Six Montreal cafés reviewed
Following from the previous story about a café being damaged by a car, here’s a coffee blogger’s account of visiting six Montreal espresso joints in a walking tour.
The information may be useful, but I’m always slightly annoyed by the “growth of the Montreal coffee scene” angle taken here. The Gazette had a piece last month that also bowed to the “finally a good coffee scene” notion – how wonderful that we’ve finally been enlightened by coffee culture from elsewhere, etc. etc.
But it’s just not true and we had a lively discussion about this here a couple of months ago – the existence of good coffee here from at least the 1950s is well attested and we can claim to be one of the best coffee cities on the continent.
We may have growth of new, trendy coffee bars à la Seattle, but it doesn’t mean people couldn’t get a good shot here before three years ago.
Jack 11:55 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Word of warning, Bruno’s Sports Bar, corner of Drolet and Beaubien. One time I asked one of the owners why his espresso was so good……..35 minutes later the explanation was over. Talk about passion…
Kate 12:16 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
That’s one I’ve never been in, have to check it out. Being an Italian café is promising but isn’t always a guarantee – I tried the espresso recently at the Café Cosenza on Jarry and it was meh, but once I got inside I saw the place’s raison d’être was the VLTs, not the coffee.
Since you’re a neighbour, Jack, I’ll mention Café Vito, which has opened in the front half of the laundromat at the corner of Drolet and Villeray. Very nice coffee.
jeather 12:21 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Does Cafe Vito do anything but coffee? I’m thinking of heading there at lunch one day as I work fairly nearby.
Kate 12:59 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Just ices and coffee. He might have a few croissants in the morning but I don’t think there’s room to set up e.g. a sandwich station. It’s really tiny.
Vito used to work at Olimpico, which is a lot bigger but except for morning croissants and a few odds and ends like biscotti, not a place to go to eat. Sort of like that.
Jack 13:27 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Thanks Kate, I’ll try it but Caffe della Via (Castelnau-Henri Julien) is hard to walk past, plus the owners have really been involved in our community, traffic calming on Castelnau and they also are mainly responsible for our St Jean celebrations, concert, food, kids stuff etc..
Kate 13:30 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Oh yes, you’re right. Della Via is a nice place. I didn’t know they were the people doing the St-Jean stuff.
I’m rather fond of the Sorbetto a few blocks east – eight kinds of sherbet and decent coffee also. But he closes in October and doesn’t reopen till May.
Clément 13:35 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Hey Kate, we need a post about best gelatos, sorbets, etc. It’s summer!
Kate 13:40 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
There are bound to be some reports on the subject soon – I’ll look out for them and make a post.
jeather 13:55 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
I don’t mind eating lunch then heading for coffee, I just wanted to know if I would have to do that.
Kate 14:10 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
I think you might. I’ll be going to Vito’s sometime soon and if I’m mistaken about his intentions to offer more substantial food, I’ll drop you a line. But the logo just says “gelato” and that seems to be his plan, at least for summertime.
Michel 14:39 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
I know it’s not a café, but any opinions on Madame Villeray. Nice place to go for a drink, or is it packed with the madding crowd?
jeather 14:45 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
I will never complain about a place that serves (good) coffee and gelato. I’ll have to see when I can get there.
Kate 14:56 on 2012/06/11 Permalink
Michel, I’ve only been in once and it seemed a bit noisy. But I’ve seen people sitting around there casually in the afternoon, reading or even seemingly working on papers and stuff. So I think it depends on the time of day there.
david 14:01 on 2012/06/12 Permalink
Vito is a great guy as well, if that counts for anything.
And Kate did you seriously go to the Cosenza for a coffee? You do know that’s Rizzuto HQ, right?
Kate 22:07 on 2012/06/17 Permalink
david – I missed this earlier – is the present Cosenza still a Rizzuto joint? There was a previous one, some distance further east on Jarry in a strip mall, which by all reports was, but that address is a clothes shop now.
The present one seemed like a sleepy neighbourhood bar with most of the patrons intent on their VLTs.
Kate 13:48 on 2012/06/25 Permalink
I’m back here to take note, in case anyone does a search, that Cafe Vito definitely does panini, so you can eat there – croissants and similar things, panini and various kinds of gelati.