Café Bloc — Local services in Montreal

We’re on vacation in Montreal from Portland OR. Our family is member of a climbing gym in Portland where my husband climbs with our two kids all the time. During a rainy spell, we decided to come here to get some activity. Though minors as young as 8 are allowed with people climbing with them, the first person tried to discourage us from climbing.. saying the holds aren’t spaced for children. We told him our kids always climb in a regular adult gym and didn’t need anything special. According to club Bloc’s website, children are permitted to enter and supposedly “welcomed” if the supervision ratios are adhered to. The man finally and begrudgingly allowed us to start filling out the paperwork. A minute into this process, a manager came over and tried to further talk us out of coming in, saying that we would both have to pay and each supervise one child (I was going to sit in the cafe while my husband climbed with our kids), even though their website clearly states one adult can supervise 2 children over the age of 8. When my husband asked “you have minors prices listed on your sign right there, don’t you ever actually have children coming in?” She said “no we never have any children.” She was so rude about it and completely unwelcoming that we left. I was honestly shocked at how clearly she was trying to get us to leave… the vibe was absolutely one of “we don’t want you people in here”… even though Minors are not only allowed but supposedly welcomed according to their website. Stay away from this place travelers and families. Shame on this manager for lying about the business policy and being so...

UPDATE: I was contacted by the manager of Café Bloc, who explained the situation and apologized for his staff's behaviour, even offering a free visit next time I'm in town. He did not try to excuse his staff's actions or disregard my experience, and assured that my next visit would showcase his team's kindness, which is a positive sign. I look forward to coming back to Café Bloc in the future and seeing if they follow up on promises. Will not up rating because the visit was still upsetting, but great customer service with the manager.

OG: Visiting Montreal for the first time, and was very excited to climb here. Facility is very nice, really great routesetting and good variety of problems.

I was, however, very put off by the service. Upon walking in with my partner, front desk people were very cold to us—the girl who checked us in acted annoyed with us and overall we felt very unwelcome. We also ordered two coffees shortly after checking in and the other staff member working there rolled his eyes when we ordered and just was not friendly, nor did he try to be.

Maybe it was the miserable weather and the winter blues, but I was quite disappointed with how they treated us here. I hope to come back with friends in the summer, as it is a really cool spot if you’re not from around here.

We came in around 3:45pm, was pretty packed but didn’t feel like I had any problems getting...

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Café Bloc for making my short trip to Montréal (Fri–Mon for a friend’s birthday) so unforgettable. From the start, the vibe was so warm and welcoming— the staff were incredibly kind, and the community made it so easy to connect, talk, and share the experience.

The route setting was creative and fun, with challenges that kept me smiling the whole way through. I also really appreciated the variety of footwear and applications available— honestly, way beyond what I’m used to at my home gym.

There was one staff member in particular who stood out: she was dressed in white, had short hair, tattoos, and a nose piercing. She went above and beyond helping me with beginner footwear, giving solid advice, and patiently going back and forth to get the right sizes. I felt bad for making her run around so much, but she did it with such kindness, and it really made a difference in my experience. I wish I had caught her name so I could thank her properly.

This was my very first time here, and I can genuinely say it was one of the highlights of my trip. I’ll definitely be back in the future— Café Bloc has set the bar so high for what a climbing community should feel like. Thank you again for...