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MTL.
Oct 12 — 15
A three-layer carrot cake slice with cream cheese frosting and a walnut on a pale plate, beside a white mug of frothy coffee on a wooden table

Brunch / Verdun

Janine Café

CARROT CAKE FOR BREAKFAST

Régine Café's Verdun sister: rococo tea-room brunch, hearty Québec plates and a carrot cake on Tastet's best-of list.

From home
9 min drive
3.69 km. Walk 47 min
Spend
$$$$
est. $23-42 per person
Our dates
Open all 4 days
Give it 1 to 1.5 hours, plus any line
ReserveMenu

Mood photo, not this exact place.Photo: Orkun Orcan, Unsplash License

The verdict

Go on a weekday. Book a Tuesday to Thursday table before the trip (no same-day bookings), get the Champi or the Sucré Salé, and split the carrot cake no matter how full you are. It is big, sweet-leaning brunch in a velvet-and-wallpaper room, lively rather than quiet. Thanksgiving Monday is walk-in only, so that day means 9am sharp, after 1pm, or a line.

  • From Alessia's list
  • On Tastet's best brunches in Montréal list (updated June 2026)
  • Its carrot cake made Tastet's best carrot cakes list (updated September 2026)
  • Takes weekday reservations, so Tue-Thu can be line-free

Order this

Tap the circle to want it. Tap again once it's eaten.

Janine Café, the short list

  • Must order

    Gâteau aux carottes (carrot cake)

    $12

    A slice of house carrot and spice cake with carrot-pineapple butter, mascarpone cream and caramelized nuts.

    Tastet put it on its best carrot cakes list (updated Sep 2026) and it is the most-mentioned item in recent diner reviews. Get one for the table even if nobody wants dessert.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website)

  • Must order

    Champi (mushroom toast)

    $24

    Toast with Mamirole (raclette-style) cheese, poached eggs, mushrooms sautéed with cream and sage, house potatoes and red pepper coulis.

    First on the café's own list of favourites and a regular in recent reviews. The savoury order if you only get one.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website). The web menu also lists a version with a Scotch egg at $33

  • Sucré Salé

    $22

    Brioche French toast with aged cheddar, pulled ham, a sunny-side-up egg and house sucre à la crème (Québec cream fudge).

    Sweet meets salty with a very Québec finish in the sucre à la crème. One of the house favourites, and the way to split the difference between the sweet and savoury sides of the menu.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website). $22 for one slice, $24 for two

  • Gros Jambon

    $25

    The big plate: two eggs your way, pulled ham, artisanal bacon, baked beans, house potatoes, cretons and toast.

    Janine's take on the Québec diner breakfast, featured on its homepage and on Tastet's review (listed there as Gros Ham). For the hungrier of the two of us.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website)

  • Sandwich poulet frit (fried chicken sandwich)

    $24

    Caramelized-onion brioche bun, harissa mayo, cornflake-crusted fried chicken, sunny-side-up egg, pepper jam and tomato.

    Featured on the homepage and singled out in recent reviews. The pick if brunch is really lunch.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website)

  • Doré banane (banana French toast)

    $22

    Brioche French toast with banana butter, banana and mascarpone cream and a crunchy topping (granola or pecans depending on the menu version).

    One of the four dishes the café puts on its homepage, and Tastet singled out its brioche French toast (that review dates from 2018, but the dish is on the current menu). The all-in sweet option.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website). $22 for one slice, $24 for two

  • Brioche à la cannelle (cinnamon roll)

    $6

    House cinnamon roll, best with the warm sucre à la crème or chocolate sauce add-on.

    Tastet flagged the cinnamon brioche from the pastry counter when the review was written (2018, updated 2025, so menus may have moved on), and the cinnamon roll is on the current official menu.

    On their menu: Janine Café (official website). $8 with warm sucre à la crème or chocolate sauce

Menus change. Prices are from the posted menu, before tax and tip.

What people actually say

Recurring themes, not cherry-picked quotes.

Love

  • The carrot cake is the standout in both editorial lists and recent diner reviews
  • Generous, rich plates: the Champi mushroom toast, Gros Jambon and fried chicken sandwich keep coming up
  • The room itself: velvet banquettes, wallpaper and vintage mirrors with a London tea-room, rococo feel
  • Warm, attentive, bilingual service, plus a complimentary juice shot that diners often mention

Know before you go

  • Lines are the main complaint: weekend walk-ins commonly wait half an hour or more
  • Several diners find it pricey for breakfast, though most say the portions justify it
  • It gets loud when the room is full
  • Weekends and statutory holidays are walk-in only, Thanksgiving Monday included; weekend lines often form before the 9am opening
  • Weekday bookings are limited and never same-day: book on Libro or by phone before the trip
  • Closes at 3pm daily; a cheaper weekday early-bird breakfast was reported but is not on the official web menu, so confirm
  • No American Express: cash, Interac, Visa or Mastercard

Dishes that keep coming up

Carrot cake, Champi (mushroom toast), Gros Jambon, Fried chicken sandwich, Cinnamon brioche, Grilled cheese

Room
Rococo tea-room styling (velvet, wallpaper, vintage mirrors), about 80 seats, warm and festive; noisy at peak times.
Service
Consistently described as attentive, friendly and bilingual, with the odd slip reported.
Value
Mains at $17-32 make it pricier than a diner breakfast; most diners feel the portions and quality earn it.

