Clarke Café (PSC) — Restaurant in Montreal

I wish I could give half points, I don't generally give out five stars liberally but four feels too low for this caliber food. However, in this case, I sided on the lower end because my friend ordered a sandwich with hot peppers and he got a hot pepper stem in his first two bites, and I ordered one with pickles and eggplant but somehow got a couple hot peppers in my sandwich too (!), so someone was a little sloppy prepping our food! That being said the bread was the best part, followed closely by the coffee and the sandwiches themselves.

The place has a lot of hype and is deserving of its current 4.8 rating however I'm not a fan of the order counter, lack of space for a line to form and the general vibe is a little chaotic. You feel rushed by the staff and on a previous visit I was treated rudely by a staff member because my group didn't hear our name called when our order was ready -the blame shouldn't be on us for that, the restaurant was crowded and loud and other places will take the 10 seconds it takes to bring your food to your table when they know your eating in. It's run with a take it or leave it attitude, it's somehow up to the customers to know how things work, where to line up, what to do with their dishes or what toppings to pick, even if the menu isn't descriptive, if it's their first time there and even if the pick up area wasn't explained to them at the cash. Hype culture in the Pointe, at its finest! :)

TLDR: Good coffee, good sandwiches. Don't make small talk or expect friendly staff if there's a rush of people. Singer sewing machine sink. Will continue to return because the...

One of us was hungover, it was time to go back to Toronto, and we have to lug our luggage in the rain.

First meal of the day!

This café was near our Airbnb, so we had it saved to go on our last day before our train leaves. It was relatively empty when we came in, around 1130. Design is so nice, so spacious and so aesthetic. It gave the vibe of a classic diner, but with their use of Green and cream colors, it gave a very modern and comforting twist.

As usual in Montreal, the cashier will go “bonjour hello”, and you pick which language you want to continue. There’s a small menu in front of her the list of the sandwiches available. The sandwich bases are all the same, it’s mostly the meat you choose, and two toppings.

I chose the Fantino and cannot recommend it more. It’s SO good. In fact, I boast to get my exact sandwich, fantino with sundried tomatos and their hot sauce. TRUST MEEEE

I am salivating thinking of it like it was that good.

One thing I notice is all Montreal cafes have merch. It’s cute too. There’s plenty of seating and you can just sit there in their comfy chairs for hours to be honest. Their coffee was great as well :)

If I’m in Montreal again I will definitely be...

My husband and I love the Clarke Café. Ever since we discovered its existence one of us goes there to grab sandwiches for lunch at least once every couple of weeks. Our comparison points are Pasta Casareccia in NDG which is much closer to us (amazing lasagna and other prepared foods, only ok sandwiches) and Bossa in Verdun (really good Italian sandwiches but fancier, more expensive, and way longer wait!). Clarke is awesome because the sandwiches are consistently great and the price is not ridiculous. You can combine the meats and toppings to make a simple, excellent sandwich, that is a generous size but not as huge and filling as Bossa for example. All the sandwiches are good but we often get turkey and calabrese or chicken cutlet. Second best chicken cutlet after Piazza Salumi in Little Italy which is forever #1. Have also tried some of the desserts and they are decent, although they sometimes have this cream puff thing which is soooo good. Definitely recommend the Clarke Cafe!!! So hard to find a good solid...