J T LaBeau’s

I WANT to like Le Beau’s! The location is great and convenient. The food is pretty good. But the service, time and time again is just awful. It’s like the folks that work there have no training on how to work at a restaurant. The little touches (acknowledging your presence when you arrive, noticing an empty glass) are completely absent.
These impressions were confirmed on numerous visits (I told you — i\i WANT to like this place). I complained to the management and received a letter full of grammatical and spelling errors. I’m not going back.

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants in downtown Martinez. I love the staff! Very friendly! Favorite dish here is the Salmon with veggies! Yumm!!! Favorite drink… well I have two here when Mike’s working @ the bar… Mojito and Long Island Iced Tea. The place is never terribly crowded though I’m not sure why. The food is great! The outdoor seating is great until someone wants to smoke (if you’re a nonsmoker) than it’s not so good. The owners are a young couple and are trying to stay afloat. They have an adorable chubby, little toddler boy who often walks around as if he already owns the place but not in an annoying way, and I’m not a fan of children running around while I’m trying to have dinner. He’s darling though and is only out for a couple of minutes maybe to entertain us! The only drawback here is that their kitchen closes around 9 I believe and if it’s slow, the owner will have only bar foods available. We have learned that if we are travelling from a ways off, we’ll call first. Bathrooms are clean & spacious.
Closed: Too much family working together… now its an asian restaurant, same bartender (Mike) and I’m going to try it soon & will post back.

Went on a Friday evening. Not too many people there. The service was horrible. Waitress was rude. Food was good, however I was ill from it 30 mins after leaving.

It was a warm Sunday evening and we wanted outdoor dining so off to La Beau’s we went. It had been several years since we had been there and wanted to see what it was like again.
Gene, the bartender/​server, greeted us politely and showed us to our table. He promptly took our drink order and went back inside. We looked over the menu and were somewhat dismayed at the small number of choices being served for dinner. Many of the lunch items actually looked more appealing than 5−10pm menu.
Drinks arrived and Gene did a nice job… poured generously and as we had asked for.
I had a triple cheese tortellini with prawns that was outstanding. The creamy pesto sauce topped it nicely. My wife had the chicken piccata and it too was very good. We shared each other’s entrees and agreed that the food was wonderful.
If there was a drawback, it’s that they are vastly understaffed. Poor Gene was pulling double duty tring to be the bartender for the entire restaurant and our server at the same time. He was very pleasant and personable, but somewhat scarce. If you have plenty of time, not worried about things taking longer than you expect, than I whole-​heartedly suggest trying LaBeau’s. It can be a relaxing and enjoyable evening with delicious food.

I always enjoy meeting Unilocal friends in person, and the unofficial events usually present the best opportunities to relax and connect. Plus I have a sneaking suspicion that some folks wouldn’t mind meeting Gayle after all that I have written about her. Ivy R. (and Hubby) and Diane E. got their chance last night as we met for drinks at LaBeau’s to wish Diane well before she moves to Indianapolis next week. And this child of the Midwest is actually more than a touch jealous!
Diane also brought some of her friends and we all enjoyed sitting outside on the patio during this lovely early evening. My only complaint was that the frequent road noise at this intersection sometimes drowned out some really good conversations. This chat included lots of mutual interest subjects including animal shelter volunteer work, yellow labs, jobs, Chicago, Martinez redevelopment issues, gay redneck bars, cars, and children. :)
Wait and bar staff at LaBeau’s were very prompt and friendly. Gayle and I also shared a delicious baked brie cheese, bread, and fruit plate, while others enjoyed their sandwiches, burgers, and crab cakes. Best of all, the prices were very reasonable.
I admit that Downtown Martinez is not usually on my list of places to go after work. After the County offices close, it’s really quiet down here. However, with a pretty shoreline area and some nice restaurants (including LaBeau’s, Bella Italia, and Lemongrass), it’s not all a land of antique stores. Gayle and I will be stopping by a little more often.

Thank you to my Unilocal Friends Eric B. and Ivy R. for arranging a going away Happy Hour at LaBeau’s tonight. Met some new friends and got together with old friends.
While I didn’t order any food, the food that others ordered certainly looked good. I enjoyed a glass of the house Cabernet which was pretty decent and have to admit that the crab cakes looked scrumptious!
I have been to LaBeau’s before for a Christmas party, but tonight was a beautiful summer-​ish evening to enjoy a beverage outdoors. The only draw back was that this is a heavy traffic intersection in downtown Martinez and it can be very noisy.
I’m going to miss my adventures and experiences of the East Bay, but look forward to new experiences in my new town of Indianapolis. Stay tuned :-)))

Compared to the other restaurants and bars i have been to in downtown Martinez, this place is pretty good. The service could be improved, but there are lots of good points as well.
The Good:
–splits of champagne
–large selection of salads
–outside seating
–friendly neighborhood feel
–good food
–doesn’t close too early
The Bad
–not enough staff= not the best service
Why only 3 stars you ask? Since I live in San Francisco this place doesn’t hold a candle to the amazing establishments in the city, so the 3 stars really does mean «A-​OK.»

