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    Café Différance

    4.2 (76 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes, Coffee & Tea
    Closed 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Café Différance Photos

    CAFÉ DIFFÉRANCE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Café Différance

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    Great coffee
    Richard R.

    Café Différance was one of the best coffees we had during our recent visit to Montreal. It was bit of a walk from our hotel to Victoria Square, but well worth it. The shop is pretty small but there is a fair amount of seating. Café Différance has a small selection of baked goods also. We had the sweet brioche and it was so good we went back for seconds. I had an espresso with steamed milk and it was excellent. Café Différance is a great little place and highly recommended.

    White and Dark Chocolate Cookie with Latté!
    Charles N.

    Tucked-in between two other coffee shops in the heart of the financial district, Café Différance stands out like a little giant - mostly because of its amazing staff and impeccable brew. I've had the pleasure of stopping by many early Saturday mornings and tried the punchy Espresso, the smooth Macchiato and my favorite, a creamy and frothy Latté! Annie the friendly Barista explains to me that the secret of the thick and rich foam is to carefuly warm up cold milk to its desired temperature, layer by layer, and not to rush it. As for the perfect espresso shot, you have to get the timing right. Too fast and coffee will be too light. Too long and coffee will taste burnt. Last, acidity has to do with the type of beans... luckily you won't run out of choices as you will find different types of roasts from Phil & Sebastian, Bows & Arrows and 49th Parallel. To accompany your beverage, you have to try one of the fabulous pastries that are baked on premise... ham and cheese scones, blueberry and white chocolate scones, giant chocolate cookies, mini-cup sized brownies and so many other treats. When you have time, stop by for a quick fix with the superior quality you'd expected from an independent coffee shop. Also say hi to young and energetic owner Daniel and the four baristas who are sometimes all there during busy weekday mornings!

    Latte and macchiato
    Doris Z.

    Good atmosphere, nice decor, knowledgeable staffs, tasty coffee with lots of pastries to choose from. Must come if you are in the neighbourhood. The staff didn't ask me the size I wanted for my latte and just got me a large one, when I just wanted a small one...

    Lovely cortado and croissant at café différence
    Grant H.

    As a jaded Plateau dweller, I come to expect garbage from anything south of Rachel, so I was so surprised to find this little diamond in the rough of centre ville. The staff is nice, the drinks are made quick as, and on top of that everything is delicious. The coffee is carefully prepared 49th parallel, which albeit not my favorite roaster, still is pretty bulletproof. The pastries, oh man. We're all going to get fat. Tasty gooey brownie muffins, fluffy crunchy croissants, and plenty of other tasty butter filled options await. Yes I am normally a sucker for places that feel like an old Victorian mansion-cum-coffeehouse replete with comfy couches and books filled with books, but the sleek design ensures that all the corporate drones working next door won't be scared away by anything too different while also being hyper effective at serving happy coffee guzzlers.

    View from the mirror which gives the baristas a front-row look at your facebooking
    Katie R.

    If not for the indie coffee passport I would have never made it down to Differance, but I'm glad I did! Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and tasty coffee, what more to ask for? They're brewing 49th parallel and Phil & Sebastian, all good there. The only downsides - while the place was mostly quiet, rocking out to good music, huge crowds would just pop up from time to time. Also, not much seating, and you essentially sit in front of a big mirror. Best not have anything sensitive or incriminating on your laptop...

    Almond milk latte
    Carolyn T.

    Expertly made coffee at a cafe that is (easily) walkable from downtown and Old Port. A rare bird in Montreal indeed. The cafe itself has this minimalistic-industrial vibe going on befitting its location in the financial/commercial district. I'd say it's more of a place to get your coffee and go rather than a place to settle in and lounge - but that's OK because not all cafes have to look like the house and home section at Anthropologie. One final note: try the chocolate chip cookie =)

    the coffee bar
    Jessica M.

    Though this cafe closes earlier compared to many other cafes in the city, this is a place to visit if you love coffee. It's also a lot smaller than expected, but this makes the cafe much quieter than other places, so if you don't like loud places, this would be a good fit for you. Coffee wise, I'm not the biggest fan of 49th parallel coffee, so I can't say much. If you like it, then you'd be happy to hear that Cafe difference serves coffee from 49th parallel. :D

    Made it: Jumping for joy- cold brew in hand (promise it's in hand, I was just focused on not falling face first, #priorities)
    Diana C.

    So this place was literally a block and a half from the venue of one of my BFFs wedding. Once I found out how close this was I was eager to stop in, and considering the proximity figured I'd have plenty of time to do so. Wrong! I tried like 3 different times but was foiled each time by their hours. However, perseverance has always been high in my vocabulary so I finally made it in! A window of opportunity finally opened up while we were in between hair/makeup and waiting for the limo to take us to the bridal party photo sesh. I seized the oppty and ran with it! (Or literally ran to it). The rest of the bridal party looked at me like I was insane considering we were sitting in the lobby coffee shop, they just didn't get it. But it's ok, it was worth it. By this point we were already 6 hours into our day and I was overdue for my next caffeine bolus. We ran the 2 blocks over in our heels, up do's and long dresses and returned with cold brew in hand plus a little more spring in my step. I was ready to grab our 2 hr photo sesh by the horns! The shop is a minimalist coffee bar offering the basics- espresso based drinks, great quality coffee and cold brew. It was a hot summer day so I opted for the cold brew... It was worth the persistence. The baristas were very friendly and efficient. I only saw I lonely cookie sitting on a tray but I was a bit pressed for time and for their Sunday hours, it was relatively later in the day so that might not be representative of their norm. Worth a visit, will be back!

