Barley - Bar à Céréales comes across as a stylish, cozy brunch spot that many guests praise for the vibrant atmosphere, friendly service, and a strong Middle Eastern fusion menu with a playful cereal bar. Reservations are often advised as the place tends to be busy. The food draws praise for balance and creativity, with highlights like the full mezze, halloumi plate, Turkish eggs, and creme brulee French toast, while some diners find the pancakes at times gummy or portions not matching the price. Drinks are enjoyed by many, but some experiences include drinks arriving cold or the matcha latte lacking extra matcha. Noise levels can be high and service can feel slow or inconsistent during peak hours, though staff are generally friendly and attentive. Overall, the experience remains appealing for flavors and vibe, and the concept of mixing cereals adds a fun, repeatable draw.
This place has been consistently good for many years. Matcha pancakes & Turkish eggs were very good. Highly recommend, not sure why the ratings aren't higher.
Apr 26, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Before going I checked Google & saw 3.9 , so I did not expect anything. What an amazing surprise it was . Great Middle Eastern brunch fusion & just an amazing brunch with the matcha pancakes to d@e for ( & I don't like matcha ) will definitely go back , so don't trust the google notes sometimes…
Chicken waffle (7/10): Good but was a bit too sweet Matcha pancakes (5/10): You don't taste the matcha very much
Falafel eggs (8/10): Pretty good
Latte drinks (3/10): Got the sésame & miso Caramel but they're both very gimmicky & are nothing special, you can barely taste the specialty flavors
Their matcha drinks were sold out by the time we got there at 12pm. Would try that & the hallumi dish next time instead.
Amazing experience overall-great food, great vibe, & the matcha pancakes were unreal. The manager truly made it next-level too: super welcoming, checked in on us, & made sure everything was perfect. Definitely coming back!
We ordered falafel salad the $19 one & waffle with chicken & we had an offer for free dessert which we chose the matcha pan cakes.
We planned on ordering hazelnut latte but we were done before we reached that point.
Falafel eggs: I specifically asked wha is difference between the $19 falafel platter & $10 falafel egg I was told the platter is much more fulfilling & the description said it's felafel egg, falafel, salad & something else. Well it was just one eggs salad I paid $9 for just cut veggies. Just the egg was okay though
Chicken with waffle: that was okay it was good
Pancakes: we got burnt pancakes must taste good & that sauce is much thick see video
I know what this place can be but it's not there yet.. p.s I enjoyed it much better 2 years ago than now.
Feb 12, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
We had a generally pleasant experience at Barley Café. We ordered matcha lattes with extra matcha, but unfortunately when they were served, they were already cold. We kindly mentioned it & asked if it could be adjusted, but it remained the same.
However, the food really stood out. The halloumi plate was excellent & full of flavor, & the matcha pancake was absolutely delicious & well prepared.
The service was a little slow, but the staff were friendly, polite, & welcoming, which we appreciated. Overall, it's a nice café with great food, & with a bit more attention to drink temperature & timing, it could be even better.
Absolutely loved my experience at Barley!!! The vibe is so cozy & stylish, the food is full of flavor, & the lattes are top-tier. Definitely my new go-to spot in Montreal & can't wait to come back! btw the Matcha pancakes are a MUST
The matcha pancakes are incredible! It's pretty loud & the service was a little slow, but I went during Sunday rush hour, so it's understandable. Definitely worth it for the pancakes!
Such a great brunch spot! Went with friends & we ordered the Halloumi Plate, the Aylwin's Bacon Hummus, & the Matcha Pancakes.The Cereal Latte was also delicious & super fun to drink. The service was great & the vibe was amazing. Definitely recommend doing a reservation because it was busy.
Oct 12, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
This place has such loud music no one could hear each other. At one point i could see a lady 2 tables over just covering her ears with it being so loud.
Ordered the matcha latte & it was very watered down. It needed more matcha powder for sure.
Our waitress was also wearing a bell sleeved sweater that kept grazing our food & waters that's we didn't end up eating it.
