La Madeleine

Rae M. said it best when she said «This location has nothing on the one in… Columbia.» (haven’t been to the Rockville one, hence the «…») My girlfriend and I have enjoyed the warm/​cozy setting of the Columbia restaurant, but the Annapolis Mall one just felt sterile and relatively lifeless.
The service was mediocre at best, with the waitress blatantly shouting to a fellow waiter «is it your turn or my turn?» for all to hear. Way to make us feel like you want to wait on us. Plus, it took forever to get our appetizer soups, and I said to my girlfriend «how much do you want to bet that the entrees will be coming up RIGHT after.» Sure enough, that was the case. So then we had to rush through our (sub-par)appetizers to get to our entrees before the got cold or room-​temperature… too late. Not to mention we saw someone who came in after us getting most of what they ordered before we even got our soup.
Not to mention the cook was trying to be funny by constantly hitting the «order up» bell to tease the waitress… but it got very annoying very fast. I felt like I was in an episode of «Restaurant Stakeout».
The food was all right (hence the two stars instead of one), but for dinner, it was nothing special. Definitely more suited for lunch. We were excited about the prospect of a La Madeleine coming to one of our more frequent malls, and wondered why we rarely saw people there in the evening… and now we know why. Boring décor, lousy service, and «just all right» food does not entice me to want to come back. Especially with the other far superior restaurants in the mall, including the California Pizza Kitchen literally across from this restaurant.
All of this being said, if you’re curious about trying a La Madeleine… make a trip to Columbia, NOT Annapolis. I’d be surprised if this place stays open past this Christmas. But I’ve been wrong before :-/

My wife and I went here for a breakfast/​shopping date and my first impression was really good. The store itself is very cute, complete with a stone fireplace, and definitely fits the French bistro bill… in my American opinion anyway.
GOOD: I ordered a crêpe that came with strawberries and a bourbon cream sauce. It was all very good. Coffee was very good! It tasted as if it was French pressed, though I doubt they would go to that much work in a café. In either case, it was quality.
BAD: My wife ordered a croissant breakfast sandwich and the sausage patty was very pink in the middle. For sausage, that is not good. We asked for another one and there was still pink in it, though cooked slightly better. My hunch is that the patties were frozen and not being cooked all the way when placed on the griddle. She didn’t finish it. Besides that, it was very greasy. The butter of the croissant, combined with the sausage, eggs and cheese, made for a very greasy meal.
We would definitely go back as we know that these things can happen on an off-​day and we don’t like to make definitive judgments after one visit. The ambience is very unique and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Our waitress was very kind the whole time.

I saw La Madeleine’s storefront a few months ago when it first opened, but didn’t give it too much thought. At first glance, it looked like just another little sandwich/​bake shop and I wasn’t really in the market. Yesterday, however, I was and made my way to the mall with trying it out in mind.
I had no idea there was an entire little French bisto-​style seating area behind the bakery glass when I approached. A nice surprise for sure! There’s even audio of French lessons playing over the speakers in the bathroom. Charming… and odd at the same time, but I liked it!
Food-​wise: I decided to get a soup-​sandwich-​salad combo and a slice of cheesecake for the road. The mushroom soup (the soup of the day) was very good, although could have been served a bit hotter. The Chicken Parisien (Balsamic chicken, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise) was delicious, albeit fattening. A full-​size sandwich will cost you most than 1000 calories for the day, but I was impressed that the restaraunt was so forthcoming with that information, printing it boldly so there would be no surprises. Since my combo only came with a half sandwich, I figured I could opt for the 500 calories and splurge a bit. Glad I did, because it really was delicious! The salad was a little too saturated with stuff (oil and balsamic dressing), but wasn’t too bad. Just unnecessary.
Since I was sitting and comfortable, I decided to partake of my cheesecake slice there instead. Therein begin the problem. I took ONE BITE of the cheesecake and it was singlehandedly the WORST cheesecake I have ever had. Upon closer inspection, the top layer of the cake looked as waxy as it tasted and just have me the feeling that it was old — definitely more than a day (I was there in the afternoon). I immediately told the manager who was kind and offered to replace the dessert for another, but I told him I didn’t trust it after that one bite. Another server overheard and tried to sell me on their cookies («That’s what we are known for») and some other options, but I repeated, that after that one bite I didn’t trust anything in their bakery anymore. Sorry! The manager refunded my purchase and again, very kindly, tried to offer me a free dessert this time which I declined. I was impressed with their customer service in trying to resolve the issue and replace the dessert, but just couldn’t bring myself to try it again after that first vile bite. BLAH!
If I am in the mall and feel super skinny, I may just stop by and get myself a full-​sized sandwich and soup this time, but never again will I try one of their bakery items. Overall, the spot gets a solid 3 stars from me.

It seems this LaMadeleine just reheats food made somewhere else like no actual cooking is going on at this place. Beware of the new saffron-​infused Spanish paella dish; it is died with the cheap food coloring annatto not just saffron like a real paella; it almost killed my husband who is allergic to annatto but NOT saffron. This place gives all other LaMadeleines a bad rep!

