French Meadow Bakery

2610 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
612-870-7855
http://www.frenchmeadow.com/

Category: Bakery, Café, Breakfast

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 7
Service: N/A (counter service)
Ambience: 8

Recommendation: Good. A great organic and natural bakery catering not only to the masses but also vegetarians/vegans and those with dietary restrictions.

French Meadow, located in the Lyn-Lake area of Uptown is a popular place for Breakfast, Sandwiches, Soups, and other bakery items such as breads and desserts. Open since 1985, it is the longest running organic bakery in the United States. They have many menu items that cater to Vegans and are Gluten free. The interior is rustic with earthy tones and grey tiles. The walls are adorned with large photographs largely centering around bread. They have outdoor seating in the summer but the place is always packed so its hard to score an outside seat.

We were there recently for lunch and tried a few different sandwiches, all of which tasted very fresh but were light on flavor. All sandwiches are served with a side of organic tortillas chips and salsa, organic mixed greens or firecracker coleslaw. The Mango Chicken came with free range chicken grilled with Swiss cheese, spinach, and mango chutney. The ciabatta bread was huge and overpowered the sandwich - we wished there was less bread and more stuff (and we’re the last ones to complain about too much bread)! While the chicken and cheese were delicious, the chutney had mild flavors and there wasn’t enough spinach in the sandwich. The Firecracker Slaw was made of red cabbage with Asian flavors and had a nice crunch to it. The Turkey and Gouda Burger had a fresh garlicky taste, which we liked but we wished for there to be a bit more kick to it. The caramelized onions it was topped with were pretty bland. The Turkey and Gouda Sandwich came topped with cranberries, red onions, spinach, and Dijon mustard. Simple yet flavorful, this was one our favorites. The chips and salsa was underwhelming.

You order from a large menu behind the counter and your meal and silverware is brought to your table. Make sure your table sign is visible in order for the server to find you quickly.

$. Most items under $10. Street parking on Lyndale avenue.