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Montreal Cafés



Montréal is certainly no Paris when it comes to cafés. But good cafés do exist in the city (just don't expect to find Les Deux Magots here!)

What To Avoid

If you ask us, we recommend skipping not only Starbucks (thankfully, there aren't that many in Montreal), but also all of the local wannabes - Tim Horton's, Presse Café, Second Cup, etc. Most of them are unoriginal, cookie-cutter outlets with mediocre coffee. Java U is a little better, but just barely.

For Coffee Geeks

If you consider yourself a coffee geek, you should try these three cafés in Montreal: Veritas in Old Montreal, Café Italia in Little Italy and Café Olimpico in Mile End.

Cafés For Breakast or Brunch

Titanic in Old Montreal and Green Café - Downtown in Quartier International are good breakfast and lunch spots. We also like Nocochi in Downtown Montreal, although it doesn't really conform to the standard vision of a comfortable café. Rather, it's a cookie-oriented place, with clean décor and decent Illy coffee. With that said, our contributors usually go for tea served in a pot to accompany their cookie platter.

Lately, everybody seems to love Olive + Gourmando - a bakery/café in the heart of Old Montreal. On the negative side, this means having to enjoy your coffee in a rather cramped setting.

Le Cartet in Old Montreal serves decent brunch, but the main attraction here is the décor: set up as a high-end "boutique alimentaire" with communal tables for eating, it seems very Paris and very New York at the same time.

Bring Your Laptop, Sip Your Coffee

Many cafés, including chains such as Presse Café (found all over the city), offer free Wi-Fi internet access. If you like to surf in a comfortable and stylish environment, we recommend Veritas in Old Montreal, Caffè ArtJava (837 Ave Mont-Royal in Plateau Mont Royal or 645 Ave du Président-Kennedy in Downtown Montreal) or Laika (4040 Boulevard St-Laurent) in Plateau Mont Royal.


Selected Café Restaurants

  • Café Italia6840 Boulevard St-Laurent, (514) 495-0059
    Simple, unpretentious café with excellent coffee and traditional Italian pastries.

  • Café Olimpico Photos Available124 rue St-Viateur Ouest, (514) 495-0746
    A bona fide institution in Montreal's coffee scene, Café Olimpico (also known locally as "Open Da Night" or "Open D") has been serving what's considered by many to be the best coffee in town for more than 30 years.

  • Cluny257 rue Prince, (514) 866-1213
    Co-owned by two Montrealers intimately involved in the local artistic community, Patrick Meausette and Rob Hack (the pair also own Titanic), this café/bar/restaurant serves tasty sandwiches, salads and hot dishes. It has been an artist hangout since day one. As of 2008, it is (still) not normally not open for dinner, although this may change in the future.

  • Green Café - Downtown Photos Available443 Ave Viger Ouest, (514) 868-0498
    A stylish breakfast and lunch spot.

  • Holt Renfrew Café Comments1300 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, (514) 282-3749
    Hungry shoppers enjoying the famous sandwiches in a minimalist décor.

  • Le Cartet106 rue McGill, (514) 871-8887
    Boutique alimentaire + café.

  • Le Reservoir9 Duluth East, (514) 849-7779
    A micro-brewery which has gradually evolved into a bona fide bistro/brasserie restaurant. Good beer selection. The crowd is fairly typical of Le Plateau (mostly 20- and 30-somethings). Also open for weekend brunch.

  • Nocochi Menu Available Photos Available Comments2156 rue Mackay, (514) 989-7514
    Nocochi specializes in light breakfast/lunch fare and offers something unique in addition to its relatively typical menu of omelettes, sandwiches and salads: the cookies. These tiny multi-coloured Persian treats can be bought "to go" (by the box) or consumed on the spot. The cookies, the food, the coffee (Illy), as well as Nocochi's clean and airy light-toned interior design attract an appropriately mixed crowd: museum goers, old ladies chatting after shopping, visiting Europeans and Concordia students.

  • Olive + Gourmando Photos Available351 rue St-Paul Ouest, (514) 350-1083
    A cafe/bakery very popular for lunch (sometimes it's difficult to get a seat as there are only about a dozen tables). Open until 6pm, closed Sun and Mon.

  • Titanic445 rue St-Pierre, (514) 849-0894
    A semi-basement café serving breakfast and lunch (weekdays only).

  • Vasco de Gama Menu Available Photos Available1472 Peel Street, (514) 286-2688

  • Veritas Photos Available480 Boulevard St-Laurent, (514) 510-7775
    A modern café serving healthy food and first-class coffee.

Legend: Photos Available = images;   Menu Available = menu;  Comments = contributor review(s);  
Browse Photos:

Rue St-Viateur. Café Olimpico.
Rue St-Viateur. Café Olimpico.

Nocochi Treats
Nocochi Treats

The Front Counter at Olive+Gourmando
The Front Counter at Olive+Gourmando

View onto Rue St-Paul from Olive+Gourmando
View onto Rue St-Paul from Olive+Gourmando

Window Table with Two Cups of Coffee
Window Table with Two Cups of Coffee

Veritas: Café Allongé
Veritas: Café Allongé

Veritas: Interior
Veritas: Interior

Veritas: Portobello Sandwich
Veritas: Portobello Sandwich

Veritas: the Bar
Veritas: the Bar

Green Café (Exterior)
Green Café (Exterior)

See all Photos of Café restaurants

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