With an abundance of cafés in Montreal, it’s hard to decide which place is the best for over-caffeinating. To help students choose where to pretend to study, The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of the best coffeeshops that are sure to brew up good ideas for any upcoming paper or project.

Starbucks – 475 Sherbrooke Street West

A mere two minutes away from McGill’s Downtown campus, this café offers a quintessential university experience that few coffee shops can truly match. Opened in 2016, it’s attached to McGill’s Carrefour Sherbrooke residence, so study-goers can enjoy a cup of coffee while listening to the sounds of first years stressing over their exams. The ambience of this Starbucks is unique, with an upstairs study area that mimics Birks Library without librarians constantly shushing you. However, one let down is that many menu items are frequently unavailable at this location—if you have a hankering for a quiche, you will most likely have to look elsewhere.  

Google review: 4.2 / 5
Tribune rating: 3/5
Doug Clapp on Google Reviews: “Starbucks has lost its charm. I prefer locally-owned places.”

Starbucks – 3452 Park Avenue

This Starbucks coffee shop provides customers with a gorgeous view of avenue du Parc, the most iconic street in Montreal’s Milton-Parc neighbourhood. If you don’t mind competing with other McGill students for a table where half of the outlets don’t even work, this is the study spot for you. However, with the generic “indie coffee shop” playlist blaring so loudly that you can hear it through your headphones, and food way too expensive for the frugal scholar, you’ll probably only be able to study here for a maximum of 10 unproductive minutes. Make sure to visit this location as soon as possible as it’s closing on March 30.

Yelp rating: 3/5
Tribune rating: 3/5
Brian L., on Yelp: “Two stars only out of respect for the rest of the Starbucks chain. Strongly recommend going elsewhere.”

Starbucks – 1455 Peel Street

Located in the heart of Les Cours Mont-Royal, this Starbucks goes against the grain when it comes to environment. Situated in the underground mall, it boasts a sinusoidal pattern of pedestrian chaos and lulled tranquility every four to six minutes in accordance with the arrival of the nearby metro. It also showcases an impressive interior design by blending its seating into the surrounding food court area. Best of all, this Starbucks has the worst online rating of all the coffee shops in the list, boasting a solid two out of five stars on Yelp.

Tanya E.J. on Google Reviews: “Thankfully there’s another Starbucks just upstairs across the street lol.”
Yelp rating: 2/5
Tribune rating: 4/5

Starbucks – 3601 St Laurent Blvd

Found in the beautiful Plateau neighbourhood, this Starbucks is one of a kind. Only a couple of blocks away from beloved Café Campus, its location offers the perfect balance between class and trash. In addition, they offer many pastries that closer-to-campus locations cannot, but keep in mind that their quality does in no way compare to the many local bakeries nearby. However, it may be hard to find a spot to sit since the place tends to be packed with students trying to avoid the library.

Yelp rating: 4/5
Tribune rating: 5/5
Ashley G. on Google reviews: “There’s one girl who works here who is really nice, the rest of the staff suck. I go in once a day and it never changes. They’re just rude.”