Le Marmiton

Party of two – an early date with my gf – maybe five months ago.
At most other places, the fact that the waiter got my order wrong and spilled my drink in my lap (!) would send this review into one-​star territory. Maybe it was the company… maybe it was the congenial outdoor setting (you can eat inside, too, but if the weather is agreeable – and in LA it usually is – why would you?)… I found myself in a forgiving mood.
The fries with truffles didn’t hurt, either. Wow, those were good. Pricey, but c’mon now… sometimes you have to suck it up and pay the money and enjoy the goodies. If you’re at Le Marmiton, it’s most likely one of those times.
Service didn’t score high on dexterity, but made up for it with graciousness and attentiveness. Besides those fries, which got my attention, the food was generally solid.
Recommended, particularly for something different on a warm afternoon when you’re playing hooky from work.

Ate here a while ago with the hubby and my god, it was horrific. The waiter was a joke, they brought our food out at different times, didn’t even offer an appology, and the food was sub par at best. Seriously, if I’m gonna pay $ 24 bucks for a lamb shank it better be cooked well. The piece I got was charred, dry, and the smallest shank I’ve ever seen… probably because it sat in a tray for hours before making it’s way to my plate.
AND the «Roasted Beet» salad– please that shit was from a can. I roast beets at home, and let me tell you, they taste a helluva lot better than that canned shit that was on my salad. You bunch of jokers.
This was one of the WORST dining experiences I’ve ever had in LA. Terrible. Extremely Poor. What a let down.

Loved this restaurant the first time I went in and it has never disappointed. I just got back from a month in France and this is very much like the dining experiences there. The food is very good, services is great and friendly. The menu has lots of choices from moderate priced to a steak that is still under $ 30. I do there to dine as they do in Europe. Nothing is rushed, the patio is very nice and the owner is a charming French man who made us feel so welcome. I don’t know how anyone would call this overpriced. The portions are not gigantic but as Americans we are perhaps one of the fattest societies in the world. Go to France, you won’t see many overweight people and the ones who are mostly likely have adapted the American diet of bigger is better. Try this place, I think you will love the food, ambiance and total experience.

Just went to Le Marmiton last Friday night for dinner. We arrived around 8:15 and we were really impressed with the whole atmosphere. There was live music, a piano and saxophone, playing as we walked up. We choose to sit in the outdoor patio area that had a great vibe and was nicely decorated. The whole atmosphere was so romantic. But then it all went DOWNHILL.
Inside was maybe half full and the outside was about a third full. So it was a little weird when our waiter was rushing around like a chicken with no head. He was somewhat apologetic that the service was so slow and the table next to us said to him, «it’s ok, we can see that you’re busy». Which, I would normally agree with, but I counted 4 tables he was waiting on, which doesn’t seem that busy to me.
I’ve read that the owner/​manager comes around to different tables and chats with people. At first, I thought this was a nice touch. Someone that looked like the manager was going around talking to two or three of the tables telling people their food will be right out (not including us, but including the table next to ours). We weren’t in any kind of a rush, enjoying the company in this romantic setting, until two plates of food come out, which we think has to be ours because it’s 9:15 already (we ordered around 8:20). Then it goes to the table next to us! They got there 30 minutes after us! We finally get our food at 9:30.
We ordered the penne pasta in pesto sauce with no meat ($ 12.95) and special of the night, chicken in tarragon sauce with mashed potatoes and vegetables ($ 24.95). The portion size was on the smaller size. I could definitely finish all of my pasta and be 85% full or less.
The service here is terrible with the waiters running around like they’re so busy when the place is less than half full. I asked for a few things, like a box and an extra fork and the waiter just kept forgetting. The manager spent almost the whole night just sitting with a group long done with dinner just chatting it up while every patron at this restaurant is waiting for food. Then towards the end of the night, the chef comes out and joins this group. So this is why my food is so late!
Overall, do not come here because the wait is terrible, the service isn’t good, the food is sub-​par, and it’s definitely overpriced. FYI, there were also people smoking cigars/​cigarettes all around us, which put a damper on the atmosphere (the one thing they had going for them). I will definitely not be coming back here ever again.

