Reviews describe Clarke Café as a popular and inviting spot with a bright, clean space, where generous portions and fresh flavors define sandwiches like porchetta and chicken cutlet, complemented by good coffee and desserts; the staff are friendly and the prices are reasonable, but some experiences note crowded lunch hours, limited seating, and policies that speed turnover or discourage laptop use, along with wifi being unreliable or intentionally turned off during peak times.
The food is good there, but the only problem is during rush hours (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) they shut off the Wi-Fi, so it's impossible for students who come in to do their work.
🇮🇹What a little gem! Clarke Café was such a wonderful surprise. The café itself is spacious & inviting, perfect whether you're meeting for a quick coffee date, staying longer to chat, or even settling in to study or work.
We tried the porchetta & chicken sandwiches & both were fantastic!!! The bread was fresh & light, the sauces were perfectly paired, & everything tasted incredibly fresh. The portions are generous, the service was quick, & the prices are very reasonable.
They also have delicious coffees & desserts to round everything out. Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to!
May 25, 2026
on Google
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I've been going to Clarke's in the West Island ever since it opened. I absolutely love the sandwiches, pastries & coffees. It's top notch & I'm glad we have something like that in the West Island which is rare. However, this cafe is not suitable for students nor for people working with their laptops as the owner keep asking us to sit with strangers to make more space for other customers during the lunch rush hour, while I have been purchasing coffee & food through out the time I spend at the cafe. Also, the wifi is being cut off during the lunch rush hour (11h-13h) & lately the charging outlets have been blocked off, so there's no way I can bring my laptop to work with. I absolutely love their food but the experience doesn't meet the quality of service that Clarke deems to market.
While the food & drinks are good, this cafe is VERY unwelcoming to students & anyone with laptops really. The owner tries to get you out the door as fast as they can, regardless of whether you've just spent 30$ there or not.
They've started closing the charging ports, & the manager keeps asking people to clear out their table during the'rush' period to go join a bunch of strangers on a larger shared table, EVEN if you are ordering lunch too. It feels like you're in a high school cafeteria rather than a cafe you're paying for to sit at a table.
I understand the business side of it, but on the other hand, I promise you this is unfortunately driving away dozens of clients that in turn, discourage all their friends & family from coming here. I don't go there anymore, & neither do so many regulars. It's such a shame considering the limited options in the West Island.
Owner keeps moving customers around during lunch, after we waited for a table, ordered & sat. Laptops not welcome at any time since plugs have been closed & owner insists to move you & put other customers in your place even if you need the only one left open to charge & will seat you with strangers on a shared table with no plug. I explained my battery needs to be plugged at all time to work & was told it wasn't really their problem, but somehow it was mine to move & prioritize other customers, regardless how much we order because my table had the minimum of 2 chairs & the second one wasn't being utilized (anymore, a friend was there & left). It was honestly not good for business as an approach. Everyone spoken to was turned off. The two customers you would get by moving those already seated often don't order more than a single person seated, who keeps ordering as they work. However if you feel the business really would benefit from that tradeoff, I suggest stickers on the tables you want no laptops on during lunch hours saying no laptops (11:30-1:30) on the tables of your choice & to reopen plugs if you want customers with laptops to actually believe they're welcome at other hours of the day. Otherwise, you're losing an entire group of customers who always go to cafes to work. It's not a library, strangers often don't want to share a table.
If it is acceptable, then people without laptops should be open to share their tables too. It is a very unpleasant experience to be asked to prioritize other customers when you were there first, & told it isn't their business if you need to charge. That's not how you speak to customers. The cafe is cute, it's a shame how many people this happened to.
YOU CANNOT STUDY HERE BETWEEN 11h-14h30!!!
I love the food here & decided to grab a sandwich & study but I ended up realizing the wifi for clients wasn't popping up so I asked the staff & they said that the owner TURNS OFF THE WIFI between 11h-14h30 because it is considered rush hour to avoid people staying too long.
All to say, wish I knew that before spending 30$ on a coffee & sandwich with a 20% tip...
That being said, staff is friendly & the sandwiches are good. Coffee is okay.
Clarke Café is a true community partner. Their support & generosity mean a great deal, & it was felt throughout our entire event. Grateful for them & highly recommend.
Great coffee shop! The sandwiches are fresh & delicious, & the coffee is good. The place has a beautiful design & is always very clean. Definitely worth a visit!
Apr 15, 2026
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For Sasha, Aprille, & anyone else who feels that cafes are their personal living rooms...
Clarke Cafe is a restaurant & a cafe. Anyone taking up space for hours with a single $6 latte, where that table might normally be used at lunchtime for $50+ of business for food & drinks for two people, is an entitled brat.
Yes, they've had to make adjustments based on the sheer number of students taking up hours of space for a single drink. It's not ideal for some people, because it doesn't feel comfortable paying a drink & then being asked to move. But the owner is very polite, a good guy who takes great care of his customers.
But he has a business to run.
Between say 11:30am & 2:00pm, his lunch customers also deserve a place to sit & eat. If you owned a business like this, you wouldn't want to see people walking in for lunch, see an army of laptops & no open tables, & walk out the door. This is what's happening, & he needs to be able to balance your right as a customer with his right to make money on his business.
Anyway, long rant over. Clarke Cafe is a great spot for coffee, food, vibes. Staff is great, customers are great, all of it. You just can't park yourself there for 3-5 hours, especially over lunch, while customers wanting to eat & spend 4-5X what you're spending.
My bad review is not about the food or the customer service. The employees are amazing, & the food is delicious. My issue lately is with the management. I sometimes like to take my laptop & do some light work while sipping on my coffee. yesterday april 14th,2026. The manager shuts down the internet. Then you can see him staring at anyone who has any electronics bigger than a phone.
I am so turned off by this shift in management's behavior that I won't go there again. at least i am not the only one that been noticing that lately.
The cafe is decorated very nicely. My double espresso & pistachio croissant were super good. The other drinks were really poorly done though. The moka was cold & the milk was not steamed properly nor was the cortado. I recommend either choosing an iced drink or just a plain espresso to avoid this. Sandwiches were fresh & good portion!
