Café Osmo

I am officially done my CRM!!! I wrote my last exam this afternoon and came straight to this gorgeous café to celebrate! Café Osmo, located just before St. Laurent on Sherbrooke is slightly underground and perfectly hidden.

I fell in love with the décor immediately! The chairs were the coolest I have ever seen. I also loved the terrace outside and the overall casual and cool vibe. Every Friday afternoon they have been having BBQs outside but I had just missed it.

This space is perfect for students and freelance workers. It's also great for a chill afternoon if you just want to catch up with some friends. Working here a good way to meet people since the tables are "shared"if it gets too packed. There were plenty of outlets and free WiFi which is a huge plus. I had a cappuccino which was good but a little stronger than I'm used to. Overall, definitely a beautiful space and one I'd really recommend trying out!

Café Code Noir

It’s day 2 of my super efficient study weekend and I’m loving how productive this grey and rainy weather is making me! Today Charlotte and I went to Café Code Noir on St. Laurent in the Plateau. This spot is nice and big with a large table at the front and smaller tables and booths along the back. There is WiFi and a lot of outlets everywhere for us studious folks. I found the music to be loud but nothing a bit of white noise couldn’t drown out.

Charlotte ordered an Americano and I had a latte which was ok but a little bitter. I found that I needed to add sugar which I rarely do these days. The food looked good as well with a lot of vegan sandwich options and cookies. I liked the art work on the walls and the lighting. It was super cozy and also industrial chic. The counter also had a nice tile design.

All in all, a cool spot to study and a great location but not my favourite cup of coffee.

Crew Collective & Café

I've found the ultimate study spot! Crew Café is a gorgeous café and office space in the old port. This building used to be the Royal Bank's corporate headquarters, and was once the tallest landmark in Canada. In 2010 the tower was abandoned and is now home to Crew, an "invite-only community where you meet top freelance designers, developers, or studios to build your next project."

The building has gorgeous fifty-foot-high ceilings and 12,000 square feet of space. The first floor has been transformed into a café which is open to the public. It has free WiFi, silence pods for focused work and breakout meeting rooms which are available if you have a Crew Membership. The café is open 7 days a week and until 8 which is great for working folks like me.

I ordered a cappuccino which was very good and I was happy to see that taxes were already included in the price. There was a lot of seating available from tables and couches to bar stools and breakout rooms. We were lucky that we got to snag a semi private room which had fantastic lighting, a huge table, and plugs everywhere. The coolest part of browsing the online menu was that you could order online and have them bring your coffee and food right to you!

The music was a bit loud but I think it must have been the acoustics since the sound resonated beautifully throughout the high ceilings. This would be the perfect spot to rent out for an event. Thanks for the productive Saturday Crew Café!

Fourth of July Weekend

I had the best weekend ever in Philly celebrating Canada Day and the Fourth of July! Alan and I discovered some new coffee spots, looked for rooftop views, visited the Spruce Street Harbour Park, took a trip to the Jersey Shore to party in the famous Atlantic City, and saw lots of fireworks! Hope you all had an amazing long weekend as well!

Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar

Nook Bakery has been on our Philly Café list for a while! It's a tough one to get to since it's closed on weekends. I was lucky to stop by on Friday for a quick coffee with Alan before running some errands and going shopping.

Nook is a cute, vintage-style café with lots of baked goods and coffee. All of the baked goods are made right on-site from scratch, in small batches. Nook uses only fresh and seasonal ingredients. Even though small-batch baking is a lot of work, I'm sure anyone who orders food can really taste the freshness. They also make custom cakes! Learn more about their story here.

I ordered a house blend coffee which was delicious and Alan got a cappuccino. Lately I've been adding cinnamon to my coffee and I absolutely love it! It adds a little extra to an otherwise simple cup of joe. If you're in Philly, try to stop in for some freshly baked goodies and coffee!