Cafeography
Montreal · Griffintown & Petite-Bourgogne

Cafés in Griffintown & Petite-Bourgogne

Condo-tower blocks on Rue Ottawa and William, the Lachine Canal path and Notre-Dame Ouest through Little Burgundy.

Photo: Victor Lucas, Pexels License

Griffintown is named after Mary Griffin, who obtained the land lease in 1799 and had its streets surveyed in 1804.1 Irish immigrants and their descendants lived here from the 1820s to the 1960s, working on the Lachine Canal, the Victoria Bridge, the railways and the port.1

The canal lost its traffic when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, the district was rezoned for light industry in 1962, and by 1974 only 546 people were left.1 In 2012 the city announced parks, bike paths and dozens of condo towers of 10 to 20 storeys.1

Local tip: From Georges-Vanier station, walk down to Café Lali at 1850 Notre-Dame Ouest, open from 07:00 on weekdays, then follow the antiques row west toward Atwater Market.4

At a glance

25Cafés listed
7With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Café Lali, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00).
  • Closes latest: Mano Cornuto, until 23:00 (Daily 11:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Rue Murray (2), Rue Notre-Dame Ouest (2), Rue Ottawa (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (12%), indoor seating (8%), card payment (4%).

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Coffee chains in Griffintown & Petite-Bourgogne

Along the Lachine Canal

The Lachine Canal opened in 1825 and runs 14.5 km from the Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis. It closed to shipping in 1970 and reopened to pleasure boats in 2002, and Time ranked its bike path third among urban bike paths in 2009.2

Le Café Pick Me Up at 111 Boulevard Robert-Bourassa opens at 08:00 on weekdays and has a terrace. Café BRUT at 221 Rue Murray opens 08:00–17:00 on weekdays and 08:00–16:00 at weekends, and Allo Velo at 141 Rue du Shannon opens from 10:00, Tuesday to Sunday.

Rue Ottawa, William and de la Montagne

The Griffintown Horse Palace, at Ottawa and Eleanor, stables the horses that pull carriages around the Old Port; St. Ann's Church stood at Mountain and Basin streets from 1854 until 1970, and its site is now Parc Griffintown-St-Ann.1

Mano Cornuto at 988 Rue Ottawa serves until 23:00 daily. Dispensa at 696 Rue William is a café and Italian grocery with takeaway pasta.3 On Rue de la Montagne, Baristello Griffintown at 248 opens daily 08:00–17:00 with a terrace, and Le Petit Dep at 300 runs 09:00–20:00.

Cité du Multimédia: Queen, Prince and Wellington

The east end of the old district lies under the Cité du Multimédia, an office complex built partly over the ruins; some of what was dug up is kept at the McCord Museum.1 In 2014 the area joined a plan for a Quartier de l’innovation, and many tech companies have offices here.1

Marinelli Brothers Café at 31 Rue Queen has outdoor seating, Pasta Cafe is at 75 Queen, and Cafécito at 64 Rue Prince and Le Café de la Cité at 87 Prince are a block apart. Monopole is at 782 Rue Wellington, and Fou d’ici at 1407 Rue Saint-Jacques opens only at weekends, 09:00–18:00.

Little Burgundy and Notre-Dame Ouest

Little Burgundy, Petite-Bourgogne in French, lies between Rue Guy and Avenue Atwater, from Rue Saint-Antoine down to the canal.4 From 1887 it was home to Montreal's English-speaking Black community, drawn by railway work, and it produced the jazz pianists Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones.4

Notre-Dame Ouest keeps a long-standing antiques row, the Quartier des Antiquaires, and Georges-Vanier station serves the neighborhood.4 Café Lali at 1850 Notre-Dame Ouest opens at 07:00 on weekdays; Pamai at 1332 and Chez L’Editeur Griffintown at 1372 are further east, toward Griffintown.

Sources

  1. Griffintown, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Lachine Canal, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. The Best Italian Cafés in Montreal: Coffee, cannoli & more, Tastet (updated December 3, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. Little Burgundy, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Griffintown & Petite-Bourgogne, also browse: Terrasses Open late

FAQ

Griffintown & Petite-Bourgogne cafés: questions

Who was Griffintown in Montreal named after?

Griffintown, in Montreal's Sud-Ouest, is named after Mary Griffin, who obtained the land lease in 1799 and had its streets surveyed in 1804. Irish immigrants lived there from the 1820s to the 1960s, working on the Lachine Canal, the Victoria Bridge, the railways and the port.

Where can you get coffee along the Lachine Canal in Griffintown, Montreal?

In Montreal's Griffintown, near the Lachine Canal, Le Café Pick Me Up at 111 Boulevard Robert-Bourassa has a terrace and opens at 08:00 on weekdays, and Café BRUT at 221 Rue Murray opens at 08:00 daily. The canal runs 14.5 km from the Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis and reopened to pleasure boats in 2002.

What is Little Burgundy in Montreal known for?

Little Burgundy, Petite-Bourgogne, between Rue Guy and Avenue Atwater in Montreal, was home to the city's English-speaking Black community from 1887 and produced the jazz pianists Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones. Notre-Dame Ouest has its antiques row, Atwater Market is at the southwest corner, and Café Lali is at 1850 Notre-Dame Ouest.

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