot chocolate. A great stop to reinvigorate us during our afternoon/evening downtown!

My boyfriend and I heard good things about this place so we decided to check it out. The parking…read morelot out front was pretty much full, but luckily we managed to snag the last spot available. I ordered the regular Vanilla Latte with oat milk and my boyfriend got the large Mocha with oat milk. The lady taking our orders was friendly and nice. And they served our drinks right to our table. I absolutely loved my latte. It was creamy, robust, and very smooth. One of the smoothest lattes I've ever had. The oat milk complemented the espresso well. It had the perfect sweetness level. The Mocha was pretty tasty as well. It had a rich chocolate-y flavor. My latte was so well-done that my boyfriend kept stealing sips from my drink. We had a great time at this place and I can't wait to visit again.

Edmonton is a city that has no shortage of coffee culture. You don't have to look very far to find…read morea hip cafe or a specialty roaster - they're practically on every block. However, not many have grown and expanded quite the way that The Colombian has. I also don't think that anyone else can say that they get their beans from their own family farm... In Colombia. At the helm of the business? Thee actual Colombian himself, Santiago Lopez along with partner Kristin Panylyk. They opened their first full-service coffee shop with a roastery on site in 2018 - this flagship shop still operates today in Glenora and its where all of the beans get roasted. The business has now expanded to seven locations, including one in Saskatoon, each one acting as a hub in its respective community. EDify Magazine named The Colombian as Best Coffee 2025 and there's certainly no disputing the amount of impact that this Edmonton success story has had on the city's coffee scene. I visited the original Glenora location on a sunny Saturday afternoon and you cannot miss The Colombian's signature marquee signage that lets you know (in lights) that you are in the right place for coffee. The cafe was absolutely bumpin' with every table occupied and a long queue to place orders. Santiago Lopez was buzzing around the space greeting customers and taking the time to give detailed bean recommendations. The vibe is fresh and modern with light woods and black accents. The cafe certainly feels like the place to be on a weekend afternoon and I can only imagine that the rest of their six locations are exactly the same. (In fact, their Parkallen spot happens to be my "neighbourhood cafe" but I usually like to visit the OG when I'm writing.) While the interior of the cafe was quite busy, I found solace outside on the adjoining patio. I will admit right away that I am not much of a coffee purist but I do know what I like. I could order a latte or a mocha but I almost always gravitate toward the seasonal drinks menu (if there is one). These menus are usually where you'll find interesting flavours and creative ideas from the baristas - which is what I'm always on the lookout for. On this visit The Colombian was serving up an Orange Blossom Latte (Cardamom and fresh orange syrup, espresso, steamed milk. Floral and bright - $7.25 for regular size) which fit my desire perfectly. Served with a classic latte art look, this might have been my favourite drink that I've ever gotten at The Colombian! Not only could I taste the coffee, a nice robust roast, but the warming cardamom and hint of orange was very enjoyable. Not too sweet, not too bitter. The balance was just right and this felt like the type of latte that I could see myself ordering again and again. A pleasure! The Colombian offers more than only coffee and you'll also find a food menu. Most items lean toward breakfast but there are some sandwiches as well. I've been a fan of their Loxocado (a smoked salmon avocado toast) in the past but unfortunately it no longer appears on the menu. In its absence I chose the Avocado Toast (Avocado, cilantro, garlic, onion, lime, walnut oil, hempseed - $12.00) with an egg added ($1.50). Crusty bread was well-coated in a thick layer of smashed avocado and I really enjoyed the citrus notes to boost the flavour. Very bright and fresh! The textural elements were great too. I cut into the poached egg expecting a satisfying cascade of golden yolk but sadly the yolk had been cooked through. None the less, a decent avocado toast. However, I definitely missed the Loxocado version. Lastly, I was excited to try their Colombian Guava Croissant (Pastry stuffed with guava filling - $4.50). This reminded me a lot of the Empanadas Queso y Guava that I often get from Paraiso Tropical. I thought that it was very cool that they found a way to make a cafe version of this - a croissant instead of an empanada. I was very impressed by this tasty pastry! Not only was the croissant deliciously buttery but the sweet and jammy guava filling really helped to add a playful Latin spin. It's really nice to see some menu items that actually reflect the Colombian heritage - a great accompaniment to the coffee! The Colombian has set their focus on so much more than running multiple coffee shops. The heart of the business is all about sourcing sustainable, traceable, fairly priced beans. But there's more! They offer coffee subscriptions, fundraisers, and even coffee classes. They've got a blog. They've got a podcast. Plus there's a specialty coffee shop on wheels called The Coffee Mule that can be rented for events. Is there anything that The Colombian can't do?? It doesn't seem so. This Edmonton coffee mogul is impressive to say the least and there's probably a cozy cafe location right near where you live. Why not pop in and grab a latte?

This cafe place is hidden in the west close to WEM. Great…read moreplace to work and study as it's quiet. Grabbed their clubhouse sandwich, iced latte hazelnut and matcha. Service was pretty quick as it wasn't busy.

A friend and I decided to check this out. None of us had ever been or heard of this place before…read more It's located in a residential area in the west end by Thorncliffe school and quite close to WEM. The place is in the strip mall so there's ample parking in the lot. I can't comment on the food as I got a drink but I noticed a few people had ordered the croissant sandwich which came with chips on the side. I ordered a latte which came just under $8 with the dairy substitution. My latte wasn't bad. I noticed a plain cup of tea seemed pretty pricey at $5-7 depending on which kind you got. The cakes looked like they came from the grocery store (Save ons) to be specific. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed. The service was standard. There was one woman who seemed to be doing it all. You make your order at the till and they call you up once it's ready. Although it was nice to try something different, this is not a place that I would go out of my way to visit again.