You’d be hard-pressed to find a city with more photogenic cafes than Montreal. Romantic, traditional, elegant, and modern, Montreal cafes have something for everyone. With delicious food, whimsical designs, and old-fashioned sentimentality, you can take fabulous photos at one of the many coffee shops in the city.
Here are our top favourites.
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Tommy Cafe
Where do we start? Tommy Cafe has it all. Built in 1874 in Vieux Montréal’s British Empire Building (originally the Exchange Bank of Canada), the Cafe is housed in a stunning Victorian-style building. The menu offers everything you crave from a hip coffee joint, and the ceiling-hung vines make you realize just how tall the ceiling is. Every corner of the building is a prime photo location that blends modern with the old and boho with comforting.
Neighbourhood: Old Montreal
Address: 200 Rue Notre Dame-Ouest
Bar Darling
Who says coffee shops need to have a minimalist design? Luxurious decor, plush leather couches, hanging light fixtures, and antique-like options make this cafe a welcome break from the mundane. Its local eclectic bar meets chic French cafe, and your photos will love it as well as your tastebuds.
Neighbourhood: Plateau Mont-Royal
Address: 4328 St Laurent Blvd
Crew Collective & Cafe
Visiting Crew Collective & Cafe feels like you’re at a museum. The massive vaulted ceilings in the old 1930s building do make you want to take plenty of pictures. The structure was initially built for the Royal Bank of Canada, and you’ll see the traditional bank opulence when you visit. There is plenty of room so bring your work with you and relax in a place known to be one of the most beautiful cafes in the world.
Neighbourhood: Cité Multimedia
Address: 360 Rue Saint-Jaques
Cafe Parvis
With artsy charm, Cafe Parvis is cozy, cute, and perfect for photos. You’ll love the retro peeling paint walls, old-school wood flooring, and amber glassware coupled with the modern sensibilities of minimalist plants and innovative cafe food. You’ll likely not be the only one trying to snap the perfect shot here, as it’s known to be the ideal coffee shop for Instagram photos.
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Address: 433 Mayor St
Ssense Cafe
In the Old Montreal SSENSE building, the Ssense Cafe has a cement-clad, minimalist design. Long skylights in its ceiling produce an eye-catching shadow play. The bar, benches, tables, walls, and stools are all made from cement, giving the place a simple yet striking aesthetic. The menu is creative and mouth-watering, and you’ll find yourself returning time and time again to the industrial-chic vibe and classy ambience.
Neighbourhood: Cité Multimedia
Address: 418 Rue Saint Suplice
Cafe Sfouf
Bringing you a break from the ordinary, café Sfouf is a wildly captivating place. Colourful decor in a white open space combines the modern with home. Known for its traditional Lebanese influences, Cafe Sfouf serves cakes and desserts, sweet and savoury toasts, and sources its coffee from the highly popular Cafe Saint-Henri.
Neighbourhood: South Central
Address: 1250 Rue Ontario E
Melk Cafe
You can’t go wrong with the clean lines, white tiles and wood furniture of the modern Melk Cafe. The food is excellent, and the coffee is superb, making you wonder why you haven’t been here yet. Your photos will look bomb with the mosaic-covered walls, textured cement highlights, and turquoise splashes of colour. Best of all, Melk Cafe only uses organic ingredients in their food and drink creations.
Neighbourhood: Golden Square Mile
Address: 1206 Stanley St
Pastel Rita
Pastel Rita looks like a ‘50’s diner with colour-blocked interiors in forest green and pastel pink. The arched shelves behind the bar play up the bright 1950’s feel. Delicious food, latte art, and traditional cocktails only add to the fun-loving aesthetic. Work or play here: the possibilities are endless, but whichever you choose, don’t forget to take a few photos. You’ll thank us later.
Neighbourhood: Mile End
Address: 5761 St Laurent Blvd
Le Butterblume
A bright and fresh interior design matches the equally vibrant and appealing food choices at this comfortable Mille End cafe. Translated, the name of the coffee shop is the yellow flower, and the cheery-coloured flower is an apt choice for a name. The owners open the garage door in the back when it’s warm, making the cafe feel even more airy and open with a mild industrial-chic feel.
Neighbourhood: Mile End
Address: 5836 St Laurent Blvd
La Dependance
A boutique-like interior made even more whimsical by an artsy patio and old building make La Dependance an exciting place to take photos. Minimalist decor doesn’t draw attention away from the striking confections and the luscious latte art in your photos. The cafe is cozy and chic and the perfect place to get some work done after snapping some pics.
Neighbourhood: Plateau Mont-Royal
Address: 4282 Saint Denis St
La Crossanterie Figaro
This café looks like a vintage coffee shop from a bygone European era. Both a cafe and a classic french bistro, the place serves authentic French food and drink in an even more traditional setting. In keeping with the antique look, light fixtures, chairs, and tables provide a modern touch. Photos taken here will be both whimsical and eclectic.
Neighbourhood: Mile End
Address: 5200 Rue Hutchinson
