The Montreal downtown core or the Golden Square Mile as some people like to call it is lacking quality brunch spots. You have a mix of chain and some scattered spots here and there but the area oddly enough needs development in terms of more quality places offering brunch. Now Café Parvis opened late last winter and did not do brunch at first but a few months after opening, they started offering brunch on the menu. Now if you don’t know where Café Parvis is, then head down to Mayor street and look for the funky little café next to Furco, duck in for a coffee and a bite and you will soon be adding it to your list of downtown places for go to.

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Ma’tine is a new discovery on the brunch scene, located in the gay village. We were excited to check out this new brunch spot that brings some brunch muscle outside of the usual Plateau and Mile End areas. Early buzz on Ma’tine was that it was a fresh new take on brunch, with the original team that made Micro Resto la Famille one of our favourite spots. The Daniel-Six brothers (Jérémy and Maxime) have been making waves everywhere they go and all you need to do is try their food and you will understand why.

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Jean Talon market is a magical, almost romantic, place; on sunny days strolling from stall to stall getting some fresh fruits and vegetables, checking out various stalls for all your culinary needs. It’s one of my favourite places to bring people who come in from out of town. As you stroll around, you might want to add something else that is magical and ever so representative of Montreal… and that would be brunch. . (more…)

Cardinal tea room is a newcomer to the scene. Connected to Sparrow, which has been serving brunch for a few years now, this 2 floor old-style gem has that laid back feel with ample natural lighting and a more relaxed ambiance for brunching. Cardinal tea room has that British imperial style to it and, nothing says England like tea and cookies. The interior has two lovely floors flooded with natural light, bookshelves, a piano, a chalkboard, a steamer trunk and all those old style items that really make for quite the experience.

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Over on St Denis is Festin de Babette, a place that when you step into, you get transported to Paris. With items that have that oh-so-French look and feel, you think you are no longer in Montreal. (more…)

The 411 The hangover brunch: you know what I’m talking about. Last night was fun, maybe a little too fun… So you wake up in the morning with a headache that would stop a charging rhino dead in its tracks. Since you don’t have one of those miracle IV drips that fix hangovers you have to reply on 2 things can make your hangover go away: one of them is brunch and the other is more alcohol. Yes, the reason we invented bloody maries, caesars and mimosas was for this very moment. To make your weekend brunch extra boozy and help suppress those memories of dancing on the table the night before with a random stranger you spent all night with, Suwu finds its niche. (more…)

The 411 The East End has traditionally been an issue for me. Brunch places tend to be only your standard eggs and bacon spot; nothing fancy or healthy just the usual spots with menus that don’t inspire. But now, there is a bright light in the East and that beacon comes from Masson street. Here, you will find new brunch spots popping up that aren’t your everyday standard fare. (more…)

The 411 Westmount is not known for many places to eat, let alone have brunch. I think one of the main reasons is that there is really a few small sections that are not residential areas. Interestingly, Brasserie Central took over a previous spot we reviewed a while ago so we were familiar with the area. (more…)

The 411 Café Sardine is a place I have been to for dinner on a few occasions. I always enjoyed their menu and especially the décor. It has a tapas style dinner menu and some interesting combinations. It was one of those places that I always wondered what brunch would be like there.

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The 411 Over on Fairmount, you will find Arts Café. It’s been there for years. I’ve passed by it many times without ever having the time to try it out. One evening, I was cornered by 2 friends saying that I never went to brunch with them. I felt guilty and scared for my life a little so we decided to do brunch and one of them had heard about Art Café so I figured it was finally time to give it a try.

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