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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Cafe Sfouf

Location: 1250 Ontario St E

Metro Station: Beaudry

Ever since I was little, my grandmother would bake me this yellow dessert. She would call them Sfouf and would tell me she would always make them for my dad back in Lebanon. We are Armenian, but my dad's side of the family is entirely from Lebanon. You can imagine how much of the Lebanese culture has stuck with my family and how much they enjoy recreating dishes and activities that remind them of their childhood. For me, "Sfouf" was more than just a dessert, but also a little memory I would always associate with my grand mother and my father.

When I heard that there was cafe in Montreal named "Sfouf", I was definitely intrigued. I wondered if it was a coincidence, or if the owners intentionally wanted to name their cafe after a yellow dessert. When I saw their yellow logo, I knew it wasn't an accident. I decided to go there myself and take a look at this original-sounding coffee shop located close to the Plateau.

Walking in, Sfouf looked like a normal indie coffee shop. Obviously, it looked unique with its beautiful decor but nothing too extravagantly different. It blended in nicely with the Montreal coffee scene.

I especially loved the plants that were decorating each corner of the cafe. Plants are very important to me as they liven up a space and make it feel like Summer despite Montreal's cloudy weather.

There were many corners to this coffee shop. They have your usual huge desks that were filled with students & their laptops (including me). They have couches, great to hang out for some chit chat. And... they had a little corner for children! They call it "Le Petit Sfouf" and they have provided toys for kids to play with while their parents enjoy a nice cup of coffee. Very nice addition!

I ordered a cappuccino off of my Indie Coffee Passport and quickly opened my laptop to get some work done (AKA pretend to work while I take at least a hundred pictures of the coffee shop).

As I was "working", the barista brought my *beautiful * cappuccino.. along with a piece of Sfouf! That's right - they offer a free sampling of Sfouf with their drinks for those of you who are curious. And it was delicious.

I deeply appreciate coffee shops like this one. They have created a wonderful spot for Montrealers to hang out, all the while keeping their culture and spreading it around. Now more people will know about Sfouf! It definitely feels like the world knows about my little family story now. I will for sure bring my grandmother here one day.

Small tip: When you go, make sure you take a picture of their "corner" pictures below; it's their most photographed corner!

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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#coffee #cafe #mtlcoffee #mtlcafecrawl #travel #exploremtl #tourism #montrealtourism #montrealcoffee #cafecrawl #coffeeshop #coffeeshops #montrealcoffeeshops #montreal coffee shop #blog #coffeeblog #coffeeblogger

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Visit my official Montreal Cafe Crawl website to discover my cafe explorations!

Insta: legendoftamar

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hey! me and some friends were thinking of taking a trip to montreal soon and I was wondering if you know any good places to visit besides coffee shops, like resturantes, daytrips etc.

Hello!!! It really depends how long you’re staying (for day trips). If you want a nice place to drive to that’s close to Mtl, you should definitely go to Mont Tremblant. It’s a one hour drive and it’s super cute!!! For restaurants.. I suggest Jardin Nelson in the Old Port (a bit fancy). For a nice burger, I love Belle & La Boeuf (fav burgers & great drinks) in downtown on St Catherine. For great original donuts, try Trou de Beigne. I’ve heard a really nice bar is Kampai Garden in downtown though I’ve never been (but really want to). Area to definitely visit: Plateau Mont Royal, the Mile End, Old Montreal & downtown of course. Hope this helped!

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hello beautiful people!!!

So... I have some pretty big news for you.

As you may know, I’ve been using Tumblr as my primary blog but I’m so happy to finally announce that I have made a Montreal Cafe Crawl blog online!!!!

It would mean the world to me if you checked it out <3

www.exploringmtlcafes.com

Insta: legendoftamar

Facebook: exploringmontrealcafes

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hey, I live on the south shore and I love to go downtown with my friends and go on little adventures, but none of us have jobs and I was wondering which cafés had the most, friendly and frugal prices?

Hello!!!In downtown... A definitely friendly place and cute place is Tommy in Old Montreal! I love going there with people and I find it has a nice atmosphere to socialize. I really love HVMANS as well if you're around St-Catherine if you want somewhere where there's a lot of people & excitement but still relaxing. An impressive café is Crew & Collective but I prefer going there when it's rainy cause it's really dark. Another new one people are liking at Old Montreal is Aloha (I haven't been yet) but apparently it has a very Hawaiian feel and might be fun trying out! And if you're from the South Shore, you should check out Pistache!! Might be close to you :)

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hey! So this summer I'm doing research for one of my school's professors and it involves reading a lot of tax codes and tax theories (riveting I know) and I prefer doing work at cafes but for this kind of thing I need a quieter, calmer space- have you been by any cafes like that?

