I love summer. I am a summer girl through and through and I come alive as soon as the snow melts and it starts getting warmer. I thrive when it’s 30 degrees and humid and you will never, ever hear me complain that it’s too hot. I’ve lived in Montreal for 23 years now and every winter I still wonder what I’m doing here in the land of snow and ice. Then summer comes around and Montreal emerges from its icy cocoon and transforms into one of the most magnificent cities to spend the summer in and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
One of my favourite summer indulgences is lingering on a sunny terrasse, iced coffee in hand. Below, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourites.
The reason why these are all more or less in the same neighbourhood of Little Italy/Villeray/Mile End, is because I live and work here and they are the closest when I need a fix and I am in no way saying that there aren’t good ones in other Montreal neighbourhoods. Please share your favourites in the comments below so I can give them a try.
CAFÉ VITO
151 Villeray, Montreal / 514 564 3131 / Daily 6am to 11pm
Cost: $3.00
Iced latte at Café Vito
Vito Azzue has changed the neighbourhood’s ambiance when he set up his tiny café on the flip side of a laundromat on Villeray street. He’s been dishing out his great Italian-style espressi for two years now and shows no sign of slowing down. His iced latte starts by making a miller-full (a miller is the recipient in which the milk is steamed) of lightly sweetened espresso. It’s then poured into a glass jug and refrigerated overnight. The coffee is then transferred to a slushy machine where the constant churning refrigerates the brew and forms ice crystals. A little of this potent mix is then served in a tall glass topped with cold milk for a perfect caffeine-filled drink.
Cafe Vito also sells bottles of cold espresso made fresh when requested, which you can turn into delicious iced lattes at home, poured over some crushed ice and topped with milk.
Note: Café Vito now has a second location in Old Montreal, at 400 de la Commune.
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LA CORNETTERIA
6528 St.Laurent, Montreal / 514 277 8030 / Monday – Saturday: 7am – 6pm, Sunday: 8:30am – 6pm
Cost: regular iced latte $3.50 / with espesso $4.25
Iced latte with espesso foam at La Cornetteria
The iced latte at La Cornetteria involves a Ferran Adria recipe! No joke, keep reading! As owner and barista Alessandro Ficca describes, the process begins with the making of a regular espresso (sweetened to your liking) which is then poured in a shaker with ice and shaken vigorously. The coffee is then poured in a cup over ice and has cold milk added to it. Simple so far but this is where it gets interesting. The iced latte is then topped with espesso, an “edible coffee” recipe developed by Adria for Lavazza (La Cornetteria uses Lavazza coffee beans). The coffee espuma is light and airy and packed with great coffee flavour. You can eat it with a spoon while sipping on your iced latte or stir it in, either way, this iced treat is one of the most unique ones in Montreal and it’s delicious!
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Cost: $4.00
Iced latte at Café Larue & Fils in Villeray
Café Larue’s process is pretty straightforward but the high quality beans and the meticulous care that goes into making each cup of coffee makes this café one of my favourites in the city. The iced latte starts with making one of their fabulous espressi that’s sweetened to your liking. It’s then poured over ice and topped with cold milk. Simple yet deliciously satisfying and refreshing on a hot summer day.
Note: Café Larue now has a second location at 405 Jarry East in Villeray. Also watch for their cute blue coffee truck out on the streets this summer.
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Cost: $2.50
The “perfect storm” at Caffè San Simeon
From hipsters to old regulars who have been going there for years, Caffè San Simeon is a bustling café in the heart of Little Italy and one of my favourite spots to sit and catch up with friends. Their signature iced coffee is the “perfect storm”, which begins with the making of regular, lightly sweetened espressi then placing them in a slushy machine that churns and turns the mix into a crystallized and potent brew. A little bit of this mélange is then poured into a short “old school” glass and topped with warm, perfectly frothed micro milk foam that creates a “perfect storm” inside the glass. Perfetto!
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Cost: white iced coffee $4.00 / affogato $5.50
Cold brew from Dispatch Coffee
The Dispatch Coffee truck and its owner and operator Chrissy Durcak serve up one of my favourite lattes in the city made from beans roasted by Brooklyn-based Parlor Coffee. This summer, they have perfected their cold brew for us all to enjoy. You can order it in either “black” or “white” format. The black is diluted with water while the white is diluted with milk. They also sell a version of an affogato, the Italian dessert which consists of pouring a hot espresso over vanilla ice cream. The Dispatch ice cream is made from condensed milk, chicory and coffee – the trifecta of a Vietnamese coffee – over which they pull a shot of espresso.
Note: Dispatch bottles and sells its cold brew in concentrate format for you to enjoy at home.
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Cost: $2.00
Iced coffee at Café Myriade, Mile End
Café Myriade was one of the very first third wave coffees to open in Montreal. I visited their second location inside the Savoie et Fils store on St Viateur in the Mile End neighbourhood for a glass of their cold brew, which is steeped for 12 hours. Poured over ice, the coffee is acidic and complex and carries fruity undertones with a slight earthy finale. However, if you order an iced latte at Myriade, it will be made by pouring their excellent espresso over ice and adding milk.
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Cost: $3.00
Iced latte at Café Olimpico
An institution in Montreal, Café Olimpico is the gathering ground for Mile End hipsters and true Italian coffee aficionados. Their iced latte are made the Italian way, by making a slightly sweetened, espresso-based slush and adding cold milk to it. It’s a little too sweet for my taste but it certainly is refreshing and the people watching on the sunny terrasse is worth stopping by this popular spot. For something different, give their café crema – a frozen “coffee sorbet” – a try.
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Cost: $4.25
Iced coffee at Melbourne
Black or white is the question at Melbourne, a small, bare-bone spot owned and operated by Xavier and Gus, two Australian ex-pats who have recently set up shop in Montreal. The iced latte starts with a fresh espresso that’s poured over ice and topped with cold milk (white) or cold water (black). It’s a simple, refreshing iced treat and perfect for those who prefer a milder drink.
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Cost: $3.45
Iced coffee at Hof Kelsten
The Hof Kelsten bakery puts as much thought and precision into making its cold brew as it does into making its excellent breads and pastries. The single origin beans used to make the brew are roasted by Brooklyn-based Parlor Coffee and used shortly after. They are steeped for 14 hours, filtered then served over ice. Hof Kelsten also offers iced latte made with espresso poured over ice and topped with cold milk.
