1) Cafe Myriade, near Concordia University downtown, very knowledgeable staff, best baristas in Montreal? googlemap

2) Pikolo Espresso BAR, the owner trained in Australia (which we’re told has some of the best baristas/coffee in the world), near Sherbrooke on Parc just up from the Quartier des Spectacles. Good banana bread. googlemap

3) Café Neve, best coffee on the Plateau Montreal. Sinful, gooey (when just out of the oven), giant chocolate chip cookies. Locals only, so grow a beard. googlemap

4) Café Saint Henri, total coffeehead cred, they roast their own. They know their stuff, try to stump the barista. Church bench seating. Homemade pastries. Down the hill from Westmount, halfway to Lionel-Groulx metro. googlemap

5) Caffè Art Java, best coffee downtown (there are now four Art Javas), our favourite is the Avenue du Président Kennedy store, two streets north of Ste-Catherine corner University. googlemap