Ém Cafe

We used to really love this place. A few years ago it would be packed for weekend brunch, now it’s not even close to full on a Sunday morning. We’ve gone there about 3 times in the past year and it’s been a disappointment every time. The food tastes stale & flavourless and to add insult to injury, the prices went up. The service is hit or miss.
This was probably the biggest miss: my husband stopped by for a latte to-​go and the server got the milk so hot it was way too hot to drink and there was no foam. When he asked her to make another one, she seemed offended that he questioned her barista skills and said «that’s how clients like it.»
The food is just barely edible and we remember how good it used to be, which is why we went back 2 more times after the first bad experience, but I think we’re done giving chances. I heard that there was a change in ownership so I guess that explains it.

It is a perfect café for someone who wants to study or get work done, the café is clean and quiet. They play slow music makes it easy to focus on your work.
The waiters are very nice and make you feel welcomed. I’m giving them 4 stars because of the limited choices of sweet. I wish they add more choices of desserts.

Ça m’a pris plusieurs visites avant de me faire un avis sur l’endroit. 3 ou 4 étoiles? Ce sont les 4 étoiles qui l’emportent à cause du service sympathique, de la grandeur spacieuse qui fait qu’il y a toujours de la place, des expositions intéressantes qui décorent les murs et de l’accès facile pour les familles (table à langer, chaises hautes, coin sofa /​lecture au fond). Ma principale réserve est le menu assez convenu, surtout pour le déjeuner. Pas mauvais, plutôt «plate» — pour quelqu’un comme moi qui aime manger au resto quelque chose de différent par rapport à la maison. C’est néanmoins un excellent endroit pour venir travailler (wifi gratuit), manger en groupe ou en famille, ou prendre un café avec un bon livre ou un journal, dans un quartier très agréable à arpenter. Comme j’y reviens encore et encore, meme si c’est à une trentaine de minutes de chez moi, force est de constater que «yay, I’m a fan!»

I thought I had already reviewed café Em but I guess not. Day after day, week after week, year after year, I keep trying to love Em café but guys!!! I keep getting let down. I love the hours, the location, the staff, the music, the ambiance, the portions and mostly I LOVE the menu (simple, easy to please anyone and seemingly fresh) but holy moly guacamole I think the food is cooked by a 4-​year-​old. Bad bad bad. So bad. So sad. Every time I come. And I keep coming back pretending it was just my imagination but I’m sitting here now for breakfast and the two bacon slabs on my plate are actually raw. Raw. Anything on the menu that is decent is because it’s from a package or a can (smoked salmon, cottage cheese). And who wants to pay so much for that when you can have it at home? I’ve actually never had their pastries but they definitely look like they’ve been sitting a while. Please please Em– get it together so I can love you up, you have everything else together, why can’t you get the cook together?

Le cadre de cette place est très étudiant donc doit être très agréable en semaine. Par contre pour un brunch du dimanche c’est un cadre plutôt étrange. Les assiettes étaient bien remplies par contre le service était assez absent et non automatique de la part de la serveuse.

I had a bad experience here with the service and food. It’s not bad but it’s not good either. I don’t recommend this place at all.

Nice café. Good atmosphere and décor. Friendly staff. Nice café, though not my favourite in the area.

Avoid this place if you are looking for yummy food. Reasons to go: free wifi, big enough they won’t kick you out. Looks are deceiving here– it’s clean and bright and big– but that’s about it.

The décor, ambience, and comfort would be about 4 stars for this place and I would definitely come here again if I needed somewhere to do work and not have blaring music (which indie coffee shops often do). The high ceilings help make it seem larger than it is, and it’s already quite spacious.
They have plugs and free wifi and the staff let us work there for about 4 hours without giving us a hassle. Since the place is so big, we weren’t taking up space for others.
However, their coffee is lackluster, but not as bad the brunch I had. I am mostly gluten free, but definitely wheat free. I ordered the poached eggs (because their hollandaise had wheat), with yogurt and granola and fresh fruit.
«.oeufs pochés avec fromage cottage ou yaourt, granola maison, fruits frais, pain 8 céréales»
I asked for no bread and after some discussion, the waiter said she will give me more fruit in place of the bread. I mean, I understand bread is cheap, but gluten-​free is common nowadays, I can’t be expected to pay full price for something that is exchangeable.
The poached egg (s) were in a ramekin which made me pretty suspicious of them being made in a microwave, especially considering their consistency — hardly runny yolk and tough whites. Rookie mistake a resto should not be making. The fruit was ok, seemed a bit basic, and would have preferred local in-​season fruit. It is August after all.
The granola was also meh.
My friend had the same thing, so I can’t comment on the other food, but by this I probably won’t be having food there again. Although maybe…

Really great food for an affordable price. I’ve had the Em burger and the Em sandwich and both were amazing with the goat cheese on them. I wish more places had goat cheese on sandwiches :)

I went with a friend last Saturday. When you enter the place, it’s full. It’s like a cafeteria (but much nicer!). That’s what I like about IT’s ALIVE! You’ll see groups of 5, 10 people right in the middle, a couple of parents with newborns and friends chatting.
The service is really nice and the coffee is «à volonté». You have a lot of choice for the brunch that goes from 7 $ to 12 $. The portion are generous and the food and is a quality/​price. It’s also open on weekdays pretty late. You can bring your own wine and beer. Why not try it this weekend?

Five stars for the space and the atmosphere: light, airy, modern. Also: free wifi.
One star for the coffee, which is nothing short of terrible.

Lovely atmosphere, good coffee. I go there pretty often to work on my computer because they have free wi-​fi and let you sit there for a while. Can get busy at lunch time. Have good food, especially the vegan burger.

EM Café opened two years ago and was a hit from the start, mainly because the décor is breezy and effortless. It’s got tall ceilings, white walls showcasing local artists, and a big table in the middle for communal eating or large groups. The food itself is pretty basic, although recently there’s been a dip in quality of some of the food (potatoes are getting complaints). Sandwiches, omelettes, and french toast are all pretty good and portions are decent (not huge, but decent).
It’s become something of a fixed hangout in the Mile End, which is saying a lot because Parc Avenue has this reputation of killing every establishment that tries to thrive within the first 6 months.

We were surprised at 1pm to be told that the did not serve lunch before 2pm, so we had to eat a second breakfast (we had reserved specifically for lunch but weren’t advised of this).
The waiters seemed to have tunnel vision and service was pretty slow, but to their defense today was mother’s day, so the service may be better at other times. Overall, food was very good and the price is right; we were thus not completely disapointed.
Also smaller groups were served faster, so definitely not group-​friendly.
Couples and smaller tables were served faster, so definitely not group-​friendly.