L’artiste Affamé

thought this place was called le petit bas perdu, Unilocal corrected me. they deserved 5 stars then and with the correction Unilocal made I’m reposting. great coffee.
drink coffee here.

En général, toutes les raisons sont bonnes pour prendre un café. Je suis fatigué? Un café. J’ai pas mal de travail à faire? Un café. J’ai une pause entre deux cours? J’ai frette un peu? La nuit a été courte? Il pleut? Je respire? Un café, un café, un café. Là où ça change, c’est l’endroit où tu vas aller prendre ton dit-​café. Parce que des options, peu importe où tu te trouves au moment où ta rage de caféine frappé, il y en a une pelleté.
Pour les fois où tu te promènes dans le coin du carré Saint-​Louis à la recherché de ton fix (blague de mauvais goût assumée), dirige-​toi vers l’Artiste Affamé. Niché à l’intérieur d’une laverie automatique, l’endroit a sûrement déjà attiré ton attention de par ses beaux graffitis et le nom sympathique de la laverie, Le Petit Bas Perdu. Par contre, ce n’est pas une odeur de Fleecy qui t’enveloppe lorsque tu pousses la porte du local. Loin de là.
Enterré sous le bruit du grinder et le crépitement des sécheuses, Jessie lève les yeux pour voir qui vient de pénétrer dans son micro-​univers, avant de retourner jaser avec le client qui est arrivé juste avant toi. C’est ici que tu dois sortir le grand jeu: Né commande pas ton latté; demande-​lui plutôt quels sont les grains qui sont servis aujourd’hui. Préliminaire obligé si tu veux voir des étoiles dans les yeux de ton barista. C’est ça qui rend l’Artiste Affamé un incontournable à Montréal; la passion de Jessie et de son partenaire, et leur désir brûlant de la partager. Le café né sert pas seulement à te décoller les yeux le matin; Il se déguste et se découvre, au même titre que la bière ou le vin. C’est pourquoi, malgré le fait qu’il y ait un sympathique café étudiant au sein de mon école, je né compte plus les fois où je me suis présenté à l’Artiste Affamé entre deux cours. Plus souvent qu’autrement, je me retrouve à passer près d’une trentaine de minutes à jaser à propos de la culture du café et des enjeux environnementaux, tout en savourant mon cappuccino. Toujours parfait; juste assez chaud pour pouvoir y déceler chaque arôme; aussi soyeux que les draps qui tourbillonnent en arrière plan.

The best coffee in Montréal with an amazingly comfortable and friendly atmosphere and superb customer service. Jesse is passionate about coffee and it shows. Sit back, enjoy the music, listen in on interesting conversations, and enjoy an amazing cup of coffee.

Jesse knows his product so the coffee is amazing. And if you sit at the bar, there’s basically always interesting conversation to be had. What’s not to like?

L’artiste affamé n’a pas véritablement d’enseigne à sa façade ce qui fait qu’il n’est pas facile de le trouver (surtout le soir, moment où j’y suis allée).
L’endroit est très chouette et confortable, le petit problème c’est qu’il n’y avait pas d’alternative au lait de vache et étant végétalienne, je né consommé que du lait de soja, amande ou autre dans mon café, or leur stock était épuisé et il n’était que 16h…(je né sais pas si cela est une habitude ou exceptionnel).
Heureusement, il y a toujours la solution du thé !

How can a place receive 5 super stars??? I ought to find out! I’m so happy to find this place and all thanks to Unilocal!I even spoke aloud in class, «YES!!! I’m coming here!» obviously turning my classmate’s attention to my computer and we both became excited, and we both got in trouble.
It is easily passable, the entrance is unnoticeable. I wasn’t sure if I’d open a door to a storage room or coffee shop!
Jesse is a genius of coffee and he wants to make YOUR perfect cup, which is really how it should be! You tell him what you want, he’ll know what to do. He likes to try new things, he offers different beans, and if you want to chat coffee he’ll be there. Great bar-​like atmosphere but for coffee!
Amazing hours!!!
Nobody knows much about this place, so during the busy December month when all students are studying OUTSIDE (including me!!), this place stayed quiet. There are outlets everywhere and I actually studied here too, for hours.
He doesn’t make food often. But if he does, it is fantastic. I love it here!!!

