In the wintertime, folks usually seek refuge where margaritas flow freely, tans golden deeply, and the, ‘no shirt, no shoes, no problema’ mantra is upheld by men running around with tequila-filled supersoakers.
Ok, maybe that’s more like Spring Break. However.
Apparently, we didn’t get the memo 😉
To use up some miles, we opted to fly to one of the chilliest Canadian cities we could think of: Montréal.
We packed up our (cruelty-free) parkas and were off to explore the 2nd-most populous city in Canada, known for its comedy, sweet and dense bagels, and of course cheese and gravy-smothered fries. (I admit, this was a little bit of a foodie-inspired trip)
My second time visiting Montréal, but my first as a vegan – I didn’t want to miss a beat.
I sent out a call for help to all my #VegansOfMontreal buds on Instagram.
To my rescue came Chris + Victoria (@ehvegan) and Connie (@plumpeavegan). They poured out all their insight about Montréal’s vegan foodie scene (you guys rule).
(Make sure to check out their accounts – linked above – SO brilliant, epic, drool-worthy!)
We spent our first morning roaming around Old Montréal.
Made a quick stop at Café Pavé for fresh veggie paninis*, salads, and americanos.
Totally hit the spot.
*make sure they don’t sneak cheese or mayo in there
After an afternoon of wandering, we grabbed some snacks and wine and headed to relax in our Airbnb before dinner. I meannnnnn look at that view…
FIRST VEG STOP: Dinner at Lola Rosa Café (William St.)
@lolarosacafe
Everything on their menu (comfort food, salads, burgers, soups, desserts) can be made vegan!
Settled for the Poutine, Salade Rosa (which had feta – whoops! picked around that) and Cajun Burger.
*heart-eyed emoji*
Atmosphere was very casual (like a fast food joint), clean + cozy. Food was awesome.
Stumbled upon a cute Irish pub on the way home for a couple bevvies, then rolled our food-babies into bed.
–
Next morning, in typical Airbnb fashion: strong coffee and avocado toast.
After checking out McCord Museum, being the true West-coasters that we are, our sushi cravings set-in.
(Yes, there is an all-vegetarian (vegan?) sushi place called Sushi Momo!) – but we stumbled upon
Kuu Bistro @kuu.bistro which had a vegetarian menu + vegan options, so we were all in.
Of course, just checked with our server to avoid sneaky dairy/egg.
Tofu steak, avocado + cucumber + mushroom maki, tofu skin + avocado nigiri, miso soup… all delish.
Walked-off our sushi food babies to our Airbnb. Of course, a stop to the SAQ was essential.
After some downtime,
we headed out for some comedy at The Nest.
So good.
After a couple bevvies, we wanted to grab a quick late-night bite on our way home.
We saw that Copper Branch @copperbranch had a location near us.
I love the concept (why don’t we have anything like this on our hippy dippy West coast?!) –
a vegan fast-food kind of joint that has locations all over Montréal.
My man got the Shiitake Teriyaki Burger (teriyaki shiitake, wasabi vegenaise, sriracha coleslaw). I ordered the Aztec bowl: basil balsamic vinaigrette, sweet potato, corn and mango salsa, black beans, pumpkin seeds, guacamole, vegan sour cream, broccoli, beets, carrots, lettuce, organic mung beans, tortilla chips, brown rice + I chose shiitake teriyaki for the protein.
We both LOVED the shiitake teriyaki – the texture was so similar to shredded chicken, it was almost scary.
I wouldn’t usually settle for a healthy bowl like this (given there was comfort food like nachos and poutine on the menu), but the mix of shiitake/sauces/rice/veg was so satisfying, flavours were so fresh, and the portion was massive (was ~$12, but given all the fresh ingredients and portion size, price was fair. The burger, on the other hand, was ~$8 and came with no sides, so a bit steep).
All in all, good experience at Copper Branch! Worth checking out if you want a quick bite or take-out in Montréal!
Afterwards, we ended up at Brutopia for some locally-crafted beer and live music.
–
Day 3 was completely mapped-out around food.
I was super excited to check out Aux Vivres @auxvivres_,
an all vegan restaurant overflowing with organic, sustainable, local ingredients.
We settled for the Chili Fries and Coconut BLT (which was highly recommended).
So. Dreamy.
I was so full I could barely move. But, we ‘just kept swimming’, because calories don’t count when you’re on vacation. Right?
Then…
Salted caramel + pistachio tarts, lemon meringue, chocolate hazelnut cornettos, muffins, pizettes + americanos at the ever-so-sweet Café Dei Campi @cafedeicampi.
Everything we tried was absolutely incredible. Ingredients were so fresh.
That lemon meringue tart, though… OMG!
Staff was super friendly and excited about their unique products (meringue with aquafaba!)
Then, it was straight to the couch, sipping a glass of wine – because that’s the only way to properly digest all that gloriousness, right?
Dinner was at Poutineville for some custom-built VEGAN POUTINE.
I ordered classic cut fries with sautéed mushrooms + jalapeños (not necessary) smothered in their vegetarian pepper sauce + vegan cheese.
Enough said.
Grabbed a couple brews at a nearby pub, and called it a night.
–
Next morning, I awakened to black coffee with leftover pastries from Café Dei Campi.
Some more wandering around Old Montréal, because why not.
We stumbled upon the iconic TOMMY café @tommymontreal.
Can you imagine how excited I was to eat this pretty little avocado toast with fresh thyme, chili flakes, lemon juice + olive oil drizzle?
Also, their sweet selection of vegan goodies and killer drip coffee.
Even though we had already been, I don’t think a trip to Montréal could be complete without a visit to the Notre-Dame Basilica.
This view never gets old.
Our last dinner in Montréal wasn’t notably vegan-friendly at Les 3 Brasseurs.
But, the reality of traveling with or without non-vegan companions is that sometimes you leave room for compromise.
Despite the seemingly-endless list of veg-friendly locations in Montréal, sometimes you just need some good old pub culture to experience the spirit of the city.
And that we did.
Beer and fries for this girl. Not complaining 😉
* * *
Thanks to some help from Chris and Connie, I’ve curated a little list of all the veg-friendly places that we didn’t get to visit – until next time 😉
L’Gros Luxe Végé @lgrosluxevege – vegetarian, tons vegan options, poutine w/ tater tots!
La Panthère Verte @lapanthereverte – Chris recommends the FalaFusion.
Vegano @veganomontreal – Best french toast, says Chris.
Resto Vego @restovego – Vegetarian/vegan buffet by weight + sandwich bar.
Sophie Sucrée @sophiesucree – Vegan bakery. The almond croissant + savoury pastries are the bomb, says Connie.
Leaves Café @leavescafe – Vegan espresso bar. Connie says the matcha lattes are killer.
Vegan Rapide @veganrapide – Comfort fast-food.
Mouton Vert @moutonvertmtl – Daily-changing menu.
Lov @lovrestaurant
Invitation V Bistro @invitation_v
Café Chat l’Heureux @cafechatlheureux – Café + CATS + vegan goodies!
kind coconut blog 