Hello!!! I love Leaves to get some work done in the quiet! They always have relaxing music playing in the background and people always go there with their laptops. Other ones of my favs are Finca, Chiado and Kitsuné to get work done. I suggest going on weekday mornings - the cafés won't be as packed! I remember going to Finca once at around 9 on a Tuesday and I was literally the only person there for a good hour. During weekends and weekday nights cafes get pretty packed and not very quiet. Good luck with your work!!! :)

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Salut! I love your blog! I miss Montréal a lot! As a British Columbian with no access to French, I was just wondering how English friendly are these cafes? I guess it depends on the person and their views. But my French isn't very good, so in case my French fails, and have to fall back on English, I don't want to get spit in my coffee. Merci 🙏

Hello!!! I am from Vancouver and miss BC!!! To be very honest, I’ve lived in Montreal almost all my life and still can’t talk French properly. Wish I could. I pretend I can’t talk french at cafes and nothing bad happens.. :) So don’t worry at all! It’s good to practice but if you can’t put what you want in words, the baristas generally all understand English and are all very nice!! :)

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Cafe Perko

Location: 753 Rue Villeray, Montréal

Metro Station: Jean Talon

Hello lovely people!!! I have finished finals and am currently in my summer semester (already, I know). I’ve been in the process of also applying to almost a 100 internship positions for Fall 2017 as a “software engineer intern”. It’s been hard. It’s been tiring. Exciting, but energy sucking. What could possibly help me in these stressful times? What could possibly fuel me up to be motivated and alert in my job application process?

You guessed it. Coffee.

I came here last weekend and it was a true refresher. My cousin drove us in this lovely spot in Villeray since she wanted to work on her writing (she’s amazing by the way, you should check out her poetry on her account @doekent ).

In contrast to other coffee shops in Montreal, I hadn’t heard of Perko too much. I had stumbled upon it on a few posts on Instagram but hadn’t noticed any hype. So why did we go? By the time she picked me up it was around 5 and almost all coffee shops close early - except Perko, which closed at 9. So we went for it. And I’m VERY glad we did.

This is how you discover hidden gems. And it is the best feeling. Stepping inside this relatively big coffee shop, I immediately noticed the one table that was open. The place was packed. We bolted for the one table. The picture I took and posted above is from right before their closing time and does not represent the amount of people that fills the cafe on their regular times.

The space was gorgeously decorated and felt almost home-like. There were cute signs and sayings all over the place. The baristas were very nice too.

I ordered a latte (obviously) and my cousin ordered a chai latte. Both were very delicious and my latte definitely fuelled me up and motivated me to continue writing my cover letters.

One thing I noticed was that there were a lot of kids and babies around. Some really loud… I wondered why there were so many babies in this one coffee shop. I got my answer when I saw that Perko had a little section for kids where they put many baby toys and couches for parents to relax on. I found it very cute and inviting for families. There were also changing tables in the bathrooms.

Another cool aspect about Perko is that it’s a student friendly coffee shop. There are many plugs, AMAZING wifi, a room you can rent (I think for 10$/hour) to study in… and they even have a PRINTER. Isn’t that unusually cool? And very nice of them? You can donate some money if you do print but they’ve made it completely free which is… amazing. And generous.

In conclusion: I got a lot of work done here. I loved the vibe of the cafe, I loved the coffee, I loved the people, I loved everything about it. I will definitely go back. And you should too!!!

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Darling

Location: 4328, boul. St-Laurent, Montreal

Metro Station: Mont Royal

End of April... marks the end of finals. School’s out!... Well only for about 3 days until I go to summer school.

Nonetheless, gives me enough time to explore my city without any pressure from my academic responsibilities!

Today, my boyfriend and I were planning on having a lunch type date in the Mile end until our plans miserably failed when we realized our chosen restaurant wasn’t going to open for another 4 hours. We decided to hop on a random bus on the corner of the street since it was pouring like crazy and we didn’t feel like staying out in the rain. We got off a stop when we started feeling like we knew the neighbourhood and ended up in the Plateau... again.

After finding a place to eat, we decided to walk around some new areas in the Plateau we hadn’t discovered yet. Although it was raining, breathing in fresh air was so refreshing considering we had been locked in our room the past 3 weeks trying to stuff 5 courses worth of information in our heads.

I felt like I was in a European dramatic movie - walking in the rain with a little umbrella with my favourite person, discovering places with nothing else in mind. Queue the Parisienne music.

