Man do I have an opinion on this… we’ll preface this by saying I used to go there and hang all the time (the original one on St-Viateur). It was a real vibe. Coffee was great (if you like traditional Italian coffee, that is). It was always packed with so many different types of characters. You’d walk in and always know someone and the baristas took the time to learn your name and order. Real career baristas. They knew practically every regular client by name and order.
Then the coffee scene in Montreal kinda shifted (enter third wave coffee spots) and Olimpico decided to open up a few other spots around town to stay relevant (and make more money I guess?) They changed the look and feel and diluted whatever coolness they had. Is the coffee still decent? Yeah. But it’s definitely become more of a trendy spot over the years. Haven’t been in a looong time. But I’ll admit the shop on St Viateur is still kinda cool in the summer. They have an awesome outdoor space and it’s in a dope area of town.
If you want a traditional Italian coffee in a place that hasn’t changed in forever, you go to Cafe Italia in little Italy.
This tracks. I've liked the coffee from the St-Viateur Cafe Olimpico the few times I've been but I always had a feeling the vibes were slightly manufactured.
Cafe Italia I've only been once but it was incredible.
I'm hoping to be in Montreal for the World Championships this year if work allows, that would be an experience
Unrelated but I need to know your opinion as an Italian Montrealer - is Cafe Olimpico the real deal or just a trendy spot
Man do I have an opinion on this… we’ll preface this by saying I used to go there and hang all the time (the original one on St-Viateur). It was a real vibe. Coffee was great (if you like traditional Italian coffee, that is). It was always packed with so many different types of characters. You’d walk in and always know someone and the baristas took the time to learn your name and order. Real career baristas. They knew practically every regular client by name and order.
Then the coffee scene in Montreal kinda shifted (enter third wave coffee spots) and Olimpico decided to open up a few other spots around town to stay relevant (and make more money I guess?) They changed the look and feel and diluted whatever coolness they had. Is the coffee still decent? Yeah. But it’s definitely become more of a trendy spot over the years. Haven’t been in a looong time. But I’ll admit the shop on St Viateur is still kinda cool in the summer. They have an awesome outdoor space and it’s in a dope area of town.
If you want a traditional Italian coffee in a place that hasn’t changed in forever, you go to Cafe Italia in little Italy.
This tracks. I've liked the coffee from the St-Viateur Cafe Olimpico the few times I've been but I always had a feeling the vibes were slightly manufactured.
Cafe Italia I've only been once but it was incredible.
I'm hoping to be in Montreal for the World Championships this year if work allows, that would be an experience
I hope you make it! let me know if you need any recs for restaurants/cafes/bars or if you wanna go for a ride.
Beautifully written, thank you. Looking forward to seeing this next three weeks of beautiful racing.