Madeleine’s Restaurant

I’m going to shoot it to you straight, Unilocalers. There are some incredibly high maintenance reviewers of Madeleine’s — even more than usual. Writing one-​star reviews because a waiter set down the water glass too hard? Offering a scathing criticism because of the ostensible cheapness of the tables? Feel free to offer thoughts about décor, but when you get to the point where you’re questioning the entire restaurant’s ethos because of their Ikea tables, something’s imbalanced. That’s not what Unilocal is for, to take things out of context, to be pretentious. In my opinion, at least, this is a place to offer advice, practice your observations, and encourage local business — in all its forms and through all its failures.
So, now onto Madeleine’s. This is a local business, in the truest sense of the word. What does that mean? It means underfunded, understaffed, and it would appear, underestimated. During peak hours, they might be slow. Now, to the couple who experienced a painful 3-​hour dining experience, you’re right: that’s inexcusable. Perhaps this place is yet another victim of a disorganized, confused business model, but when I went for brunch this past Sunday, I had a great experience. Our server was an absolute joy, knowledgeable and willing to field my multiple questions with great detail. He brought our waters to us absurdly fast and made 5 different trips to top off our coffee.
As for the food, my eggs benedict — made with nicely poached eggs, standard english muffin slices and thick ham — was good, not great (however, given the complete lack of brunch options in Morgantown, this is the best option I’ve found). My friend ordered the Western omelet: they use beaters and diced ham and he seemed decently happy with the option. The granola looked tasty and the french toast was apparently very good. The only thing disappointing was the home fries: right ingredients (peppers, onions, potatoes) but they came out cold.
There were less than 20 people in the restaurant and despite its decent size, I can imagine a wait on the average Sunday — especially taking into account the decided lack of any brunch competitors. We stopped by Blue Moose beforehand: their brunch options consisted of bagels and granola and nothing else. With my vain search for a Morgantown brunch almost abandoned, I was very happy to have a nice morning with friends at Madeleine’s. Their food is above par, but it’s a good little place by Morgantown standards and well worth a visit. Do yourself a favor: grab some friends, put on a little patience, and give this place a shot.

Newer to the area, my boyfriend and I decided to celebrate the New Year in Morgantown. We wanted a good meal before hitting the town and after reading some reviews decided to give Madeleine’s a try. Maybe because it was NYE, not too sure, the service was incredibly slow. The place was a disorganized chaos and the employees felt the same well. It was very noticeable. We were there for 3 hours and finished a bottle of wine before our food was brought out. The food is average but by no means worth the price. Very disappointed in the experience. We made the best of it, but am not running back!

I’ve been here twice. The like the atmosphere and the unique decorative touches, but I’m not so impressed with the brunch. I got the breakfast burrito with home fries. As we all know, brunch a just a fancy word for getting rid of the week’s leftovers, but I was expecting a little more than a tortilla stuffed with egg and cheese. I couldn’t find the chorizo that they claimed to put inside and there wasn’t any sauce. It came with a couple pieces of fruit and the «home fries» turned out to be chips. Meh. I should have cooked at home. Hate that.
The fries and dipping sauces are a win as far as appetizers go here.

Despite only getting to Morgantown once in a while, I have been to Madeleine’s probably half a dozen times, if not more.
I thoroughly enjoy their food and while I cannot remember what I had there last time, I have never had a bad meal there.

When we came to Madeleine’s tonight, it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday but in hindsight I am not surprised. Our server pestered us to get our order in, then as the evening went on, was eager to return to socializing at the bar rather than helping us.
The food is average and by no means worth the price. While I understand that the restaurant sources ingredients locally, $ 16– $ 28 for any of the entrees on the menu is too much, especially considering the lackluster service. I had the pasta, which tasted delicious and rich but soon made me so ill I was sick in the restaurant bathroom.
On a separate note, the restaurant is decorated without and discerning taste. White chandeliers, a giant spoon, and some nice local photographs all decorate the restaurant with no unity of design.

Ate there for the fourth time last night.
Finally food was very good and service was very good.
Everything we ate came out tasting great — well prepared, nicely plated and good portions too.
We ate the scallops and the shrimp and grits appetizer. Excellent.
The beet salad was very good although I would have preferred a lighter dressing.
The chicken entrée was perfect — tender flavorful chicken with crispy skin.
I will go back and I hope they can remain consistent.
Finally a good option to Sargassos.

I keep coming back to this place because it has a nice interior, the staff are friendly, and the food is really good. You can tell they’re trying to be different with the smoked ketchup and that kind of stuff, but it works for me. I recommend the fish and chips. The shrimp and grits was good too, though it’s really a fried brick of grits which may not be for everyone.

Horrible food, horrible service! Is possibly the worst place I have ever been to!

Overall, pretty disappointing. Food is decent-​to-​good, but very bland. My main issue is with the price of the food. Each time I’ve eaten there, I’ve been fairly satisfied with the food, but felt like I’d been overcharged for what I was getting. Service is not the best either, but I’ve come to expect that in Morgantown.
Ambiance is nice, and it’s a comfortable place to eat. They like to think that they’re a high-​end restaurant, and their prices reflect that, but the level of food just isn’t up to par with the prices. I doubt I’ll be back.

