Le Couteau

Le café du Couteau est très bon et l’endroit sympa, la décoration est épurée, meublée de tables et bancs en bois, parfait pour travailler ou discuter autour d’un café mais pas assez «confortable» pour s’y installer avec un bouquin ou pour simplement regarder les gens qui passent durant des heures, de plus la connexion internet n’est pas des meilleures donc si on veut s’y poser pour travailler avec son ordinateur, il né faut pas trop y compter.

Excellent coffee + a nice space to work or have a meeting.
First things first, the coffee is wonderful. It’s on the pricey side ($ 5+) but it is excellent. I read somewhere that they apparently have one of the most expensive coffee machines in the city. Although it’s not my favourite coffee in the city, it’s definitely is up there.
I regularly come here for business meetings. I find the elegant but impersonal space makes for a good meeting spot. Generally, it’s not too loud or too packed as well, which makes it easier to work or have a conversation. Most people here are already on their laptops.
If your in the area, this is definitely one of the best coffees you’ll get.

Chouette endroit situé dans sur le Plateau Mont-​Royal. L’endroit est spacieux, il y a de longues tables en bois avec prises pour y travailler avec son laptop. Mais aussi des petits bancs pour y lire son livre ou papoter entre copines.
Le café est très bon et bien préparé. L’endroit est accueillant, design et la musique très sympa. Le WiFi est disponible gratuitement.

When I enter a coffee shop, what matters to me the most is the taste and smell of the coffee beans when the espresso is made and the way steamed frothed milk at an adequate temperature is poured over it. I tried an x-​hot latte and flat white over here.
An obvious way of telling if you are given a good flat white is how much of the milk has merged seamlessly with the crema to form an even dusky orange swirl. I knew that the barista is a well-​trained one, because of the coloration of the milk he «free-​poured» from the jug over the espresso.
I will be back from time to time to get my desired double-​shot latte or flat white. The café shop is located in the plateau area where parking spots are a pain in the neck. So I don’t think it’s a place I visit often especially during the winter.

Good coffee and a very European feeling vibe. The hot chocolate was some of the most interesting hot chocolate I’ve ever tried. Sit outside for a nice view.

Had a great coffee and a tasty biscuit whilst shattering from the rain. Atmosphere is good and there is decent wifi. Lots of space inside too as well as a terrace.

Best coffee I’ve ever had. The cold brew is amazing. Fabulous atmosphere and the service is superb. Attention to detail is their motto. The menu is just a guide. They will custom make whatever type of coffee or tea you want. Well worth going out of your way for.

Yet another place to get great coffee in the Plateau. Were it not more convenient for me to live downtown for other reasons, I would have found myself a place in café paradise (a.k.a., the Plateau), instead of hoofing it all the way from the bottom of the hill when I want a good cup of coffee.
My almond milk latte was perfectly balanced and smooth — a very good drink — but there was nothing «special» about it either. It kind of mirrored the décor, which is almost ascetic in its design with minimalistic wooden benches and tables and cactus centrepieces.
Having said all that, would I come back? Yes.

My favourite coffee shop. I left Montréal about a year ago, but I still think about this place all the time. Every time I visit, I make as many trips there as possible. Their coffee is impeccable — every single cup. The hot drinks are the right temperature, never burnt. The cold drinks are properly chilled and never watery. The staff has no air of pretension but an unbreakable attention to detail. The décor is clean, the café is well lit and everything feels warm and inviting. The washrooms are always clean. Immaculate. You’ve set the bar so high, I have no idea where to buy coffee in Ontario (as seems to be the case with many of life’s pleasures after several years in Montréal).

La combinaison «excellent café», «excellent service» et «bel espace» en fait un des meilleurs cafés pour jaser, se changer les idées et travailler (légèrement). La terrasse à l’avant est appréciée, mais de la verdure la rendrait plus attrayante.

Just checked this place out the other day and can’t believe I’d never noticed it before! It’s hip, it’s cool and it’s got the most comfortable uncomfortable wooden bench seating one could ever hope for. I do very much enjoy the low coffee table type seating setup mixed with the wide wooden table family dinner type setup, and the coffee is really good (I’m picky, too). I did have a little bit of a wait for my order, which wasn’t that big of a deal but when you’re sitting around waiting for someone who’s late to join you, it’s kind of nice to just get your coffee sooner than later. It IS a great meeting spot for a quick catch up OR a good place to sit solo with your laptop and meetup online. Not sure I’d recommend it as a computation station for all you café office types since the noise level can get a bit much, but the fresh and open décor does make for a peaceful visual space if you do need some focus. Oh, and before I forget: BEST MUFFINS of life.

