Iced coffee treats to keep you cool in Montréal
Mayssam Samaha
Whether you prefer a cold brew made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water overnight or a classic latte made by topping a freshly brewed espresso with cold milk and ice cubes, iced coffee drinks take over the city cafés come summertime. Below are a few of our favourite Montreal chilled coffee treats to try this summer.
The perfect Italian summer treat
Italian Café Baristello’s signature summer drink is a perfectly balanced frozen treat. The Scirocco chilled coffee concoction is crafted first by filling an “old school” glass with lightly sweetened espresso slush, and then topping it with warm, flawlessly frothed micro milk foam which creates a “delicious storm” inside the glass. Perfetto!
709B Jarry Street East
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Perfect combo of ice cream and coffee
Dispatch Coffee’s icy treat is their very own version of an affogato. The popular summer treat is traditionally made by pouring a hot espresso shot over ice cream. The ice cream in this case is made by Ripples, the beloved Plateau ice cream shop. The affogato options always include a vegan one. Dispatch also offers a refreshing espresso tonic.
Several locations
Website
Classic iced latte
Little Burgundy café Lili & Oli’s iced latte is probably the best in Montreal. A great take on a classic is always welcome and comforting on a smoldering summer day. Lili & Oli has been open since 2005 and is always a great stop for regulars and visitors alike who come here for the excellent coffee, whether hot or chilled.
2713 Notre-Dame West
4554 Wellington
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Classic cold brew perfection
The Café Myriade cold brew coffee is steeped for 12 hours then poured over ice. The brew is acidic and complex and carries fruity undertones with a slight earthy finale. It tastes more like a complex tea than coffee. You can also order their oat milk coffee slushy made with their Retro espresso blend, oat milk (to keep it vegan) and slightly sweetened with dark brown sugar.
Several locations
Website
The perfect summer blend
Noble Café offers the perfect match: ice cream and cold brewed coffee. This decadent combination beloved by neighbourhood locals and tourists alike is called “le Flotteur” (the Float). Grab your little cup of coffee heaven and wander over to nearby Laurier Park to savour it in a shady spot.
430 Laurier Avenue East
7066 Alexandra
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Nitro cold brew for the win
Café Paquebot was the first café in Montréal to serve iced coffee in the form of a nitro cold brew on tap. The coffee is treated with nitrogen, pressurized, then served on draft just like beer. Another great Paquebot drink, the Cafélimo (a mix of cold brew from Zab, homemade lemonade, organic sugar, and CO2, in short, a fizzy cold brew-limeade mix), has been on tap since 2016 and sold in cans since the summer of 2021. Keep an eye out for the super creative seasonal iced coffee drinks at Paquebot.
Several locations
Website
Italian style caffè freddo
Café Ferlucci in Villeray makes the same Italian-style cold coffee you’ll find in Italy in the form of granita. The base brew is made by filling up a large jar with dozens of espresso shots, sweetening the brew with sugar then turning it into an icy slush-type of drink. You can order yours black or with a shot of milk to be enjoyed on the quaint terrasse. If this slushy drink is not your thing, order one of their famous nutellate (a latte with a spoonful of Nutella stirred in) on ice.
432 De Castelnau East
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Sweet and refreshing
Café Odessa’s Mateo caffeinated drink combines mineral water, espresso, and a shot of their homemade apricot & rosemary syrup. The Gracioso their other summer drink, is a mix of cold brew and horchata. Both these sweet and refreshing drinks taste like summer.
65 Beaubien Street East
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Soothing latte
Petite Patrie’s Café des Habitudes is a lovely and soothing place that has definitely carved a spot in its client’s daily habits. Among many other great iced coffees, try their iced lavender latté with a homemade lavender syrup made from organic maple syrup from Marston in the Eastern Townships and organic lavender from Oka. The iced mocha is also a must with organic and fair-trade cocoa, organic maple syrup, a Café Pista espresso shot and DAM Drinks oat milk.
