Hidden gem coffee shop: This Old Montreal cafe is LITERALLY underground (PHOTOS)

Sep 19 2022, 8:55 pm

Coffee aficionados in Montreal like those off-the-beaten underground cafes. So, how about a spot that is literally underground?

For local coffee drinkers who want a genuine cup o’ joe (get outta here, Starbucks), Ludo Café in the Old Port should be on every caffeine fan’s radar.

But Ludo Café has more to offer than just being underground and authentic Italian coffee, it’s also a gym and boxing facility.

While speaking with Daily Hive, Ludo Café and Panda Boxing co-owner Antoine Tava says his spot is “very much hidden” and is “hard to find.”

Tava says his cafe-gym hybrid offers snacks, Mid-Day Squares, smoothies, and “all the coffee classics: cappuccinos, lattes, mocha, espressos, and more.”

As an Italian, Tava says he grew up in Italian cafes and understands the “sense of community” in the coffee culture. “You walk in and don’t know anyone and when you leave, you have a friend for 20 years,” he says.

Ludo Café and its adjacent Panda Boxing Gym have that “community and family vibe, friendship first.”

Tava says the underground gem is a “mix of both worlds,” with regulars who come in for coffee and loyal gym members who come to train. “We have people coming from Montreal offices to train and others who come in just for the coffee — it all just fits as a natural process.”

 

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Customers walk into the building on Saint-Paul, through a side door, and down a flight of stairs to meet the coffee-boxing duo facility.

Tava says his 3,000 sq ft spot has a full gym, boxing ring, private shower, vanity area, and space for group classes. The gym offers coaching and private fitness-oriented workouts.

The stone-walled marble counter opened right before the COVID-19 pandemic began and, according to Tava, the cafe has been operating “steadily” since February 2022.

“You walk in and you’re like, where am I?” he describes. “You’re in a basement, gym, cafe, and there’s even another bar next door,” referring to the trendy cocktail bar STILLIFE.

 

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Tava says he and his team “completely revamped the basement, we built it from scratch — it was rubbles and rocks.”

Ludo Café and the Panda Boxing Gym are open every day, from 7 am to 8:30 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 3 pm on weekends.

If you’re looking for hidden gem cafes, Ludo Café is tough to top.

 

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Ty JadahTy Jadah

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