Good Earth Cafes

The drinks are always good. I can usually find a spot to sit. The only thing I don’t like is live music on Friday nights when Im trying to study there.

Regular at this location for a year, and I keep coming back. Friendly staff. The breakfast bake is my go to for a nutritious, and filling breakfast. Take my word.

Cozy ambiance, yummy London Fog (Earl Grey latte), fresh pastries, and live local music on a Monday night. Perfect for an intimate meet up.

Constantly looking for places that are good meeting spots… this is a favorite.
Easy location to get to. There is always parking. Free spots can be hard to find, however price for city meters in this area is beyond reasonable.
Three is background noise playing but it is never to loud, so easy for groups for 6 or more to meet.
Lattes are awesome. I bring my own cup and always pay less than posted. When I am really hungry I have a hot chocolate, with WHIP of course — always hits the spot.
When devices need juice, there are plug-​ins in various spots thru the venue — so usually able to top up.

Friendly and helpful staff, but food is just ok. The prices are too high for the value you get, very little choice for lunch menu.

The first and original Good Earth Café.
I love this place. Very open, lots of space, lots of natural light. The food and beverage fair is the same as with every other Good Earth location in the city, so décor and location are pretty much the differentiators.
My only complaint is a lack of power outlets. There’s only about three accessible outlets in the entire place despite all the seating, so if you’re plugging away on a laptop and desperately need power, it’s sometimes difficult to get that. But the wi-​fi is free (no password) which is always nice.
One of the many places you’ll find me if I’m looking for a coffee shop to work at for a couple of hours in the beltline.
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I figured it was time for a Good Earth update. A year since my last review, it’s still one of my solid go-​to spots to hang out on my laptop or meet a friend for a nice hot bevvy. This location in particular is spacious and well laid out, with a mixture of tables, comfy chairs and larger community-​style tables to choose from.
The white chocolate scone remains one of my fave snacks here too. and is also one of the first things to run out if I wait to long to come get one!
The staff are always friendly, and ordering remains a positive experience. The coffee is alright. If you’re a coffee snob, you may not like it. But if you like something that’s just a decent cuppa joe, this is your spot. The selection of food includes sandwiches, salads, soups and even mac’n’cheese, You can even get a panini and a small soup or salad for under $ 10.
For awhile, the wifi was a little sketchy, popping in and out of service, but that seems to have remedied itself.
So… the good news is, not a whole lot has changed at this location!
Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge: ²³⁄₃₀

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This is the Good Earth Café that made me first fall in love with Chai, back when I used to work on 17^th Ave.
Don’t misunderstand, I have had Chai way before that first encounter, and disliked it immensely. The overly syrupy, chalky concoction that barely resembled tea in any shape or form that I had been served in other places (even Indian restaurants! HDU!) that I won’t mention now… doing so will only get me in to rant mode, haha :).
But then one day, while waiting in line in the wee morning hours, a lady walked past me with a thermos full of fragrant deliciousness.
«What is that? That smells amazing!» I asked her.
«Good Earth’s Chai,» she responded. And before I could accost her and run away cackling with her thermos, she was safely out the door. And I had mentally changed my order from Almond Milk Latté, to Almond Milk Chai Latté. No pre-​mix Chai powder abomination in this place; Good Earth whips up their own housemade blend, and it is spicy and scrumtralescent. It’s all I asked for when people visited me in hospital this summer, as Rockyview has their own Good Earth on site. It was definitely worth risking the migraine that cinnamon sometimes gives me.
Chai aside, their coffee never disappoints. It’s not the best coffee in town (for that, I tip my hat to places like Beano and Bumpy’s), but it’s reliably good and! They have almond milk here! Vegans rejoice! They also have a variety of pastries and breakfast/​lunch menu items on quell your rumbly tummy. Also, there was a hot guy that used to work at this location that promptly brought out my inner «hurrrrr durrrrr» every time he was behind the counter while I was ordering drinks. I never told anyone about that because I’m a big weenie. Unilocal confessions!

I don’t normally go to Good Earth as my first coffee option, but sometimes I will stop by this location when I am in the neighbourhood. It’s got a lot of space for a coffee shop with nice tables or comfy seats, but what I really like is the outdoor seating. When the summer hits, I like to enjoy my coffee/​tea outside with a book and this is a good place to do it.
Occasionally I will have a treat here and have never been disappointed, the coffee is pretty good, and I love that they have almond milk as an option — take note my fellow lactose intolerant folks! Their lattes with almond milk are pretty good, so worth a try even if you can have milk. But, like another reviewer mentioned, I cannot come here everyday as the prices are a little bit higher than competing shops. Either way, it’s a nice stop for reading a book alone or enough room for a gathering of friends!