They had good mimosas & their beef bacon was good too.
This place used to be amazing, the type of place you would want to gate keep. However, my last experience was very disappointing, the main issue was our server. She did not use a pen & a paper to note my order with my friends (we are three in total). Each time we order, whether drinks or food, the server would come back at least 3-4 times for each step of the service just to verify if she took the proper order.
1. My friend A ordered a matcha. She ordered 2 because she thought that my friend B wanted to order one of her suggestions.
2. My friend A & I ordered an appetizer to share. The server never ordered it. Finally we received our main meals, then that's the only moment when the server realized we never received our appetizer. It is notable that her excuse was:'The kitchen's receipts are currently not functioning, so I must write everything for them to do the orders. I forgot to write & send the appetizer.'
3. I said I was thinking of ordering something savoury as main. She suggested the chicken with a waffle. I ended up choosing the halloumi, but I received her suggestion instead.
4. It is important to also note that we were the first & only customers at that moment. It took at least 5-10 minutes for me to receive my cereal latte, which was the first order made, nothing else.
5. When we were about to pay, there were 3 bills in total. The server forgot to take off the appetizer we never received. When she took it off my bill, she never gave me the corrected copy. Instead, she gave me the old one, & simply applied my new balance in the payment terminal, as she said:'I remember the amount by heart.'
All of these back to back issues could have been minimized if the server had a pen & a paper in the first place. It was upsetting when it happened way too much. The only reason why we even tipped 15% was because the server seemed nice, & it's a restaurant I used to enjoy visiting. I hope such calamity wouldn't happen again, specially when there's only one table in the restaurant.
Was quite disappointed :( Ordered the matcha pancakes but they didn't have the white chocolate sauce to go with it & didn't tell me until the pancakes came out with another sauce. I asked for maple syrup instead as I didn't like substitute. They were slow to bring the food but then many times asked to clear the plates/glasses while we still had food or drink left.
Jul 11, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
The food is not bad, but not great either. A friend & I had the chicken waffle & fatteh. We had also ordered a flat white & a matcha latte which only arrived while we were already halfway through our meal. It's a shame since the place & vibe is nice.
Good but nothing amazing. Matcha pancake was good but labneh dish had barely any pita to accompany the dips. Practical to be able to make reservations since so many brunch places don't take any.
went this morning with a group of 5 people. the menu has DRASTICALLY changed. there are only around 9 ish items on the menu (individual) & 4 that are meant to share. the portions are ridiculously small & expensive for what you get. i.e 19$ for thé Crème brûlée french toast (you get ONE slide of toast) & the 16$ Turkish eggs. The waitress advised to get the extra smoked salmon (+5$) since the portion was small for the Turkish eggs, which turned out to be a waste. I received 4 mini slices (no more than 2cm x 3cm) added to my meal. crazy. 2 stars only for the matcha. that was pretty decent. not coming back though.
We had a reservation at Barley Brunch for 3pm, but arrived about half an hour early. The hostess greeted us warmly-super friendly & welcoming-& let us know our table was already ready, which was a nice surprise.
Barley was on my list of top 5 must-try brunch spots in Montreal, based on Instagram recommendations. Overall, the food was decent. The chicken & waffles had potential, but the sauce was a little overpowering for our taste. The salad was okay-not particularly memorable-but the star of the show was definitely the matcha pancake. That did not disappoint. Highly recommend trying it if you go!
We also ordered some teas, & one person in our group who can't have milk was a bit disappointed to find out they only offered milk & not cream as an alternative. It's a small detail, but worth noting.
All in all, the service was fantastic, the vibe was great, & the matcha pancake alone makes it worth a visit.
This place is brunch perfection! The vibe is cozy & welcoming, the staff is friendly, & the food? Unreal. I had the pancakes au matcha it was so goooooood. The coffee was spot-on. Quick service, gorgeous plates, & a menu that begs for repeat visits. Five stars-go treat yourself!
