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Beamers Coffee Bar – Canmore, Alberta

So we wandered off to the side streets just off of Main Street in Canmore, and found ourselves at a place our friends recommended to us called Beamers Coffee Bar. I wasn’t aware this was here, and yet they have another location right on Bow Valley Trail! 2 excellent locations and I’m glad I’ve now discovered this local favourite!

Once inside, there are tons of goodies in the fridge and the menu is quite extensive! We just settled for a little drink with no snacks even though there’s so much to choose from! We love this place and we love how their Beamers customers bring back pictures with their Beamers cups. It’s a fun thing and I remember we took an extra clean cup for us to add to their collection. However, we forget to bring it wherever we go…

We just settled for a flavoured latte and it was fantastic! It was perfectly roasted and the service was fantastic as well. The atmosphere added to our experience! I’ve had flavoured lattes before and it can get overly sweet too fast or under flavoured where you’d barely know you paid for a shot. Beamers gave us the perfect balance and I appreciate it!

Beamers is a great place for a quick bite or for catching up with family & friends! This will be a place I will return to for sure!

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Beamers Coffee Bar

737 7 Ave
Canmore, AB
(403) 609-0111

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MacKay’s Cochrane Ice Cream

I actually can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this little ice cream shop in Cochrane! It’s a place where I go once every few years as it’s a little out of the way – but I love! I recently was going through Cochrane, so we knew we would have to make a stop here at MacKay’s Cochrane Ice Cream. It’s located right in their old town on 1st Street, and it’s not really too hard to find, as there aren’t that many streets around! 🙂

This little ice cream store is always packed with customers, even in the winter – which really shows how amazing they truly are! There is a huge selection of flavours and you basically walk up to the counter and tell them what you want. They will then tally it up on a sheet, and you will use that sheet to pay with. While in line to pay, they prepare your order for you. It’s quite organized actually!

On this particular visit, I enjoyed their Chocolate Fudge Chunk in Waffle Cone which was truly a delight! A perfect treat any weekend!

Needless to say, I will be back, as it’s not my first time returning already! Sure, it’s not often, but I do make the effort when I’m out that way! Time after time, I’ve been impressed and left very satisfied. That’s how I know it’s money well spent!

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MacKay’s Cochrane Ice Cream

220 1st Street W
Cochrane, AB
(403) 932-2455

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Bolsa Vietnamese – Calgary, Alberta

Honestly, I never thought I’d find myself at Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant after the 2009 shooting for some reason. But, with all the great reviews from here, I knew I would have to! So, I pulled up my brave pants and ventured off! We were greeted at the door by really friendly staff and tons of fish tanks! They’re just their pets/decoration, but they sure had a lot of them! I ordered the Bolsa Special Salad Rolls and they were different than any other salad rolls I’ve ever had! It was soft with tons of filling and packed with flavour!

While we were deciding to order, all the staff kept mentioning to try “spicy”… so, we asked them how spicy it was, and they said “quite spicy!” So, we ordered a bowl of Pho Bo Kho – medium spicy which really means we got a bowl of satay beef rice noodles. It was the perfect amount of heat (I can’t imagine the spice with it at full spicy!) even though I know we will be back just to try it!

We also ordered something a little lighter option and opted for Bolsas Special Rice Vermicelli which was the regular warm rice noodle without soup, but with nuoc cham and goodies. The goodies in this special was pork and beef sausages and I think there were some ground shrimp cake as well! Regardless, all the individual items tasted wonderful alone and even better together in the bun style!

Overall, we’ve been comparing all our Vietnamese experiences to this one. This one has just set a high benchmark for us – so for sure we’ll become a regular customer here!

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Bolsa Vietnamese

180 94 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 255-3777

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BeaverTails – Banff Alberta

I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about BeaverTails in Banff. Weirdly, every time I’ve made it to Banff, something happens – one thing or another, and I haven’t tried BeaverTails… until now! This little store front is located right on Banff Avenue and it’s easy to find as it’s often the one with a huge line up!

This little place offers tons of options that all sound good – from ice cream/gelato/sorbets to french fries/poutines and much much more! Of course, with the name being BeaverTails, I knew that was what I wanted! I decided to try an Apple Cinnamon BeaverTail which was a deep fried dough with butter brushed on it… dipped in their cinnamon sugar mixture then topped with Apples and their apple sauce (kind of like a warm jam).

If you love apple pie and cinnamon bread… then, this is your snack! It’s like a fast food apple pie kicked up a few notches and it’s fresh! There’s nothing you wouldn’t like about this! It’s not over sweet, it’s not too messy (if you keep it horizontal like a pizza). If you’re not into treats like this, then I think you will enjoy their frozen treats (it’s the next thing I’m going to try!)

As mentioned, I really love this place. I think it’s perfect for any season. When it’s cold out, you can enjoy a BeaverTail and when it’s hot out, you can enjoy a frozen treat… and everything in between! So, believe me, I will be back every time I go to Banff!

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BeaverTails

120 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 760-0606

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Bumpy’s Cafe – Calgary

I’m not sure why or even how I even ended up at Bumpy’s Cafe but it’s like it’s hidden gem! Parking wasn’t too bad as we arrived early on a Sunday morning so there was street parking! It’s not too hard to find as there are 2 entrances to the cafe.

Once we got inside, it’s a cute little place with lots of people coming and going – and a lot less customers sitting down and enjoying their morning. We sat down as it was going to be a slow paced Sunday for me.

I ordered to start, a cup of Hot Chocolate and it comes in a large cup – which I loved! It’s really creamy but it doesn’t feel thick and heavy. Plus, it’s not overly sweet, so it was just right for me!

We also figured they’d do latte art, so we also ordered a latte, and we were right – there was beautiful latte art!!

When I use to work at the hotel, one of my favourite breakfasts was their Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon so, that’s what I decided to order from here.

We also ordered their Ham and Cheese Quiche which was in a pretty big slice, melty and ooey gooey making the cheese and egg really delicious!

Overall, the drinks were really delicious and the food wasn’t bad either. It’s simple foods and a tad greasy – but it tasted really good! I eat anywhere that offers good food and this place is no exception! If I was in the area again for breakfast, I’m sure I will be back!

Bumpy’s Cafe

1004 8 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 265-0244