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deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries – Calgary, Alberta

I was wanting a nice cup of coffee, and I’ve always recalled seeing a sign for Krups Cup of Excellence, and when I looked it up, deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries was the 2010 recipient of this award! Knowing just that information alone, I knew I would have to go and try their coffees, and enjoy my favourite – foam art!

Located right at the intersection of 7th Ave, SW and Centre Street on the second floor gave this location really quite spectacular of a view! Depending where you sit, you can get a great view of the new Bow Building and the Calgary Tower! The hours for deVille claims they open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays. We went there after work one evening, and got there around 6:15pm. It was all fine and dandy, until I looked over at around 6:30pm, and the gates were already pulled. The barista actually closed the door on over 8 guests early!! Some potential customers even tried to ask her where would be the next closest coffee shop – and she actually sent them away! I was really disappointed in that type of customer service. For poor customer service, it made me not enjoy myself, so I do not think I will be back – as I don’t know if I travel all the way there to see the “CLOSED” sign up early.

Regardless, we did order our lattes before this early closing. I enjoyed a cup of Nutella Latte, which actually was quite delicious! The coffee wasn’t burnt or anything, and it did have a subtle taste of nutella. I did put in a pack of sugar into my coffee, and to my excitement, they use Cane Sugar instead of the usual. I really enjoyed my cup of nutella latte!

We also had a cup of Chocolate Latte and my better half really enjoyed it! He loves his coffee dark, and his chocolate dark, and this was a perfect marriage of the 2 for him! It was thick, yet creamy – so the coffees from deVille did satisfy us!

The prices of the coffee from deVille was very reasonable as well. For a downtown location, I would expect it to be much higher, and it’s setting is such an ideal location, it’s very modern and comfortable. It is quite a spectacular location for sure! I do recommend trying, but go early!

deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries

807 1 St SW
Calgary, AB T2P1N3
(403) 263-0884

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Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

I’ve been going to Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine for about 11 years now, of course with about 7 years in between when we stopped going – as we weren’t going to Chinatown as much. We went back, and there’s still a line up outside — just as we remembered the good old days! It’s the same owner and his wife, and now with someone else as well. The line does seem to move faster, no matter how big of an order ahead of us placed. It is often that a representative from a company or something would put in a huge order of 10+ subs right in front of you! Everyone knows this is a great place to go if you’re willing to wait outside.

The prices are still very reasonable and competitive to other submarine locations, Vietnamese subs or not. I got my peppered chicken for $6.50, which seems less than I recalled, which is a good thing!

I had the Peppered Chicken which has always been my all time favourite from Thi Thi. Yes, the amount of chicken has seemed to reduce, and it’s not nearly as peppery as it use to be. But it still tastes wonderful!! The pickled carrots are really tasty unlike some other Vietnamese locations that seem to just use normal matchstick carrots. The sauce was really tasty, the meat was tender and juicy!

The subs from Thi Thi quite big and full of flavor!! The bun is toasted nicely, crispy on the outside, but still soft in the inside. The cheese is melted perfectly! I don’t know how they do it, but they sure mastered the art of Vietnamese submarines.

I think over so many years, this place hasn’t changed, and it’s a great thing! I will be back, and hopefully it won’t take me another 5 years to return! 🙂 This location is a take-out only location, and cash only! Such a small & great place!

Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

209 1st St SE
Calgary, AB T2G2G3
(403) 265-5452

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Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

We were in search of something different, and we found something different a Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon! The place was huge, with lots of seating areas! We must’ve went at a quiet time, as there weren’t a lot of customers yet. When we left though, the place was starting to fill up!

I tried the Elk Burger and it was actually a toss up between 2 items that I really wanted to try. I ended up with the elk burger as it’s a little more special. The elk patty was thick, and in the middle of the patty was some smoked gouda. It was really good!

We also ordered the Low n’ Slow Beef Ribs and it was fall off the bone tender! It was really juicy and succulent, and something I would recommend if you’re fine with getting your hands dirty! It is a place for customers over the age of minority (18 years old) as they do serve alcoholic beverages — so, this is not a family restaurant!

Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

201 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0333

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Caffe Crema – Calgary, Alberta

I really like coffee with foam art and I’ve been searching for a coffee place that isn’t too far from me that offers foam art – as it offers an exceptional experience as we eat with our eyes! Caffe Crema does a wonderful job with their coffees, lattes, macchiatos, and much more! And, the best thing, they do have gorgeous foam art!

I ordered their Macchiato and it has a beautiful latte art and it taste really good!

We also ordered their standard Latte and it was pretty standard. Overall, it was a fun place to be.

Caffe Crema

10-2525 Bridlecrest Way SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-4022

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Cravings Market – Calgary, Alberta

Cravings Market is truly a unique experience. It’s almost like an upscale fast food cafeteria, or food court. I’ve been here a few times for lunch, and it is really packed all the time. It’s got a huge variety of food stations where you pick what you’d like to eat, and they’d charge you by swiping it onto a card that you’re holding. When you’re done with your meal, you pay the balance on your card either individually or by table – as the table you sit at, you would all get the same table card, and then they are numbered for an individual card basis. It is a great idea, and avoid problems when customers from local business would like to “split the bill”.

For breakfast, I ordered an Open Sea Panini which was a panini sandwich with smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, red onions and capers. The sandwich was extremely tasty, but I think the chef forgot that capers were salty. So, overall, the panini was too salty. I didn’t return it back to the kitchen as it was bearable, but would have been a better experience if that wasn’t the case. You really got the smoke salmon taste, and that really made it the reason why I still loved it.

I also ordered a Pina Colada Smoothie which was great! It was packed with pineapple and coconut flavours that you can taste right off the back. The best thing, it wasn’t alcoholic, so I drank the entire glass right away! The portion of the smoothie was quite generous as well, as they filled a milkshake glass to the top!

We also ordered a breakfast in a bowl, and we tried the All Canadian breakfast in a bowl which was a bowl full of pan-fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, green onions and Hollandaise sauce on top. It also came with really good buttered bread on the side.

For a drink, we ordered a large Hot Chocolate which wasn’t anything special of course, but still good!

Cravings Market
7207 Fairmount Dr SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 252-2083