    Jaime L.

    Great place. They take coffee seriously. This includes excellent coffee, books about coffee, and knowledgeable staff. I had a cappuccino that was as good as any I've had in Montreal. I sat and read The World Atlas of Coffee. When I asked about the varieties of espresso beans they had on display, they said they were dosing one at 16 grams and the other at 18 g.

    a bari serving a cup of coffee
    Rein C.

    Great coffee place making some fantastic espressos. Very busy in the morning! I got a cappuccino and it was made well. Espresso was nutty and strong and the milk was nicely steamed. Close to many downtown attractions

    Raspberry & Peach scone, chocolate chunk cookie, latte
    Tim E.

    What a pleasantly well done Peach & Raspberry scone, crispy outside and just slightly chewy textured inside. Both peach and raspberry hints are represented well. Goes perfectly with this creamy and rich yet simple Latte. If you want to get away from your run-of-the-mill Starbucks, this is several ticks superior at the same cost. Ambience is simplistic, soft background jams, seating at the front window for street view. Nothing less, nothing more.

    Debbie G.

    Hands down one the best coffee shops in Old Port. If you like lattes, do not hesitate to go there. Froth is perfect and coffee tastes great. You won't regret it!

    Cindy Feng Xin L.

    It is a nice little café close to old port and Chinatown, it can get really busy around noon time despite the fact that they don't serve lunch. The rest of time the café is quiet and ideal for students to go studying. The interior decor is a mix of rustic and organic style, adorned by green plants that are particularly nice. The café is bright, so I like it a lot. Their coffee is quite nice, and the price is fair. I would recommend it to everyone.

    Saint Donut!

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    10 years ago

    My coffee was delicious, but my friend did not like hers. The place has a simple modern look. It's overall a good coffee place.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Café Différance Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Café Différance

    49th parallel coffee(Vancouver BC), Phil Sebastian roasters(Calgary Alberta) and Bows & Arrows (Victoria BC) espresso.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Café Lulu - Bagel with cream cheese and salmon

    Café Lulu

    4.6(100 reviews)
    1.5 kmVille-Marie
    $$

    This place was a great find. Close to our hotel and all dishes made from scratch. We had the…read moreveggie omelette and the western one. Service is amazing. The owner very friendly. And it does get crowded but it's worth the wait. The owner keep everyone seated once your food comes. We'll be back!!!

    Our first stop, and first time at Cafe Lulu meant we needed a quick bite. We came in around…read more9:30-9:40 AM and the place was about half full, so it was easy to walk in and order. I liked that they had different items out on display that looked fresh. The menu was in French, but one of the women working there noticed we might need help and asked us what we were looking for. So friendly! She also helped us figure out what was gluten-free / gluten-friendly. We ordered a gluten-free avocado toast with an egg sunny side up (pretty solid) a ham and cheese croissant (they pressed it so it was dense and it was perfect) , and we had originally brought our own coffee in to-go cups, but they transferred it into mugs for us when we stayed. I was worried about an extra charge for doing that, but there was none, which was a nice touch. A couple notes: - They take credit cards - Wi-Fi is available - One weird/practical thing: you can't use a laptop until 3 PM so I wouldn't really come here in the morning if I needed somewhere to work. - They seem to be known for their crêpes, although we didn't try one, so I might come back! The total came out to $19.83 CAD. The tables weren't very clean, but overall, a nice experience and glad that the ambience was quiet and welcoming for the morning.

    Photos
    Café Lulu - Inside

    Inside

    Café Lulu
    Café Lulu - Croissant Jambon et fromage !

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    Croissant Jambon et fromage !

    Tommy - Sorry for the shadow on the bagel & lox.

    Tommy

    4.1(364 reviews)
    0.4 kmVille-Marie
    $$

    Such a lovely cafe in Montreal! The interior is very nice and the vibes here are so chill. There is…read morea decent amount of seating but of course you can always take your order to go. They can be pretty busy so I suggest arriving early. You order your food at the front and pick up your drink on the side. If you're dining in and you've ordered food, they'll give you a number so you can grab a seat and they can bring your food to you. My cappuccino was good. :) We got the Suzy (Avocado Toast with Bacon) and the Aurora (Smoked Salmon Bagel). Both things were delicious and can even be shared if you normally don't eat a big breakfast. The breakfasts we got were around $20 and $22 each. With our one drink and tip, it ended up being over $60 for breakfast at a little cafe, which is slightly more than what I'd normally pay - but perhaps Montreal prices are a little higher? Either way, it was still a nice visit.

    Tommy Café, despite all the hype, was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment for us. The café…read moreitself has an interesting vibe, with quirky bi-level seating and plenty of character, so we were excited to try it. Unfortunately, the food just didn't deliver. The salmon bagel was particularly disappointing and almost inedible. We also tried the spinach and feta scone, but it was quite doughy yet dry, and we couldn't manage more than a few bites. The coffee was decent and the service was fine, but neither was enough to make up for the food. Maybe we simply caught them on an off day, but based on our experience, Tommy didn't quite live up to its reputation. It's a cute yet lively spot to check out for the atmosphere, but I'd go in with tempered expectations when it comes to the food.

    Photos
    Tommy - Seating area

    Seating area

    Tommy
    Tommy - Lavender Latte and Iced Matcha

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    Lavender Latte and Iced Matcha

    Café Différance - cafes - Updated September 2026

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