Café Epoca

This place was cute. We were walking in Little Italy on a stat holiday but we totally forgot and not a lot of places were open. We looked at a few of the patios before settling on this one.
We decided to get coffee, a pizza and some desert. I have a macchiato for my coffee. It was pretty good.
For our pizza we asked them to make us half and half of the prosciutto and arugula/​spinach and goat cheese. It was good, nice and thin with their crusts and then fire roasted. I was happy with that. It was decent. There might have been too much arugula on the one side but that might just be me. I like it but I’m not the biggest fan.
For desert we tried the Chocolate Mousse Cake and the Tiramisu. They were both good but the Cake was better. The Tiramisu was way too running in my opinion.
The service and patio was good however, and you honestly cannot beat the location. I really enjoyed sitting on the street and how we were positioned. I would totally go back!

The restaurant looked promising when we sat down. The terrase looked cute and was really energetic. The menu was expansive and they had a special «Menu du jour» with an extra selection of plates.
I went with a simple spaghetti pomodoro and my dining parter went for the Tortellinni a la gigi. The food came to us quickly which was great!
The portion was the perfect size and had lovely garnishes on them. Overall the food was really good. Classic Italian fare — flavourful but not really memorable. The dining experience was good and I would recommend the resto!

Little Italian sidewalk café (plus interior restaurant) that is non pretentious simple yet offering excellent Italian fare. I came here with two friends and we were feeling like some light pizza as a snack to fill our hungry stomachs. So we decided to sit in the sidewalk terrace seating. We ordered in two delicious pizzas. One Quattro staggioni (four different toppings) and one of sausage, mushroom and olive. Both were very thin crust and really light yet tasty. On the table was some really good hot chilli oil. The server mentioned to me the family matriarch makes a huge batch one a year. It was all very tasty. To wash it down I started with a iced cappuccino which was creamy and very easy drinking. This area of little Italy is a great place to side and watch the world walk by. Great on a lazy weekend day. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t do this more as it’s a great pace of life.
Definitely a simple yet fulfilling restaurant. Service was friendly and efficient. Sure there are lots of options in LI but café Epoca served our purpose well and I’d come enjoy the pizza again!

I love this restaurant. There’s just something about it that is so cozy. The staff is friendly and I like the fact that its not too fancy.
Now when it comes to food this ones a winner. I love Italian food therefore, my Mom always had to get recipes from her Italian friends and this place is one of the few that has this homie food going on which makes it delicious.
Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.

Risotto = basically rice in Cheese Whiz.
Gnocchi = supermarket-​shelf pasta, drenched in cream.
Wine selection abhorrent.
Way overpriced.
One of the most depressing Italian meals of my life.
Ambiance? Huge, glaring TV screens, inexperienced wait staff, dark lighting (could barely see my plate!)

Je suis une grande gourmande et amante de plusieurs restaurants Italiens. De BONS restaurants Italiens. En vantant à un collègue de travail 2 de mes adresses adorées de la P’tite Italie, ce dernier m’a vivement recommendé d’essayer le Café Epoca que je n’avais jamais osé tester.
Chaque fois que je suis passée devant cet établissement, il était vide ou complètement vide. Je me suis obligée à visiter donc Epoca par respect pour mon collègue Italien qui me jure d’avoir ”une fine bouche féminine”…
En arrivant sur place, les lieux étaient effectivement vides, mis à part un homme d’un certain âge assis seul prèsdu bar. Nous avons été accueillis par une jeune femme à la voix très douce et au sourire timide. Sur les téléviseurs, un match de hockey. Ce type d’atmosphère n’était pas ma tasse de thé, et je crois que mon collègue n’était pas au courant?
La soupe minestrone était froide, la salade était noyée de vinaigrette, la pieuvre était passable, le poisson était sec… L’hôtesse était charmante et voilà ce qui lui a valu une étoile de plus, car OMG mon collègue devra travailler fort à me convaincre la prochaine fois qu’il voudra me recommander un endroit!

Food was ordinary; good for lunch; extra star for the great service and friendly waitress!

Ok so I have a biased opinion because I only stopped in for a quick drink before visiting Nonna Maria at Italia Fest… But the service was not quick at all. Took the waitress 10 minutes to get 1 glass. Not cool. The pizza looked delish tho.

Growing up in an Italian household with two avocational chefs, I’ve yet to have my mind blown in terms of Italian food in Montréal. Most places seem a bit overdone. Epoca, however, is laid back and really quite good. Not earth shattering, mind you, but a nice spot for lunch.
Rating Scale:
1 Star: Avoid the town in which this place is located just to be safe.
2 Star: With so many great places to choose from, why risk this one?
3 Star: I’ll try it again or consume here in a pinch.
4 Star: I go here regularly if financially and/​or calorically feasible.
5 Star: I look forward to taking my wife or friends here.