Cute little place in Marina. I usually go for breakfast or lunch. Try the Angus burger. It’s a huge burger that I can never finish. The meat is cook just right. If you go for dinner, this same burger is $ 4 – 5 more.
Le Marmiton has outdoor seating and is great for enjoying the ocean breeze on a perfect California day. The service is very friendly. They welcome dogs and will even offer to bring your dog a bowl of water.

Three and a half stars, mostly for the delightful patio surrounded by a rose garden. See the photos.
It was lovely, a peaceful afternoon deeeelight! Haha! At 4:15 today they still were on the lunch menu, so I had an overpriced Angus burger, $ 12.95. It was good, perfectly cooked, and the bun was especially tasty, but too small to justify the price (see photo). It came with fries & a side salad, and I was allowed to get a little extra salad in lieu of the fries. Salad was bland.
The setting, however, won me over. You would never know you were next to a busy parking lot, across from the MdR post office. The fact that the plaza fountain is just a few steps away from the front of the restaurant probably helped a lot. Running water really is effective at drowning out street noise! And It was a great spot for people-​watching too.
Service was wonderful. French-​accented male and female servers added to the overall charm.
So there I sat, blissfully sipping iced tea on a perfect afternoon, admiring the roses. The scent of rose & sweet alyssum was everywhere. Little sparrows were flitting around in the decorative trees. In fact, as often happens at an outdoor plaza restaurant, one bird was so conditioned to getting crumbs from patrons that she perched on the back of the empty chair across from me… and stared me down. Until I gave her a hunk of my burger bun.
The bird took a bite and then flew off with the remainder, so I knew that meant she had a baby somewhere.
Meanwhile, a huge bee appeared in the roses right next to me. It wasn’t a yellow striped bumblebee, it was dark metallic green. And gigantic. Buzzing in the roses.
Holy moly double crikey, as I kept an eye on the bee, I just knew… I knew… it would come toward me.
I waited in fear, trying to distract myself with my burger.
Dammit, the thing landed on my table right next to my plate.
Get back Loretta! I stood up and backed away, abandoning my lunch.
The servers noticed me, and came over, as did some patrons from another table.
The female server said, in her French accent, «Oh it’s not a bee, it’s a beetle! A nice beetle.»
And she touched it with her finger, causing it to fly away… before I could take a photo of the scene!
The other patrons were discussing bees and beetles, fascinated, and I felt like an idiot for being so skirred of the thing. Can’t deny I was glad the nice beetle was gone, though.
OK so it didn’t actually walk on my plate, so I figured it would be acceptable to finish my lunch. My expensive lunch.
So I was back to eating again when I noticed the sparrow feeding her baby on the sidewalk. See I was right! It was so cute. The young bird could fly, but just barely. After being fed, it was sitting on the curb eyeing a puddle of water in the parking lot, but couldn’t quite figure out how to get down to get a drink. It tried to bend down but that didn’t work. Finally the little bird just flopped off the curb into the puddle, adorable.
Word musta got out that I’m a soft touch when it comes to sharing bread, because in the decorative trees there were several sparrow staring me down at this point.
Waterside Commons was turning into Animal Kingdom! I knew it was time to go when a pair of pigeons showed up. Figured I’d better get the hell outta there before I made any more new friends…
~ the end ~
hahahaha

