Okay, you toga-wearing jokers. When I ask for coffee in a restaurant, I want coffee. I don’t want olive oil. Or bread. Or wine. Or bread dipped in wine. Which is actually what I got! I’m going to radically reshape your civilization into something that can make me a short cappuccino at two o’clock on a Thursday afternoon. Gah. /Chiron Batchlett
Best Coffee Shop
Gold
Atlantis Coffee
1992 Hamilton St. 306-565-2213 atlantiscoffee.com
Silver Naked Bean Bronze 13th Avenue Coffee House Honorable Mention Second Cup (Rochdale Blvd.), Stone’s Throw Coffee House
If you visit the Atlantis website you’ll see that the coffee shop’s motto is “Feel the Urban Energy”. Given its location on a busy street corner in downtown Regina, that’s a pretty decent way to describe the vibe that plays out there. Whether people are just popping in for a caffeine/snack fix as part of a busy day, or settling in for a chat with a friend or extended work session on their computer, Atlantis is an important part of a lot of people’s lives. Speaking personally, it’s my go-to spot in the downtown whenever I’m meeting someone face-to-face to do an interview. Throw in a nice, expansive patio and a “vault” for private meetings, and Atlantis has all the bases covered. So congrats to them. /Gregory Beatty
Best Coffee Shop to Read a Book in
Gold
Stone’s Throw Coffee House 1101 Kramer Blvd. 306-949-1404
Silver Atlantis Coffee (Victoria Ave.) Bronze Dr. Coffee’s Cafe Honorable Mention Second Cup (Rochdale Blvd.)
How fortuitous that Regina’s best coffee shop to read a book in is a stone’s throw from the university. The upper floors of the school’s main library are more for researching amid pin-drop silence, and the campus pub is a bit too loud and social to immerse oneself in the sweeping landscapes of your favourite novelist. Stone’s Throw has the right amount of ambient noise and variety of coffee and tasty treats to dive into the latest Giller prize winner, New York Times bestseller or that literary classic from Gay Talese — you know, the one about thy neighbour’s wife. Don’t leave Stone’s Throw without sampling its highlander grogg coffee, flavoured with Scottish brandy. Even better, pair the nourishing black brew with a brownie that has grogg coffee grounds mixed right in to the chocolaty goodness. /Evan Radford
Best Cup of Plain Old Coffee
Gold
McDonald’s
Multiple Locations mcdonalds.ca
Silver 33 1/3 Coffee Roasters Bronze Stone’s Throw Coffee House Honorable Mention Second Cup (Rochdale Blvd.), Dr. Coffee’s Café
McDonald’s coffee used to taste like cigarette-butt broth. It was also dangerous: in 1994, a 79-year-old woman needed skin grafts after spilling the scalding Satan-McLiquid on her lap. Fortunately, McDonald’s launched its McCafe brand in 2009 and has served great coffee since. I like it better than Tim Horton’s. The double-walled paper cups have pop-out handles, so they’re safer and more comfortable than those old polystyrene IEDs. Bottom line: I’d recommend McDonald’s coffee to any 79-year-old. Hey, I’ll buy us both a cup. /Stephen Whitworth
Best Latte
Gold
Atlantis Coffee
1992 Hamilton St. 306-565-2213 atlantiscoffee.com
Silver Starbucks Bronze 33 1/3 Coffee Roasters Honorable Mention Second Cup (Rochdale Blvd.), Stone’s Throw Coffee House, Dr. Coffee’s Cafe
Prairie Dog’s editor thinks I’m some kind of dandy because I enjoy fancy coffees that involve espresso and steamed milk. He says it’s a sign that I don’t actually like coffee and my taste on the subject can’t be trusted. But Whitworth is wrong about a lot of things. Like that time he sent me to review The Dark Knight saying it was going to be awesome and I’d love it. (It wasn’t and I didn’t.) On the subject of espresso (and related beverages), Whitworth is especially wrong. Personally, I like anything that involves an espresso machine because it’s just so damn steam punk. Lattes fit that category and, as Prairie Dog voters have decreed, the place to get a great latte is Atlantis Coffee. That’s not surprising, because Atlantis is renowned for taking their coffee seriously. And they have a wonderful space in which to sip your fancy espresso beverage. But just ignore Whitworth if he calls you dandy. /Paul Dechene
Best Local Coffee Roasters
Gold
33 1/3 Coffee Roasters
1130 15th Ave 3313coffeeroasters.com
Silver The Green Spot Bronze Caliber Coffee Roasters
This is one of the few categories where we had no runners-up beyond the gold, silver and bronze winners. That’s an indication, I imagine, that not a ton of businesses in Regina roast beans. Oh, there’s plenty that serve the finished beverage, which runs the gamut in our contest from “Plain Old Cup of Coffee” to “Latte” (formerly known as “Fancy Schmancy Coffee” until we ditched that title on the grounds of excessive cuteness). Coffee is a huge part our urban lifestyle now, and all sorts of factors enter into the equation when we’re looking to consume it. But it all starts with the bean, and when Reginans are looking to pick up some locally roasted beans to grind and make coffee at home, 33 1/3 Coffee Roasters is their favourite spot. /Gregory Beatty