A 540-square-foot former gym on rue Larivière, run by three women who kept the walls rough and put the budget into a torched-wood bar and a light fixture made of stretched latex.

Éléphantine works as a café through the day, pulling Café Saint-Henri espresso alongside pastries from Feuilleté, then turns into a buvette at night: natural-leaning wine picked for personality over pedigree, and Mediterranean small plates that run from a $2 bowl of nuts to a seasonal tartine.

The room seats 25 and holds about 50 standing, which suits a place built for moving around in rather than sitting still.

There's a vintage pencil sharpener on the wall for a reason: a standing invitation to leave a drawing behind.