This small, intimate coffee shop is the ideal place to relax and sip
MELK is a low-key coffee shop tucked away down Stanley Street—easy to miss, but worth the extra time trying to find it.
MELK is very small and quaint, so you really get that intimate vibe when you’re sipping on your coffee—it’s relaxing and comfy. It’s a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, without having to leave the area.
There are a few wooden tables for patrons, light-coloured, modern-style paintings along the walls and they have a selection of their coffees and coffee-related products hanging on the walls for purchase. The overall look is a tad industrial with modern accents. It’s a simple, clean, neutral-coloured space.
I ordered a milk chocolate hot chocolate. It had just the right amount of sweetness and the taste of chocolate wasn’t overwhelming. The milk balanced the chocolate nicely.
MELK has an extensive menu of coffees, teas and other drinks. You can get your espresso any way you want—allongé, cortado, american and so on. Coffees can be served either hot or iced.
The tea menu is big as well, with tea flavours ranging from green to chai and rooibos. A cool and interesting aspect about the menu is that next to each tea shown on the menu, they list the country that the tea originates from.
There’s a small selection of snacks to enjoy with your drink as well. A variety of cookies, brownies, scones and assorted pastries sit at the counter. I decided to try one of their homemade macadamia nut cookies and it was delicious. It was fresh and a fairly big cookie. The texture was soft and gooey, yet it had the perfect amount of crunch to it on the outside.
Prices for drinks range from around $2.40 to over $4 and gets pricier if you add anything extra to it. For instance, adding one of their homemade marshmallows to your drink costs an extra $0.50 and getting soy or almond milk is $0.45 more.
The calming ambiance of the café makes a it great spot for students to unwind and relax. Soft tunes play in the background, and the overall vibe is calming. It’s the perfect place for doing some school work, hanging out with friends or enjoying a hot cup of coffee solo. However, there is no Wi-Fi.
MELK has two locations. You can hit up MELK on either Stanley Street or on Monkland Avenue in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
MELK is open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and and on the weekends 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
