I still remember the days when eating vegan in Paris meant cobbling together a picnic from a health food shop.
Those times were fine, and we did what we had to do, but what a different city it is now. And right at the top of the “what a time to be alive” list is Land & Monkeys.
Read more below.
Land & Monkeys is a completely vegan chain of cafés and delis that has done the unthinkable. They’ve made being vegan in France feel not just possible but wildly indulgent. Nine locations in Paris alone, plus one in Bordeaux and another all the way down in Aix-en-Provence. Vegan pastries. Vegan sandwiches. Vegan coffee with all the fancy milks. This is the sort of thing I used to dream about while gnawing on that suspicious baguette.
Everything they serve is exquisite. Freshly baked bread that smells like it was pulled from a countryside oven. Gorgeous pastries that look like they belong behind glass in some glossy food magazine. Quiches, flans, sweet treats, and sandwiches stuffed with creativity and deliciousness. And yes, they do hot drinks and coffee. It’s all vegan, and it’s all wonderful.
Whenever I’m in Paris, Land & Monkeys is the first place I seek out and usually the last place I visit before heading home. My favourite location is the one on Rue de la Roquette. Just a short stroll from there and you’re at Père-Lachaise cemetery, one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in the city.
Paris is an overwhelmingly beautiful place. The architecture, the parks, the meandering streets that somehow always lead you somewhere charming. But add in an all-vegan bakery chain of this calibre and the city becomes something even more special.
Land & Monkeys isn’t just a café. It’s a marker of how far things have come. It’s proof that vegan food doesn’t have to apologise or compromise. It can be delicious, stunning, and everywhere. And in the case of Land & Monkeys, it is.
If you find yourself in France, make it a mission.
Read more about Land & Monkeys on their website.
Follow Land & Monkeys on Instagram.
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