Cafe Italia - Montréal

Forget about the food and the coffee, which I will get back to in a moment, the atmosphere itself is well worth the trip. We were walking around in Little Italy and stumbled into this place for lunch. Right away, we fell in love with this place. It is obvious that the locals hang out here. There were a lot of old Italian men sitting around, chatting in their native tongue and drinking coffee. You place your order at the counter, you get your coffee right away, the food is delivered to your table after awhile and you pay at the counter on your way out. There are people sitting at the counter as well so you may have to talk over people's shoulders to order your food and coffee. One would think that there would be chaos all over the place but somehow it works! We tried the Jambon and Capicola sandwiches and they were the best we have ever had. The sandwich is generous so if two people can more than share. There is vegetarian option as well. A lot of people were ordering ice coffee so we decided to try it and it was out of this world. It was not bitter and had just a hint of sweetness. The sandwich can take awhile during busy lunch time but it is well worth the wait plus the ambience is so enjoyable that waiting is not a problem. We were in Italy two years ago and this place brought back all the wonderful memories for us. We ended up staying for awhile as we just did not want to leave this authentic cafe. There is a large public food/product market nearby so certainly there is a lot of competition in the area and yet this place was packed speaks volume about its popularity. This place is worth a visit if one is in the area. The bathroom is also very very clean and that is obviously important. Lastly, I believe this place is cash only as it seems that everyone paid with cash.

Its a classic in little italy with good coffee and a small menu, sandwiches are prepared in front of you and are delicious (I recommend the salami sandwich). It is a bit busy most of the time though!

Nice place to watch sporting events. Nice European look. Has one of little Italy's best coffees and desserts. Great for anyone in town looking for a great coffee. Friendly people. Nice atmosphere.

You can order all sorts of Italian coffees in this simple and down to earth cafe. The coffee is delicious and comes regular or decaf. Easily one of the best coffees found in Montreal! Some cold cut sandwiches and Italian cakes are also served.

We've been coming to this cafe for year, but it was not until I took my niece and her girl friends that the reality or realism of Cafe Italia sunk in. It is as if the cafe was picked up from Italy and placed in Montreal. I had returned from Italy a year ago and looking closely at this cafe revealed the authenticity and charm. Real Italian cappuccino with many, many, many locals stopping in for a quick cafe at the standing bar. A norm in Italy. Sandwiches on homemade bread - very unique to this cafe as are the meats and extras. It is not fancy, it is a true Italian cafe. You'll get visitors that don't speak French nor English, just Italian. The staff speaks all languages, well a lot at least.