Cafe Presto was a unique little storefront restaurant. We were standing around outside wondering where to go have dinner when the owner of this little place stuck his head out and said "come on in." With such a quirky start, we did just that. Inside this little place there are maybe a dozen tables ... mostly for two. The place was casual, unpretentious, and relatively inexpensive. Service was friendly and spot on. Now the owner who drew us in - whatever his name - does it all here. He seated us, we saw him clean off some tables, and he goes back and forth in the kitchen personally making each dish. He had only two helpers ... one doing dishes and the other helping wait the tables especially when he was fixing a plate. The meals are essentially light pasta with light sauces ... nothing much heavy here. It is meant to be a quick lunch spot, and only stays open a while after hours. The menu - posted in the front window - is written on a sheet of paper and usually is about 8 different pastas and sauces; after you sit at a table you will find that the current list is generally smaller as they have run out of stuff during the day. Be that as it may, it was pretty good food. We had the Canelloni Rossini (4 stars with a light red sauce), Penne Arrabbiata (4 stars with another very light sauce), and a Calypso Salad (4 stars with very nice greens). The big takeaway was that he can make any kind of quick pasta and put any one of his light sauces on it for a quick meal. The sauces were nice - very light but nice. The pastas could have been a bit fresher. Interestingly, they only take cash - and that is not mentioned on the front window. He does have an ATM machine inside to help you cover the cash, but he should really announce this out front, especially for all the tourists that are in Montreal. Our bill came to $70 and he wrote down $80 ... maybe he included the tip for us - don't know, but pay attention to your bill on the way out. In fairness, the prices are reasonable here - $4.95 for a glass of the house Chianti, and every one of the pasta meals were simply $9.95. Canoli were $6.00 each. read more

Hmmm, I've never gone to a restaurant where they don't offer menus, until this one. I personally did not like this, but whatever floats your boat and makes you happy. Of course after we ordered we discovered a have written, 8" x 11" menu on one of the walls. Would have been nice to have been directed to that earlier... anyway moving on. Food was okay, we ordered spaghetti... the sausage was really good, bread, meatball and red sauce were a little bland. ‍ overall we most likely wouldn't be back. read more

A nice place to catch a quick and inexpensive lunch. During lunch hours, this little place is PACKED. The four of us had to squeeeeze into a corner, in a table usually set up for 2 people. Not a problem. We all ended up ordering the same thing, rigatoni in tomato basil sauce. Pasta is $5.95, a side salad is $1.75. Just lettuce, tomatoes and vinagrette, nothing special, but the price is right. Pop is $2. The food is pretty good, the sauce is fresh, but what's really outstanding is the service. The man who owns the place (?) is super super friendly and gregarious and the two servers are quick as hell. Food comes out quickly, and plates are snapped up as soon as you're done. There's even a dessert table in there where I saw the owner serving up fresh strawberries with cream. We were in and out in maybe half an hour (after a 10 minute wait to get seated). It was fantastic way to start a day of sightseeing. read more

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This has to be one of the WORST restaurant I have ever been to. We were a party of 4 people going for dinner on a Saturday night and the restaurant was completely empty except for us. I had a bad feeling when I walked in, but my boyfriend insisted that we stay here because it had a 4-star rating on yelp. :( We were told to sit at the royal table for 4 which was literally us sitting facing the sideway were we can wave at people. There was no menu, the owner/cook came over and told us what was available and got really irritated when I asked him to repeat what he said. He did not mention the price and also asked if we wanted salad, which was lettuce and 1 slice of mushy tomato drenched in oil (no it was no olive oil)... We ended up getting the vegetarian pesto lasagna, veal cannelloni, Italian sausage on penne and penne arrabiata for the main course. The portion was tiny (it was stated on their sign that they had "repas leger/light meal", but the portion size was more like a snack size) and it was absolutely disgusting. Everything was microwaved from frozen. The penne with sausage tasted/looked exactly like the penne arrrabiata except there was sausage on top (even though the owner/chef said they are very different), the lasagna was drenched in cream sauce (looked a bit like vomit to tell the truth...) and there was 2 tiny cannelloni with meat that looked 1 week old. The WORST part was that this meal costed $65!!!!!!!!! We were completely riped off. Also, the only server there was an Asian girl that looked like she didn't want to be there. She didn't say a single word when she poured us water and brought us food even when we thanked her. I would NEVER go back to this place and I definitely DO NOT recommend this place. read more

Cafe Presto - Tiny disgusting veal canneloni - Italian Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Having had just checked into our hotel, we were prowling the nearby streets famished. Just around the corner we found a cozy little restaurant called "Cafe Presto". It was casual, and promised light meals (repas leger in French) which was precisely what we were looking for. We were greeted by the avuncular owner. This charming older gentleman led us to our table. As we sat down we asked for water, mentioning that we'd get wine with dinner. "Jolly Good," he replied in his warm accent. There's no menu, he just rhymes off what's available for the day. We selected our dishes and then asked for half a liter of wine; he didn't pause to ask us what we'd like. He simply returned with two bistro style wine glasses (think family dinner table wine glasses on the Sopranos) and the house red. We had a Hot Italian Sausage Pasta and a Beef Stew. Things come delicately flavoured, the tomato sauce is always fresh, and it feels like home cooking. This is a lovely spot to grab a simple and delicious quick lunch or early dinner. It's the atmosphere of this place that really drew us in, and what will draw us back. read more

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This is a lovely little hole in the wall that feels terribly authentic. Seating is a bit tight and one gets the feeling the whole operation is slightly under the table, but the food was great and the prices are quite fair, so I approve! read more

Very good food authentic Italian! Meatball Sausage and sauce so good! Nice portions and Real Sangria with a kick.