1104 Saint-Zotique East
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A very nutty combo
What do you get when you combine an iced espresso with almond granita? Caffettiera’s vegan iced almond latte, of course. Head to the boldly coloured, 90s inspired, downtown Caffettiera to grab one of these delicious drinks.
2055 Stanley
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A verry berry brew
Café Léo is a downtown spot that integrates a great coffee shop with a hair salon. They create a new latte every month inspired by what’s in season. This month’s is a strawberry iced latte with a slightly sweet homemade syrup infused with seasonal Québec berries. Check their social media channels for the flavour of the month.
1215 Berri
Website
Caramel makes it better
Located in the heart of Pointe Saint Charles, Mollo is a true neighbourhood gem. Their iced latte is a riff on the classic espresso and milk drink with the addition of a spoonful of delicious caramel from La Lichée. Their iced gelato latte is also worth a try. It’s basically an iced latte with a scoop of your choice of one of their homemade gelato.
2069 Wellington
4357 Notre-Dame Street West
Website
Middle-Eastern specialty drinks
Lebanese Café Chez Téta has quickly become a favourite destination for their manouché (flat bread topped with zaatar) and other specialties. They also make some delicious iced coffee drinks, including an iced halva latte made by mixing halva, a sweet sesame pastry, with pistachios directly in the milk before topping with a shot of espresso. Their unique cold brew is made by infusing cardamom-infused Lebanese coffee beans for 12 hours for a subtly distinctive and sugar-free aroma. New this summer is the iced rose latte, made with rose water imported from Lebanon and garnished with rose petals.
227 Rachel Street East
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With a cherry on top
Café Saint-Henri is offering three caffeinated summer drinks this year. The iced coffee with spicy honey, the espresso tonic with elderflower and the deliciously refreshing almond cherry iced latte, a great indulgence and a veritable ode to this quintessential summer fruit.
Several locations
Website
Orange Spritz
Little Italy’s Café Caron & Frères has carved a spot on Montréal’s best café list pretty quickly, thanks in part to the Caron brothers friendly demeanor and welcoming smiles. This summer, they’ve created their own riff on the espresso tonic. The C&F Spritz is made with tonic water with orange slices topped with a shot of espresso. Fresh!
26 Bélanger Street
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Nutty and floral
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve’s Hélico has quickly become the neighbourhood’s favourite place to grab a coffee, great food and one of their excellent pastries or breads. Their refreshing coffee spritz is made by combining lemon juice, 1642 tonic, a little simple syrup and a shot of double espresso. This summer they are also offering the pistachio and rose iced latte with a nutty and floral aromas, as well as brew-monade made with coldbrew, soda and lemon.
4255 Ontario Street East
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Citrus nice
Café Redwood’s grapefruit americano is a hit on hot summer days. It’s fresh and smooth and the perfect mix of sweetness and acidity lent by the citrus with the earthiness of the coffee.
2604 Saint Patrick
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Fleurimont
Neighbourhood coffeeshop and wine bar Fleurimont is a great place to grab a cup of coffee, some lunch or a glass of private import wine. For the summer, try their Espressoda with a homemade citrus syrup, Brazilian and Ethiopian espresso and soda. Replace the soda with a sparkling wine and you’ve got yourself a refreshing cocktail.
907 Rosemont Boulevard
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SoLIT Café
With a design inspired by an orange grove and a ceiling canopy with hanging citrus fruit, SoLIT Café is one of Montréal’s most instragammable cafés. Their refreshing summer drink, the Americano Lemonade, is the perfect mix of coffee and lemon.
2030 Mansfield Street
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Mayssam Samaha
Mayssam Samaha is a food and travel writer and blogger and the founder behind the blog Will Travel for Food. She travels the world in search of the next culinary discovery. From Iceland to South Africa, she’s already visited over 36 countries and there’s nothing she enjoys more than wandering around a farmers’ market in a foreign city. She is also the founder of the SAISONS intimate dinner series highlighting Québec products and chefs.