Places to read

[brokenshoez]

Could anyone make a few recommendations for some good places to sit quietly and read/people-watch? I've been looking for awhile and haven't had any luck. Preferably with a half-decent espresso (as long as it's not bitter I'm not too picky) and reasonably priced snacks.

[Zhuuls]

Salon B, but I think it's closed temporarily

http://www.salonb.ca/

[Maximilien]

Café Neve (151 Rachel E), or Café In Gamba (5263 . Avenue du Parc).

I've not really been to the other one in Downtown, and as you can see, I can't even remember the name (it's close to the Concordia science building).

[sharkbait88]

cafe myriade on mackay and maisonneuve, not exactly quiet all the time but the pastries and definitely the coffee are top rate
croissanterie linda on st catherine past st marc i think, definitely very quiet in there, coffee is standard but they make some decent croissants and muffins.

[ManuelF]

Lili & Oli, 2515 Rue Notre Dame Ouest (corner Charlevoix). They will let you linger all you want. Plus home-made muffins, banana&choc.chip bread, lemon tart...

[torontrealais]

I second Lili & Oli`s. There are lots of take-out customers and it's quiet enough that you can sit for a spell and not worry that there are people coming in need of a seat.

[foodinspace]

Arts Café is a Mile-End read/study institution at Fairmount and Esplanade...good breakfasts too.

[montrealwaitress]

In addition to Arts Cafe, Depanneur on Bernard is good, Cafe Romolo just down the street doesn't have great food, but you can sit as long as you like, and Cagibi on St. Laurent and St. Viateur are all amenable to sitting, reading, and snacking.

[thebenc]

Depanneur is great, but don't they usually have some kind of live music going on inside?

[montrealwaitress]

Depanneur is great, they don't have live music that often, and only at night from what I've found. There is also a back room if you're not interested in the live music.

[foodinspace]

One of the worst breakfasts I've ever had was at Depanneur...bland omelette and moldy fruit...that was about three years ago, however.

[robertju]

I've had good luck with Cafeo on St. Denis at Rachel. I wrote a chapter of my dissertation there, so no problems with the coffee sipping lingerers. The breakfast offerings are also quite good and reasonably priced. The people watching is also worth the trip.

[NickMontreal]

Santropol @ 3990 St Urbain, or maybe Byblos @ 1499 Laurier East...