Cà Phê Con Leche

I discovered the coolest café today with my friend C in the Rosemont-la-Petite-Patrie neighbourhood called Cà Phê Con Leche. This cute spot is a Vietnamese - Venezuelan fusion café and restaurant. Cà Phê means "coffee" in Vietnamese and Con Leche means "with milk" in Spanish. 

They serve coffee, tea, brunch, dinner, drinks and more! Their menu is so extensive and everything looked amazing. I had such a hard time deciding what to order!

After studying the menu for a while I decided to try a Vietnamese Coffee called Cà Phê Sữa. My cup came with a bit of condensed milk in it, and had a special contraption on top. I waited about 10 minutes for the coffee to drip into the glass. Once it was full, I stirred together the two and it became a deliciously thick and sweet coffee. It was such a delicious treat! My waiter told me that it is often served on ice but I decided to stick to a warm coffee.

After enjoying my cup I decided to get a steaming bowl of Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho: a soup of rice noodles with pork and shrimp. It was exactly what I needed on this chilly snowy day. The flavours were rich and it was perfectly spicy. 

The staff were incredibly friendly and took their time explaining everything. Our waiter also played the piano for a little while and I loved listening to the live music. I am definitely planning to come back here and try more food on the menu and maybe even a tea! Until the next time!

Update: Unfortunately this location has closed.

Pigeon Espresso Bar

Pigeon Espresso Bar - world's worst coffee. Just kidding - but that is their tag line! I stumbled upon this new micro-café while walking to the Guy Metro a few weeks ago. This tiny spot serves coffee, pastries and cookies. I got a cappuccino and my friend got a mini loaf of banana bread to go.

This café is smaller than I expected and does not have any seating. The inside is very cozy with a lot of hanging plants and exposed brick walls. I thought it was cool that they had a variety of coffee condiments like agave etc. to add to your cup of joe. Check it out next time you're in the neighbourhood!

Café Replika

Café Replika is a Turkish café in the Plateau-Mont Royal neighbourhood. I absolutely loved the atmosphere. It was very busy when I arrived (not unlike any other café on a Saturday morning) but surprisingly calm, which made for a good working environment. There are a number of large tables and some counter space to sit as well. The café was filled with students and families alike.

I ordered a Café Turc Mastique which is a sweetened Turkish coffee. It was black, thick and delicious with a bit of a smokey aftertaste. I sipped it slowly but really enjoyed it. I can't compare it with anything I've ever had before. My Turkish friend suggested that I try the Tahini Pastry but unfortunately they were already out by the time I got there.

Replika is a trendy coffee shop and a great spot to either work or chill out. I loved the vintage Turkish decor and especially my cup and saucer! Make sure to visit this unique Montreal spot if you're ever in the Plateau area!

Arts Cafe

Art's Cafe is the coolest little spot on Fairmount in the Plateau. Art's cafe opened in 2002 and was renovated and revamped in 2012. You can find all kinds of food here and they're coffee is great too! The menu features homemade, local and seasonal ingredients. The food looks simple but absolutely delicious. I've been told that they are busiest during the weekends at brunch.

I visited this trendy spot after work one evening with Charlotte. Their cocktail menu looked delicious as well, but we were in the mood to order a coffee. My cappuccino was good and Charlotte enjoyed her Americano as well.

It's a great spot to hang out since it's open until 7 pm on weekdays. On the weekends they are open from 10 to 4. There is a lot of seating and WiFi is available as well if you need to plug in for anything. The atmosphere here is very lively and artsy (of course). I spent more time trying to take photos of the gorgeous spot then actually drinking my coffee! Check it out and let me know what you think of it!

The Standard

The Standard is a cute little café located in Westmount right on Sherbrooke. Aside, from the name, there is nothing standard about this café! They are a 4th wave coffee shop which is essentially a balance of specialty coffee, fashion and art. My favourite part of this café was the sleek black walls and the trendy metallic accents - very chic in my opinion! I also loved the couches and gold coffee table (which made for great photos!)

The Standard has a small selection of pastries from Hof Kelsten and I've heard they sometimes carry goodies from Trou de Beigne and St. Viateur bagel as well! I ordered a latté and my friend J ordered a cappucino, both of which did not disappoint. Although the spot is small inside, with one long table and just a few tables and couches, there is additional seating outside during the summer months.

I'd recommend this spot for your next date, catch up session or business meeting!

Caravane Café

Caravane Café is another cool spot right by the Cote de Neige metro. This café was founded by couple who at the time were students and wanted to create a meeting spot for other students in this area. Caravane café is a central meet up spot in a cool vibrant neighbourhood. The vibe is very much “by students, for students” but it attracts all types of people.

I really liked that Caravane is open late and has a lot of seating. There are a lot of large tables which makes it easy for students to work in groups. There are also some couches to lounge on. I loved the porch outside which I’m sure is packed in the summer. They serve all kinds of coffee and food including brunch, lunch, and dessert; they even cater. Their sandwiches and home-made soups smelled great. I ordered a cappuccino and set up my laptop for a few hours of blogging and working on my travel journal.

