Monsieur Marcel Restaurant & Wine Bar

I had the most amazing breakfast this morning at Monsieur Marcel's lovely outdoor restaurant in the Farmer's Market. My daughter and I shared our two favorite breakfast fares, French Toast and Monsieur Marcel's spin on Eggs Benedict. The French Toast was yummy and uniquely made with a baguette instead of the usual boring bread. It was crisp on the outside but melted in your mouth with abundant flavors that said, "I want more". Mr. Marcel's eggs Benedict was also a surprise presentation, served on a freshly baked croissant instead of the usual English muffin with crisp, bacon, perfectly poached eggs and the best Hollandaise sauce I've ever tasted. If you haven't thought of breakfast at Farmer's Market, here's a MUST TRY place for the perfect beginning of your day.

Pros: Great Place for Breakfast!!---And other meals

Posted 05/09/09

my wife loved it to.

Posted 01/22/09

I went to the Santa Monica location. What they did to remodel the outdoors was really nice, and the food, on average, is excellent. The wait staff is always very attentive. What I can't get over are the hosts that consistently turn me off. I've been to this place 3 times, all with the hope that the hostess and young host have learned a little humility, but this is LA, so I leave disappointed. The last time I went, it took 10 minutes to be seated when there were plenty of tables available and no one waiting, except for ourselves. The young host just looked at us and shrugged. The hostess disappeared, took a smoke break and then came back to seat us. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. I have no idea what possessed me to continue to be seated, except for the fact that it is a beautiful and convenient location, the food is good and they serve a good panache. But, wow...

Pros: Wonderful location for people watching, good selection

Cons: Hosts--again, wow.

Posted 06/01/08

i love monsieur marcel. it's a wonderful little spot inside farmers market. i've always had a yummy dinner at a very reasonable price. the food is authentic and it's such a quaint place. great for a date, birthday, or just dining out. service has generally been fine. you can sit at the bar area if you just want a drink or small bite.

Pros: food, atmosphere

Posted 11/25/07

A friend of mine took me there the other day and I was pretty surprise with the staff. I went to france last year and was horrified by the lack of smile and friendliness of waiters, managers and hostess. So as you can see I was a little scared to go back to a french bistro even if my friend told me that the manager here was not french and that the waiters almost all americans. I know my buddy is a regular here but honestly everybody was awesome. the food is good but the wine list is amazing for that kind of place. If you want a nice little french bistro without the french attitude this is it. I d'ont usually write reviews but this one had to be made. Long live mr marcel!

Pros: good people.

Cons: allow smoking.

Posted 08/21/07

I went there last night and was verry surprise with the wine list. It starts at 20 bucks a bottle witch doesn't happen in LA restaurants anymore. My waiter was verry nice and seemed pasionate about wine like me. The place was full but I didn't wait long for the food witch was also pretty good for a cheap casual spot. I can see myself going again and again. "Good place for cheap dates".

Pros: service, wine, cheap

Cons: tablecloth

Posted 08/21/07

I used to really enjoy this restaurant. The atmosphere is pleasant. And the wait staff seem like nice people. But not very competent. We arrived five minutes early for a reservation (seven people) only to watch it be given away to another party (oops, we thought they were you!). But rather than tell the other party they made a mistake, they made us wait. And wait. A good half hour.
Just when we were about to leave, they seated us. We were starving, so we stayed. Stayed for the undercooked rice (sorry, but crunchy rice is not how "they do it in France," like the waiter explained). But to make it up to us, the manager very generously offered to take a whopping 10 percent off the bill. Pinch me!
I say, poor service, long waits and bad food rate this place a big old waste of time and money. But the attached grocery store is nice. That I would go to again.

Posted 08/11/07

Wonderful food and service everytime I have had the pleasure to dine at this charming bit of Paris in Los Angeles. For any out of town guests this is a terrific choice. With outdoor and indoor dinning it is perfect all year around. Romantic at night but also fun with friends for wine and cheese before a movie.

Posted 06/29/07

i happened upon the last review and it broke my heart, so i had to write my own. i have been going to this place almost 3 times a month for the last two years, and i have never had a bad experience. the waiters are always nice, thoughtful, and quick to smile. the food is great, whether its a cheese plate, steak, or a just a salad. i always bring my family and friends here, and we always have an amazing time. the atmosphere is wonderful. i love getting the server's opinion on wine, they are never condescending and have never steered me wrong. i highly suggest this place to EVERYONE, and have always heard the same glowing reviews. go eat the cheese fondue! delicious!

Pros: cute, inexpensive, HAPPY HOUR

Cons: farmer's market parking

Posted 06/20/07

My friends and I have given this restaurant many chances, but something always seems to go wrong. We've had disappearing waiters, forgotten orders, overcooked fish and undercooked vegetables, among other things. Most recently, they gave away our reserved table even though we were there before the reservation time. They admitted their mistake but weren't terribly apologetic and wouldn't fix it. They kept seating other people, so we had to wait another 30 minutes for a table. That's the 2nd time they've done that to us, so we've sworn never to go there again. We're not willing to take the risk anymore.

