Caffe Marco

It is NOT CLOSED!
CAFE‘ Marco is now called Grind House Café. Just behind Marco Trattoria on the side street. Good coffee. Good low key mellow music. Good goodies. Good iCandy. Tiny place but worth the find!
Many people mix up the previous location of Marco Trattoria, which simply moved to the other side of the street into a larger venue.
Café‘ Marco is operating fully, opens 7:00 am AND IS NOW CALLED GRIND HOUSE CAFE‘ Good Coffee and muffins/​pastries, WiFi, and very mellow music, very «Neighborhood» feel. Not commercial.

and
Marco Trattoria is also open for full breakfast at full ‘restaurant’ prices!
Saying a business is closed means it is no longer in business, when in fact they just have a new name and new owner.
Updated Nov. 5, 2011

Well, JESS K is wrong.
Caffe Marco is CLOSED. The new business in its place is called Grindhouse Café. It has not been called Caffe Marco since October 2010. All you have to look at is the awning over the entrance and it clearly says: GRINDHOUSE CAFE.
Grindhouse Café has its own Unilocal page.
So, if you want to write a review about Grindhouse Café, please refer to its own Unilocal page above.
Some of the reviews you read here are actually not about Caffe Marco, but about Marco’s restaurant on the corner (8200 Santa Monica Blvd) that JESS K also refers to.
People used to get confused and mixed them up, although it was clearly two different businesses with different names, but the same owner.
No more reason for confusion, since Caffe Marco is no longer an operating business. It is now GRINDHOUSE CAFE.
MARCO’S restaurant is on the corner at 8200 Santa Monica Blvd. It’s not called Caffe Marco, it’s called MARCO’S. It also has its own Unilocal page.
Again, if you’d like to write a review about MARCO’S restaurant, please go to their own page.
I know that Marco has asked Unilocal on numerous occasions to delete this listing, but Unilocal apparently does not do that. They’re saying that once a business is closed, people will stop writing reviews about them and eventually will forget about it and it will drop down to the bottom of the listings.
However, it seems that there are still enough confused people out there to write reviews about a non-​existing business.
Heck! I just added myself to that list, but I really wanted to let you, the readers know what the real situation was. :-)
I hope this cleared it all up.

Love it

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in there, and the waiters were all very nice.
They even had the football game on, not a bad start.
The issue I had was with the food.
The gf thought her strawberry & banana crêpe was «ok», and she never complains about her food… especially if it is sweet and fruity.
The side of bacon we got was swimming in grease, not appetizing at all.
The eggs benedict I ordered was not very good. The eggs were WAY overcooked, the biscuits were soggy and cold, and the side of potatoes were again, swimming in grease. Almost looks like it was sitting in the kitchen for 15 minutes before it was brought out.
The brunch was at a reasonable price, so I can’t really complain too much more, but definitely will try other brunch places in the area before going back to this place again.

Since the new Marco Rstaurant opened, the prices seemed to have gone up, and the place is no more special than what it used to be across the street. I paid $ 34 for 2 house chicken salads and 2 ice teas, hardly what I’d call a high end dish. When everything was said and done, the bill, with tip included, was $ 40. I dont really think it’s right to charge people $ 20 a piece for a salad that was anything but spectacular and a small dish at that, too; And I asked for the «full» order. I dont want to imagine what the regular size is! They dont even serve you bread.

I came to this place out of complete desperation! I needed to eat and knowing this would likely be the only thing I would eat all day as I had a busy, hectic day ahead of me, I wanted to treat myself to a nice, big brunch. I tried Blu Jam, which at 9:30 am was already packed with a line down the street. I continued my journey up Melrose, finding every place I love packed to the gills. So I headed up to Santa Monica, pulled over and searched «Brunch» on my Unilocal app. Caffe Marco was close with 4 stars. I drove up, got a spot and a table outside (had my dog with me). The service was really friendly and great.
My table was nice, as well. And quiet. It was very relaxing. I was starving and overwhelmed by the extensive menu, so the server suggested something spicy, which I ordered. The meal came out, a plate of scrambled eggs with andoille, a chipotle tomato sauce, tortilla chips, pico, cheese. It was just OK. Not very spicy, either. Definitely something I could make at home … when I was 8. The dish came with potatoes, which were greasy and soggy. The fruit was nothing special: grapes, strawberries and various melons.
Simply put: I ordered wrong. The service alone is enough to bring me back for another whirl.

