This was the first café to serve nitro cold brew in Montreal, and the third-wave coffee destination also specializes in non-alcoholic coffee cocktails. On the menu: panini, viennoiseries, and some vegetarian options. There are two more Paquebots to choose from: one in the former Plume Café in Mile End (also a decent work option, if a little smaller), and another attractive spot in Old Montreal.

Now counting a few years on the Villeray caffeine scene, Perko doesn’t scorn those hovering over their computers — it entices them with a printer and its own bookable conference room. As such, Perko can understandably get full, but there are seats and plugs aplenty — plus, it’s far enough away from the universities to avoid being too heavily overrunwith students. Food offerings are limited to the snackable: bagels, soups, some pastries and a couple of small sandwiches. 

Rosemont’s go-to study and work spot, Station W has both quality (Kittel coffee) and quantity (no shortage of seats) — and being well-removed from all university campuses, there are not too many students taking up all the space. It also does breakfast and brunch dishes, sandwiches, bowls and tartines alongside a small bar offering. Its other location in Verdun offers all the same attractions, albeit in a smaller space.

Roaster and coffee house Saint-Henri has been expanding all over the place in recent years, and its Villeray HQ is the café’s crowning jewel — a converted industrial space with ample seating, great coffee, a stylish design, and breakfasts, lunches, and brunches. Some of St-Henri’s other coffee shops have wifi, too, but this is easily the largest space.

In the heart of the Mile End’s office district, this café in a sunny warehouse does fair-trade coffee, pastries, soups, sandwiches, and Japanese dishes like its highly snackable onigiri (rice balls wrapped in nori). Long communal tables, as well as couches in the back, offer ample place to post up depending on your task.

Quiet, charming Replika does coffee (espresso-based and Turkish) in relaxed surroundings in the middle of the Plateau. While it’s often close to full, it’s usually possible to find a spot to sit with a laptop, a coffee and one of the cafe’s tasty sandwiches or bagels, especially if you’re working solo.

Spacious café by day, bustling bar by night, Darling is ideal for making the transition from hitting the books over a coffee and a pastry to grabbing drinks with friends. Darling has ample table space available during the day and a dining menu comprised of tasty small plates, including oysters, cheese, and charcuterie. Note that Darling is much less work-friendly once it switches over into bar mode in the early evening.

This popular working café within startup centre Notman House just had a big makeover when it combined with Japanese snack bar Marusan. Now in addition to being a great place to work with plenty of tables and perfectly filtered coffee, it serves Japanese sandwiches and curries. Stick around after work for a 5 à 7 with a live DJ, some natural wine or sakes, and relaxing on its outdoor terrasses.

Housed in a former Royal Bank of Canada building with long tables and plugs aplenty, Crew Café really is a prime place to get shit done. You don’t even have to get up to order, as espresso-based drinks and food (bagels, sandwiches, salads and pastries) can be ordered from the website and picked up from the cashier when ready. Surrounding the long tables is Crew’s collective component: a co-working space with meeting rooms that can be reserved by the hour/day or along with a monthly membership.

Conveniently located just steps from Concordia’s downtown campus, Aunja has been quietly plugging away for a few years now. Run by an Iranian couple, there’s a great tea selection (try the Persian Fog with pistachios, milk, Iranian tea and saffron syrup), but coffee is available, too. For food, there’s a lengthy list of sandwiches, soups and salads.

This longtime, beloved Little Burgundy coffee shop has not lost its step after 16 years in business. The menu is simple: top-quality coffees and teas alongside a couple pastries and a breakfast sandwich, but it’s a great place to get some work done. There’s also a location in Verdun.

This downtown nonprofit arts centre specializes in baristas serving coffee to remote workers by day and entertaining them with DJs by night (specifically on Fridays as of 4 p.m.). Serving all the classic caffeinated drinks, the team from Labo culinaire upstairs puts together a variety of meals and snacks to enjoy as well that are made with ingredients from a lot of local producers. 

Serving the north, east and south sides of Montreal’s downtown core with three cafes, Pista is a café brand that specializes in both coffee and curating spaces good for remote work. Each have their own mood and focus, however, as some highlight local artists while others start to pop corks on natural wines come dinnertime. Wherever you go, coffee is there, as are a selection of pastries.

Priding itself on filling its two downtown addresses with plant life, that focus on greenery extends to its menus and operations, as Leaves House aggregates plant-based products and services mainly from Montreal start-ups to stock its shelves, fill its cups and top its plates. If you reckon you’ll be hungry during a work session here, opt for the pastries that are also vegan.