Posted 06/17/07

This place is located in the farmer's market, yet it is still a very cozy and quaint atmosphere. The french onion soup is great and so is mostly everything else on the menu. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes that apparently the cooks messed up, but the waiter was so nice and apologetic and even offered us desert on the house. He was very attentive the whole time. Its a great casual restaurant with reasonable prices.

Pros: ambience, food, service, french onion soup, mashed potatoes

Cons: must park at farmers market

Posted 03/21/07

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner last night, and it was excellent.
I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but wanted something that was GOOD.
She had fillet mignon, I had the lamb- we split a bottle of Rioja wine, and the tab was $67.
Not *completely* cheap, but it didn't break the bank either-- and for the price, *exceptional* food in a neat atmosphere.
I had read on this site that the service was slow, but I had no complaints.
...If you go at night, you might want to bring a jacket or a sweater.

...One question though-- where do they hide the kitchen??

Pros: Excellent food in a nice atmosphere without breaking the bank. A great place to go for a casual date..

Cons: Say what?

Posted 02/28/07

The whole thing is very "marche" with a los angeles priced menu. The nicest place to get lunch in the farmers market, with an extensive wine list with authentic and good, albeit expensive, french fare.

Posted 10/23/06

I believe that their wine selections is one the best in Los Angeles. Stepping inside of monsieur marcel reminds me of Paris ,where me and my wife had our honeymoon about two years ago. They offer such a great French ambience and I personally love their french musics.
They also have a wide selection of foods and I highly recommend the escargot and froie gras for appettizers.
It's a place where you want to bring your family and friends just to relax, enjoy the great wine and foods, and to take a break from ones very busy life.
But don't just take my words, I suggest you try visiting them and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy/love the experience!

Pros: Wine Selection, Excellent Foods, Great Ambience

Cons: None

Posted 06/20/06

the best wine list in town , great selection from all around the world , try the pinot from south africa or the st emilion from bordeaux, food was excelent, nice music and atmosphere , parking was very dificult (saturday) I did valet parking at the grove.will comme back for sure (alredy made a reservation for next friday) .staff was nice siiting was fast.

Posted 06/18/06

I went there for dinner last week and I had a great time. This is probably the best French Bistro in LA. The food is great and very affordable. Good wine list with 30 or 40 wines by the glass and a comprehensive selection of imported wines by the botlle (starting around $16 a botlle!!!!).Friendly and professional staff. Great atmosphere in the farmer's market, I felt like in France. I don't understand some previous reviewer saying "the food wasn't french at all..", they're probably never been to France.

Pros: Ambience, food & wine, very affordable

Cons: parking

Posted 06/16/06

Decent value for decent food, nothing particularly flashy, but a solid choice for Farmer's Market goers.

Posted 06/05/06

great wine list....very sweet staff..definately somewhere u'd want to frequent!

Pros: wines, staff, ambiance

Posted 05/28/06

We really did not enjoy this restaurant, the food wasn t french at all but the service was french : rude. don t waste your time with this one.

Pros: parking

Cons: staff, french food?

Posted 04/24/06

great food, great anbiamce, great wine list, was a good evening..
L.

Posted 04/16/06

Overall, I dig the place's set up and like hanging out there.

Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Wine

Cons: Service

Posted 11/14/05

I held my birthday party here--12 people. It was the perfect choice.
The wine list is not to be believed, with some super cheap bottles too.
I recommend the cheese plates and the croque-monsieur is to die for.

Made my birthday an absolute blast.

Pros: great wine, food

Posted 09/21/05

Everytime I've visited Monsieur Marcel, I was never disappointed. Nowhere else in town you can find better selection of wine and top quality food at bargain price. Mussels in cream broth with pomme de frit is simply divine - in taste and freshness. Promptness and friendliness of servers are top notch.
If anyone who can find a better place where you can enjoy good food & wine with down-to-earth atmosphere, you let me know. I'm pretty sure I can prove you wrong!

Pros: Excellent food, Good wine selection, Great service

Posted 09/07/05

Try the wine tastings on Tuesday & Wednesday nights; must make reservations in advance as they fill up! Cost is around $20 but than you get a credit for $20 to spend in the restaurant or in the gourmet store. The steak au poivre is melt in your mouth delicious and the pommes frittes are the best! Very knowledgeable staff in the cheese & wine departments. I love this place!!

Pros: food & wine, charming, cost

Posted 03/23/04

we went with some friends last night got a great table, tucked away in their makeshift cove so youre eating in the farmers market, but it feels like more of a restaurant instead of the food court. the wine is cheap and they have a great list. i had one of their hot sandwiches which id go back for. i tried some of the quiche and wasnt into it its egg heavy if they had more cheese instead.. our server was very attentive and the owner, I thing hes the owner, was extremely nice showing us to our table. id even miss another episode of the oc and go back on a wednesday.

Posted 01/21/04

I really enjoy eating and drinking at Monsieur Marcel. A glass of wine was about 4.30...cheap for this town. The store has a wonderful selection of olives and cheese. I will definetly go back. It's a new place so the service was a little unorganized, but everyone is french and friendly.

Posted 03/06/03