Article content

Its beginnings couldn’t have been more humble. After selling his pizzeria on St-Viateur St., Italian immigrant Rocco Furfaro opted to start a coffee shop on the other side of the street, primarily as a place where he and his Mile End buddies could watch their beloved Azzurri soccer team on the tube as well as play foosball and pool. All the while sipping espressos.

The year was 1970 and few would have ever guessed, certainly not the late Furfaro, that from such an inauspicious start, a java icon was born in Café Olimpico — or Open Da Night, as it is known by its regulars.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Brownstein: Mile End's Café Olimpico set to open downtown Back to video

But don’t just take the word of patrons that Olimpico serves up the finest espresso in the city. No less than London’s The Telegraph put Olimpico on its list of the 50 Greatest Cafés on Earth last year. It was the sole Montreal coffee house on the list and one of only two in Canada to make it — the other was in Vancouver. In explaining Olimpico’s inclusion, list compiler Chris Moss noted: “It’s great, because it’s just a café.”