Great coffee, no pretentiousness, classic rock all day. The only bad part of Marcos is the tired staff and the rather limited seating. On the plus side, free wifi.
Its a great neighborhood spot, not a destination spot.

I just love the staff here. No morning is complete without them, their smiles and their iced coffee with room for soy milk selves! I try to resist the scones, muffins and cookies but it’s too damn hard. What’s another Unilocal 15, right?!? I don’t know what I will do if I ever move. Maybe rent a two bedroom and invite Caffe Marco to set up shop in my spare room. Yep, that’s definitely it!

I’ve had the pleasure of stopping by this café once or twice when in the area to meet up with Katie B. I’m so jealous that she has this gem right up the block from her place! It’s the epitome of the charming neighborhood spot, except instead of dingy couches they have a flat screen TV and instead of the stereotypically surly workers, they have big smiles and free wi-​fi. My idea of heaven!
Yesterday I went in with a chill in my bones and ordered the vanilla chai latte, which warmed me right up, as did the warm demeanor of the gentleman behind the counter. The everything bagel I ordered was fluffy and delish, and although I wished I had more cream cheese (then again, I ALWAYS wish I had more cream cheese), it was the perfect late afternoon snack. They also offer some other simple snacks like granola, quiche, cookies and lots of cold and hot drink options. Every time I’ve been in there the customers seem to be regulars who make conversation with the staff and do their work while sitting on the trendy orange leather chairs. If only I could pick this café up and place it up the block from my apartment!

How did I live in West Hollywood for over a year, and not go to Caffe Marco? I went for the first time for brunch last month, and now I’m kicking myself for not trying it sooner. Had I known how good it was when I lived there, I probably would have gone every weekend!
I can only comment on the breakfast dishes, since that’s all I’ve tried, but I was very impressed. I split the All-​American Breakfast and Rice Krispies French Toast with a friend and both dishes were great. The aptly named All-​American Breakfast is a plate full of breakfast favorites: eggs, bacon, potatoes, fruit and toast. Simple and satisfying. The french toast is really something special… dipped in egg batter and then coated with Rice Krispies, the french toast is a study in contrasting textures with the crunchy coating outside and the soft, fluffy bread on the inside.
Service was a little slow, but our waitress was friendly so we didn’t really mind. Plus, we were sitting outside at one of the tables set up on the sidewalk alongside the restaurant, and it was a beautiful sunny day, so it was nice to lounge outside for awhile.
The interior is a happy medium between bistro-​style and mod-​style décor, with bright orange chairs at the white-​clothed tables, geometric framed mirrors and French prints lining the wall, and orb-​like light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. All the design elements really work together, creating a bright and cheerful place to enjoy a late-​morning weekend brunch.

I can’t believe how totally NOT crowded this place was for Sunday Brunch! We didn’t have to wait even a second. The service was excellent from start to finish.
For $ 33 we got:
2 Coffees (with several refills)
Large Orange Juice (not fresh squeezed, but still good)
Lobster and Shrimp Benedict (REALLY GOOD!!)
Chilequiles with Sausage (Good. Could have used a little dollop of sour cream or avocado perhaps.)
Both came with sauteed potatoes, onions and peppers,
AND Fresh fruit including strawberries, watermelon, and very good cantaloupe and honeydew.
Big portions gave me enough for a second meal to take home.
I don’t understand why this place wouldn’t be crowded?

