Study dates and coffee cups: A mini guide to cafés for queer scholars

Someone once said that the three things in life that you can’t escape are taxes, death, and Madonna. Perhaps equally inevitable is the strange mix of excitement and dread that fills the air each September. Yes, it’s that time of year again: school is in full swing. Higher learning certainly has its perks, but the first week of class always feels like it will haunt your dreams forever. Students face epic line-ups for textbooks, campus shuttle busses ironing out the kinks in their schedules, financial woes, and the creeping realization that freedom is about eight months away.

Yet, there’s no reason to morph into a hermit. Keep your social butterfly status and get some work done at the same time. Montreal has a bevy of cafés that are queer/student/laptop friendly. A T-Ho double-double might do the trick, but bent students and their buddies can get a coffee kick in style. Here’s a list of five great spots to get re-caffeinated while polishing off your term paper.

1 Café Névé | 151 Rachel E.
The inside of Café Névé looks like a cabin in the woods built by a rugged interior designer. Located just east of the Main on the Plateau, it’s pleasing to the eye without skimping on charm. They’re known for chai lattes and decadent peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies. The big table at the back has an outlet hub, so no one’s falling over laptop tripwires of doom. Though all of the baristas are lovely, the gentlemen behind the counter are markedly handsome.

2 Kilo | 1495 Ste-Catherine E.
In the heart of the Village, you’ll find that Kilo isn’t so much a coffee shop as it is a low-key restaurant. Their hearty sandwiches can satiate even the most ravenous study-session appetite without compromising a student budget. With such a relaxed atmosphere, it’s pretty easy to hang out and get work done. Plus, they’ve been known to play some fine tunes, from Robyn to Björk.

3 Shäika Café | 5526 Sherbrooke West
A little slice of bohemia in the West end, Shäika Café has solidified its position as a neighborhood staple. Going strong since 2004, it’s more spacious than most coffee shops, particularly during the summer months when it opens a sidewalk terrace. The café features a rotation of local flavour, from painting exhibits, video installations, and live music in the evening.

4 De farine & d’eau fraîche | 1701 Amherst
The Village certainly has its club-and-sauna scene along the gay stretch of Ste-Catherine Street, but Amherst mellows out a bit with a cocktails-and-antiques vibe. This is where you’ll find newcomers De farine & d’eau fraîche, which must be the love child of a master carpenter and a graphic artist. Aesthetically striking, with crafted wood furniture and a kitchen encased in floor-to-ceiling glass, it’s nonetheless quaint. Plus, their passion fruit cake makes all other loaves pale in comparison. 

5 Cagibi | 5490 St. Laurent
Like an old friend made of dessert squares and cappuccino bowls, Cagibi is the comfort food of cafés. A second home to many Mile-End folks, the corner spot has changed names over the years, but the atmosphere remains the same. Vintage couches, a zine library, and a stage for live music are just some of Cagibi’s notable attributes. It is unofficially one of the city’s best lesbian bars according to the Mirror’s annual Best of Montreal poll.