Good coffee. Great place to relax and read a book. If I lived in Montréal, this could easily be my go-​to café.

Artiste affamee is a neat place. Somehow it was everything and nothing like I was expecting. Blame all the hype on Unilocal and the fact I have faint memories of the space when it was used as an art gallery. Most importantly the coffee is good, and the space comfy, spacious but still cosy. It feels a lot like hanging out in an artist’s lair, that happens to have an espresso bar and laundry mat within it. Which I guess is sort of the point, right? Hanging out with the starving artist?
I like that the hours are extensive unlike many cafes in the area. I could see myself dropping in for an early weekend or evening weekday reading session, it has the right vibe for it with mellow music. It wasn’t crowded at all on a weekend morning, which is great for early birds like myself. As it was it was the perfect relaxing atmosphere for an hour away from my infant, sipping a coffee and reading a book uninterrupted. When I was visiting there was a father and his grade school aged son visiting, and the kid seemed to love checking out all the art on the walls, and exploring the books and crannies. No one seemed phased by him, so note to self although it may not immediately scream kid friendly its a good option when my own son is a little older.

Il est bien caché celui-​là!
Sur Saint-​Denis, un peu passé le Carré Saint-​Louis, ça sentait le weed, je me suis retournée, j’ai vu le gars, son joint, puis j’ai vu son café. C’est une façon comme une autre de trouver son chemin, non?
Endroit vraiment bien pour les coeurs jeunes qui veulent relaxer /​faire leur lavage (yeah!) /​jouer au Nintendo 64 ou au SNES /​jaser avec un barista généreux et bilingue qui prend le temps de jaser avec sa clientèle. Il y a de la place en masse et il fait bon y flâner ou y faire des mandalas (si la musique né vous déconcentre pas trop). Soulignons également la présence d’une splendide distributrice de chaussettes et de toilettes gender-​neutral dont les portes affichent des dessins de bicyclettes. So queer!
Ils servaient un giga sandwich aujourd’hui. Je né l’ai pas goûté, mais une cliente visiblement satisfaite se léchait les babines à mes côtés. L’espresso m’a laissé un p’tit goût de paradis dans la bouche. Merci à l’Indie Coffee Passport pour la découverte. Je reviendrai te voir, bel Artiste!
PS: Cher barista, tu es vraiment hot.

What is it about this place that’s so addictive? Is it because the exquisite brew, is it because of the cozy and friendly atmosphere, is it because of eclectic mix of music or interesting patrons?
There may be hundreds of reasons but I can guarantee you that L’Artiste Affamé will always leave you with a unique and personal experience.
Whether you are a Barista, a coffee shop owner, a true aficionado or simply someone who just enjoys coffee, everyone has their own style and type of brew that they prefer — Espresso, Macchiato, Americano, Gibraltar, French Press, Cappucino, Flat White or my favorite, the Latte!
Detail oriented, Owner Barista, Jesse Lewin will embrace your choice, masterfully craft it with care and serve you a fantastic cup every single time. In fact if you come often, you will be able to discover the different nuances from different roasts that have been carefully curated based on source and quality of roast batches. Although the choice is not deep, to accompany this, you can sink your teeth into surprise sweet delights that vary by season or tasty grilled cheese sandwiches.
As I savor my cup, things fall into place, different flavors of cereals, chocolate, fruits tingle the palate and different comforting smells of flowers, caramel, and roasted nuts touch deep warm memories of when we were young — including an occasional whisk of freshly dried laundry — yep there’s a laundromat in the back!
It’s never boring at L’Artiste Affamé. You can travel to Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Kenya and even Rwanda while lounging from the comfort of the sectional sofa, sitting at the glazed coffee bean tables or dangling your feet from the coffee bar stools — listening or taking part of discussions and stories about the different roast houses and beans.
We live in the electronic age of data over-​abundance, where our sense of identity sometimes gets lost. Here you can let your the «inner artist» emerge, let your mind wander without rules or constraints, learn something about fellow guests’ passions and most importantly learn something about yourself and dare to be different. Perhaps this is why I keep on coming back.