we came here on a busy day (right before the fireworks on july 4^th) and beat the rush by two minutes. we saw the line at CPK (in the same plaza) and quickly rushed in here. we got seated right away and this frantic waitress greeted us. dood, we KNEW she’d screw things up. we KNEW just by looking at her.
we kept it simple and ordered the rosemary parmesan french fries and the pizza i couldn’t pronounce that basically was a pizza with sour cream, onions, and bacon (no tomato sauce or cheese — at least i couldn’t taste any). we drank water.
our food came out. we ate. we talked. we finished the tub of sour cream that was on our pizza. the french fries were quite boring. but, we were not mad.
we asked for our cups to be filled. we got new water. phew. thought i was going to choke on that last french fry.
the couple next to us had the special. it looked like a bunch of mussels swimming in yellow liquid. the lady did not finish it. the frantic waitress was explaining the «special» to another couple next to the one who didn’t eat hers. she kept motioning to the other couple not to get the special. the waitress leaves and the couple next to us talked to the other couple, explaining how bad the special was. to my right sat a family of four. the dad was eating the «special». he didn’t look that interested in it but he seemed to be working at it.
there was one couple with a baby who was there before us and they still didn’t get their food by the time we were waiting for our check. the frantic waitress came by and apologized and blamed herself (it really was her fault) and then the family got up to leave. she flagged them down and told them to sit back down and that their food would be ready in a few minutes. she was so obsessed with trying to correct this mistake that she literally IGNORED all the other patrons. we flagged her down to ask her for the check. she repeated «check, right.» back to us and left in the same hurricane that brought her to us.
she ran back into the kitchen, we saw her and a bunch of cooks juggling food, etc. and she came back to the family, bringing them their food. this was all witnessed by about four tables who were all waiting either for the waitress to take their order, for the food, or for the check. we were just trying to do her a favor by leaving but it wasn’t going to happen.
fifteen minutes later and after witnessing that family be fed, she came back to our side of the restaurant. we asked her for the check again. she disappeared.
ten minutes later she came back and we paid in cash. we got up to leave and the couple next to us cheered, «you’re free!»
wow. community bonding over le suck a ton.

not much selection
cigar smoke from shop next door
not worth the money

CLOSED. I was in the plaza before Christmas and this place was gone.
We’ve lived in the Marina for over a year and didn’t know this place existed until we walked past it last night. The owner approached us as we perused the menu in the window and he was very pleasant and gracious. He sat us on the patio (which is very nice) and brought complimentary champagne which was a great touch.
The food was excellent and the price is what you would expect to pay for what you’re getting. The morons who say the food wasn’t good and it was overpriced should venture on up the road to the IHOP on Lincoln or find a Denny’s. I had the pasta carbonara which was very rich and exceeded all of my expectations. My wife had seabass with salad and it was just as good. For an appetizer, meals, drinks and a 20% tip we paid around $ 60. I might go for the rack of lamb next time.
The wait staff are very friendly and attentive and do everything they can to make you feel welcome. Your water glass is always full.
You can tell that many of the people eating here are regulars from the way the owner greets them. Everybody was happy to see him, they engaged in lots of friendly conversation and a couple groups invited him to sit down for a few minutes to chat. Following our experience I would expect that we will probably visit once or twice each month as well.
If you want chicken fried steak and potato skins for 12 bucks go to Denny’s, if you’re looking for a nice «date place» at a good price with great food you’ll want to try Le Marmiton in MDR.

Ridiculous. Small menu. Expensive as hell for what it is. Very european.
The outdoor seating is abundant and charming but the food quality is crappy.
You might as well go across the street to panera and endure their shitty service for less money or wait for the chiptole next door to be open.

Food is AWFUL. We had the croque monsieur and caprice (both sandwiches). Both were whatever. Tomato soup isn’t creamy if you’re looking for a creamy tomato soup. Salad was ordinary.
If it wasn’t for the ambience, and this place only relied on the quality of their food, this restaurant would go out of business in 2 seconds.

A friend and I went to Le Marmiton last night. We had a very nice time. Natasha waited on us and she was a gem. Great wine recommendation. We had the prosciutto and parm plate. Very yummy. They have an outdoor patio where your four-​legged friends are welcome. This is huge plus given the few areas in the Marina where you can actually take your pups. We also met one of the owners (a dog lover and trainer). He was great. I highly recommend this place for a nice glass of wine and treats with your friends, no matter if they have two feet or four. I look forward to going back very soon.

How charming is this little cluster in the new remodel of more traffic for the Marina! French Onion was yummy in a small pot. My black forest ham and cheese was perfect. The french fries were cold *bummer* and the ice-​tea glass was too small and had to be refilled over and over. Nice little lunch spot on a busy Saturday afternoon!

