Café St-Henri Opens Stylish New HQ Near Jarry Park

Saint-Henri coffee stalwart Café St-Henri just got a whole lot bigger with a new headquarters now open just south of Jarry Park.

The space serves partly as an open-to-the-public coffee shop, but there’s also a meeting room, coffee lab (to be partially used for classes), full kitchen, offices, loading dock, and a roastery, which owner JF Leduc tells Eater will allow the café to beef up its wholesale operation, getting its house roasts into more restaurants and coffee shops. Until now, St-Henri has had to work with much smaller spaces in St-Henri and Quebec City.

“For us this project was more than a café, the café is what people are seeing but really what’s behind the café is what has been keeping us really busy,” says Leduc.

JF Leduc/Supplied

JF Leduc/Supplied

Coffee classes (including an espresso class and a tasting class) will take place three times a month in the lab; the meeting room is available for rent immediately, with the added bonus of coffee thrown in.

But for most customers, it’s the main café space that is of interest — and it’s a stunner. The café is located in a former industrial zone in Villeray (not Mile-Ex or Parc-Extension, although those neighbourhoods are just a minute away). Leduc says his team aimed to keep the industrial nature of the building, while warming it up with paintings, creative lighting, and plenty of greenery. So there’s concrete and exposed ceilings, but an elevated seating space with banquettes, eclectic furniture, and purple light cast down from the café’s greenhouses.

Then the main level features a long concrete coffee bar, boasting a Mavam espresso machine and a Weber EG-1 grinder, which Leduc notes is perhaps the best on the market for pour-over grinds.

JF Leduc/Supplied

JF Leduc/Supplied

Courtesy of both the café’s kitchen and those greenhouses (capable of producing a significant number of herbs or lettuces every two weeks), the new HQ will have many more food options than any of the café’s other locations, which have stuck mostly to pastries and small bites. On offer are breakfast and lunch options, from smoothie bowls to sandwiches, served seven days. The coffee shop is also taking a cue from Australian café culture, with a small brunch menu featuring eggs, potato galettes, and more, offered Friday through Sunday.

JF Leduc/Supplied

The new HQ is open now — the official opening takes place Thursday at 5 p.m. in conjunction with brand new Quebec coffee publication Corsé.

STATUS — Café St-Henri’s new HQ is open at 7335 Rue du Mile-End (in Villeray, not Mile End) from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends.

• Café St-Henri [Official]
• Café St-Henri Plots a Grand New Roastery and Café in Villeray [EMTL]