I can say that without a doubt, L’artiste Affame is the best combination café/​laundromat I’ve ever been to.
But seriously, good coffee and espresso (I liked their flat white a lot), and a great place to chill. There’s always people on laptops, and there’s free WiFi.
In the back, you can do your laundry. There’s even a sock vending machine.
Jesse is a super cool guy, and if you need advice on the cool spots to hit up, he’ll set you straight.
Super cool wall décor as well.

I visited Montréal for a few days from Detroit and I loved loved loved this place! Since I was new in the town, I asked a lot of questions and he was so friendly and nice to give me lists of interesting places to visit in the city! And of course the americano that i ordered tasted amazing!(and the coffee tables as well) If I lived in Montréal, it would be my go to place everyday with my laptop everyday after work! I’ll definitely come back here when I’m back in Montréal next time!

Super café ! Le thé glacé est super ainsi que l’americano !
Nous avons pris aussi 2 pâtisseries qui étaient délicieuses: pain au chocolat et bleuet et une tarte fine au figues :-)
L’endroit est vraiment cool, j’adore le côté décalé de la buanderie et des distributeurs de tatouage et chaussettes !
A refaire !

Love love love this place. Fantastic coffee prepared by a friendly, unpretentious barista who knows more than a thing or two about coffee. The space is relaxed and inviting and, charmingly, shares the space with a laundromat.
I went in the early afternoon on a weekday and sadly the pastries were already sold out… but Mamie Clafoutis is right next door and you’re welcome to pop over to pick something up =)

L’Artiste Affame is tucked away in a basement and if you’re not careful you will walk right by it. That would be quite unfortunate because this café is awesome. They have a unique selection of beans and it certainly makes me want to try there filtered coffee on a future visit. I went for a latte instead which was pretty competitive with some of the other great coffee shops in Montréal. They also have a small variety of baked goods from Boulangerie Guillaume which are pretty tasty. My almond croissant was pretty sweet, flaky and all around a solid choice.
The vibe here is great and if you need a place to get work done then this is it. It wasn’t super crowded so there was some background noise but not too much that it was distracting. They also have a fast wi-​fi connection which is a huge plus. As a side bonus there is a laundromat here so if you live nearby you should come here for some coffee while you do your laundry. It is an interesting concept and I loved it.

i went for the first time months ago after seeing a fellow Unilocaler check-​in in many times as i was intrigued by it knowing i’d walk by without knowing it was a coffee shop. not only is it a coffee shop but its a laundromat too. the same kind of shop as Vito.
so, on my first stop, i had a cappuccino which was good but it didn’t leave me wanting more. i got the feeling i had better coffee. nonetheless, the charming way of the shop is what brought me to go back AND, most important part, not seeing them get much instagram love nor Unilocal love so i had to go back.
on a very sunny and warm saturdaze, i went back for another go at the cappuccino. while Jesse, the man of the place, prepared my coffee, we had a chat. a chat about coffee, what he liked about, how he’d choose what beans, what roaster to use for the day, if he’d change beans throughout the day to which its a resounding yes. if he deems it ready to be used, he’ll offer it so in a day, you can and will most likely drink coffee with different flavorful profile. we made a parallel with alcohol/​wine knowing that one has to age and when its ready to maximize its flavor potential.
anyway, on that day, i had a very very good coffee made using beans from ecuador. while my first time didn’t wow me that much, this time, i was sold!
not only the place has an underground feel to it where you can do your laundry or munch on waffles (something new) or have a coffee conversation with Jesse or study or play some piano but you get to do all that while enjoying a great cup of coffee.
place is a bit hard to find as its downstairs and there isn’t much of a sign besides a laundry sign. most likely, you’ll walk past by it without knowing the coffee shop is there. i mean, i did numerous time but now, knowing where it is and what great coffee you can drink, it’ll be part of my regular coffee stops

This place actually has personality. You can tell it was started by somebody who really cares about the craftsmanship of making coffee. Jessie, the owner, is a good guy with integrity who really cares that you enjoy your caffeinated experience.
Get the pour-​over. The coffee is conscientiously prepared, and the desserts are so well made. Instead of just a regular, tasty but predictable blondie, this one has orange pieces and some kind of liquer crust. I don’t even know, I just haven’t ever eaten a better one before in my life. The chai cookie is also great, buttery with all kinds of Indian spices.
I

I think I know a thing or two about coffee, and about the independent coffee-​shops specifically. Having been to most of the main third wave coffee-​shops in the east coast, the experience offered by l’Artiste affame is the best par excellence, no match. The cortado is unparralled. And Jesse, is a coffee lover before being a barista or the owner.
Also, if you buy beans to make your coffee home, this place has some coffee beans that you won’t find anywhere in the east coast.