Gosh, I’ve been here countless times for a quick bite and have always spend a fortune. Their chocolate croissants are the best, their florentine cookies are horribly addicting, and their croque monsieur is one of the best (and tiniest).

I came here for the first time this past Friday after an evening movie. It was almost 10PM, and the kitchen was getting ready to close, but we were welcomed anyway. The restaurant has a clean, contemporary bistro style and the staff is friendly and accommodating.
Since it was late, my dinner buddies opted to eat light. However, I don’t believe in ordering salads at a restaurant I’m trying for the first time. Any chef can (hopefully) make a good salad — right? Therefore, I ordered the coq au vin. When my plate of steaming deliciousness was placed before me, one of my dining buddies cancelled her salad and ordered the coq au vin as well. My meal was fresh and filling, but not filling to the point that I felt stuffed. My dining buddy who ordered the seafood salad really enjoyed it. However, my other dining buddy who ordered clam chowder was less than thrilled. Overall, I’ve had better coq au vin, but I was pleasantly satisfied with my dinner.
Le Marmiton is located in the same plaza as CPK. I usually only frequent this plaza when going to CPK, but now that I know I have another convenient option, I will start going to Le Marmiton more often.

Patio ups the rating on the MDR branch of Le Marmiton.
It’s testament to the «up-and-coming”-ness of Marina del Rey that an institution from lofty Montana in Santa Monica expanded into the Caruso-​renovated Waterside (same developer as The Grove and The Commons).
My first visit was on opening day and it has been consistent ever since. The staff is extremely friendly, with a few native French speakers on staff at all times. The service is pleasant and relaxed and the outdoor patio is wonderful in good weather. The trickle of the fountain and the tree draped setting makes you forget you’re sitting at the edge of a refreshed parking lot.
This is a good place for business lunches and meals with out-​of-​towners. The Escargot are just what you’d expect… buttery and full of chewiness. The Moules are fragrant and fresh. The pizzas are more of the Alsacian variety, than the Italian with toppings like Salmon or Caramelized Onions and Olives. Pastas are hearty and filling… nothing to make you weak in the knees, but still good.
This is not exceptional cuisine, but it’s not bad either. Settle in on a sunny day with a nice salad, enjoy the people watching and blow a wad at Theodore, M. Frederic, J. Jill and the like.

Had breakfast here this morning with my hiking buddy who has wheat/​milk allergies. We arrived Sunday, Mothers’ Day, 10:30 A.M., plenty of outside seating overlooking the fountain. Service was wonderful, friendly & prompt.
Our waiter who spoke with a French accent was most gracious & able to make suggestions. My hiking buddy ordered poached eggs & lox. The most beautiful poached eggs were served. The shape was similar to that of strawberry shortcake biscuits. Perfectly done.
The yogurt/​granola/​strawberry parfait is what I ordered. Layers of yogurt, granola, sliced berries, and repeated layers. Stacked in a tall parfait glass, with a long-​handled spoon which added a whimsical touch. Reminded me of eating hot fudge sundaes when I was young. Very good, I would order it again, as it had crunch, sweet, tart, chewy, creamy textures & tastes. Mmm good.
This is the 3^rd time I’ve eaten @ this location, all 3x the service here was excellent. The dinner experience here was just as good too. Much better than the Santa Monica Montana Ave. location. Besides the patio/​fountain view here is utterly charming. Bring a sweater as the wind can be chilly.

Came here for their breakfast. Breakfast was good.
Best croissant I have ever had in town. Buttery, flaky and savoury! 3 dollars each and it definitely worth more than that!
You should try the ‘butterfly-​like’ pastry 2. It’s so good! I finished one on top of the smoke salmon and potato pancake breakfast I ordered.

Marina venue for Santa Monica restaurant. I am a softy for French bistros, so I love Le Marmiton. New location in the renovated Waterside shopping center, they have a cute patio and a decent-​sized inside. Waitstaff is unbelievably sweet and accomadating. Traditional French bistro menu. Simple lunches. Tuesday night they have Bistro Night, complete with a 22 dollar prix fixe. Decent wine selection. And they serve breakfast, too! Yum yum.