One of the best ways to fight homesickness or stress during long-term travel is to find your usual spot—a place where you can do a relaxing activity daily or at least every other day. For me it’s finding a coffee shop or breakfast nook where I can spend an hour or two a day while reading a book, magazine, or keeping in touch with loved ones online.
Thanks to the suggestion of my airbnb flatmate, Brenda, I found La Monarca Bakery at the corner of Wilshire and Euclid St. during my stay in Santa Monica. With its free WiFi connection and homey, non-commercial vibe, La Monarca became my go-to spot for coffee and pastries.
Ricardo Cervantes and Alfredo Livas opened the first La Monarca bakery in the US in 2010 because they started missing the cakes and pastries they grew up with in Monterrey, Mexico. Their menu of carb-loaded Monterrey treats, from sweet taquitos to dulce de leche croissants became fan favorites and the owners’ cure to their homesickness.
If you’re visiting any of the four branches for the first time, wash down your pastry pick with their best-selling Mexican brew (café de olla) or hot chocolate (café Oaxaca). And if you still have room for seconds, grab some cookies and doughnuts to go.
Thanks for curing my Mexico hangover and travel stress, La Monarca! Until next time.