I have been going to the Good Earth Café for a number of years. On the most part, I am a pretty happy customer. I usually go there for their lunch menu.
However, this morning on the drive into work, I was thinking about the omelettes that I use to have occassionally at the Good Earth Café. They use to be baked in a large pan and scooped out. I’d be discreetly jonesing for them to hand me that omelette full of eggs, veggies and cheese, while the barista took, what felt like forever, to get it into my excited little hands. It genuinely looked homemade, sloppy and absolutely delicious.
So I took a sharp right off Crowchild to go by there for a quick breakfast. When I arrived, instead of the big pan with the gooey omelette in it, they had a «southwest bake» that looked like it was baked in a large muffin tin. So no more gooey mess. This was sadly, perfect looking, pre-​measured and pulled out of the muffin tin with a spatula, and dropped into the take-​out containter in its perfect form.
It tasted okay, but it was a distant second from the gooey omelettes they use to serve. This omelette had all the fixings, including potatoes baked into its perfect package.
So needless to say, I left their satisfied with what I had, but a little bit disappointed that they dont serve up omelettes like the good ol’ days.
So after that big rant, why did I give them four stars anyway?
Lots of reasons!
I do primarily go to Good Earth for lunch, and that is where they get the majority of my business. I have never had a bad meal there. I really do enjoy their variety of salads and their hot food. I have tried a number of their soups and chilis, and of course, I am no stranger to their coffees and lattes either.
I am also really happy with the renovations that they did in there. They have really spruced up the place. They even have a magazine shop attached to the coffee shop. Smart. :)
I also like what this company, as a whole, stands for. Good Earth cares about the environment and they have stayed true to their mission — to be a coffee house, and to serve good food (but please bring back the omelettes…)

Yeah this Good Earth is like the family dog, always willing to relax and chill with you. Lots of spaces to bring a laptop, comfy couches to relax in, delicious sweets, good coffee, convenient hours and the occasional pretty lady to pretend not to look at.

Chai latte with soy milk+pumpkin spice muffin (vegans take note of this muffin as it is the best ever)= love
Good thing Good Earth is so bloody expensive or else I’d feast on these things every morning.

Dear white chocolate and berry scone,
I was introduced to you the other week. You looked much like your other baked friends but with one bite, I knew there was something different about you. Your berries were plump, your white chocolate melted in my mouth and your dough — oh how moist!
I should warn you, my new friend, (may I call you my new friend?) I think you’re more like cake then scone. But that’s a technicality. I just wanted to let you know that you’re my favourite part of an Albertan morning. And the fact that you have plugs, wi-​fi and tables galore makes me smile even more.
Thanks for the yum!
Your scone loving fan,
Crystal

Free wifi, magazine shop right next door, good coffee, pleasant atmosphere. It’s quiet enough to have meetings or chat with friends comfortably. AND, the pastries, smoothies, sandwiches and salads are tasty. A definite fave.

A — List. Recommended. Good drinks. friendly, comfortable, relaxing. Free wifi & there is a newspaper, etc. store next door. What more could one want? Best in the neighborhood.

They purchase their coffee from Fratello which is a five star roaster the whole way and is local in Calgary. When the product is fresh then the beans they sell are five stars. Try the Oromia Sidamo, it is one of the top four or five Sidamos I have tasted. It is also not over roasted because Russ at Fratello is a world class roaster.
However, this place has a freshness problem. I have seen beans on the shelf that are up to six months old. Sorry, but that is stale. Fratello, their supplier, will sell nothing more than 20 days old. Correct the freshness issue and I will give it a 4.

One of the biggest Good Earth Cafes I’ve visited in Calgary so far, and it’s a REALLY happenin’ place. Steps away from 17^th avenue, and attached to ‘With The Times’, a magazine/​newspaper shop where you can buy a few mags to peruse while you sip your java, this Good Earth Café draws in a crowd like nobody’s business.
The service is great and their selection of baked goods is pretty extensive. Plus they carry a mean pumpkin spice muffin that I’m actually obsessed with right now :)
My only qualm about the place is that it’s a little too busy for my liking. Sometimes I like to retract into a quiet place with a book and a coffee and there’s just too much goin’ on here to find that recluse.

Pretty good place for a quick cup of coffee. Service was good, as the baristas were a little crazy, but fun.
Coffee was good and strong, although not the best I’ve had.

J Cullen– Good Earth has brand new Simonelli Aurelia machines in almost all of their shops (U of C and Eau Claire being exceptions) and with the new machines, better barista training and the general renos at this location, I think you’ll be a bit more impressed. Espressos do run a little long at GE but if you ask for ristretto you get ristretto– as chains go, GE is pretty damn good.