Café Falco

Falco, that «hidden» café that was the it place on instagram because of its feels good décor until that shitty café took over. anyway, my first visit ages ago was more in the take-​out form as the café was utterly packed and it was in the middle of fucking summer. I went back when I was in the neighborhood sightseeing a bit and head in just right after lunch and place wasn’t as buzzing.
not only was it after lunch (2pm-​ish) but it’s that time of day that the café gets hit with that sunlight and that’s when you get the gorgeous feel. rays upon rays hitting the furnitures, the counter, the glass bells that house cookies and whatnot, shadows being formed here and there and you trying to shield yourself from the sun a bit and most of all, taking that picture.
now, I wasn’t much in the mood for eating so I went with the proper siphon coffee (that’s pretty much all they have besides iced coffee) and made way to the communal table as the sofas area was taken and didn’t felt like sitting in the hammock that is sitting directly under the sun.
siphon is novelty but it allows one to bring in scorching hot water without infusing a burnt taste to the coffee. it’s a brewing method that draws inspiration from tea. anyway, coffee was scorching hot, so hot that one small sip and you’d burn that mouth. any more and say goodbye to your buds and everything for weeks. I had to stir the coffee and use a straw to slowly sip it. all in all, it took about 30min to get to the right temp to be properly enjoy. thing is, as the coffee cooled down, it started losing its appeal. turns out, when it was piping hot, you could taste the dominant note which is a lovely dark chocolate, I’d say a 60% dark chocolate. not bitter like a 70%, just very strong in dark chocolate flavor. that was lovely despite my mouth’s nerves ending hating it because it’s too fucking hot.
what to say about the place? it’s not a café where you go for a quick coffee or take-​out unless it’s for iced coffee and food. if you’re looking to relax, get away for an hour or so or maybe more, this is what Falco is. the siphon coffee is made to relax and enjoy. and the place reflects that relaxing feel. it’s very zen in a very industrial neighborhood.
would I go back? sure but they are only open during the week, it makes it hard

A very unique coffee shop that is only open Monday to Friday for the businesses in the area. The coffee is made in a unique way and that is reflected in the unique style of the shop. Japanese dishes are served for lunch are very tasty. A great place to meet, discuss or inspire yourself. The only downside is finding parking in the area.

Envie du bon bon café pas comme les autres? Le Falcon est un incontournable pour leurs café Syphon. Un goût à la fois riche et léger, il accompagne parfaitement les repas japonais offert sur place. L’ambiance est tout comme leur café, une expérience à vivre en personne.

Falco is a Mile End institution, tucked away on a cavernous stretch of de Gaspé encircled by megastructures and the Champs des Possibles free-​growth urban park. Montréal’s railway geography means that you are extremely unlikely to come upon this pocket neighbourhood unless you mean to, and in general, you need to be quite deliberate to enjoy Falco’s charms. If you want lunch, you’d better mean it: there is only enough food made to feed those who come on time, and you’ll be out of luck if you want to eat much later than 2 in the afternoon. If you want to work, get your data usage done outside of the lunch hour because they shut off the wifi. If you want to come at all, be persistent: Falco is open less than your average bank, and never on weekends.
Your patience will be rewarded with hard-​to-​find Japanese lunch treats and very good but not excellent coffee. The various bowls are great options, and I can’t name another place in the city that has their variety of fresh onigiri (rice triangles stuffed with meat or veggies in a seaweed tab). Tasty chicken salad sandwiches. I like their syphon coffee for its novelty, but I can’t rank it among the city’s best third-​wave brews and I have to admit that it is expensive. But that’s an acceptable compromise to spend some time in this soothing, creative, beautiful space that makes you pat yourself on the back for living in Montréal.

Absolutely beautiful work space with great coffee.

Falco is the welcome break you need in the middle of your day. Main courses are reasonably priced, tasty and healthy — home-​made pastries are always good, and their coffee delivers.
Don’t go there for monster-​sized servings. The Mile End is full of places that will satisfy your need for that. But if you’re looking for a relaxing atmosphere in a neo-​industrial setting, topped with a tasty Gyu Sobolo-​Don (hope I got it right), then look no further than Falco.

