Café Cadence: a Japanese café by Fleurs & Cadeaux

For a few years now, Fleurs & Cadeaux has kept Chinatown buzzing with its laid-back snack bar and Japanese flavours. The team is doing it again right next door, on rue Saint-Urbain between Viger and De La Gauchetière, with Café Cadence: a neighbourhood café open seven days a week, from morning until late afternoon, a few steps from Place-d’Armes metro and the Palais des congrès. We really love this modern addition to the corner — the area was in need of exactly this kind of café!

Japanese café culture, filtered through ’90s Asian nostalgia

The place draws on Japanese café culture and a certain 1990s Asian nostalgia, while staying true to its Montreal vibe. The design, by Dan Finkel and David Schmidt, bets on a bright, warm space, meant to blend into the life of the neighbourhood. The atmosphere is calm and chill, just as suited to a work-from-home morning as to a casual lunch date. We have a soft spot for this more comfort-food vibe, carried by the same quality of execution that built Fleurs & Cadeaux’s reputation.

Ceremonial-grade matcha and an Okinawan-sugar hojicha latte

On the drinks side, Alexa Gagnon and Beau Kimpton have created a program that runs from specialty coffee to matcha-based creations. And that’s where Café Cadence earns its points: their ceremonial-grade matcha is excellent, and the hojicha latte (lifted by an Okinawan black sugar syrup) is worth the trip! Fans will also find genmaicha, gyokuro and yuzu, with oat, macadamia or soy milk.

Sandos, cold ramen and a grandmother’s anpan

In the kitchen, Aaron Kawajigashi and Xavier Larivière offer a simple menu that follows the seasons. At lunch, you dig into sandos and cold ramen (our favourites) alongside light dishes available all day. At the pastry counter, Yume Hayazaki develops house-made viennoiseries and Japanese classics: anpan with azuki paste and sesame, shiopan with egg and house dijonnaise, caramel flan with amazake cream, or a strawberry roll. The anpan, for its part, follows a family recipe passed down by her grandmother. It’s one of Café Cadence’s must-tries!

A gathering place with a vinyl sale every two months

Cadence also wants to be a place to meet. The café will host a record sale every two months, in collaboration with different guests, as a way to create occasions to gather and to nourish the neighbourhood’s cultural life. It’s a philosophy you can feel even in the décor, with the large communal table in the middle of the room that invites sharing and conversation.

With this new address, the team — backed by Fleurs & Cadeaux regulars like Romain Peynichoux on operations and Sébastien Langlois on communications — adds a warm, accessible spot to a neighbourhood that keeps asking for more. You come for a good coffee, a quiet breakfast, a meal on the go, or simply to slow down the pace. Bon appétit!

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on August 11, 2026

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