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PLATEAU — An Eater tipster has spotted a new ice cream parlour and café set to open on Rachel Street, just across from Lafontaine Park. Montrealers will recognize the spot as that which housed trailblazing Plateau cocktail bar Le Lab until shuttering in August 2018. At the time, Le Lab’s owners took to Facebook to explain that their business was closing after a 10-year stint because the building’s landlords refused to renew their lease. (The bar’s second location in the Quartier des Spectacles remains open.) Details on the new scoop shop are currently limited to what is scrawled on the sign appended in its window: The new business is called Les Tropiques, and it’s slated to open in late May or early June.
Les Tropiques will be located at 1351 Rachel East.
ROSEMONT — A shiny new ice cream and doughnut shop has landed on the far eastern tip of Rachel Street by the Botanical Garden. Le Botocoin opened on May 14, focusing on the promising pairing of botokoin, a bite-sized Togolese doughnut, and ice cream. According to its Facebook bio, the business plans to start dishing out home-cooked West African meals, too.
Le Botocoin is open Thursday to Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., at 3881 Rachel East.
TÉTREAULTVILLE — Ten-year-old Mile End ice cream icon Kem Coba has rebooted its east-end location this year. Kem Coba 2.0 opened in the spring of 2018 in Tétreaultville, a little past Honoré-Beaugrand metro on the green line, but to the disappointment of neighbours has been closed since September 2019. Now, it’s back with its soft-serve of the moment and an ever-changing collection of scoop flavours like salted butter, lychee, and pandan.
Kem Coba’s Tétreaultville location is open Wednesday to Friday, from 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 2 to 8 p.m., at 2525 Des Ormeaux.
SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE — The West Island suburb of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is in store for a sweet new ice cream destination to be enjoyed overlooking Lac St-Louis, steps away from its front door. Icy Vibes, a new getup selling house-made gelato, Belgian chocolate-drizzled waffle sticks, and crepes, is slated to officially open on May 21 — though it’s been welcoming customers for a couple of weeks already as it fine-tunes its offering.
Icy Vibes is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 2B rue Lalonde, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
CÔTE-DES-NEIGES & SAINT-HENRI — This is turning out to be a banner year for NDG-hailing ice cream shop Ca Lem. After opening its third outpost in Old Montreal last month, it has swiftly moved on to a fourth and fifth in Côte-des-Neiges and Saint-Henri, respectively. Ca Lem CDN is now open on Jean-Talon West, by Victoria Avenue, on the ground floor of the Rouge Condominium complex. Meanwhile, the Saint-Henri location, a stall at the Atwater Market, began serving its two-tone swirls just last weekend.
Ca Lem CDN is open daily from 1 to 9:30 p.m. at 4297 Jean-Talon West. Ca Lem Atwater Market is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
OLD MONTREAL — Samuel Cadotte and Philippe Therrien, the duo that brought zip-lining to Old Montreal, have opened up two new ice cream carts nearby. One Ice Crème Glacée kiosk is located by the Cirque du Soleil Grand-Chapiteau, and the other is between the cycle path and the Marché des Éclusiers — both currently operating on weekends only.