Beautiful siphon coffee — just beautiful. A rare perfect cup in the city.
The open, concrete, warehousey space is nicely designed with a clean, pared down black, white and grey colour scheme and some vintage industrial décor items like old cast iron sewing machines, loved leather chairs and drawing table swivel chairs at a large wooden table in the centre. Also, fab large scale art.
I haven’t yet tried the food, other than a brownie (which was good but it’s hard to go wrong with brownies), but I know I’ll be going back to try it out. Wide open kitchen, and everything looks fresh and clean.
If you’re looking to hang out sipping coffee with your laptop, don’t go at lunchtime — there’s no wifi during lunch and there are no outlets anywhere, so go fully charged when you do go.
Bonus: lots of galleries on the street to also visit.

This place is a feast for your eyes!
Amazing interior (best in town) + great food + syphon coffee (you heard me right!)
Best time of the day to take photos: 3−4pm.

This is one of those cafes you wish you had close to home and could always frequent. I found their prices a little on the high side, but worth it. We had the salad of the day, the salmon and pork onigiris and the beef don. The beef don was unusual with ground beef vs slices of beef but it was good.
Overall the food had great presentation, felt fresh and tasted great. The décor and ambiance was really cool and I felt set Café Falco apart.

This place is just awesome, whether it be a scorching hot summers day or pouring with rain Falco has the best atmosphere to relax in.
Their Japanese rice bowls are very tasty and fresh. I can’t recommend the ginger beef rice bowl enough, soooo yummy.
If you plan on eating there I’d recommend going for brunch as they have a big lunch time rush and your favourite dish can often sell out. Seating is great in there but again at lunch time it gets pretty packed!
They put a lot of time and care into their teas and siphon coffee and it shows.
On top of that the staff are very friendly and always thank you for your business :)

Great ambiance. Very chill, very bright, and even more hipster than cagibi.

Love the atmosphere of this café. Bit pricey, but delicious coffee.

I used to love coming here when I had a studio space on De Gaspe! It’s such a beautiful space. My favorite dish was the tofu bowl with carrots, lentils, and rice. Such a simple dish, but so well done. The onigiri is great there, too.

Sans doute le meilleur café à Montréal.
Un espace agréable pour y faire ce que vous voulez.
Se reposer, travailler, jaser, réfléchir…
Principalement, le café est super.
Par ailleurs, la nourriture aussi.

This place is top notch. Don’t be put off by the location, the it’s a great place to have a meeting with someone, or just get some work done.
The space has an industrial feel that is not uncommon in Japan, but makes it different from other cafes (and refreshing) here in Montréal.
It’s one of the few (only?) places you can get cold-​filter coffee (with the option of maple syrup as a sweetener) in town, which is nice on these hot summer days.
I haven’t tried the food here, but I’ve heard good things. The pastries I have had have all been great.
They have free wifi, but it’s not available during the lunch rush (12pm to 1 or 2pm — I can’t recall exactly).

Impressionnant, le Falco. Perdu au milieu d’un friche industrielle, un spot assez incroyable, très spacieux avec des agencements très sympathiques pour se poser et laisser venir les idées (j’ecris cet avis depuis une chaise hamac avec vue sur la rue). Les produits sont d’une qualité irréprochable et la café préparé au siphon est réalisé avec une adresse rare.
Peut etre un bémol sur un petit côté hype hautain dans une partie du service, mais ce café reste mon gros crush à Montréal. Si seulement on pouvait se permettre de créer d’aussi grands espaces à Paris !

J’y suis arrêté rapidement pour prendre un café à emporté et finalement j’y suis resté happé par cet espace et son soleil d’après-midi hors du commun.
Extrêmement beau décor post-​industriel qui est tout sauf froid. Café siphon servi sans artifice… seul petit bémol: si vous prenez un café au lait, le lait est moussé avec le mousseur Nespresso… je né suis pas fan!

Je n’y ai pas mangé…ce sera pour la prochaine fois c’est certain!

