Oiu Oiu. There’s a new French bakery in town, my friends! And I’m loving it.
Recently, the highly acclaimed French bakery, Le Marais, opened their third location in the Castro. This bakery sits pretty on the corner of Sanchez and 18th, and has all the aesthetics of a quaint and cozy cafe that has came straight out of a Parisian plaza. From the pastry display case, marble table tops, and adorable entry way with the word “Bonjour” written out in the tiles, this brunch spot makes for a great Instagram photo op!
My friend Kara and I arrived at Le Marais on a Sunday morning for brunch. By 11am, the bakery was already bustling with customers, a sign that this place must have great eats. Although there was bit of a wait for us, it didn’t feel like it because our host, Liz, checked in with us frequently and updated us on our wait time. She was so sweet, professional, and was able to accommodate our seating preference.
Once we were seated, Kara couldn’t wait to dive into some food. As a French bakery should, they had a selection of croques. If you’re unfamiliar, croques are French broiled sandwiches with cheese, slices of bread, meat (or veggies, if you’d like), and more cheese. C’est magnifique! Without hesitation I ordered the Cr’q Madame. Kara followed suit and ordered the Cr’q Forestier. And being that we were in a bakery, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to order some pastries. Kara ordered the lychee tartlette and I ordered a serving of the kouign-amann.
We then received our breakfast plates. My Cr’q Madame was hearty and delicious. The slices of bread were perfectly toasted and the gruyere cheese melted in my mouth. All the makings of the perfect croque madame! When the plate arrived, I was very surprised by the generous serving size. The croque madame was big and came with a side salad. Not only are the serving sizes favorable, but the menu prices are too. My plate was $16 and I went home with leftovers! Very reasonable in my opinion. Check out the menu here.
Overall, it seems like Le Marais has it figured out. Mix a darn good menu with an aesthetically pleasing cafe, you’ll have something that’ll surely be a hit among San Franciscans. So the next time you have spare time and want to dine on midday offerings that are nostalgic of a romantic Euro-city, drop by the Castro and pay Le Marais a visit. You won’t be disappointed.
Leave a Reply