Caffè Art Java

I came here quickly to grab an iced latte to go. The place itself looks fantastic with its black & red decor and plenty of seating. They have a menu of food items and beans from JJ Beans (I miss Vancouver!) so I was looking forward to my drink.
Disappointed.
It tasted more like cream (not even whole milk) than anything else. The espresso seems to be an after thought. I didn't finish the drink. A $4 plus small drink wasted.

This was our first breakfast stop during our weekend in Montreal.

Selection of sandwiches, specialty coffees, pastries...your usual coffee shop far. However, what is unusal about this place is that it also has a full bar and serves cocktails later in the day and throughout the evening.

My capuccino and chocolatine were delicious. There was a bit of a translation issue though as the barrista ended up adding skim milk to my friend's cafe americano - who does that?

The coffees were a bit on the pricey side, but I didn't mind. I loved the decor and overall vibe of the place.

Caffè Art Java on Mont-Royal was, when it first opened, my favorite cafe in the whole world. Great location; sleek, but inviting, ambiance; decent food; and mind-blowing lattés. What wasn't to like? I was a steady-going regular for years.

I was concerned when I learned the founders had sold the place, but I hoped the new owners would leave everything more or less untouched. And at first they mostly did. But things still started to slide. The new owners started advertising their menu using grainy photos--appropriate for late-night Chinese take-out, but not an upscale cafe. The kitchen and barista staff turned over almost immediately--to be replaced, we think, by the owners. And so the food became barely adequate and the coffee, frankly, went to hell.

I eventually stopped being a regular, but I still went every now and then because the ambiance was still great. No more. One of the owners forced me to pay for a tisane that I never received. Some time ago, I ordered a tisane that never arrived at my table. I got so engrossed in my work that I didn't really notice; in fact, I only noticed that it hadn't arrived when it was time for me to pack it up and go. So I left, slightly miffed that I never got my tisane. Annoying, but mostly harmless and certainly innocent. It's the kind of brain fart that can happen to any server.

A week or so later, I went to the cash to pay my bill and the owner who was working the register presented me with TWO bills: one for that day's tisane, and one for the tisane I never received. I protested, saying that I had never received the earlier beverage. The owner insisted that she distinctly and specifically remembered preparing this tisane, which I never received. This went back and forth several times until I thought it had been made clear that if she made me pay for something I never received, I would never come back. The owner insisted, so I paid both tickets.

The owner's decision to push the issue over my strong protests (no matter what she does or doesn't remember) says everything that needs saying about the new management at Art Java. Maybe she thought she was being tough or something, but did she really think I was trying to wriggle out from paying $3? I was a _regular_. Does she not realize that she's basically calling me a liar and a thief? In any case, $3 is apparently more than my good opinion (which, at bottom, equates to all of the business they might ever get from me) is worth to them.

At Art Java, every penny counts--but every customer, not so much.

Unless the quality of the coffee in this place gets better it won't garner a lot of stars from this knowing reviewer.

The place on av president du kennedy bears the same name but is miles above this place in terms of the quality of the espressos.

If you are not overly discriminating with your coffee then it will be like any other cafe.

Relaxed atmosphere and reasonably busy. Serves one of the very best coffee in Montreal. Service is efficient, comes with smiles. Killer carrot-cake, and I mean K.I.L.L.E.R. Casual lunch fare is always well executed and presented, if a bit pricey.

Just another generic coffee shop. I've been about six times, I can't find anything negative to say about it, but I can't find anything fantastic either. Sometimes that's a good thing. The place is clean and the coffee is fresh. They also have real bagels, not the fake kind that you get from Tim Horton's that taste like stale bread. Personally, I'm gonna keep going.

Coffee is so-so but the food is incredible. Gorgeous salads, amazing pastries, great sandwiches. All this with free wifi, great service, and the staff being totally cool with us hanging out on our computers and phones (after we were some eating) for an hour trying to find lodging for the weekend. Good deal for good food & vibe.

Food is good. I came here for breakfast and also, mostly, because I could work with my laptop and using wifi at the same time. They serve good food. But the service was terrible. I waited 15 minutes seated and no one came to say hello or something, and the place was far from being busy... I had to get up and ask the waitress for a coffee... Then I ordered food, which was serve really quickly and was good. But then I had to ask for another coffee, and for another...

Had a really good brunch here. A small serving of waffles with eggs, fruit, and sausage. The restaurant opens up into the sidewalk, nice with the spring weather we got.

I really wish I could separate out reviews for service and reviews for food, because the food here was actually very tasty (although not especially special). The servers, however, kept forgetting about us - after we were seated on the tiny back patio it was like being sent into a void where it took forever to even flag down a waitress to take our order, the food took a good while to come out and they forgot part of the order, and nobody ever checked on us.