McGill Students Get Their 24-Hour Café Back on Milton and Parc

Back in winter, the Second Cup on Milton and Parc in the lower Plateau abruptly shut up shop — not a big deal for many, but for the McGill University students who used it as an extension of the apartments and university, losing the 24-hour, seven-day café was an upsetting affair.

As of today, the bizarro building, with its straight out of the Swiss Alps look and extra-large terrasse, is back open as a café again, called Milton B, an “urban cafeteria”.

One of McGill’s student papers, the Tribune, reports that the ownership hasn’t changed — it’s that owner Jack Ahmed had the franchise taken away from him, but wanted to keep a business there.

Milton B looks to be a solid step-up from Second Cup — Ahmed told the Tribune of his commitment to buying smaller and local, and there’s a general emphasis on quality in what he’s put out there about the project — milk is coming from Laiterie Chagnon, tea from Camellia Sinensis, and other products from small Eastern Townships suppliers.

Given the location and McGill students’ increasingly refined tastes (there’s a Dispatch Coffee on the campus, and nearby Pikolo and Humble Lion cafés are typically packed with students), it stands to do well. The bright white makeover to the interior can only help entice people in to what was previously a pretty dreary spot.

The coffee supplier isn’t clear yet, but if it’s something good, this could well be the city’s first 24-hour third-wave coffee option, too.

STATUS — Milton B is open 24 hours, seven days a week at 3498 Parc Avenue.

• Milton B [Facebook]
• Former Critical Darling Mezcla is Bankrupt — And Other Closures [EMTL]
• From Second Cup to Milton B: A new beginning for the Milton-Parc cafe [McGill Tribune]