Synthesized from Tastet (review updated Mar 2025; lists updated Jun and Sep 2026), Tourisme Montréal, The Main (updated Sep 2026), the official FAQ, and the first page of recent Google-sourced reviews (Sep-Oct 2026) as aggregated by RestoMontréal and Restoenligne. Reddit, Google Maps, Instagram and Facebook were not accessible, and a wider community sweep was not possible in this pass.

Vibe check

buzzy/cozy/bright/casual

Best fora slow weekday brunch, sweet-tooth mornings, a Verdun morning on Promenade Wellington

How much we'll spend

$$$$Est. $23-42 / person

Official menu: mains $17-32 (most savoury plates $24-25); drinks from $6.25 (white hot chocolate) to $10 (mimosa or glass of prosecco). Food plus one drink, before tax and tip. Splitting the $12 carrot cake adds about $6 each. Coffee prices are not listed.

Our estimate from posted prices, CAD, before tax and tip. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Daily 9am-3pm

  1. Mon 12Open9am to 3pm
  2. Tue 13Open9am to 3pm
  3. Wed 14Open9am to 3pm
  4. Thu 15Open9am to 3pm

Thanksgiving MondayStanding policy, not a date-specific notice: the official site says it is open every day 9am-3pm and that on weekends and statutory holidays (jours fériés) it runs without reservations, first come first served. No Thanksgiving 2026 notice found; Instagram and Facebook could not be checked.

Full week
Mon9am to 3pm
Tue9am to 3pm
Wed9am to 3pm
Thu9am to 3pm
Fri9am to 3pm
Sat9am to 3pm
Sun9am to 3pm

Official FAQ (2026) says every day 9am-3pm. Tourisme Montréal's listing says Wednesday to Sunday with no hours; treat that as stale. A weekday early-bird (Lève-tôt) special is mentioned in earlier notes but could not be re-confirmed on the official web menu.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Make a night of it

Dinner, drinks, late night. Real walking times between.

  1. DinnerJanine CaféCarrot cake for breakfast

  2. 2 min walk (0.09 km)

    DrinksBebaThe knish is non-negotiable

Pair it with

  • A stroll along Promenade Wellington, the Verdun main street the café sits on, to walk off the carrot cake

Where

3900 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G 1V3

47 min walk (3.41 km) / 9 min drive, no traffic / 21 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map janinecafe.ca Instagram Call

Weekdays only: a limited number of tables, no same-day bookings, and half the room is always held for walk-ins; weekday bookings also by phone. Weekends and statutory holidays (Oct 12 included) are walk-in only, first come first served. Max 6 per table; no groups or private events.

While you're there

2 min walk from here

28 min walk from here

29 min walk from here

42 min walk from here

38 min walk from here

33 min walk from here

36 min walk from here

38 min walk from here

The receipt

Where every fact on this page comes from.

Fact-checkedResearched and independently re-checked Oct 8, 2026, 4 details corrected. Confidence: high.

Details to confirm

  • Fall 2026 menu: the site still links the summer 2026 printed menu. The FAQ says classics stay but the menu evolves, so dishes and prices may have shifted slightly
  • Thanksgiving Monday Oct 12: marked open from the standing holiday walk-in policy; no date-specific notice found (Instagram and Facebook not accessible). A call to +1 514-543-5372 would settle it
  • Weekday table availability for Oct 13-15 not checked; book ahead since same-day bookings are not taken
  • Coffee prices are not on the published menu
  • Lève-tôt weekday special and duck Benedict: not on the official web menu; only on a placemat image that could not be read. Confirm before relying on them
  • Operating-status re-check by web search could not be run (search budget exhausted); status rests on official site and 2026 Tastet updates
  1. OfficialJanine Café (official website): Homepage and FAQ: address, daily hours, booking policy, menu highlights (page updated 2026-08-04)accessed 2026-10-08
  2. OfficialJanine Café (official website): Reservations policy (weekdays only; weekends and holidays walk-in) with Libro booking widgetaccessed 2026-10-08
  3. OfficialJanine Café (official website): Our Breakfast & Brunch Menu: dishes and prices (page updated 2026-05-28)accessed 2026-10-08
  4. OfficialJanine Café (official website): Adults' menu: summer 2026 printed placemat menu (image, uploaded May 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
  5. OfficialJanine Café (official website): FAQ: hours, reservations, lines, price range, payment, accessibilityaccessed 2026-10-08
  6. EditorialTastet: Janine Café: The beloved Régine Café's little sister in Verdun (originally Nov 2018, updated 2025-03-05)accessed 2026-10-08
  7. EditorialTastet: The Best Brunches of Montreal (updated 2026-06-01)accessed 2026-10-08
  8. EditorialTastet: The Best Carrot Cakes in Montreal (updated 2026-09-12)accessed 2026-10-08
  9. TourismTourisme Montréal (mtl.org): Janine Café listing (lists Wed-Sun; conflicts with official daily hours)accessed 2026-10-08
  10. EditorialThe Main: Janine Café, Verdun (listing updated 2026-09-22)accessed 2026-10-08
  11. CommunityRestoMontréal: Janine Café-Brunch listing with aggregated Google reviews (most recent shown 2026-10-06)accessed 2026-10-08
  12. CommunityRestoenligne: Janine Café-Brunch reviews (Google-sourced, Sep-Oct 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
  13. EditorialThe Main: Janine (gelato bar, Little Burgundy): separate venue used for disambiguationaccessed 2026-10-08