The drinks are pretty good. That’s all I’ll ever have here.
The service is downright terrible. Even while working in the food business, I have experienced few servers with as bad an attitude as our waitress. I left without paying, after having apparently ruined her day by ORDERING A SANDWICH. She failed on simple courtesy. She failed on bringing water to the table, and being upset when asked if she could. Mind you, there was barely anyone in the place, so there was even less of an excuse.

I agree that the décor could be updated a bit. The dining room is a little dusty and bare.
But, the food has always been outstanding here. For lunch, I always get the Vegetarian Sandwich. And their dinner menu is very good as well. It’s the only place in the area to get a nice steak.
I would describe the waitstaff as eccentric. They are very laid back is one way to look at it. If they are not busy you will get good service; but usually there is only one server.

A group of friends and I decided to stop here for lunch while we were in Martinez over the weekend. This rating is for the service only. There was only one waitress for the whole restaurant and she looked like she was having a terrible day. She seated us right away and then left us with our menus for 20 minutes, without even coming by to take a drink order. We were on a 90 minute lunch break, so that was not working for us. She finally came back and we asked her the dreaded question, «Can we have separate checks?» She liteally rolled her eyes and said «Fine.» Then she promptly retreated to the kitchen. My friend and I were fed up at that point, so we left. The people who stayed said the food was decent, though.

Went there for the first time yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. the wait staff was courteous and we didn’t feel rushed or ignored. If you are in the area and want a nice evening, this is the place. Oh they pour a great cocktail.

Came here for birthday lunch and noon day beverage.
There wasn’t very many people there and we sat at the bar alone. We started off with with the Absolute Ruby Red. The regular bar tender, an older gentlemen, wasn’t there. The waitress made the drink and it wasn’t the same as usual. It wasn’t even served in a martini glass.
For food we got the Calamari. They have really good Calamari. The sauce they serve with it is like a kind of spicy basil sauce. The crust is very good on the Calamari too.
We split their Chinese Chicken Salad. I love the Chinese Chicken Salad from here. They put big water chestnut chunks and fresh mandarin orange slices. If they were canned you could have fooled me. Also, the Sugar Snap Peas add a really great snap and flavor.
The last round we had ‘Tinez Tini. It was much better than the last drink we had. It even takes a great picture.
I couldn’t have chosen a better Birthday lunch spot.

Very cool place.
It reminded me of Cheers, the owners/​managers/​staff all got a long really well with everybody. «How are you doing?» «how am I?! how are YOU doing!» was the theme here. Very cool crowd.
I got a delicious steak and cheese sandwich. I ate it right up, cooked perfectly and nice red bell peppers with lots of flavor and grilled onions.
Grandma had a Monte Cristo sandwich, which was HUGE. It’s delicious too. It had two different types of cheeses and was served with a jelly.
The soup was a tomato lentil soup, which was really good too. This is an all around type of place, and the bar had a big selection with good bartenders.
I would come here a again to try out dinner, because lunch was great.

Sorry guys. My experience sucked.
3 slices of dry, overcooked prime rib; soft, overcooked vegetables; mashed potatoes with raw, crunchy bits of potato in it; burned sauce over everything… and to top it off, a cockroach running across the table.
Not the floor, the table.
It ran around for about 20 seconds or so between my neighbor’s plate and my own before deciding it was time to launch itself into the oblivion of tattered, grayish carpet, thus disappearing forever.
Nice touch.

Good service
Good food
Reasonable prices
No surprises
Who could ask for anything more for a quick lunch before boarding the 116 CCCTA bus back to Pleasant Hill BART!
Three of us attended the Martinez Peddlers Fair 8÷2÷08. We caught the 116 bus at the Pleasant Hill BART. That bus takes you right into downtown Martinez. It’s great not to drive!
We walked through the fair area, then headed over to JT’s for lunch. We had never been there before.
The place is nice and open. A bit old fashioned looking. Clean. Pleasant. We each ordered sandwiches. My husband had 2 beers, my daughter and I each had 2 glasses of wine. Total bill including tax and tip: $ 53
I can’t complain about that for 3 people!
Walked a couple of blocks from the restaurant to the Amtrak station to catch the 116 home. All-​in-​all a nice day out and about!

