I had the chance to visit Cardinal Tea Room which is a new venture from the people behind Sparrow. I was blown. a. way.
I had seen photos, but was unprepared for the nooks! the antiques! the quirky details! the furniture! the lamps!
Even the door is pretty darn cool.
Design references include a 1920’s piano bar, old Indian Hotels (as in the country India all you people on the prairies – I’m sure every one of you guys thought I was referring to Canada’s natives!), and of course – Britain.
I was there on an off time (you can see the place is empty) but I have heard it can get a bit crowded and chaotic which I would assume is just a few wrinkles they need to iron out.
The tea was great and is of the more traditional variety. They also have baked goods that pair well with the tea and some hardier food for lunch which I did not try.
Overall, very cool and a great place to hang out.
Please note they are only open Friday – Sunday 11 – 7 for now with plans to add Thursday in the future.
Cardinal Tea Room, 5326 St-Laurent, 514-903-2877
Decor: Amazing – from the retro lamps right down to the souvenir spoons.
Price: Honestly I didn’t pay that much attention – I mean it’s tea. You can see a photo of the menu above.
Service: Well, I was nearly the only one there so can’t really comment much.
Food: Very good – it works well with the tea.
Good for: Tea lovers, hanging out, soaking in the decor.
Baby friendly: OK – so to get to this second level location there is a pretty narrow and steep staircase. If you could schlep the stroller up there (def a two person job) the actual space is very airy. I have no idea what the toilets look like.
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Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
Hi Michelle,
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 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 again at the Cardinal soon 🙂
Dear Michelle,
Since our last update about the Cardinal Tea Room, exciting things have been happening downstairs at our sister business, Sparrow. As of last month, every Sunday night the Sparrow kitchen serves a delicious traditional British Sunday Roast with all of the trimmings (vegetarian option also available). It is a beautiful meal, enjoyed in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Since you have profiled Cardinal in all of its aesthetic and sensory delights in the past, we thought you may be interested in this new event. Seating begins at 7pm, and reservations can be made in advance by phone.
Thank you once again for your positive attention in the past, and hope to see you again, upstairs at Cardinal or downstairs at Sparrow, soon!
Cheers,
The Cardinal and Sparrow Team
p.s. check out Sparrow’s new website for more information!
Cardinal Team Room
5326 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montreal, Quebec H2T 1A5
http://www.thecardinaltea.com
514.903.2877
Sparrow / Le Moineau
5322 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montreal, Quebec H2T 1A5
http://www.sparrow-lemoineau.com
514.507.1642