Since I stumbled into Montréal 7 months ago, I’ve been on a quest to find the best café in the city — a delicate balancing act between quiet cozy-​hip ambiance, stellar service, great pastries and transcendent coffee. I may just have found it at Le Couteau.
The café itself is somehow both airy and earthy. Grab a seat by the window and bask in that lovely light, watch the people pass on St. Denis and snicker at their envious glances. The music is low, and there’s a pleasant chatter — great for reading or brunch. The cashiers are lovely, putting up with my halting French and switching fluidly to English when needed.
I got a gluten-​free brownie, which was amazing — teetering between fudgey and cakey, and intensely chocolatey throughout. The coffee — oh man — is like liquid gold. It has a bold, nutty-​acidic front, but without the usual sour back end I’d come to expect.
Get a cappuccino with almond milk, which mellows the kick nicely. A bit pricey, but worth it even for a broke student like me.
Seriously, I hesitated writing this review because this place is so good that I’m not even sure I want to share. This review is a true act of altruism, fellow Unilocalers. Don’t let it be in vain.

On a sunny Saturday morning, drawn in by a giant knife painted on the wall, I stumbled into Café Couteau located on St-​Denis, one block north of Mont-​Royal street.
As you enter, a bright, aesthetic and immaculate (almost too surgically clean) space opens up in front of you accented by the warm tones of wooden tables and benches, tactfully laid out, lacing along the window sills of this deceptively spacious locale!
Owner Chris Capell really put a lot of thoughtfulness in the design of this café — a great place for you to sit, relax, read on your own or converse amicably with neighboring patrons.
A tad bit more pricey than your other neighborhood cafés, you will find a great cup of coffee that fits your taste. If you’re a tea amateur, need not to worry, there’s a nice selection to choose from. One item that stands out is the old fashioned hot cocoa that is made from two ounces of 65% dark chocolate originating from Vietnam and milk from our local bovine friends of course! Café Couteau hot brews are made from delightfully roasted beans from 49^th Parallel, sensual Camellia Sinensis tea leaves while the simply lustful sweets are brought to us from local pastry institutions including:
Arhoma: Eye-​popping Viennoiseries and Cookies
Mi & Stu: Gluten-​free, tasty and not grainy sweets
Carrement Tartes: Salty and Sweet Mini-​Pies
Godley & Crème: Reputable and sizeable Scones
Kid friendly, you will sometimes bump you into young ‘Plateau’ couples who tag along their 1.5 kids/​babies to meet other parents or friends for a merry time!
When asked what inspired the name of the café, I was told that Chris likes to use the back end of a butter knife to even out coffee from the filter basket holder… Huh would have thought about that?

This place has to be one of the best coffee shops in town. The quality of the coffee is impeccable just as the cozy atmosphere and design of the space.
I recommend this place to coffee enthusiasts as it offers several brewing methods such as Siphon. The tea selection is also quite impressive.

there’s really nothing for me to say. its been already said. my cappuccino was one velvety heavenly coffee! a slight perceptible bitterness but no after taste nor anything too strong so your face won’t do its best grimace impression.
place is spaciously clean but it lacks personality. there’s no charm to it. its pretty boring. but to go is there for a reason.
its about $ 1 pricier but hey, it is what it is.
and very clean toilet! there’s even a bench to sit on by the toilet in case there’s a lineup.
did i say the coffee is criminally smooth? michael jackson would be proud!

Excellent coffee, attractive and comfortable décor, power for your laptop! Seriously the BEST café in Montréal.

Very expensive price to pay for a cup of burnt coffee. Décor along the usual hipster café vibe.

VERY good café allongé. It always knocks my socks off. I would rate it among the best in the city.
The balcony reminds me of a real parisian café: it’s a good place to sit and watch the world go by.
Service is polite and efficient.