I’m not a coffee expert (I have maybe two cups a month) but I was impressed with this place. The aforementioned Jesse is very good at what he does, and he is very kind about sharing his knowledge of all things coffee. Like I said, I don’t know anything about coffee, but if I don’t have to add sugar to it because it tastes great as it is — I definitely will try other things on the menu.
Incidentally, there’s a laundromat connected to this place. Jesse’s not in charge of it, but he will gladly give you change if you need it. Machines are brand new, décor is kitschy fun. So if you have to do the wash, grab a magazine to read and a coffee — it’s a nice way to spend the morning.

Perfect coffee. Try the Gibraltar, is really good. Jesse is «un amoreux» of coffee so he explains you everything about it. Plus he really searches for the perfect coffee. The place is cool for work and the ambiance is super tranquile.

I just moved to Montréal from San Francisco where it’s easier to find an amazing cup of coffee than it is to find a dépanneur. To say I was spoiled with coffee in that city would be an understatement.
I didn’t think anywhere in Montréal would compare. I tried Pikolo, Myriade, Humble Lion, Kitsuné, etc. They’re all beautiful shops, but lack the authenticity and care of crafting the perfect cup. Then I found L’Artiste Affamé.
Jesse the owner has built a beautiful, relaxed space and cares more about coffee and his clientele than any other café I’ve stepped foot in. We were on a first name basis after the second visit, and he even went out of his way to bring some new equipment in after a simple suggestion of doing so.
The coffee is on rotation so there’s always something new. On deck right now there’s Transcend out of Edmonton, Timbertrain out of Vancouver and Path out of NY.

Just opened, really solid café with a great offering of coffees you can’t find anywhere else in the city. Really friendly owner who actually takes the time to talk with you.
Great place to get your coffee fix and break out of the robotic and unappreciative coffee shops around the city

This place can easily be in top 5 if they continue to do what they’re doing right now. Amazing coffee and friendly staff. Pikolo, Myriade, Humble Lion, Odessa, Dispatch have a new competition.
If you are anywhere near the Sherbrooke metro station or Square St-​Louis, drop by and get your coffee fix.
——
Edit: This place without any doubt offers the best coffee in Montréal right now! They have the beans nobody else offers.

Je viens de découvrir. Il vient tout juste d’ouvrir, un café sympa, excellent service. Endroit idéal pour travailler

Latté correct. Ça vient juste d’ouvrir, donc pas encore de wifi, pas encore de viennoiseries… il reste encore pas mal de trucs à avoir et/​ou régler, c’est artistique comme café…un peu «peace&love»…En plus, ça fait guise de buanderie, le même style que ”Blanc De Blanc” sur Villeneuve. Y’a aussi une petite terrasse qui donne sur St-​Denis. Bof! dans mon cas, à vous de voir maintenant!

Ouvert depuis peu de temps sur St-​Denis, tout près du métro Sherbrooke et du Carré St-​Louis, L’Artiste Affamé est un café à découvrir ! Jesse est vraiment sympathique et connaît son café sur le bout de ses doigts… et son café est délicieux :)

Un café indépendant sympathique, aménagé avec soin et ouvert en soirée, quoi demander de mieux sur St-​Denis? Jesse, passionné de café, vous donnera un accueil chaleureux. Vous aurez peut-​être même la chance de découvrir une de ses importations uniques à Montréal. L’endroit est idéal pour travailler ou flâner et combler une fringale avec quelques produits maisons très bons. Aussi idéal pour emporter un bon café ou une boisson froide dans un des parcs du coin (carré St-​Louis, parc Lafontaine).

This is a new upstart café on St. Denis. Love the fact that their going after artisan coffees that aren’t offered anywhere else in Montréal (according to owner Jesse Lewin).
They’re bringing in locally baked goods, bike rack on the wall plus for the more adventurous — laundry mat at the back.
Solid Barista skills — former barista from Café Edgar.