La Madeleine

I had lunch here today. The food was good and packaged well for a to go order. I had the salad sampler.
Their website could use with some improvement. And I think the prices are a tad high for what you get.

Food was typical for this restaurant, employees were incredibly rude acting as tho you were bothering them by placing an order. I could chalk it up to maybe a bad day but considering I ate there two days in a row and got the same snotty attitude I surmised this is the norm for this restaurant.

This place has a decent selection. I like to come in for breakfast to get a latte and oatmeal. Some of my friends, get egg sandwiches on croissants that they really like. For lunch, the quiche is good. I also like their veggie sandwich, tomato soup and salads.
I think the food has a lot of character. Not the greatest, but pretty good. And as I said, has character. Somewhat french, but also more diversified. Everything has a fresh, interesting flavor.
I also like the free bread and jams they have out.
I will say I agree with the below comments about food being delivered slowly or sometimes incorrectly, but the staff tries really hard and genuinely cares. I think the place just gets so busy at lunch. accidents happen. But manager and staff as super nice; the errors aren’t due to bad service. so I am fine with the slowness and errors. They are good about fixing anything so long as you ask. I would rather have quality food from good people that is slow, than fast food that is bland, streamline/​processed and from businesses with poor attitudes.

The quality dip here has become obscene. The lag time on food approaches 30 minutes. The error rate on our orders were 100% on our table of three. The errors were: forgot the side salad on one, missed the substitution on another, and my risotto came out ice cold.
They ultimately fixed all issues and made right but to all be aware that the place has fallen from grace.

Went here for takeout during lunch. Very slow service. My order was placed at 12:09 (soup and sandwich no customization) and I was handed my order at 12:23. Just not acceptable wait for takeout.

This place doesn’t know how handle an order to go. Please bring a book. You’ll be waiting at least 20 minutes before someone acknowledges that you’re waiting for your food. You’ll also be overjoyed to find that they didn’t even give you the correct order to begin with. I enjoy paying $ 9 for a half sandwich with no side. Thanks. Day. Made.

I used to come here quite a bit but now only frequent occasionally. The reason I’m only giving this a 2-​star review is because I was less than impressed with my last visit. I ordered a ceasar salad and opted to add chicken for substantial upcharge. I was really turned off by the taste of the chicken to the point where I actually left some of it behind on my plate uneaten. This is a cardinal sin for me. I was raised in the era where you eat everything on your plate (or take it go!) and I could not take another bite — not because I was full, but because it tasted weird.
The one item that I order that I never have complaints about is their tomato basil soup. Always rich and tasty — especially good with sourdough bread! This place is normally PACKED at lunch and most times the line can be out into the lobby of the building so I try to avoid their busy times. You can also pick up and order food to go at their dessert counter.
Don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon unless a lunch companion absolutely insists on wanting to eat there but they’re great for desserts!

Some dude named esquerrè moved to Dallas from the Loire Valley. Stanley Marcus helped him open his first La Madeleine at Mockingbird and 75 near SMU campus in 1983. The cafés have morphed somewhat into French fast food, but corque monsieur’s, galettes, tarts, quiche Lorraine’s all await to bust your diet.
This downtown location, a bit hidden in the San Jacinto building, has been around for 8 years.
There is a nice terrace that I use for quiet cups of coffee, not far from Guadalupe Cathedral and the museums.
It’s an 80’s Dallas thing that works, just be aware the ala carte menu adds up fast, and it’s super casual.
Breakfast
Open mon-​fri

I have to give this location 4 stars because it’s the first La Madeleine that I ever ate at after moving to Dallas in 1998. It’s not easy to find — tucked away in an office tower downtown — but I do like stopping by (still, all these years later) for a quiet lunch or breakfast. They’ve redone the space so you can sit at a shared bar-​type table facing the street. It’s a pleasant view.
The layout is confusing for ordering, so I don’t really care for that as much, and it’s nearly impossible to find the bread station.
But still… it’s La Madeleine, and it’s tomato basil soup.

Hidden in the building next to Samar is this place… walk in, huh… where am … «Hi, What would you like»… wait, I’m confused… where am I? What do you serve? Um, can I see a menu? I should have know better going to lunch with the three chicken salads who already knew what they wanted and what this place was!
Finally, I pick something (feeling rushed here) and away I go. Pasta pesto salad and tomato basil soup… I liked the soup and the pasta wasn’t bad either. It all feels a bit cafeteria style to me and I’m getting a little tired of these order at counters with your tray and go. I know its lunch! But I feel like we have an excess of this kind of place and none of them seem to wow me…
This place is no different. sigh

Consistent with other La Madeleine restaurants. Enjoyed my lunch!