We suddenly stumbled upon an exotic looking shop on the corner of a street. From the outside looking in, while we were dripping with water, we could see plants and wine and bright lights and greenery and comfortable couches and... coffee! Sold.

We went into the coffee shop and was immediately warmed with welcomes from the waiter. A coffee shop - but a different kind at that. The first thing that caught my eye was with no hesitation the lights on the ceiling. I don’t really know what the letters spell out, but they sure look aesthetically pleasing so I rolled with it.

The section next to the windows was very casual with the couches. There were mini candles decorating each table and plants flowing around every corner, making the space extra inviting - battling the coldness of the weather outside. As the Jazz music was playing in the background, we took a seat on the couches, avoiding the tables since we didn’t have laptops since we didn’t have school. Emphasis on the comfort!!! No school equals we can sit on the nice couches and relax.

I saw students around me on their laptops still working very hard on their studies... accompanied with their glasses of wine instead of the usual latte. I liked it. I love coffee but i live for these different little details in shops.

Let me explain the wine though, because it is a very important part of this “coffee shop”. It’s not really a “coffee shop”. It’s a hybrid. Half coffee shop, half bar. You heard that right. It’s also a bar. Order food, order alcohol, order coffee - sit at the huge circular bar for a nice glass of wine or beer or anything else, or sit on the couches like me and still order your usual. I got a chai latte this time so I tried to be a bit different than my regular latte. And it was delicious! One of the best I’ve ever had.

I felt like I was in a different country in this cafe. With decorations like mini instruments on the walls, to the candles on the tables, to the vintage looking decor, I also felt like I was in a Jazz club. Everything was so perfectly shaped together.

I know I say I love all the cafes in Montreal - and I do, don’t get me wrong - but this place is really one of my favourites now. It made me feel like I’m in 1920s Paris and I lived for it. Next time, I’ll even dress for it.

Sometimes, your plans might go awry and your chosen restaurant will open only 4 hours later. However, sometimes... those moments are calls for better adventures and more exploration with improvisation. Let the rain guide you to beautiful shelters.

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hi! I just found your blog and I have to say that I'm loving it. I'm an exchange student in Concordia who sadly is leaving Montreal next month and even though I've visited many different cafés, I still wanna try some more. Which cafés would you say are the best ones in the city?

Hello!!!! Thank you so much!!! Messages like these make my day :) It's hard to pick favorites... but if you go to Concordia, I recommend the new spot next to the EV Building: 'Hvmans'! 'Leaves' is nice too and is close to the Hall building! Other of my favorites include Chiado, la Brume, Pista, Finca, Parvis, September Surf :) There are so many nice places for coffee in mtl :') good luck with everything!!!

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Café Reine Garçon // •Here’s a nice place to visit on a rainy day. I love cafés that make you feel at home with their decor & hospitality• 🥀🌧

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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HVMANS cafe

Location: 1455 rue Sainte_Catherine Ouest, Montreal

Metro Station: Guy-Concordia

Hello hello!!! I have officially closed all my school books and made myself a nice cup of tea. I am ready to tell you about the all new coffee shop that literally opened about a week ago and how it quickly turned into my favorite spot near school.

But let me start with a little background story (obviously). So Monday around noon, I came to Concordia for my class. All along the metro ride there, I was wishing I was home instead, drinking coffee, doing something relaxing. Monday blues had hit me hard. Even though my first class started at 2. And I only had one class. Okay... not the worse Monday you can have, but it was still Monday. And I walked into school unhappy. But my bitter unhappiness suddenly turned into confusion..

As I walked up to the second floor, I realized that none of the lights in the school were turned on. It took me a while to realize that Concordia was having a power outage. Cherry on top of all the issues this school has been having this semester.

They evacuated the building and my class got canceled. My Monday was getting a bit better and a little more interesting.

I’m in downtown at this point - with no laptop or notebooks. I can’t do any school work. What do I do? Yap, you guessed it.

I decided to try HVMANS cafe that just opened next to the EV Building. Let me tell you - every single cafe crawler I know had tried this place within days of its opening. And fell in love. So yes, I was excited to see it for myself.

_______________

I walked into the cafe, immediately greeted by beautiful sunlight entering from their huge windows.

I noticed their decor was mainly concentrated on a very pale color palette - mainly white and pale wood with strong greenery accents. The windows amplified any light that came in, and the white-ness of the entire place reflected even more brightness and made the space shine. I’m a huge believer of light and its benefits to our mood. I was instantly happy. My Monday blues were cured.