Good outdoor seating and refined re-​decorating.
photo upload

Local Stomps and Hidden Treasures Part 1
This is a cute little place on the corner of Ferry in Martinez. We made this our first stop on our new tour of the year. We have chosen to go to more down to early local places hidden in our own towns (or nearby). We figured Martinez Downtown had not been tapped by the group yet and it was now time.
Unilocalers have reviewed this place pretty highly, so it seemed just the right place. 6 of us came here for dinner. We sat in the regular dining area. The gentleman who seated us was very sarcastic and funny. We had excellent service and some really good food. The menu has lots of great choices and it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted. Everyone had differnt items and all were very pleased. THere are some great comfort food dishes here that just looked great.
So, whether you live in Martinez, have to be there for court, or just live close enough to get there, I recommend you check this little place out. As we were leaving, we noticed that the bar was hoppin and there was even a dj spinning music. Great little local place to just have a good fun evening with good food.

As soon as we walked in I knew this was one of those good olé neighborhood restaurants. A lot of the staff seemed to be on a first name basis with the diners — a sure sign of regulars. Diners at other tables and at the bar seemed to know each other too.
Unknowingly we ordered a salmon themed dinner. I got the grilled king salmon. He got the salmon pasta along with a Salmon Creek wine. Both of our entrees came with soup — clam chowder. (my favorite!) The bread was fresh out of the oven and piping hot.
My salmon was nicely cooked. It is always very hard for me to find well cooked fish and this was well cooked. The outside was crisp and the inside was nice and moist. The skin on the bottom added a nice level of crispiness.
My dining partner’s pasta was okay. It did stay piping hot for an impressive amount of time forcing him to eat slower. The cream sauce was a bit heavy for me but others may prefer it that way.
The drink menu had some pretty interesting sounding drinks on there. Had I not drove, I might have partaken in some. The wine did seem reasonably priced.
I gave this place three stars. Aside from my salmon, I was not blown away. The service was average (I suspect if we were regulars it would have been better though). I don’t know if we’ll be back again, but if we lived nearby I suspect we would come here often.

Love it here! Met some dear friends here for dinner on Friday night — I had never been here before. It was VERY good. I had the steak sandwich and after a night of performing, enjoyed every delicious bite!
Drink menu is pretty good — I had a «ticket out of town» and it has pomegrante tequila in it — YUM. Its like drinking juice plus isnt pomegrante good for the heart? I think i did myself a favor by having a second one!
The food is delicious and reasonably priced — i am looking forward to kicking it on the patio with my friends and some yummy drinks!

Last Friday I found myself stuck in Martinez thanks to an Amtrak/​Union Pacific accident between Martinez and Suisun, which happened two hours before I boarded in Richmond so hey Amtrak thanks a bunch for letting me get on the train only to ride it for 20 minutes!
It wasn’t all bad, though. Upon hearing the Announcement of Doom, I got myself the big bottle of chardonnay («Two glasses?» asked the cashier. «Just the one!» I proclaimed proudly. You have to embrace your crutch sometimes), some Sunchips, and the Chronicle crossword puzzle, and hunkered down for a wait of indeterminate length.
One and half glasses of wine down, the conductor mumbled that any of us who could possibly get rides out should do so. Ergo, I called my dear mother and stepfather in Sacramento, who piled in the Camry and headed southwest.
By the time they reached me, it was 7 p.m. and I’d a) finished my 2.5 glasses’ worth of vino, b) gotten my refund from the frazzled folks at the Amtrak office, and c) set up shop at JT LaBeau’s with a pint of Sierra Nevada.
The service at the bar was friendly and prompt; the bartenders all seemed to know the patrons and vice versa. If I were middle-​aged, upper-​middle-​class, and lived in Martinez, this would probably be my local.
The attached restaurant, however, is the shining jewel here. As an appetizer, we split the warm spinach artichoke dip, which was neither too creamy (my frequent complaint) nor too vegetable-​y (my stepfather’s frequent complaint). The folks enjoyed the meat ravioli, as I did my tri-​tip salad, and we all split a slice of rich, moist chocolate cake for dessert. Everything that touched our lips surpassed our expectations.
Our server could have been a smidge friendlier, and the prices a tad smaller, but those are quibbles, really. We were very pleasantly surprised by JT LaBeau’s, and I would encourage you, dear reader, to stop in next time Amtrak effs up on the Capital Corridor.