Marie Louise Bistro

I will start by saying I am torn. The staff was very friendly and nice but very slooooooooow. It was like being on vacation where you do everything at a slow pace except I want on vacation, I was at a lunch from work. I liked the menu options, I thought they were good. My co-​worker got the salad nicoise and her Tina was well done, not seared as it should be. I got the oyster po-​boy and nothing compares to new Orleans do I’ll give them a pass though I will day the sauce and the fried oysters were good. The desserts were very good!

Excellent place for a drinks & dessert date.
It looks like a little café once you enter, dessert showcase to your right, but look up and you’ll see a second floor with a cute little bar (where we sat). The place is deceivingly roomy.
As soon as we sat ourselves, the bartender made it a point to greet us and to let him know if we had any questions. He was very attentive and friendly and he made a great Moscow Mule!
As I mentioned, drinks & dessert; If you need some help deciding, I’d highly suggest ordering the bread pudding and tiramisu. Absolutely delicious.
I will definitely be coming back here!

I dream about the desserts served here. No hyperbole just facts. I once I had a blood orange crème brûlée that I wish I could eat again.
If you just jumped on Unilocal and are thinking «Hey what’s this Marie Louise Bistro place? Is it any good? Should I go?», the answer is F yes so get off your computer or phone, run to the restaurant as quickly as possible and eat all the dessert (you will thank me later).

When I’m in the mood for delicious French, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisine, I stop by Marie Louise. We had their Beef Bourguignon and their Ricotta Gnocchi. YUM! The service was relatively fast and the food was spectacular. Also, they have a quaint bakery near the front of the restaurant with delectable baked goods. All in all, Marie Louise Bistro is certainly a gem in the heart of Mount Vernon.

I left feeling like their business model is based on overpriced food. Eaten here twice now and have been underwhelmed each time. Prices are about $ 10 too high on entrees. I do not intend to return for a meal.
Recommend only for happy hour in a nice setting or coffee and dessert — which they do very well.

Absolute WORST hot cocoa ever. Seriously how do you mess up hot cocoa?!? Oh and crappier service. Don’t go here.

Descent Provençal style French restaurant. I point that out because this is NOT a French restaurant for foies gras or haute cuisine. This is a place for olives, tomatoes, garlic… Think Italian Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of French.
Started with shrimp provencale. Very good! Shrimp was a little old.
I ordered the special — sea bass over crab risotto. Yes, I said risotto (see above). A little over cooked and too «crabby» for me, but all around ok.
Husband got the beef bourguignon. See other pictures and then see ours. He basically had pot roast with 1 – 2 vegetables. Not good at all.
Desert was a pecan tart. I’m confused about all the rave pastry reviews… The crust on this tart was way too chalky and not nearly sweet enough.
All in all ok, but a little pricey for what you get.

I would’ve never guessed how cute it is inside of Marie Louise based on the exterior. There’s two levels of seating and some seating outside if the weather is nice. Up front it’s more of a café where you can order coffees or desserts to go or sit down and enjoy, and further back you can sit down and order. The desserts in the display case looked AMAZING! Next time I have a craving for something sweet I’ll definitely stop by.
My friends and I came for Sunday brunch and all enjoyed our food. I ordered the smoked salmon Benedict that came with fruit and home fries. The bennys were perfect — the eggs were nice and runny, smoked salmon tasted great and it was topped off with capers and diced red onions. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the coffee. Something tasted off about it, so I probably would opt for something else.
Service left more to be desired. For instance, one of the waiters (who wasn’t the one we had to begin with) came over and persuaded my friend to order a mimosa. She finally gave in and ordered one, but it never came.
As for parking, there’s a few lots around and limited metered street parking.

I wanted to venture out of Hampden and try something new for brunch so we opted for Marie Louise.
We sat in the dining room area, past a sheer white curtain and pretty much had the whole room to ourselves. A few other tables filled in but overall for the brunch hour it wasn’t that crowded.
We ordered the French Onion soup (a staple for me whenever I dine out), and it was decent. Not as good as when in Paris of course, but that’s hard to top. I got the Fromage Grille which was like a loaded grilled cheese with tender short rib. My husband got the steak and eggs. The quality seemed decent and the food came out in a timely fashion.
We got two cocktails, the Pear Crush and the French Pear-​nothing to write home about. Both a bit strong. Service was decent with several different people bringing food it would appear that they work as a team.
Our server incorrectly split our bill since another patron had left his credit card and I didn’t see it at first but I checked my statement and there was only one charge after everything cleared properly.
I would go back if in the neighborhood but probably wouldn’t go out of my way.