Carvane has rustic décor with wood details and long couches but is very cozy and modern at the same time with a lot of cool art work. This café attracts a large community who are interested in the same idea: drink, eat, and explore!

1000 Islands

I love everything about the Fall - the crunchy leaves, the slight chill in the air and especially Thanksgiving! This year I went to visit the 1000 Islands with my parents for the long weekend. Some of the highlights included hiking up the Salmon River Falls, exploring Watertown NY and going a boat cruise along the islands to visit the famous Boldt Castle. There's nothing like a weekend getaway with your parents in a quaint little town.

Flyjin Café

I made a quick stop at Flyjin Café in the Old Port this week! I had heard about this spot before but I didn't realize that the restaurant also had a separate café. This spot is a bit hidden and I only noticed the window when I walked by a week earlier with some colleagues. This micro-café is tucked away on Saint Pierre. 

I immediately fell in love with the cozy setup here. They have a long counter where you can settle in and enjoy your coffee and pastry. My guess would be that it could seat about 5 people. I especially loved the geometric shape theme around the café. Flyjin offers coffee, tea and juice. Even though my visit was short it was a sweet one and my coffee did not disappoint! 

Next stop - Flyjin, the restaurant! 

Café Titanic

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There is so much to be thankful for always, but this year I'm extremely thankful to be able to explore this amazing city and to share all of my findings with you!

Café Titanic is a hidden gem in the heart of the Old Port. It's in a gorgeous old building and the restaurant / café is kind of underground. It's a spot for homemade, creative sandwiches, soups and desserts. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and themed after the Titanic. It's been on my list of places to visit forever, but they are only open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. I ended up stopping by before I caught the train to Toronto! 

I had a delicious cappuccino and croissant for breakfast. I could see that the owner had his usual morning customers who stopped by for a coffee to go. He was super friendly and even took time to stop and chat with me. 

The other chefs were busy in the kitchen preparing for the lunch rush. Even though I ate breakfast there my stomach was grumbling as I left because the food smelled amazing!

Since Titanic is only open during working hours, they cater to the professionals in that area. It's not a place where you can plug in your laptop and sit for hours but luckily I did not go during peak hours. If you do work in the Old Port I'd recommend stopping by for a meal. I've read nothing but great reviews online!

Mikko Espresso & Boutique

We decided to explore the quaint town of Hudson, Quebec after spending a quintessential fall day eating a picnic and going apple picking at Verge LaCroix! Here we discovered the cutest cafe and boutique called Mikko. It's inspired by the nordic way of life and everyday Japanese design objects.The essence of this cafe lies in an appreciation of simplicity with an underlying sense of quality and timelessness.

Mikko serves lunch and brunch items such as pastries, eggs and sandwiches. They also have vegetarian and gluten free options. Their coffee selection is great as well and consists of everything from espresso blends to lattes, cappuccinos and dirty chai lattes. After perusing the website, I found out that Mikko also hosts workshops like flower arranging, and can be hired for special events!

The three of us grabbed our americano, cappuccino and latte to go, and browsed the boutique for a bit before going outside to enjoy the beautiful day. I loved everything in the boutique! You can find all kinds of gifts here like leather goods, candles, coffee accessories, blankets, home goods, stationary and baby/kids items. I couldn't resist and ended up getting a comfy sweater! My friend C got the same one but in black! You can browse their online store here.

Montreal friends, if you're looking for somewhere to go on a day trip, I'd recommend Hudson! You can have great coffee, hit up some cute boutiques and even go antiquing!

Cafe Maesmi

Café Maesmi is a great spot in the Rosemont neighbourhood! I loved exploring this new neighbourhood.

This café got its name by joining the street names Masson and Saint-Michel! The spot is so cute and they have lots of unique desserts! They make homemade pastries, desserts and cakes from A to Z. I was so intrigued by the mango-passionfruit croissant which I’ll have to try  next time. Their menu has an impressive selection of coffees, desserts and also includes sandwiches.

I ordered a cappuccino and Charlotte ordered an Americano. We saw a number of people drinking a basil-lemonade which looked so interesting and Charlotte couldn’t resist ordering one too! I took a sip and was impressed at how refreshing it tasted! We both enjoyed our coffees (and lemonade) a lot. I loved that there was a lot of seating and also wifi. If you live close to this area this is certainly a spot you won’t want to miss!!

Hof Kelsten

Hof Kelsten is a chic Jewish and French bakery and cafe. This bakery serves all the best restaurants and bars in the city!

I loved the amazing smell of the buttery croissants and pastries that welcomed me as soon as I stepped in. Charlotte and I went after work for a snack and some caffeine, and I was pleasantly surprised that there was still a great selection after 6 pm especially since they close at 7 pm. I ordered a cappuccino and a spinach ricotta pastry puff topped with poppy seeds. Both were absolutely delicious. Charlotte got an Americano and a tomato feta ricotta pastry puff. I couldn’t resist and got a bag of their home made biscotti to go. I would love to come back and try the matzo and latke soup and other sandwiches on the menu.

The staff were very friendly, and I was happy that there were lots of seats. The space is very open and modern. The only downside is that there is no wifi there, but still a great spot to catch up with friends or just read a book while snacking on delicious pastries!