Nouvel arrêt caféiné pour moi à proximité du métro mont-​royal. Ce café est tout de blanc vêtu et dipose d’un mobilier en bois. On y retrouve des murs en briques comme je les aime! Des tables équipées de bancs invitent les blogueurs et autres travailleurs sur ordinateur à prendre place et bosser avec acharnement. D’ autres petites tables basses disséminées dans la salle invitent quant à elles à chiller entre amis et déguster des délicieux breuvages à base de caféine ou de théine. Il y a également une terrasse qui donne sur saint denis pour profirer des rayons de soleil de l’été.
L’espace esr vraiment beau et classe! L’agencement du café a est vrai me bien pensé. Ni trop, ni trop peu, juste ce qu’il faut pour se sentir bien et à son aise pour profiter! Le personnel est aimable et très sympathique!
Pour les petites faims, il y a des pâtisseries de chez sweet lee. Des sachets de café «parallel» sont aussi en vente pour ceux qui veulent faire leur café à la maison.
Agréable moment! Très bon latte glacé et scones bacon-​patates douces… Mmmmmmhhhhh à refaire!

Nueva puntuación: 5 estrellas. ¿Por qué? Porque… ¡ya tienen leche de almendra! Chapeau!

One of my favorite things about this place is how perfectly it is laid out for either doing work or sitting and chatting or knitting, or reading a novel, or having a meeting. Whatever. There are a few large, solid work tables with benches that totally give you the feeling of getting down to serious business. On a weekday morning, you’ll likely find those full of industrious folks getting caffeinated and typing away busily. That’s where I usually find myself. But you’ll also notice lower tables and benches with window seats (lovely) in the light, airy, open mainspace. There’s also a cute little nook that is more shadowy. There are also bar height seats toward the back. I know it seems weird to say, but the varying structures and tones of hangout space is so aesthetically pleasing.
I’ve always been one to vastly prefer the whimsical, colorful, flea market, repurposed wood, low lit decorations that usually adorn independent coffeehouses, but the clean, fresh, white interior of this place makes my insides sigh with something that may be kin to relief?
Okay, on to the main stuff. Coffee is fabulous. I’m not crazy about the $.75 charge on soy (I mean, what is this, the early 2000’s?) but that’s my only complaint. It is well worth shelling out the bucks for a latte. The main treat is the croissants. Seriously. Eat one of their chocolatines and tell me if you’re not instantly having the best day ever.
Reliable free wireless. Nice staff and good service. Outdoor seating (which, you know, one day will be useful again…) Clean restrooms. Good music. Pretty much all you need for a perfect coffeeshop outing.

Très beau café avec une ambiance sympa par contre les cafés sont horriblement chers (même s’ils sont très bons et de qualité, le prix est tout de même exagéré). en plus, les produits à grignoter sont peu nombreux et pas très originaux dommage !

Unilocal, you have found me another oasis in this city, a place that I’m eager to call my very own shrine to caffeination. I’d passed Le Couteau a few times without giving it a second thought, but after seeing the lovely Risa D.‘s enthusiastic review, I knew I had to give it a try. And I’m eternally thankful.
First, it’s a beautiful spot. I tucked in here at 4pm on a Monday, and the joint was hopping, in a serene, MacBook-​Pro-​filled way. Every seat was taken save one on a communal bench, and even then it was a squeeze. But it was a sun-​filled, warm hardwood furniture, stainless steel and clean white wall kind of squeeze. The ambiance was just what I was looking for: not so cozy as to fall asleep and get no work done, not so clinical as to feel cold and uncomfortable, just the right mix.
I ordered the latte and was caught off-​guard that the price was over $ 5, as others have mentioned, but it was a superb latte. And really, the difference between shelling out $ 3.50 and $ 5 is not that much when it comes to the end of the day. I came here after getting a famous $ 7 haircut at Tornade a few doors down, so I feel like I broke even for the day, or even came out ahead.
Le Couteau is in sort of a dead zone between Laurier and Mont-​Royal metros, but is a worthwhile destination in and of itself. I may need to start setting aside money specifically for this, because I absolutely want to come here more often than just when I get a haircut.

Décor intéressant: un peu minimaliste, mais le bois donne un âme à l’endroit. Le manqué de confort des chaises et de propositions de nourriture substentielles font en sorte qu’on né voudra pas y séjourner trop longtemps. C’est vraiment un bar à café. Le service était sympathique. Par contre, le café m’a déçu. J’ai demandé un espresso court, mais ce qu’on m’a servi ressemblait plus à un allongé qui était un peu fade et acide. J’avais entendu des bonnes choses sur cet endroit (voir la grande quantitée d’évaluations positives en anglais entre autres). Peut-​être que je suis mal tombé et que je devrais tenter ma chance une deuxième fois…

