Located in the heart of Montreal, Pikolo Espresso Bar is a cozy narrow shop beautifully adorned with coffee merchandise and photographs. On a cold rainy day, the second the doors opened on Saturday morning, the cafe filled with people looking to grab their first weekend cup of coffee. Despite, the lack of space in the shop, everyone still managed to find a spot to sit and sip their drinks for a few minutes, either upstairs on the little balcony or at the bars lining the wall, before heading out the door. That said, this shop is not one to spend hours at due to the cramped space.

Mainly serving Vancouver-based roaster 49th Parallel, Pikolo’s baristas provide perfectly balanced and slightly sweet espresso drinks as indie music blares in the background. Naturally, my first time there I ordered their Pikolo coffee, a 4 oz espresso drink along with a croissant. The perfection of this drink left me wanting more and appreciating the execution of the espresso shots poured into the drink. The aftertaste had no bitterness whatsoever and the milk was pleasant and suave. For food, I ordered a croissant which was a bit too buttery, but this shop is not one I would recommend going to if hungry as they have a small selection of baked goods.

I decided to return to Pikolo the following day (and the day after) to try more drinks and also tried their cappuccino and latte. Again, these drinks were flawless and served at jus the right temperature, leading to a very consistent flavor through each sip. In addition, not once did I feel rushed out the door due to lack of space. The baristas were friendly and patient, always delivering quality coffees and engaging in conversation.

While there are quite a few quality coffee shops in Montreal (look out for these posts in the near future), Pikolo had the most community and neighborhood vibe, which is probably the main reason I returned so often, besides the amazing espresso drinks of course. Ultimately, it is hard to go wrong with coffee from Pikolo Espresso Bar.