Classique restaurant italien du quartier italien, on né sort vraiment pas des sentiers battus au Café Epoca. Pates, pizza, carne, tout les grands classiques y sont. Leur rissotto, un peu al dante pour moi baignait véritablement dans un bain d’huile d’olive. Le vin y était un peu chaud et le café goûtait étrangement l’eau pour un restaurant italien. Non merci!

The service is very friendly, but the food was a little disappointing. Prosciutto was thick and near jerky-​like. Pizza was bland.

I am spoiled having grown up with Boston’s North End, so this place was A-​OK.
Average dining, not great-​but-​not bad service. Standard italian fare. Not a family dining experience, but they were definitely hospitable to us :-)
Penne Arrabiata= not spicy, but the pasta was cooked perfectly.
Pasta Primavera= not a fan anyway, didn’t care for the use of yellow peppers, but again, pasta cooked perfectly.
Arugula/​Parmesean salad= delish.
Perhaps if we go back, after reading other reviews, I’ll have to try the pizza!

Pizza was bangin’! Gnocci in rose sauce… delicious. The best mochaccino I’ve had since being in Italy. Quick and attentive service. The fried calamari was a very tasty and large starter. It was, however, more expensive than our main courses. Good place to stop for lunch if you are shoping at Jean Talon market.

Where have you been all my life?
I finally decided to try café Epoca for lunch today. My friend and I each ordered a pizza. They were flippin’ incredible. Perfection! I’m rating this restaurant on my pizza alone. I have no idea what the rest of the food taste like, and quite frankly I couldn’t give a damn! I’m going to go back to this restaurant and order pizza again and again.
Sure the service was friendly, sure I was sitting at the open terrace on march 19^th enjoying the warm weather. But wow… What a delicious pizza I had for lunch. It just might be the best pizza I ever ate.

I agree with the other reviewers about this place it is chill and the pizza is always good, I tend to visit this place in the summer, and sit outside. The service is friendly and you can hang here, in fact it is the thing to do, don’t go there if your in a rush since the fun part is hanging and people watching.

Epoca is something of an institution in Montréal. Sort of like the Peach Pit in 90 210, it’s the safe bet that’s also family friendly.
Situated right on St. Laurent smack in the middle of the action of Little Italy, it’s got a few outside tables and large sliding windows that open the place up to the street. Three or four TVs are always on, usually playing a Juve game or the afternoon Formula races. The patrons are a cool mix of Italian young families out for an early lunch, the odd couple sharing a pizza, a few friends sipping espresso and philosophizing, and two or three goons in track suits and Scuderia Ferrari hats glued to the TV while playing with their Honda or Chevy car keys.
The menu is pretty impressive for what looks like a dedicated coffee-​shop. Everything from pizza to pasta dishes to even fish is served, all of it quite good. You really can’t go wrong with anything here — it won’t blow you away, but you’re there for good coffee, good solid comfort food, and a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. Epoca delivers those things in spades, and earns a solid 4 stars.

When we moved to Little Italy we asked our Italian friends if there were any places they or their families would particularly recommend. One told us that her (very) Italian padre always went to Epoca for the prosciutto pizza. This has become a regular spot for us since, we tuck into the back booth and load up on antipasto and carbs. It’s not a fancy spot, there is a tv that’s usually on and the staff is never in a rush. There is hot oil, hot peppers, and parm on every table and a nice small outdoor terasse on St Laurent with room for a few tables. The pizza dough is thin and soft and fresh, the ingredients are generally local and delicious (we are right next to the Jean Talon market, if you are not getting your produce right in this neighborhood you are doing something really wrong). Epoca isn’t trying to be old timey, or fancy, it’s just a chill, tasty way to hit the spot.

This was a really nice little café that we stumbled upon as we were wandering around Petite Italie. The servers were really friendly and attentive (and accommodating… we don’t speak French, and they were very patient with us), and the food was fantastic!
Try the chicken cutlet panini, or the gnocchi, both were delicious, and you could tell that the food had been prepared with fresh ingredients. Their sangria is also pretty tasty, check that out as well.
The only downside was that it took a while for us to get our food, and there were only a few other parties being served at the time. I mean it was definitely worth the wait, but if you’re in any sort of a hurry, this isn’t the place to stop for a quick bite to eat.
Overall: Great food, great staff, great restaurant. I would highly recommend it to anyone that’s in the area and looking for some good Italian food.