I recently stopped in for lunch with my Mom. I loved the cute outdoor bistro seating on the sidewalk. We tried the soup of the day and enjoyed selections from the dessert tray. We enjoyed the fresh, well-​prepared ingredients and the attentive service.

Based on previous reviews we read, our experience was better than we expected. We were greeted and seated instantly on arrival. Our waiter was friendly, efficient and attentive. Because we were there for brunch we were offered $ 6 mimosas and bloody mary’s. We ended up ordering one chai latte and one hot chocolate that came out lukewarm most likely due to the fresh, cold whip cream it was topped with. The food was pretty tasty with a decent portion size. After brunch we treated ourselves to dessert which was also pretty good.

My classmates and I used to hang out at this place, especially when we were tortured by the endless readings, assignments and rewrites. The place is located at one of the best neighborhoods in Baltimore — Mount Vernon. Walking to the store (from Penn Station) is a pleasant experience by itself. The shop assistants are always friendly and patient and the food (dessert, sushi, cocktail, etc) never disappoints us. I just love the cake and this lovely place. We also had our last meal in Baltimore here as a sweet farewell to charm city. Now that I’ve moved to somewhere else but every time I come back to Baltimore, it’s definitely a must-​go-​to spot.

First, no question that the pastries/​cakes and café atmosphere are top notch. The rest of the food holds its own, too.
Unfortunately, the service at this place really detracts from the rest. No one is outright mean, but there was a feeling of neglect for our entire meal even after we have the usual signs of needing more attention. It took over 15 minutes to get menus and water after getting seated. Then it took another fifteen minutes for our order to get taken. Then it took 45 minutes for the food to come. Our drinks were routinely empty. Throughout all of this we had to continually prompt the waiter who never figured out that he should apologize for any or all of these offenses. Of course the place was busy… oh wait. That’s right, the place was empty because we came in after the lunch hour. No possible excuse, here.
It’s tough. This place would be a great weekend café spot except for the weak service and the time suck of two hours for a quick lunch make it not worth it.

My partner and I decided when walking around Baltimore on a Sunday to stop in this absolutely quaint hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant. We were starting to get hungry and wanted something cute and new instead of Subway or a cliché quick lunch.
We walked by the bistro and look at each other to see each others approval. Of course we agreed. We walked in the front door and were greeted by at least three employees with giant smiles. They welcomed us and asked us to choose a seat that we would like. We chose the one closest to the door for two.
When we seated ourselves, one server came over and brought menus. Of course we went straight for the brunch drinks. He ordered a mimosa for himself and a Red Sangria for me. Wow! What a great decision! Both drinks were absolutely perfect.
The menu was full of amazing options to choose from. I chose the Caesar Salad while my partner chose the French Onion Soup. The only complaint I have about my meal was that it didn’t have enough dressing on it. I understand that for salads you really should be about the phenomenal crunch and texture, but for me I truly love having a perfect blend of just enough dressing and fresh crunch. That would be the ONLY complaint from my side. My partner told me he has never had a more perfect French Onion Soup than Marie Louise’s. Bravo!
Everything was priced just fine. Not too low nor too high. Thank you for the perfect brunch experience. =)

Lovely, delicious, friendly, warm, impressive.
Those are some of the key words I would use to describe my new favorite place. I came here on a sunny Sunday morning before I went to the museum; I heard they had a great brunch! As you’ve probably seen in my previous reviews I LOVE smoked salmon eggs benedict and I was so happy to see this on the menu (among a HUGE brunch/​breakfast/​lunch menu full of various and unique dishes).
The presentation of the plate was picturesque. Each and every ingredient was fresh and perfectly cooked. The smoked salmon was perfectly moist, the poached eggs were cooked exactly how they should be, and the amount of hollandaise sauce was just right. I love how they topped the muffin halves with chopped red onion and capers! The side hash was divine mixed with colorful peppers and another side of juicy slices of cantaloupe made this brunch entrée perfectly filling and satisfying all across the flavor palate. I ordered a glass of white sangria and it was difficult not to order another, and another, and another!
The service was extremely friendly, prompt and caring. I was sat by one person, served by another, and tended to by a third. Each server was just as friendly and sweet as the last. I felt well taken care of.
Lastly, the décor had 3 distinct sections which cater to the type of ambiance you want to create for yourself. I love that they have outdoor seating so you can people watch along Charles St. or view the newly remodeled monument. The front section of the restaurant (where I sat) is more «bistro style» with some smaller tables surrounding the dessert case. The back (largest) portion is blocked off by curtains and has gorgeous exposed bricked and has a much more private and romantic atmosphere.
I would recommend this place – hands down – for brunch! I can’t wait to go back for dinner and to try some of their fresh homemade desserts.

