La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe

What a disappointment. We have been going to La Madeleine for over 10 years now and we love the place. See my previous review. On our recent visits, we have noticed a slow deterioration of their quality. On this visit, the Ceasor salad was anemic, the Quiche Lorraine had almost no cheese in it, and the White Bean soup was mostly watery with almost no beans.
Is this a corporate menu decision?
You don’t have to believe me, those of you that have been going there for a long time will know exactly what I am talking about. Sad. Sad. Sad.

First time here and I really enjoyed their breakfast menu. The ordering process was a little confusing as a first timer but the friendly staff was great about showing us how to order and how to go about getting our food so we really appreciated it.
The food was all well made and delicious! The quiche was very good, my husband had a classic French breakfast that came with a potato cake, eggs and a croissant and he really enjoyed it. Will definitely return for breakfast.

I’m giving it one star for their strawberry jam and their employees. Food was very bland, especially the potato soup. Nothing special about their tomato basil soup and it came barely warm. beef bourguignon is something I don’t want to eat again, the mash potatoes were plain weird, the mushrooms had a nasty aftertaste. The shrimp crepes was swimming in the sauce, good thing they weren’t stingy with the shrimp. Dessert selection is non existent in comparison to other French restaurants. Strawberry Napoleon is something worth forgetting having. The cream was very blah and the strawberries were gross. Stay away.

The Turkey & Provolone was good and the pepper chips are addictive. But I actually come here for the Tomato Basil soup which is delicious.
The pastries are always fresh and always top notch.
The Country French breakfast was also really good. The croissants are fluffy and buttery. The potato galette is delicious.
The lemons were really gross and looked old although the guy said they were cut daily.

I’m slowly trying different things here and I haven’t come across anything that I didn’t like. They don’t play when it comes to sweets at La Madeleine, indulge!
Upon entering, pick up a menu (or don’t if you know what you want) and order at the counter register. When I’ve ordered to-​go it’s taken quite some time to get waited on because the regular ordering line gets backed up but after 5 minutes someone comes to take my order.
The sandwich combos are fairly priced at $ 7.49 and it comes with unlimited bread and two sides (PARTAY). The balsamic pesto chicken on ciabatta and chicken salad croissants are super good and the soups are all very good. I’m a fan of their french onion and potato soup, ask to sample all the soups if you’re indecisive like me. Their Caesar salad is fresh and tasty.
You MUST try their COCONUT CREAM CAKE ($ 4.79), it’s just out of this world good… layers of moist pillowy cake with moan worthy cream and coconut sprinkles. The tarts ($ 4.79) are HUGE and the custard filling is a dream. If you can’t tackle a regular monster sized pastry, La Madeleine makes mini tarts, chocolate croissants, and parfaits. Oh man, I gotta get my fix soon!
Servers are awesome and offer excellent suggestions for first timers, they kept praising their Parisien eggs benedict… gotta go in for breakfast. There are plenty seating options and they even have a private room for parties.
If anything, try that coconut cream cake!

The Chicken Friand did not disappoint. The mushroom sauce was creamy and REALLY mushroomy :)
The hubby’s chicken crêpe was light and cooked just right. The atmosphere was pleasant and inviting. The food came out hot and very quickly. We will be back.
WARNING: Constructive criticism coming:
You can tell when someone is a NEWB. be a little more helpful folks. Not everyone has a strong personality and will just say,“so what’s up? How does this work.” They will just write a negative review about service (which is an epidemic on Unilocal) and folks won’t bother reading the review that the food is delicious and just not go to that restaurant due to low star rating :(

After mani pedi stopped by La Madeline for brunch. I had a cup of their tomato soup which is consistently delicious. I also ordered the breakfast croissant without meat. This time the breakfast croissant was a little disappointing; the croissant was dry and the smell of egg was a turn off with every bite I took.
I know, I know, it’s egg, but I should not get the egg aroma if the eggs are fresh…
I purchased a $ 25.00 gift card and received a $ 5 card to use in January, so I will be back and will order something from their lunch menu.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this place if you’re into a standard chain restaurant breakfast. I’d rather make my meals at home than eat soggy omelettes or flavorless sandwiches. There are pleeeenty of amazing breakfast places in San Antonio that are affordable, even lunch places. Why make this choice?

My fav. café/​sandwich/​soup/​salad spot. Love their duet combos. My usual — chicken salad croissant with potato soup and cold pasta. :-) I also like their chicken crepes. Creamy! I like how they have complimentary bread, butter, and jam. Their desserts are awesome.
OTHER ITEMS: Their holiday «stuffing» is sweet – not a fan. French dip – Arby’s is better.

