MONTREAL | Cardinal Tea Room

It was on Saturday, we were debating what we should do with ourselves for the afternoon. That was when the idea of visiting the new cool kid in town came to us. We had just visited the Guillaume bakery’s new location and picked up some bread when we found ourselves lost for what to do. It was too nice out to spend the afternoon indoors watching episodes of Girls and shameless. Getting in the car seemed pointless as we had nowhere to go. Luckily, we were right down the street from the new tea room, Cardinal. Matt had told me about the place but we hadn’t had a chance (or been in the mood) to sit down and eat tea and scones (YET).

I had seen pictures of the tea room and it was just as lovely (if not more) than I had expected. With tables and couches (and even a piano) scattered around the 2 floors, we walked around and then headed upstairs to secure a small table my a window.

We weren’t sure what the regular process was so after asking an employee, we found out that we had to go to the downstairs counter to order. We both weren’t hungry enough for a heavy lunch so their menu fit our appetites perfectly. We shared a large pot of earl grey (with milk and sugar/honey) and I ordered a blueberry scone and a cucumber cream cheese sandwich. Matt – the carnivore – ordered sausage rolls and then a pickle (more accurately a british chutney) and cheddar sandwich.

The vibe in the tea room was pretty relaxed, filled with a mix of laptop wielding students, newspaper readers and friends catching up over tea and snacks. We didn’t feel rushed. In fact I could have sipped tea there all afternoon. The cute english tea cups, plates and collectable silver spoons were right up my vintage collecting alley. This place was an instagramming hipster’s wet dream. I myself went a little picture crazy, having trouble narrowing it down to pick which photos to post.

p.s. I did feel their cucumber sandwich could have used a little extra cream cheese because I tasted more butter than cream cheese. And if you are looking for a heavy meal, this isn’t the place. Their menu consists of light sandwiches, a salad and lots of baked goods – perfect for a relaxed afternoon tea.

Cardinal Tea Room
5326 boul. St-Laurent, Montreal
514-903-2877
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  • That is pretty much the best photo of a cup of tea I’ve ever seen. So many times these food photos fall flat, this one just pops. Like I can reach out for it! And the place looks awesome Emily :)

  • I’ll be in Montreal March 10th-15th for my March break! We should start making a list of places I need to try. The blog looks great and I especially love the photo of you top right! You’re gorgeous! And Matt is the perfect model… what a guy. MISH YA xoxoxo

  • I love tea but I’ve never been to a tea room! I should really go, there are a couple in Toronto. Thanks for the idea. Love the new blog layout/design!

    • Thank you! I hadnt been to a tea room till then and I was very pleased with the experience. I will definitely be back

  • Hi Emily!

    My name is Lauren and I am writing you on behalf of all of us at the Cardinal Tea Room. You wrote such a lovely blog post about us back in January, and we are sure that much of our success has come about as a result of reviews just like yours, so we’d all like to say a big THANK YOU!

    I am also writing to let you and your readers know that we’ve made a few changes to our system since your last visit. These include the switch to table service (no more ordering at the counter!), and the addition of debit and credit to our accepted methods of payment. We’ve also changed our hours, and are now open Friday-Saturday-Sunday from 11am-7pm. Finally, we now have a website! http://www.thecardinaltea.com – you can check out our most updated menu there, which now includes some delicious summery offerings like a smoked trout sandwich, homemade gazpacho, and several different kinds of iced tea.

    We hope to see you all again at the Cardinal soon :)