The best coffee shops in Montreal

Pikolo Espresso Bar is a specialty coffee café founded by Marie-Eve Laroche, who brought Australian coffee culture to Montreal. The venue partners with Canadian roasters including Myriade Roasting Co., Traffic Coffee, and Colorfull Coffee to serve espressos, lattes, and matcha lattes that highlight the unique character of each coffee. Pastries arrive fresh each morning from renowned bakeries Hof Kelsten and Abierto, crafted with premium flour and butter following French baking traditions. Located on Clark Street in the heart of the neighborhood, Pikolo operates at city speed: fast, precision service without compromising quality, ideal for a morning stop before work or a break with friends. The atmosphere remains intimate and welcoming despite the urban pace, a rare balance in Downtown.

Marble and travertine mosaic underfoot, a coffered painted plaster ceiling, brass teller counters: York & Sawyer drew this building between 1926 and 1928 for the Royal Bank of Canada, which kept a branch here until 2012.

Henri Cleinge turned the hall into a café and workspace in 2016, fitting brass clad steel booths into the old teller stations. Traffic Coffee roasts the house blend that runs through espresso and filter; the kitchen puts out brunch daily along with light meals.

By the month, you rent a desk on the open floor, a meeting room or a private office. The space also takes in workshops, weddings and film shoots.

On rue Rachel Est in the heart of the Plateau, Café Chez Téta is a bright and warm Lebanese address that whisks visitors to Lebanon for the duration of a brunch or a coffee.

The house specialty: freshly prepared *manouchés* (Lebanese flatbreads topped with zaatar, cheese, or lahm ajin) paired with a rose, cardamom, or halvah latte that has become the café's signature. The food, inspired by *Téta's* (grandmother's) recipes, is fresh, generous, and deeply authentic.

The spot has become a Plateau brunch staple, beloved by Lebanese culture enthusiasts and curious newcomers discovering a vibrant, underrepresented cuisine.

Emily Wang spent a year in Asia studying coffee before opening White Heron at the corner of des Seigneurs and William, in Griffintown.

Everything is brewed pour-over, but the green drinks are what keep the neighbourhood coming back: matcha latte, hojicha latte, seasonal versions with yuzu or melon. The house pastry follows the same score, sencha madeleines, black sesame cakes, ube doughnuts. Pale wood, white walls, hard daylight and few seats: people work here as quietly as they drink. Whole cakes are ordered ahead, and the door is on William.

Café Pista is a specialty coffee roaster and café located on Rue Beaubien in the Rosemont neighborhood. The shop offers bags of coffee, matcha, and all the equipment needed to brew quality coffee at home. The concept follows the third wave coffee movement, with an emphasis on quality and education. Café Pista hosts workshops, video training, and rental spaces for businesses. The shop also offers residential and commercial subscriptions, as well as iced coffee and branded products. Free shipping in Quebec on orders of $49 and over.