My coworker mentioned that this French café had just opened in the Annapolis Mall and, always excited to try new places, my friend and I decided to grab lunch here. Unfortunately, the experience from beginning to end was horrendous. It was so bad that if I could rate this place a zero, I would in a heart beat.
My friend ordered first, the Chicken Parisian, Petite Wild Field Salad, and an Iced Tea. The cashier, who was oddly dressed in a robot costume and being filmed by a friend, was so distracted that she forgot to take off my friends coupon for a free petite salad. At the time, he didn’t notice because she only handed him the final credit card receipt which is not itemized.
I ordered second, the Turkey Bistro, Petite Caesar Salad, and a Lemonade. I also had a coupon for a free petite salad. The cashier handed me «my receipt» and as I walked over to our table, I noticed that 1.) the coupon was not used and 2.) this was my friends itemized receipt.
We returned to the cashier who apologized for forgetting to take off my friends coupon (and also noted that she’s been doing that a lot). She gave a cash reimbursement to my friend. I asked for my receipt (which normally I wouldn’t need but I wanted to make sure that my coupon got used). She said that the manager would have to get it and he would bring it to the table with our food.
The manager came to the table with our food, placed my food in front of my friend and his food in front of me (strange that he didn’t ask who ordered what) and asked if there was anything we needed. I said that I still needed my receipt which the cashier said a manager would get for me. There was a long pause and I couldn’t believe his response. «Well, do you need it for work or something»? I paused in disbelief and then asked «Am I not allowed a receipt»? The manager definitely made us feel like we were being a problem. The cashier then came running over and said she figured out why I didn’t get a receipt and it was because when she slid my card, she didn’t notice that it didn’t take. So I gave her my card again so she could run the order. Luckily, she remembered to take off my coupon.
After trading our meals with each other for the correct ones, I tried to not let my opinion of the service affect that of my food. Unfortunately, the food was not up to par. While my salad was good, my friends salad had no crunch and had several pieces of rotten lettuce (though he did say he liked the taste of the dressing). They were also very very petite (definitely not worth the 4 to 5 dollars that they cost). The pasta salad that came with the sandwiches had a good flavor but was too oily. Also, the flavor of the sandwiches were nothing to rave about. The one half of my friends sandwich had the most pathetic piece of «tomato» on it I’ve ever seen.
Usually, if I find a restaurants food to be sub-​par, I’m still willing to give the place a second chance; however, since the service was so horrible, I will not be giving this place a second chance.

Very impressed. Stopped in for a Chicken Parisien that was very tasty and very well worth the price. The salt and pepper chips were pretty good too. I like the little touches like the free bread. $ 26 for two meals, coffee, soda, and a lemon Madeline. Thumbs up from me. Would definitely recommend.

Although we had high hopes going in, we found the food to be substandard — my husband had a chicken parisien sandwich, which, when he looked, was leftover scraps of white and dark meat pressed together. I had a croquet Monsieur that had absolutely no flavor (how can ham and cheese be totally tasteless??) but was afraid to look inside to see what I might actually be eating.
The tomato basil soup was fine, but I had the feeling that I was eating a soup prepared offsite and sent in a tub to be reheated. After leaving, both my husband and I were thirsty all afternoon, which confirmed my concerns that the food is really prepared in huge batches for use over time and reheated as needed — packaged foods utilize a lot of salt for flavoring.
We were not expecting gourmet food, just something good for a quick afternoon bite, but we were very disappointed even with modest expectations. We certainly will not return.

I enjoy La Madeline in Airports so I was very happy to see that they have one in our Mall now!
It’s a cute café, I was expecting more when it opened but it’s good. The menu is more than enough, and it’s great for lunch or popping in for an afternoon coffee and treat.
During meals they always have bread and butter out on a counter for you to help your self. I love this little detail.
They have small portions too as well as larger meals.
The people there are very friendly but the person who was helping us this last time at the register was a bit unprepared. He seemed to not know anything. BUt it’s new… so I will be ok with that.
As for breakfast, I hope they update the menu soon. They do have a kids menu and very nice clean bathrooms.
Ok… I can only hope that they improve with time. but I am happy they are in my mall.

Coffee and a pastry. Can’t beat it. Oh and the chicken friand ain’t half bad. ;)

This location has nothing on the one in Rockville or Columbia. NO COMPARISON! I guess if you’ve never been to the other locations you could possibly think this is a great little café, but when you’ve seen the «PROMISE LAND» of La Madeline’s in Rockville and Columbia, you can’t look back.
For starters, this location does not offer the two most important dishes on the menu for breakfast; the French Toast and the Omelet. The croissants aren’t as light and flaky as the other two locations and my potato patty was too crunchy/​over cooked. I shouldn’t sound like I’m biting into a potato chip when I’m eating a breakfast potato. My sausage was undercooked and my eggs were watery and cooked extra hard. None of my food came out right!
Although our food experience wasn’t good, I must say that the staff was very friendly and helpful.
My family and I were so excited when we realized a La Madeline’s opened a little closer to home, but our joy was stolen when we realized that not all franchises are created equal.
Not a fan… I’ll stick to the other two locations.

Decent for what it is. Went for lunch with coworkers who have been going for a few weeks. Got the pear/​prosciutto salad with chicken. Came out right away, about 3 – 5 minutes before the entrée dishes my coworkers ordered, however they forgot the chicken. I notified the waiter when they brought out the other entrees. He returned with chicken on the side and another chicken entrée, so he was definitely confused.
Salad was good not great. The prosciutto was more like bacon bits. Chicken was good, and the salad was balanced with the balsamic, blue cheese, nuts, tomatoes and pear. Nothing was overpowering. Average size plate. Most dishes looked appropriately sized for a «light lunch.»
Probably won’t go out of my way to eat here again, but would go if others wanted to. I’d give the Chicken la Madeleine a try the next time.

Nice new café in Annapolis Mall. similar to Panera but cuisine is a bit more sophisticated. Coffee was exceptionally better than Panera’s or Atlanta Bread. Prices are very reasonable. Server did mix up our order. Regardless, they relatively a new operation and working out all the bugs.