Childhood memories of my mom and I sharing a chicken caesar salad and strawberries romanoff in the middle of bustling Northpark Mall is why La Madeleine holds a special place in my heart, and probably always will.
I like this location, even though parking is a pain during lunch, because it’s large on the inside with a few private nooks and crannies for posting up and getting some work done. They have lightning fast wifi for a chain restaurant!
Honestly, there are local joints that make better salad, sandwiches, and soups but sometimes that familiar tomato basil soup and complimentary fresh bread calls my name. I always feel a bit like cattle being herded through the cafeteria-​style line, pushing my tray along and shouting my order over the glass cases. At least they’re interested in getting through the line quickly, but I can’t help but feel really rushed when I can’t quite decide what I want (order anxiety to the max).

There isn’t a bad thing on their menu. I always try and eat something different from my last visit. I love their coffee. When I’m in the area I will get off just for a cookie or two. if you haven’t been i suggest you stop by in the morning or maybe on the weekend. The staff is always very friendly and willing to recommend something to my liking.

They may or may not have the best espresso in San Antonio!
(strawberries romanoff ain’t half bad as well)

Ah, I do love good food. I love food that taste like it was made right when I came in. I got the spinach quiche. The pastry was delicious, the staff courteous. The salads are made with fresh ingredients. Yes yes yes!!!

I love La Madeleine! Great place to go for lunch! Their tomato basil pasta salad is delicious. My favorite sandwich there is the chicken parisien! It is yummy! Also really good pastries, especially the vanilla cream berry tart and the lemon tart! Great food and great atmosphere!

We went in expecting something of a quality breakfast, but what we received was something on par with Denny’s or IHOP. Fortunately, the pricing was pretty much the same as the aforementioned.
Upon entry we were handed menus and instructed to seat ourselves and then return to the lobby to order from the one waiter. After ordering we were handed a tray without explanation, even after I informed the «waiter» that this was our first time in the establishment and was told our food would be brought to the table. I had to ask what the tray was for, and was told it was for beverages. Had to feel our way through a somewhat confusing process. At the end of the line we paid, she got her water, we got our silverware and napkins and returned to our table. I thought it was odd that the Potato Galette she ordered as a side was given to her at the time of payment and not brought out with the rest of our food.
I ordered the Country French Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (to which I requested Swiss cheese be added), Potato Galette and choice of bacon or sausage with a fresh-​baked croissant. I settled for this after realizing eggs cooked to order were not available, only scrambled or omelettes are available. I was offered a baguette instead of a croissant, which I took. I also ordered a mocha. She ordered the Egg Crêpe Champignon and the Potato Galette.
The quality breakdown: By the time our food arrived her Galette was cold. The eggs in her crêpe were lukewarm, and if we had had anyone service us while dining she would have sent it back for a re-​heat or replacement. The mushroom sauce looked (and tasted) like canned cream of mushroom. In my opinion, the parsley garnish should have been dismissed in place of spinach to add some flavor to it. The swiss cheese listed on the menu was completely missing from the flavor. We both enjoyed the Galettes. It was the best part of the meal, with little restraint used when the garlic was added. They were perfectly cooked. My eggs were cooked well enough (though the swiss I requested was not present), as well as I’ve ever had liquid egg cooked, not too dry or too soupy. The bacon was cooked well enough, crispy but not burned, but was a fairly low quality product (read IHOP). The baguette was overly toasted and dry, completely unexpected. The mocha was not blended well enough, so the bottom of the cup was overly sweet and left to be thrown out. I could barely taste any coffee in it.
We went in with high expectations, that were shot down by mediocre meals for good prices. I would consider returning for a light breakfast (a pastry and a house coffee) or for lunch. The sandwiches that were being delivered looked quite tasty. I doubt I would ever return for a hearty breakfast.
One selling point that has this place over other breakfast chains is the dining environment and the other customers. It was peaceful and enjoyable to settle in and dine here. Have you ever been to a Denny’s on a Sunday morning?
I would not hesitate to check this place out, but go in with medium expectation so as to not walk out disappointed.

Wowsa! That’s a pricey turkey package!
Fortunately I was not the one buying it. I tagged along with a friend of mine to pick up her turkey and dessert package from La Madeleine and was just thankful that the wife and I like to cook. I am not here to discuss all of those details but the café in general.
Built to look like a cottage in the French Alps and with a medieval solid wood door, requiring a team of oxen to open to match, this bakery/​café attracts those in need of some fresh baked goods. Any shop that places the bakery case in front before you ever get to a register is place that knows how to get my attention.
On this occasion I selected a sweet apple and raisin danish and a slice of Sacher torte. The danish was flaky and buttery with just enough sweetness from the raisins and apples to appease me. Sacher torte chocolate sponge cake layered with apricot marmalade and topped with a chocolate ganache was both rich and decadent. Two of my favorite adjectives. I noticed a few sandwiches going out that looked fairly scrumptious but I was too busy stuffing my face with sweets to look up at them.
Like a pig in a sugar trough so goes «the eradicator».