Although the cafe was mainly white, they had decorated the space with many little plants (including cacti), which provided a beautiful contrast and amazing prop for those Instagram latte pictures. Plants are becoming a trend in Montreal cafes and I’m absolutely loving it. More please!!! They add so much life, yet have a subtle elegance.

The chairs here were extremely comfortable and they have many tables - and a lot of window seats. I don’t know about you but window seats are my absolute favorite spots in coffee shops. I sometimes hunt for those seats when entering a coffee shop and have my eyes set on the window seats. It’s a bit stressful. But not here, because almost their entire cafe is windows. Chances are - you’ll get the exact seat you want. They have many individual tables and a big desk at the very end if that’s what you prefer. I think I changed my spot about 3 times so I could experience different settings in the cafe.

Let’s talk about coffee. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever stayed so long at a coffee shop before (6 hours) and I don’t think I’ve ever ordered so many drinks at once! I took a chai latte (which was recommended by my cousin), a regular latte and a matcha latte. And a croissant on the side.

Ok, let’s start with the chai. Heaven. and gorgeous. and heaven. Best chai latte I’ve ever had in my entire life! The cinnamon wasn’t too empowering, the spice wasn’t too much and the amount of milk was just right. I think I finished it in 5 minutes. I didn’t even take a bite out of my croissant in between sips like I normally do. I need to go back there for another chai. Soon.

The regular latte was my friends’ and she loved it. The latte art on this one was really nice. I need go to back to try their regular coffee since I didn’t this time (oops).

And the matcha - delicious matcha! Matcha lattes are one of my favorite drinks and not a lot of cafes do it right. It’s really easy for matcha to taste like fish (it’s not suppose to) so I really try to look out for coffee shops that get it right. And HVMANS did. I go to Leaves cafe for my matcha but now this place is a good competitor. And you can see that I had a lot of fun taking pictures of it too.

Another aspect I loved were the people. The barista was super nice and forgave me for my broken french (I really tried). And since this cafe was all new, and right next to a university that lost power for a few hours, a lot of Instagrammers stopped by at my same time. I was able to meet/see some of my favorites, which made my experience here even more exceptional.

So, hvmans of Concordia, if our school ever has a power failure again, you know what to do. You know what the real drill is!!! HVMANS: the perfect hideaway on a Monday.

IG: legendoftamar

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Leaves Cafe

Location: 2051 Rue de la Montagne

Metro Station: Peel or Guy-Concordia

Hello!!! I know I’ve already posted about this spot, but since I come here a lot, I felt like updating my pictures for you guys! I first came here when it had just opened and it has evolved since then.

If you haven’t read my old post about this place, worry-not! I’ll give you a nice little summary of this wonderful cafe.

First off, this cafe is located very close to Concordia University (and relatively close to McGill University). I enjoy the short walk through downtown to get here from my school. Especially if you have classes in Hall building (Concordia students), Leaves is about 3-4 block away.

What I love about this place is its peacefulness. Every time I come here, I feel instantly relaxed. Their playlist includes relaxing acoustic songs (a lot of them I listen to regularly myself). Their simplistic and minimalist decor strips down your stress and reveals peace of mind. Almost everything here is white, with touches of pale wood and plants. So many plants. And cacti. Leaves is here to satisfy your love for cacti. Mini plants fill the cafe and introduce color and nature to their little space. A lot of the plants are planted in little white coffee cups with their logo printed on them. Perfect for Instagram.

An interesting aspect of this cafe is that it is the only all vegan cafe in Montreal. Yap, no milk. Any lactose-intolerant person’s dream. And paradise for vegans too, of course. But don’t worry, if you order a latte, you won’t just get latte minus milk (basically an overpriced espresso). They have some yummy substitutes: Almond milk, Soy milk and Coconut milk. I find that the coconut milk tastes best but almond milk results in better latte art. So for your Instagram junky (like me), get the almond milk!!!

My absolutely favorite drink here is also the favorite of almost all their clients: MATCHA LATTE. If you have never tried matcha latte, I’m sorry but I cannot be your friend. Please come here and try it and then maybe I’l consider talking to you. That’s how good it is. And what is matcha latte? (If you don’t know, please don’t even approach me) It’s basically powdered green tea that’s mixed in with milk (in this case, substitute milk). It tastes a lot like green tea. It’s very good and it’s very healthy! If you don’t like coffee, this could be your go-to coffee shop drink. And possibly your go-to cafe.