I had never paid more than five dollars for a standard latte before I ordered one here. So I didn’t really pay attention when the barista told me what to pay, and then it got awkward when I handed her a five-​dollar bill and waited expectantly for change. I mention this first because crossing the five-​dollar line will be a deal-​breaker for some.
But if it’s not, this is among the best places in the city to have coffee. I prefer Pikolo for the slight astringency in their espresso, but that’s just me being idiosyncratic. The owner is welcoming, all smiles. He had me wondering if I looked particularly good that day, or (more likely) he just had a sunny disposition.
The seating area is engineered to segregate laptop workers from casual chatters. There are counters with tall stools and large work tables with ample power outlets for the former, interspersed with lounge-​like zones of chairs surrounding low tables for the latter.
The space itself is beautiful. Spend a few hours in there and you’ll watch every spare minute being used to buff the counters and fixtures to a sparkle. Even the bathrooms shine; they are the largest and cleanest I’ve seen in a Montréal café.

Points positifs: Le staff, tellement gentil et sympa, si ce n’était que d’eux je donnerais un gros 5 étoiles. Le café de 49^th Parallel aussi, je pourrais en boire jusqu’à la fin de ma vie et être la plus comblée des femmes.
Points négatifs: Je suis arrivée dans l’idée de déjeuner, j’avais une très grosse faim. Mais j’ai réalisé à mes dépends qu’ici, c’est presqu’exclusivement une place de café. Oui ils ont quelques viennoiseries du genre muffins et croissants, mais j’aime ça les endroits qui proposent un menu originaux pour accompagner leurs boissons chaudes, ça rajoute un charme de plus, un attachement à l’endroit en particulier (ou peut-​être aussi que le fait que j’aille vraiment faim ait accentué ma déception, ha!) Mais parce que tsé, du 49^th Parallel je peux en trouver dans d’autres cafés de Montréal. Les viennoiseries de Sweet Lee’s bakery et Almond butterfly aussi. Il manquait un petit je-​né-​sais-​quoi.
L’endroit est grand, c’est parfait pour prendre un café avec des amis ou étudier, y’a le wifi et de la musique cute. Mais n’y allez pas si vous avez faim :)

Great little spot on the Plateau that is reminiscent of Revolver in Vancouver. I love the minimalist décor (wood floors and tables, not too much crap on the walls) and the chillaxed vibe. The café is small and intimate, but has a great little terrace out front for those warm summer days. An extra perk for me is that they use 49^th Parallel coffee, which I really enjoy.
They make a mean latté that’s quite rich, velvety and perfectly flavorful. Yum! My only negative comment is that they overcharge for their lattés — it cost me $ 6.50 for a regular bowl, whereas other places are about a dollar less.
Definitely one of my new favorite places. Check it out!

What can I say, a perfect lovely spot with perfect coffee. I was walking past it with a friend and she told me after that just as she was about to say «Damn I need another coffee and we’re in a coffee wasteland» I said: «Couteau?» Upon sipping the lovely latte and seeing my solo batch filter coffee get made to perfection with a smile and a laugh and fresh ground daily grains en vedette she immediately considered texting nearby friends in need of caffeination information… but then thought better of it and for that moment at least we kept the sweet sipping secret to ourselves…
Spotted: super social media guru, breathing in deeply, agreeing with me at the counter that this is in fact a version of heaven…

Un café qui sert les grains de 49^th Parallel né passé pas inaperçu pour moi parce que c’est une de mes marques favorites. Je trouve que les cafés qui sont fait avec, surtout les lattes, goûte le pain d’épice et j’aimmmmmeeee ça! Je suis allée visiter Le Couteau une des premières journées fraîches de cette automne et j’ai bien aimé. Le décor est simple, très zen et fait pour un bon espace de travail ou de rencontre. Il n’y a pas beaucoup de grandes tables, mais plutôt plusieurs tables à café et je trouve que ça porte à relaxer au lieu de travailler, et ça fait du bien. On penserait donc que je devrais donner une cote plus haute à ce café, non? Ce qui m’a déplait, c’est le coût du café. Pour un latte, ça été plus de 5 $ pour une tasse. Sachant que je peux trouver la même chose exactement au Myriade pour 1 $ de moins, ce qui équivaut à 20% moins cher, ça me brise le coeur parce que le café est bon, mais j’ai l’impression de me faire avoir tellement il est cher en comparaison aux autres endroits qui font des cafés d’aussi bonne qualité avec les mêmes grains!

Beau café tendance, bon latte + croissant/​expresso