There’s dog-friendly, and then there’s Doggieville. Tucked into a converted industrial building along the Lachine Canal in Saint-Henri, Ruby Café sits at the front of Canada’s first luxury dog resort, and the whole place is built around the idea that brunch is better with a wagging tail under the table.

The food

Ruby Café’s menu falls squarely into modern North American brunch fare, with globally inspired touches worked into individual plates, and three in particular stood out.

The Bagel starts with a sesame-crusted St-Viateur bagel and builds up with smoked salmon from the Buccaneer, Philadelphia cream cheese with chives, tzatziki sauce, crisp pancetta chips, romaine heart, and a tangy yellow pickle known on the menu as “yellow pop.”

The Grilled Cheese Classic is the regular version with prosciutto: country bread layered with prosciutto, a homemade apple and plum compote, strong cheddar cheese, a homemade cherry caramel, and roasted flaked almonds scattered over the plate. Sweet, salty, and rich all at once.

Ruby’s Pancake rounds things out with two ricotta and lime mini pancakes, caramelized maple pineapple, fresh vanilla yogurt, a scattering of small fruit, maple almond crunch, and a poppy seed and maple syrup finish.

Portions are generous, plating is thoughtful, and the coffee holds its own too. It’s a genuinely good brunch spot, dogs or no dogs.

And yes, there is a dog menu. Our furry family member got the Turkey Doggets, waffle-shaped bites made from lean ground turkey, oats, carrots, and eggs, served in a brass bowl, and watched every bite of our own food with the kind of focus only a dog perfecting the art of the puppy-eyed stare can manage.

More than a café

What sets this place apart is what surrounds it. Ruby Café sits at the front of Doggieville MTL, Canada’s first luxury dog resort, and wandering through after brunch feels a bit like a mini pet-lover’s museum. There’s a boutique called Lola’s Corner lined with collars, harnesses, bandanas, and treats, a “snack station” for mix-and-match goodies, and a staircase lined in artificial turf and topiary dogs that connects the café to the rest of the resort.

The heart of it, though, is Yoda’s Splash, a private indoor heated dog pool that’s open year-round, rain, snow, or -30°C outside. Unlike most hydrotherapy centers, no vet referral is needed and owners are welcome to swim right alongside their dog. Each session is fully private, just your dog, up to a few guests, and the pool to yourselves, with a life jacket, pool toys, and a self-serve drying station included. It’s used for everything from post-surgery rehab and arthritis relief to simple cardio, or just a good time for a water-loving dog. The water runs through a UV disinfection system rather than harsh chemicals, so it stays gentle on skin and paws.

Doggieville also runs Sam’s Lodge, a boarding hotel built around private suites instead of cages, and DV Playcare, its supervised daycare program. Dogs staying at Sam’s Lodge follow a structured day of potty breaks, meals, rest, and group play at DV Playcare, with 24/7 on-site supervision throughout their stay. Add in Chloe’s Spaw for grooming, and the whole building genuinely functions as a one-stop resort for dogs, with the café as a warm, welcoming front door for their humans.

Should you go

If you’re in Montreal with a dog in tow, or you just love being around dogs while you eat, this is an easy recommendation. Reservations are a good idea, especially for weekend brunch, since tables fill fast with both two-legged and four-legged guests. Leashes are required throughout, and the staff clearly know how to manage a room full of dogs without letting things get chaotic.

Whether you come for the smoked salmon bagel, a swim at Yoda’s Splash, or just to watch a golden retriever have the best day of its life, Ruby Café earns its spot on the list of Montreal brunch spots worth the trip.