Coolness Personified
If you were to imagine the atmosphere of a place called 'Kafein' based solely on it's name, the mental picture you paint would probably not be so far off from the reality of the so-named lounge here in Montreal. Kafein [1429A rue Bishop] combines mood lighting, comfy couches, creative cocktails, eclectic music and a wide range of shisha flavours to secure its place as one of the hippest places to veg out in Montreal.
In the summertime, they have a small outside seating area which is great if you're shisha-ing, and they very thoughtfully have two speakers on the outside to help combine the ambience of the inside with the fresh air and people-watching of the outside. According to the waiter who was serving us, somebody sitting outside runs off without paying the bill every night, so be prepared to pay right when you're initially served. Taxes must truly be too high here in Quebec.
The music at Kafein, I feel, deserves special mention. I have been to many bars, clubs and lounges in Montreal, but rarely have I come across music that so clearly spoke to my soul - and yet wasn't coming out of my iPod's headphones. The playlist could largely be described as experimental dance music, with lots of remixes of popular songs sprinkled among eclectic numbers that you can't help but notice, and if your musical tastes are similar to mine, gleefully appreciate.
Kafein has an upper level too, which perplexingly has none of the style, flair, or abject coolness of the lower quarters. The music is the same, and there is some art to be admired, but for the most part the upstairs comprises of a few spartan tables and chairs. It's quite a jarring experience to go from the spacious experiment in objet d'art downstairs to the spartan nothingness upstairs. It seems like a holding pen for those not cool enough (or early enough) to chill downstairs.
Assuming you can find a place downstairs (or outside), Kafein is highly recommended. Most people come for the cocktails or the shisha, but if you're like me, you'll stay for the tunes.
