Café St-Henri Opens Stylish New Headquarters Near Jarry Park | Eater Montreal

"I visited the new headquarters of Café St-Henri, a Saint-Henri coffee stalwart that just opened south of Jarry Park at 7335 Rue du Mile-End in Villeray. The space functions as an open-to-the-public café while also housing a meeting room, a coffee lab (for classes), a full kitchen, offices, a loading dock, and a roastery intended to beef up wholesale distribution to more restaurants and coffee shops—something the owner JF Leduc says was the real focus behind the project. Coffee classes (including an espresso class and a tasting class) will run three times a month and the meeting room is available for rent immediately, with coffee included. The café sits in a former industrial building where the team preserved concrete and exposed ceilings but warmed the space with paintings, creative lighting, plenty of greenery and an elevated seating area with banquettes and eclectic furniture; purple light is cast down from on-site greenhouses. On the main level a long concrete coffee bar boasts a Mavam espresso machine and a Weber EG-1 grinder (noted as ideal for pour-over grinds). Thanks to the kitchen and the greenhouses—capable of producing herbs and lettuces every two weeks—the HQ offers far more food than the other locations, with breakfast and lunch (smoothie bowls to sandwiches) served seven days, plus an Australian-influenced weekend brunch (eggs, potato galettes, etc.) Friday through Sunday; the official opening is tied to a 5 p.m. event with Corsé." - Tim Forster