Monogram Coffee (Britannia)

A Team of Champions in Britannia

4 of 5

Calgary coffee has a family tree, and a lot of its branches start at Phil & Sebastian. Jeremy Ho, Ben Put and Justin Eyford all worked there before launching Monogram in 2014. Ho won the Canadian Barista Championship in 2012. Put won it in 2013 and kept going; the company counts his 2025 national title as his seventh, and he finished third at the World Barista Championship that same year. Monogram claims ten Canadian titles in all. Most cafés hang a chalkboard. This one could hang a trophy case.

None of that would matter if the coffee were fussy, and the founders built the place on the opposite idea: make great coffee easy for anybody to discover. The Britannia flagship opened on 49th Avenue SW in August 2025, keeping the look of Primary Colours, the sister café that closed earlier that summer, and adding room to breathe, a full kitchen and an in-house bakery. Brunch is where it shows off a little. There is brioche French toast with cardamom custard, and the Madame Monogram, a croissant bun with marinated chicken, tomato jam, béchamel and gouda.

Order a pour-over and ask what the bar is excited about this week. Rare lots turn up on the shelf, Geshas that cost more than a deck chair philosopher should admit to paying. Go for brunch on a weekend, or early on a weekday when the doors open at six and the neighbourhood is still finding its shoes. Champions make your coffee here, and nobody makes you feel small for ordering a latte.

Order this: A pour-over from the rotating menu, Brioche French toast with cardamom custard, The Madame Monogram
The damage: $
Go: Weekend brunch, or a weekday when the doors open at six
Find it: 802 49 Ave SW, Calgary, AB