514 robots eat out | Save us SuWu, the main is dead…
(Above Photo Credit 514Eats.com)
When I saw that CAFETERIA was gone, I knew what I had been in denial about all winter: The MAIN is dead. Before I tell you what happened to CAFETERIA, let’s all take a trip down memory lane for a sec. Every city has a CAFETERIA style bar/resto. The one that really suits the street it’s on. The one that has been around for ever despite the economy or management changes or trends. The one that is popular but yet there are often people who strangely do not know about it. The one that doesn’t necessarily have the BEST food or the BEST music but always has stuff that’s GOOD. From brunch friends to first dates, business lunches and heartbreaks CAFETERIA was a big part of what made the lower MAIN cool :(
The Good news. The good news is that the new place looks decent. I mean it better be it has big shoes to fill. I can tell by the decor that it is probably pricier and probably has to be to pay that rent. Commercial rent has only gone up despite the economic hit on St-Laurent during the almost 2 years of construction, 3 years ago. Ever since then little bakeries, clothing stores, cool bars and things sort of shifted about. Some re-branded with new owners or moved higher up to the Mile-end, others went down to Old Montreal to pay the same rent but have the benefit of hotel traffic. Others went bankrupt or moved into completely other hoods. Sports bars became a fixture in the lower main for a while because beer is cheap and TVs draw in sports fans. The problem? Well, it’s time to admit that St-Laurent street is starting to feel like downtown. A mix of pricey but not amazing tacky restos with girly lighting and minuscule tapas and a lot of vibeless College sports bars.
SuWu is the new CAFETERIA and it looks like something that could be in Melrose, or lots of parts of L.A. The Dark and industrial yet obviously newly renovated look I hear is very hot right now so I’ll give it the modern rustic thumbs up. What I especially like is that a mix of people were there, like the old CAFETERIA! I saw some fixtures that sort of live in the area, some hard core hipsters with their Apple gear and what looked like a mix of very ordinary people just having a nice time. Oh and there is this awesome amount of little palmish type plants that line the window. This to me brings a really beachy and exotic feel to the main that rarely existed before. I’m going to try it this weekend but for now, take a look at the review from our favorite local 514 food bloggers (and new web partners!) 514Eat.com SuWuREVIEW
