Meet Little Burgundy’s Incoming Cereal Bar

LITTLE BURGUNDY — Come August, the Notre-Dame Ouest strip will see the arrival of Barley - Bar À Céréales, offering the breakfast food as parfaits, smoothie bowls, or doused in milk. Owner Soufian Mamlouk tells Eater that this new venture — set next door to Dilallo — will set itself apart from similar café concepts found elsewhere that focus on far more sugary options. Serving mostly baked granolas with a health-conscious mindset, Barley won’t forget about childhood sweets, featuring a rotating selection of imported cereals from Australia, Europe, and the States: Think of cereals you’d have to cross the southern border for, like Oreo O’s (which returned to the market last month after a 10-year absence) and Franken Berry, which is still in seasonal production.

“I grew up loving cereal myself, and the thing that I loved about it was waking up, everyone’s asleep, you sit down and turn on the cartoons, and have your cereal,” Mamlouk says. “In that moment you’re young, no responsibilities, no pressure. You’re just kind of free.”

Ève Bastien-Rouleau

Speaking of cartoons, there are plans for the establishment to screen them on weekends as patrons grab a bowl. However, Barley won’t be entirely reliant on the nostalgia that it evokes. “Nostalgia is cool, but you can’t bank on just being nostalgic alone…it gets played out,” Mamlouk said. Enter the Gauley Brothers, whose designs have been most recently found at Le Bird Bar and Atwater Cocktail Club. With their help, the 60-seater will feature a long banquette spiralling around a space adorned with plants. Mamlouk says Barley is going for a vibe that’s “a little older, more mature. It’s a little more sophisticated and sharp; less of a cozy, homey, mom-and-pop coffee shop.”

Speaking of beverages, the bar will be serving teas blended à la maison with Le Kitchen’s own Helen Papapanos heading the coffee program.

Want to keep up-to-date on developments? You can find Barley’s Instagram account here, Facebook here, and their website here.

Barley - Bar À Céréales is located at 2613 Notre-Dame Ouest.

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