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hey, have you ever been to Jardín Nelson? I went to Canada over the summer with my family and when we stopped in Montreal we went there for lunch (if you haven't you should go when it's warmer bc the outside eating area is a really pretty garden, and the adorable chubby little birds will literally be less than a table away on the ground and on railings to get crumbs and it's so cute). Just wondering. 😊

I have gone to Jardin Nelson! It's my absolute favourite restaurant and it's in such a beautiful location at the Old Montreal. Thank you for the suggestion though, I always recommend Jardin Nelson to anyone who comes to Montreal :)

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Hi! Oh my coffee gods, your blog is amazing. I'm going to Montreal next week to go see a concert. Do you have any recommendations around Berri-UQAM or Guy-Concordia ? Thanks :)

Hello! :) Awww thank you!!! I know quite a few around Guy Concordia - Leaves (all vegan), Spoon, Myriade, Pigeon (only to-go), and I know Café Saint Henri and Graine Brulee (very different/interesting) around Berri Uqam :) I suggest looking them up and choosing which one fits your taste best ;) Good luck and enjoy the concert!!!

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exploringmontrealcafes-blog · 7 years

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Cafe Larue et Fils

Location: 405 Rue Jarry E

Metro Station: Jarry

My midterms just ended and I’m finally taking a breath of fresh air. I’m claustrophobic in this structure we call reality and I feel like I can peep my head out of the prison a bit.

I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed with school and general real-life pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I love life and I feel lucky to be able to go to University. But it becomes a lot of weight on our shoulders. Work can pile up pretty quickly. There’s no more time for drawing or painting, playing music or doing anything hobby-like. There is time for doodles and iPhone photography, but nothing in a form of a project. And I sort of miss that. I miss being able to pour out my emotions to create. It’s too risky now. Once I rediscover the passion to make art, I’ll never go back to science again. But it’s all about balance, right?

Just a few days ago, I had the chance to go to one of my favorite bands’ concert. The Lumineers. I was looking forward to the date, but was too preoccupied with all my plans and assignments to really take a moment and realize just how excited I was for this show. I had bought the tickets a while ago and the date sort of creeped up on me a few days before the concert.

But let me tell you, this concert gave me something I was longing for such a long time. Pure, raw, simple emotion. Music in its simplest form: an acoustic guitar, a tambourine and a cello. Beautiful melodies that made me feel so much - so much that I had repressed for the past few years in order to concentrate on school.

I felt like I was out of my confined office for once. I realized I had put myself there. And as a consequence, became claustrophobic.

Life is all about balance. And it’s also about survival.

We all need those little things in life that keep us happy and keep us motivated to carry on and live through the hard steps.

I need to play music, I need to doodle because it’s the way I preserve my true self. It’s easy to be confined. As much as we hate it, we put ourselves in that claustrophobic situation because we think it’s the most secure option. We destroy our true essence because we think it’s not good enough for the real world.

Truth is - we need to get out of confinement - we need to breathe. We need to breathe to function and live and thrive. Without our pure happiness, who are we?

I realized that going to coffee shops is a survival instinct. It’s my way to escape from reality and find happiness in a cup of coffee every morning. Yes, it’s disguised as my “spot to study” or my “spot to only get coffee before school” but it’s also my “spot to escape”. I may not go to concerts every day, I may not draw anymore, I may not pick up the guitar every weekend. I unconsciously prohibited myself from enjoying life that way in order to be a grown up. But the real human in me craved escapism and needed to get out of the little box. And if that’s in the form of coffee - so be it.

This cafe shown above is one of my favorite spots to go to before school. It’s on my way to Concordia and it’s also right in front of the metro. It’’s not time consuming to get here. The people are very nice. The playlist playing in the background is almost always swing music and it relaxes me each time. The lighting that comes in the cafe is like a glimpse from heaven - so nice to sit next to the huge windows. Their decor is warmed toned and also makes you feel warm inside. They always have beautiful plants and flowers around the cafe. PS: Try to look for some mini hidden origami in their plants... :)

The latte is amazing and their latte art is on point every single time. Plus, it’s on the coffee passport, so for you Indie Coffee Passport holders, don’t miss this place! There’s a Larue & Fils at Jean Talon also, but I haven’t been to that one yet.

So if you’re like me (and you probably are), get your daily fix here. We all need time to unwind.

More and more do I consider coffee as more than a beverage. It’s a way to keep us sane. It’s our daily routine that gives us some time to think about a simple cup of coffee. It’s a way to bring people together, it’s a way to enjoy yourself.

Currently listening: Flapper Girl - Lumineers

S/O to all those who went to their show in Montreal <3

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