Montreal is Canada's second largest city and famously known for having some of the coolest coffee shops around. The Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough is no exception. Here are five coffee shops I recommend checking out if you happen to live in the NDG area. If you don't, no problem. You can easily get there by taking the metro and getting off at either the Vendôme or the Villa-Maria metro station. Please note that these coffee shops are ranked in order of proximity to E-QIP Montreal language school. They are all equally cool in my book!
1) Croissant Monkland (5549 Monkland Avenue, NDG)
Conveniently located steps away from E-QIP Montreal, this coffee shop is a favourite among staff and students. You can get everything from freshly-baked croissants to delicious, frothy lattés. Take advantage of their morning special: buy a pastry and get a latté, cappuccino, or espresso for only two bucks. You'll also find a spacious outdoor terrace! Great customer service, too.
All the pastries you wanna be eating right now. Photo credit: Eater Montreal
2) Café de Mercanti (6128 Monkland Avenue, NDG)
This quaint coffee shop is further down Monkland Avenue in the Monkland Village, a 15-minute walk from E-QIP Montreal. What's really special about this place is the coffee quality; it is top-notch Italian "caffè." The crema on their espresso is mesmerizing to say the least. There is a small seating section indoors. In the warmer months, there is a lovely side terrace with picnic benches. Try their GELATO. You won't regret it!
Stop on by for a quick espresso or gelato or BOTH. Photo credit: Yellow Pages
3) Shaika Café (5526 Sherbrooke Street West, NDG)
Heading down Sherbrooke street, about a 20-minute walk from E-QIP Montreal is the one and only Shaika Café, an institution in NDG. The chai latte there is one of my personal faves, but there's just about everything from fair trade coffee to fruit smoothies. Also, there's live entertainment several nights a week so you can sip on your coffee and enjoy some local talent.
Vegan cookies? Yes, please. Photo credit: Montreal Rampage
4) Café Zephyr (5791 Sherbrooke Street West, NDG)
If you see a bright yellow facade on Sherbrooke West, you've arrived at Zephyr. This café has been opened for a few years now, and what's really great about this place is that they use locally-grown ingredients in their food menu. Also, they boast numerous lactose-free and gluten-free options! Oh yeah, and the coffee is on point. Check 'em out.
There's the iconic yellow facade I was talking about. Photo credit: Yellow Pages
And...last but not least...
5) Café 92 (6703 Sherbrooke Street West, NDG)
This cozy café is located very close to Concordia University's Loyola Campus so you'll see a lot of students hanging out here. I used to live walking-distance to this place and was a frequent customer as well. Besides enjoying a delightful cup of joe, you can also treat your taste buds to some really authentic and delicious Mexican food. They also have a lovely sitting area with TONS of books and games. You can easily spend the whole day there!
There's always something new to try at this place. Photo credit: Trip Advisor
Obviously, I've only scratched the surface here with my personal recommendations. Let us know in the comments below which is your favourite Montreal coffee shop!
Time for a 'cuppa.
-Melissa