Carisse Studio Café & Galerie de Photos

This studio café has suburb curb appeal but you might miss it if you blink. Take the time to find it.
It’s spotless, with white and sliver furnishings that feel refreshing when it’s hot outside and surprisingly cozy on winter days.
Jean Marc Carisse portraits adorn the walls and his studio is in the back. If he’s around and has time to talk, he is a superb story teller. These photos include iconic Canadian celebrities, prime ministers and other political leaders as well as both fun and thought –provoking glimpses of great musicians and other world leaders. BONUS: they are for sale! The place is run efficiently and with grace and quick humour. The grilled paninis are fresh and interesting, pastries are delicious, biscottis from Montréal are a nice change to the mass produced dry sticks found elsewhere. The coffees and espressos are up to Italian standard. There is also a good selection of tea.
Another BONUS: Drinks and food are served on real plates with real cutlery instead of paper bags and plastic! Classy joint.

This place has AWESOME croissant sandwiches. The owners there were also very friendly and welcoming. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. Everything is homemade and it’s delicious. There’s a small selection, but it’s made fresh daily with quality ingredients. Lovely place to stop for lunch or a pastry and coffee or tea.

Walking past this little building near the National Gallery you’d think it was just a cute little café, which is what prompted us to stop there. In fact, the place is owned by the famous Canadian photographer Jean-​Marc Carisse (hence the name) and serves as a gallery for some of his work. The exposed brick walls are really a slice of twentieth-​century history, totally covered with framed photos. These include photo-​portraits of Canadian notables like Leonard Cohen and Pierre Trudeau, as well as global celebrities like Princess Diana and Mick Jagger. It’s also a great little spot for a café besides, with natural light coming in through the big plate-​glass windows. The coffee is decent, the service friendly and the environment is completely unique.