Just moved here and I have been to Madeleine’s twice. Friendly staff, and good food that is interesting and uses local ingredients when possible. The new owners recently renovated the inside, and it looks super cute with the chandeliers and the separated bar area. One night I had a drink at the bar and the owners were there and seemed friendly. They had a Generation Morgantown event here a few nights ago, and I hope they do it again soon!
P. S. The crab cakes are super yummy and with a cheese plate, you’ve got a great meal.

We ate here at the behest of an awesome bartender at Jay’s Getaway (and it was perfectly situated across the street from our hotel, sealing the deal) and were not disappointed.
There was a short wait (to be expected on a Friday night), so we sat at the bar and enjoyed a fine craft beer while we waited.
Everything on the menu looked delicious, but we went w/​a steak for my husband and scallops for me. The food was great, though my scallops were a bit salty. I can’t recall the salad or sides, but we had spent a bit of time at Jay’s before dinner.
If we should find ourselves in Morgantown again, we wil definately eat here.

Hard to adjust my expectations – I’m in town for a conference, coming from Boston, and I don’t think it’s fair to judge it against a big city. Pluses: very friendly waitstaff, decent martinis (given that there wasn’t a dedicated bartender), great big portions on the cheese plate + absolutely delicious cheese. Minuses: kind of understaffed resulting in inconsistent service, no cocktail menu (which I found a little strange given the full bar), décor waffling between «cute» and «ikea in a bad way.» Note I only had appetizers, so I can’t judge the meals.
I don’t think this place knows what it wants to be. It’s aspiring high and not quite making it there. A lot of its problems would have been solved by the addition of another bartender, or changing the décor to reflect a more homey atmosphere. A modern and urban feel requires, well, modern/​urban service. That’s not the only good kind of service (I actually liked the service a lot and felt confident that everybody there was doing their best for an unexpected crowd of conference goers) but it might not be possible in this context. Anyway, I’d recommend it to a friend, but with caveats.

Went back again a couple of months ago. Still wonderful food. Wait staff very attentive. Had one of the best martinis I’ve EVER had. The french fries with various dips are still the absolute BOMB! Would recommend to anyone! Check out the blog for the full description of the first visit!

Compared to Baltimore’s extremely satisfying Clementine’s, Madeleine’s falls short. The décor is a little eclectic (IKEA mixed with a classy rustic look) and the flavour of the food leaves much to be desired. However, due to the waitress forgetting to put in our order and the wait, I was given a drink on the house. I would definitely suggest the sangria as it was amazing. 1 star for the effort and 1 star for the sangria.

My first time trying Madeleine’s for Brunch and was a bit underwhelmed. They do not have espresso drinks, so forget that cappucino you want with your French Toast, speaking of which, there was only 1 sweet brunch dish (the rest were omelette or meat based dishes). The brewed coffee was weak.
The basic french toast was delicious though, made from a cinnamon swirl type bread, and the potatoes were really good as well (spicy and seasoned very well).

Wonderful restaurant with a menu full of local ingredients. We tried 4 tapas (pommes frites, tomato plate, buttermilk oysters, & pork belly) all were great. Everyone loved their entrees. I thought the ½ chicken and the eggplant cannelloni were amazing! When it was time for desert we tried all 3 and, like everything else we tried, they were all delicious.
I can’t wait to go back!

Honestly i used to dislike this place. But with the new Chef this place has turned around and has become a unique place to eat. I def recommended their extremely delicious weekly specials.

I came here for dinner by myself. It was pretty empty for a Thursday evening, although I was early. I had the spiced salad mix without bacon, which was excellent, and a marvelous concoction of potatoes, goat cheese, and tomato sauce which was very well presented and delicious. The greens on both the salad and entrée were local, so thumbs up! I ordered dessert even though I was plenty full already — the chocolate apricot torte was good but not great. But overall a very good experience — good food, attentive staff, and local ingredients.

I’ve frequented Madelienes over the years, and they are the best they have ever been. They’ve updated the décor, hired a brilliant new executive chef, and revamped the menu.
I recommend the Spinach Salad for a starter, and then the Steak Frites as an entrée (a steal at $ 18– this was a serious steak).
The only con is that they need to work on their mixology a lil bit– I think they’re used to a beer and wine crowd, but other than that… flawlessly executed.
Well done.

Great find! Was wandering in search of a welcoming place where a traveler could dine, and dine well, at the bar. Thought I would stop in for a drink and get my bearings but ended up staying for dinner.
The hostess and her partner Mike had great suggestions. The bartender and my server, Sarah, were great hosts… full of info from opportunities for live music to where I could find the best cup of coffee in town. All the while providing me with a delicious spinach salad, fillet, and a wonderful glass of wine!
My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in this wonderful respite off High Street in Morgantown, WVA.
Note: Looks like the other reviews are dated. The room/​décor is now in good shape and I’m told the chef is new (just a few months).