In the fall, the days are getting shorter and there’s a crispness in the air that makes your cheeks and nose rosy. While slowly the leaves change from green to yellow, orange, and red. When fall has arrived, it’s the perfect time to pull out your big comfy sweaters and toques, grab a good book or a friend or two, and cozy up with a warm drink and tasty bites at these seven local cafes.
Busy Bean Café | 1302 7th Avenue
The Busy Bean Café is a little gem of a café tucked just inside the Stantec building in downtown Prince George. It’s family-owned and operated by a very welcoming mother and daughter duo. They specialize in offering low-carb (keto), low-sugar, and gluten-free eats and treats because they know how hard it is to eat out when you have food restrictions. Pair one of their wholesome soups with a sweet square and an organic specialty, bulletproof, or drip coffee with your choice of dairy or non-dairy milk topped with regular or coconut whip. Or grab a tea or keto smoothie if you prefer!
Café Voltaire | 1685 3rd Avenue
Forgot your book? No problem! Café Voltaire is located inside Books and Company, so you can buy a book, walk a few steps over to the café, order a specialty or drip coffee, and pair it with a sweet or savoury treat before settling in to read. The café is moving toward making the syrups for its specialty coffee drinks from scratch as much as possible. They also serve a range of treats and eats made from scratch in-house, including regular, vegan, and gluten-free baked goods, and lunch items such as quiches, salads, soups, and sandwiches. If you play piano, you’re in luck as café as a piano tucked away at the back of the café is available for customers to play.
Uda Dune Baiyoh – House of Ancestors Café | 355 Vancouver Street
If you’re craving a unique treat, stop by the café in the Uda Dune Baiyo – House of Ancestors Conference Centre for one of their flavoured bannock options, dubbed bannock doughnuts by customers. Can’t pick just one flavour? Grab a half or full dozen bannock doughnuts for the road! Most of the flavours are vegan and range from pumpkin spice, to oreo, cinnamon sugar, and huckleberry. Pair your bannock with an Italian Soda or a specialty coffee. Want it chilled? All of the café’s cold coffee drinks are served with coffee ice cubes so the coffee doesn’t get watered down. The café also offers breakfast and lunch items, including wraps, paninis, soups, and salads.
The Makerie Craft & Coffee Bar | 1135 5th Avenue
If you’re feeling crafty, head to the newest coffee shop on the scene: The Makerie Craft & Coffee Bar. The Makerie is a hands-on maker space that offers pre-packaged craft kits for you to choose from and work on while you sip an organic coffee that’s whiskey barrel aged, wood fired, roasted on the world’s oldest coffee roaster, and flavoured with in-house made syrups and milk alternatives if you can’t drink dairy. You can also choose from a wide selection of specialty loose leaf ethically sourced tea and a small selection of gluten, dairy, and egg free baked goods that are all made in house. Watch The Makerie’s Facebook page for information about pop-up shops and special maker events.
Ristretto Coffee House | 361 Victoria Street
You might stop in to grab a quick specialty or drip coffee or tea at Ristretto Coffee House, but the tantalizing smell of made-from-scratch breakfasts will make you stay there for a full meal. Breakfast options range from eggs benedict, to French toast or pancakes, to a toasted bagel or muffin. Ristretto’s also serves up a wide range of sandwiches, wraps, and salads, along with a daily soup for those who stop in around the lunch hour.
Ritual Coffee Bar | 1085 3rd Avenue
Ritual Coffee Bar specializes in ethically sourced, third-wave coffee you can enjoy in a brightly lit space decorated in calming neutral colours while taking in works from local and emerging artists that decorate the walls. What’s third-wave coffee? It’s best described as an experience; the ability for baristas and roasters to tell the consumer the stories behind the coffee beans. The term might be abstract, but the taste of the coffee is easily described as rich and bold and is delectable, especially when paired with a muffin, brownie, or croissant. Feeling hungry? Ritual also offers a full menu of breakfast and lunch items, many of which are vegan, as are many of the treats.
Zoe’s Java House | 1259 4th Avenue
The smell of coffee mingling with that of freshly baked cinnamon buns, scones, squares, and muffins will draw you into Zoe’s Java House while you’re enjoying a little retail therapy on Specialty Avenue in downtown Prince George. Zoe’s is also well-known by people who work in the downtown for its lunch menu, which includes gourmet paninis, sandwiches made with your choice of bread, soup, or vegetarian chili. You can also choose from a range of tasty gluten-free items.
Article contributed by Christina Doll, City of Prince George