Dispatch, Hoche Café, Melbourne.
In the spirit of next Sunday’s Tour Gourmand, LSTW set out to make a list of its favourite Montreal cafés. Scattered across the city, our places of predilection are skilled in the art of the latte and idiosyncratic in their ambiance. Every district seems to have its own little place that you have to try out once—after which it becomes a weekly detour…
Café Melbourne
Melbourne is a tiny café inspired by Australian culture. Located just north of Mont-Royal Street, they offer their own signature coffee, a blend of Brazilian and Ethiopian beans roasted right here in Montreal. The menu is constantly changing, with funky items that the kind barista is happy to tell you about. (He even tries his best to answer in French.) Five stars.
4615 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
https://www.facebook.com/melbcafe?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Café Larue et fils
It was by pure chance that we stumbled upon this café after a Tonkinoise soup near the Jarry metro. With its two addresses and Citroën coffee truck, Larue has been in business for six years, and in the process has become a go-to address in the Villeray district. The location on Jarry is perfect for an espresso or cortado on the go.
244 De Castelnau Street & 405 Jarry Street East
https://www.facebook.com/caffedellavia
COFFEE: The most widely circulated rumour has it that a shepherd named Kaldi in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) noticed the bush’s tonic effect on his goats, who had eaten it.
Café Dispatch
Right near the Alexandraplatz bar and neighbour to the Manitoba restaurant, the Dispatch not only makes great coffees onsite, but has adopted the trend towards cold-brewed coffee and delivers it all over the city and even to your door. The Dispatch stands out for its respect for sustainable development at every stage in its products’ manufacture. And it’s part of our “Beyond the Market” Tour Gourmand.
267 Saint-Zotique Street West
https://www.facebook.com/dispatchcoffeemtl?fref=ts
De Farine et d’eau Fraîche
One of the most beautiful businesses in the Village, De Farine et d’eau Fraîche is a dreamy café-resto that offers succulent brunches and a wide variety of teas. Well known for its constantly changing home cooking, it’s as pleasant a place to sit with a group as it is to grab a quick coffee and viennoiserie.
1701 Amherst Street
https://www.facebook.com/LOV.DFEF?fref=ts
Le Cagibi
A classic of the genre, Le Cagibi is a great place to get some work done in the day and to have a drink in at night. In the heart of Mile-End, this two-room café is hallowed ground for local artists. The Cagibi’s vegetarian menu is built around organic and fairtrade products, with pastries on offer all day long. A landmark establishment in the community whose popularity has never flagged.
5490 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
http://lecagibi.ca/
Le Hoche Café
A stone’s throw to the east of Pie-IX Boulevard, just before the Maisonneuve Market, is the Hoche Café, our favourite address in Hochelaga. As an integral part of the district’s revitalization the since 2011, the café will please students wanting a quiet read as much as the curious who drop in to soak up the ambience. We recommend the chocolate chip cookies, which are simply sick. Maybe you’ll have the good luck to be served by our intern Charlotte, who spends a few days a week behind the counter.
By Léonie LeBoeuf & Florence Gagnon.