Super cute little place - definitely cozy, and loved being seated right in the front so we could see everything going on outside as we had lots of friends in Montreal at the same time so did lots of waving! The owner and chef was very very nice, cash only - Alex had some plain pasta and Jack had the manicotti - I had a salad and it was just absolutely perfect for lunch! Gelato for dessert! Don't expect a menu, today's selection is written on the board and the chef and owner will tell you what he's made after you've been seated! What a great experience read more

Cafe Presto - Alex enjoying!!! - Italian Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Food was ok and homey, with good enough flavor. The bread wasn't particularly fresh, nor the chianti anything to write home about. Pasta was more cooked than I like it. Cannoli tubes not fresh either. But even with that, the cappuccino was fantastic, and all in all the hospitality was lovely. We had the table right next to the window and enjoyed a great time together as family. read more

Attentive service but sauces taste like they are out of a can. Don't miss out on the the cannoli - best I've ever had! They do NOT accept credit cards - good thing we had cash! read more

This place is a little hole in the wall that serves simple no frills inexpensive pasta dishes. This is more of a casual lunch spot rather than a Dinner or date restaurant. First off it is cash only and the prices are ridiculously cheap. You will be greeted by the owner who will seat you, bring you complimentary bread and read off to you what they are serving that day (usually a choice of 4 or so options that vary from one day to the next),as there is no printed menu. I would opt out of the starter salad as it is small and very lacklustre. Don't come here expecting anything fancy or anything outside the box, they serve very simple dishes. I have had their Arrabiatta with sausage and their tomato basil penne. Both were good and had a home cooked feel to them but again both dishes were very simple no frills pasta. They get four stars because although the dishes are very basic, for the price it is well worth it for a lunch option and the service is always friendly and quick with decent portions. read more

Just terrible. As a tourist roaming the streets of Montreal with no idea of where to go and hungry AF, I stumble upon this restaurant. I walk in and am greeted by an older gentleman. He offers me a table and as I'm making myself comfortable he directs me to another one, tells me which chair to put my coat on and which one to sit (control freak?) First red flag! Then he brings me the saddest stale single piece of bread and starts telling me the specials, which do not interest me so I ask to see a menu in which he immediately replies "I am the menu!" After grabbing my jaw from the floor, I ask for something with meat in it and he suggests meatballs! I give in and a few minutes later I'm served a plate of spaghetti with 2 lonely meatballs . The pasta was really reaaaaaally average. I can make better sauce. So I crack lots of pepper, pour some salt and add some tasteless Parmesan on top and eat that crap cuz I was starving! He walks by and I ask for the check in which he replies "you can pay CASH over there!" And I'm like "Excuse me???" To which he says "There's an atm in the corner" Great!!! So now here I am with a $20.70 bill having to withdraw $40 and paying a $2 fee. FML!!! As I pay for the check, this man has the NERVE to shake a tip jar in my face. I look him dead in the eye and say "Thank you so much! Have a great day!" UGH!!! Stay away!!! read more

An inexpensive ($6!!?!) sit-down restaurant in a downtown business district! A warm, welcome interior (mostly natural lighting from the storefront) and owner/waiter! A (small) menu of homestyle Italian-American entrees (ie - a red sauce, or mom/pop establishment)! I'd kill for a place like this in Austin or anywhere else I end up living. Don't let the incredibly charming waiter sell you a "garden" salad. My Montreal friend told me that the meatballs and sausage are where it's at; I enjoyed my lasagna lunch. read more

A warm homey place, nice owner. Food was well prepared. Not a wide variety of pastas, in fact, the menu was verbally told to me by the owner/ chef. Overall, a good experience. read more

Great service and food. Really enjoyed the saucisse dyable. Would gladly return the next time I am in town. FYI - cash only.

Found this restaurant a block away from our hotel on Drummond. Small café with a wonderful owner. Forgot his name. We had Spaghetti and meatballs and the stew. Both were recited by the owner who waited on us. There is the menu of the day written on the board which is the same as recited. The food was well prepared and very tasty. The price was very reasonable. The café was quiet in the early evening. The owner said it gets very crowded during lunch and local events. We were fortunate to come in when the crowds were gone. This is a hidden gem that will not disappoint. read more

I would give this no stars if I could. We were staying a my a hotel around the corner and stopped here to eat. The pasta was not fresh (clearly it was store bought) and for three rather small meals, three salads, and 2 cans of soda it was $45!! We were still hungry after we left. I don't know how it stays open. read more

Don't ask for anything that's not on the evenings specials. Will come from the freezer. Worst ever.

The actual dish did not resemble its name ("meat lasagna" did not have any meat in it) and the portions were of a laughable size. The food was plain. Not letting us know about not accepting credit cards until the end was like cherry on the "cake". The best part of the experience was the gentle padding on the back by the owner. Thank you for that. read more

Friendly Owner, homemade Italian food, delicious, recommend this place for someone who does not look for fancy but good food

Family owned restaurant, we got our food very quickly. Food is very simple with not much flavor.