Café Santropol, Montreal

Once slated for demolition, this former apartment building has steadily evolved into one of the Plateau’s best lunch spots. It’s Santropol’s unpretentious service, decadent sandwiches and soups, and one of the lushest outdoor gardens in the city that has us loping back time and again. The café’s bustling bevy of students, artists and professional types belies its edgier beginnings as one of the city’s first alternative cafes. The bread and spread’s the thing to order here—Santropol is famed for its freshly baked, thick-cut pumpernickel, served up with an eclectic array of options. Try the No.13, a heady triple-decker mixture of cream cheese, bananas, honey and blackcurrant jam, or the aptly named Killer Tomato, featuring cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic spread and fresh tomato slices. Linger long after your meal is done over a fair-trade coffee or one of Santropol’s famous flavored sodas, and blend in with the locals.

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