Free wifi. +1
Good coffee. +1
Friendly service and environment +1
Chocolate muffin had chunks of delicious dark chocolate + 1
Small coffee shop with limited seating +0
Total stars = 4
All in all, if you want a place to have a cup of coffee and people watch outside or a place where you can work on your laptop, this place has it. If you want to come here with a big group of say…4−6 people, you might have to be creative about pulling tables together.
No bathrooms though, they have a restaurant next door (Marco) whose bathroom you can use. I noticed after the fact that they have a $ 5 minimum for credit cards… my total was $ 4 something, and they were nice to not even make a big deal out of it. Very cool.

The only coffee shop in WeHo that jams classic rock all day. Awesome and so not «WeHo».

Coffee’s OK, food’s gross, tiny space, no bathroom. Tiny space is OK for a nice L.A. day, because they do have tables on the sidewalk outside, but on rainy days, with the few tables taken up by the permanent residents, you won’t get a seat, ever. Oh, and no bathroom? For a coffee place? I’ll just have to go in the alley behind the building. Hey! I had no idea it’s a cruising alley! Honest!

I dont think this place is good at all.
Dirty, smells bad, and bad service. The coffees Ive had are okay.

This is everything a coffee shop should be.
Clean.
Ample indoor and outdoor seating.
Well lit.
Nice design.
Free wi-​fi.
Well stocked pastries and designer granola, cookies, etc.
Yummy coffee drinks (duh!)
Teas.
Additional drink options like Elixirs, smoothies, etc.
Café Marco has all of these things, and they are in the process of moving, because the affiliated Marco’s restaurant across the street is being forced out of their current location by a Walgreens. Booooo! Luckily, they’re not moving far though. The café is transitioning into the empty lot next door, it’s a smaller location but at least they aren’t being forced out of the neighborhood. Additionally, they are taking steps to ensure that the new café is totally LEED certified, meaning it will be energy efficient in every way. How cool is that? God love a business that puts not only their customers, but the environment first. Even when they are being kicked out of their current location by a lame corporate establishment.

I am typing this review as I sit inside the café, sippin’ my iced latte and people watching. free wireless is great, the shelves of books to browse through too.
a nice selection of baked goods if you get a sweet tooth, otherwise the extensive coffee selection more than satisfies. Sit outside if you want to procrastinate– the noise will prevent any real concentration; inside, you’ve got any number of single coffee sippers hiding behind their laptop screens.
so far my favorite coffee joint on this strip of santa monica!

A lovely little coffee place. I’m sitting here right now, actually, sipping my mocha latte, which was made perfectly AND was cheap. Yay cheap.
I came here because I saw it when I went to Joyful Nails (see my review!) and thought it seemed way less crowded and uptight than Urth Café. And I was right.
The servers are friendly and wonderful. In fact, I interviewed one of them for my journalism homework which I should be doing right now. There are plenty of people chilling, mostly on their laptops or reading scripts. It’s nice and quiet, although the radio is on. I think it’s KBIG, if I’m not mistaken.
Definitely going to be back here. There’s parking in the back, but I missed it. Lucky for me, though, I found street parking RIGHT in front of it. Hoorah!
And you should’ve guessed by now that there’s free Internet here. Some of the décor could use a little sprucing up, but overall a wonderful place.

Loved it. Free wifi and yummy green tea. RC was even able to get a beer. The place was laid back. You have your West Hollywood boys hanging out cruising the net– or maybe we were all «working».
Nonetheless, it is worth checking out.

Café Marco, aka Buzz, has a nice feel, but I just usually get it to go.
Coffee has always been good, beats the hell outta starsucks, and they pour a consistent shot. One thing that drives me crazy is when I order an iced drink, they put one of the dome lids on it and for some reason I cant stand it, there is no reason for a dome lid I want a flat one you fascist! I always make them put a flat one on it, its the principality smokey!
What I cant deal with is the pastry. The worst banana-​ish muffin ever, and the cheese danish isn’t so hot.