Zoé Duval and Joshua Monroe-Blanchet built Café BRUT around a simple idea: that Griffintown needed a proper neighbourhood café. The space occupies a covered commercial corridor on Murray Street — bronze frames, brick, and stone — and the interior follows suit: raw concrete, a 16-foot marble counter, custom steel tables, and a mid-century seating area that softens the edges. Capacity runs to about 24 between the interior and a dog-friendly terrace.

The coffee program runs exclusively on Café TorQué, a Quebec roaster whose beans are macerated with banana peels to produce BRUT's signature banana bread latte — no syrups, no artificial flavouring. Matcha gets equal billing, anchored by a house-made whipped coconut cream base. Food at opening is locally made pastries, with a brunch and lunch program via ghost kitchen arriving shortly after.