Good coffee doesn’t necessarily need good space… but in most cases they go hand in hand. Café Falco is just a delight to sit in. Spacious, and minimalist but still warm– now that’s a good combination. When I visited it was quiet and calm which provided an ideal environment for me to do some work. However, I did visit an hour before closing time, so I have no doubt that was the reason.
I ordered a large coffee (I was given 2 choices, a small or large) and it was served in a Japanese ceramic cup which was a nice change. I ordered the coffee of the day and it was strong but not overwhelming.
Coffee is brewed with Siphon Coffee Makers or vac pots which I had never seen before and because it was my first time having coffee made that way I can’t really say how it particularly changes the flavor of the coffee. Regardless, the coffee was great.
Didn’t get to try their food (which I hear is really delicious) but they had small snacks like cookies at the counter. Overall, a café that I hope will stay around for a very long time.

Joli café situé dans un grand loft industriel chic, le service est rapide et courtois, on y sert de la bouffe japonaise + du bon café !

Ultra-​nippon dans l’esprit et l’exécution – le personnel est exclusivement japonais. Les plats et soupes du midi sont plus fidèles à ce qui existe réellement à Tokyo que toutes les cantines à pseudo-​sushis qui infestent Montréal. La déco est particulièrement réussie. L’ambiance est relax ou studieuse, selon les heures, mais toujours hipster en maudit :)
Leurs cafés syphon et cold-​drip sont chers mais étonnants.

Niché en bas d’un édifice industriel, le Falco est un secret bien gardé. Ouvert juste en semaine, cette place en vaut le détour. Ce café japonais garde tout l’esprit du pays du Soleil Levant avec une touché très «artsy»,
Des travailleurs autonomes et artistes travaillant dans le coin discutent autour de grandes tables qui invitent à la discussion et à la convivialité.
Allez y faire un tour si vous avez un horaire atypique ou que vous êtes en congé!
Leur café infusé est divin et le service est très courtois!

Very authentic Japanese.

Peaceful, bright and pretty space full of greenery in the middle of a contentious and crumbling cavernous strip of industrial de Gaspe. I didn’t expect to notice the subtlety of the coffee — I guess I suspected I’d swilled way too much to have much sensitivity left — but the layers of flavors did stop me in my tracks. I sat down on the steps in the sun to savor it slowly, and was thankful for the moment of zen.

The industrial Mile End area as I used to know it has changed a fair bit, and to have Café Falco in your backyard is truly a treat for locals. If you are looking for great ambiance this place is fantastic! Beautifully creative yet serene, I love the look of the wood/​white walls/​antique sewing machines/​plants/​photos. I sat at the community table that gives you a great view of the entire layout. It’s definitely a west meets simple Japan-​influenced garden.
Another added bonus: The menu has a Japanese twist to their food! The food is filling (I had a Sandwich au poulet and delicious side salad Cabbage w/​Sesame) and best surprise: homemade onigiri! A serious hard-​to-​find in a commercial café establishment in this city! The only thing I found a bit lackluster is the dessert, the brownie wasn’t worth writing home about, and the other choices didn’t seem special either.
Things I spotted in the café:
— Mid-​Aged First Dates engrossed in a laughter filled convo then joyously agree to take a walk together
— Language Exchange Meeting Russian/​French with English
— 2pm meeting of the Suits
— Moms and Babies taking in a quick bite
— A few twenty-​five-​ish Mac toters sketching away and creatively brainstorming
So be it first date, second date, your makeshift bureau away from home, a getaway for newbie moms, a neutral area to sign on the dotted line, or just need a place to be reflective and absorb some creativity — come check out this place, it’s beautiful.
Can’t tell you when it opens, but it closes at 5pm.

Le Falco is one of the latest additions to Mile End’s ever-​expanding and apparently unstoppable restaurant/​café scene. Tucked out of the way in the Garment District, this is definitely something new for Montréal: it’s got a designer feel, the menu combines sandwiches with rice balls and other Japanese snacks, and the coffee is prepared strictly in Japanese siphons and served in Japanese ceramic cups. On Saturdays, they offer a Japanese brunch, featuring a rice bowl with braised chicken or tofu, du puy lentils, sprouts, grated carrots, and pickled daikon, plus miso soup, coffee, juice, and a muffin (!). Good deal, and fairly tasty too, but I wish the rice bowl had less of a hippy vibe. Maybe I just wish that it had been prepared by Kazu or David Chang.
M. noted that it felt like we were in Vancouver, or maybe Toronto, and I knew what she meant.
Roast on tap was fair trade organic from Kickapoo Coffee.