Montreal - nice cafés to hang out in

[Losothai]

What are great cafés to while away an hour or two?

I'll be in Montreal for the weekend and right now I feel like spending most of that in cafés just hanging out and people watch.

It doesn't matter whether they serve coffee or tea - as long as they do it well. And if there's good snacks to munch on, my weekend won't be able to get any better.

Oh, if you have ideas, say what the draw of the place is: people watching, atmosphere, architecture, chow, etc.

[mainsqueeze]

Santropol, on St-Urban at Duluth has a lovely lush outdoor patio and a nice selection of teas.

[ChewFun]

Go to Cafe Art Java. They have great coffee and a great view of the passing scene.

[ios94]

As chilipepper said, Le Figaro. Fairmont 1 block west of Parc.

[chilipepper]

You can try Le Figaro(Croissanterie) on Hutchison at Fairmont: beautiful interior, but also a pleasant terrace if you prefer. Sandwiches and salads and the like.
Also a few nice joints on Bernard west of Parc, also with nice sidewalk setups

[moh]

I am very fond of Le festin de Babette on St. Denis, northeast corner of Duluth (It's just a little up from the corner. They do lovely coffees and hot chocolate, and also serve very nice pastries to go along with the beverage. They make fantastic caramel/nut/fleur de sel tart. And if you like ice cream, the cafe Raphael is a shot of expresso blended with ice cream to make a yummy coffee soft treat that is really excellent. St Denis is a great street to people watch, so i think that would fit your bill perfectly.

There are aso many lovely cafes on Laurier between parc and St. laurent, and also further east. Mont Royal street east of St. Denis also has some great cafes. These cafes have more savory choices too. I personally love to hang around Patisserie Gascon on Laurier just east of Parc, great quiches, sandwiches, coffee and pastries. And it is a nice neigbourhood to people watch.