WOW.
That sums up how I feel about the dessert selection at Marie Louise Bistro. I have pretty high standards for desserts because I bake pretty frequently but I was extremely impressed with the desserts at MLB. When you enter the bakery, you see a beautiful display of desserts in the front complete with cheesecake, profiteroles, etc. Whenever I walk by, I can’t help but stare at the tantalizing sweets behind the glass display.
I went here for restaurant week with some friends — the first two dishes were fine but nothing that really wowed me. I was wondering what the dessert was going to be because on the menu, it had just said «assorted desserts.» When it was time for dessert, our waiter brought out a huge silver platter filled with all sorts of desserts. All of them looked so cute and delicious it was hard for me to pick just one. I ended up opting for the lemon meringue pie because I love lemon-​flavored anything (except for limoncello) and it tasted as delicious as it looked! I also tried some of my friend’s chocolate pistachio crème brûlée, which blew my mind. I never knew you could have different kinds of crème brûlée beyond the standard one, and when I tasted this one I fell in love. I vowed to return home and learn how to make my own chocolate pistachio crème brûlée. I have yet to do this, but the next time I return to MLB I will definitely get it again!
One last thing — if you come to MLB for drinks, they have a bar area and some semi-​private rooms on the second floor. My friends and I thought both the drinks and the atmosphere were very classy and refreshing!

I cannot properly express my obsession with the dessert at Marie Louise.
It’s a go-​to for high quality sweets after a nice lunch, dinner, or a stressful exam. $ 6 – 7 for dessert may seem expensive, but Marie Louise is worth the price.
FOOD:
*CREME BRULEE-​Just get this. They change flavors sometimes, and my favorite is pistacchio. The only reason why I didn’t get it this time is because of my friend’s nut allergy, and I didn’t want to risk his life for my craving.
*NAPOLEON– The crème and the pastry are great, and the caramelized sugar layer on top adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the heavy taste of the crème.
*TART– We got strawberry, but honestly they’re all great. The pear and the berry tart are also moist and perfect with a cup of coffee.
AMBIENCE– very clean and classy interior, with more cozier seats in the back.
ADVICE– Go here for dessert. I don’t recommend the brunch. My salmom egg benedict was bland.

You can tell that they put a lot of effort into ensuring the quality of their desserts and pastries. The pistachio crème brûlée is amazing. All the desserts are bright, colorful, and filled with flavor. The crème brûlée is of course my favorite but I have yet to come across a dessert here that I don’t enjoy.
The atmosphere is cozy without being claustrophobic. The low lighting also gives it a feeling of intimacy and quiet that you might not expect on the busy Charles St. in the heart of Mount Vernon.
Overall its a good place for a date or to take a quick break with friends.

Great brunch and has the most amazing dessert case. The eclairs are like 4 inches high. Had a fantastic crab omelette. Great French onion soup. And seriously scrumptious biscuits and gravy.
If the place looks empty, it has an upstairs level… it isn’t empty.

Torn between 2 and 3 stars. I feel like this restaurant should have better food than it does. I went here for a late Sunday brunch, and it was half full. They did one of my least favorite things and asked if we had a reservation (nope) then acted like it was asking a lot to sit us at one of the numerous empty tables. The waiter was very rushed, which was actually fine because we were in a hurry, but probably would have annoyed me otherwise. They also never refilled our beverages.
I got the Croque Madame, which was satisfying. Nothing special, but good. The ham and cheese tasted like prepackaged deli, but the sauce and fries were enjoyable. One fellow diner got the vegetable eggs Benedict, which she enjoyed, but my other fellow diner got the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, which was extremely tough and, according to her, «pretty bad.» And that is from a person who rarely complains about food.
Nevertheless, the place has potential. The ambiance is charming and pleasant, and the desserts look amazing– I want to come back to try one. I would give them a second chance.