Food wasn't that great, over priced. Street atmosphere wasn't nice, but it's not entirely their fault. I'd recommend seating inside, much
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Jeremy Edmunds
Tasty duck
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shedinesaround
Very pleased with food and service. Nice little wine list at reasonable prices. The special (sea bass) was delicious but a little pricey ($38 entree for bistro fare). Overall good experience and would recommend!
DanaB
Third time eating here. The service is always good and attentive, but the food is simply average. Typically, the food is “fine,” but nothing anyone would comment positively about. This was our last attempt here which is sad as it is a convenient place to eat when we're visiting our daughter who lives nearby.
WillardM
We are frequent patrons of Marie Louise but we have to say that this past Thursday was probably the best dinner we have had at this restaurant. The crab soup was excellent as was the sea bass with risotto. My partner had clams with linguine and it was also excellent. Well done guys!
Michael Harp
Vol de grand chemin.Went for Valentine's Day dinner. The set menu for $75 a person was an utter rip off. Every course aside from dessert was the smallest proportions possible and just OK. Feel rather cheated. For the same price, we could have gotten an infinitely better and more filling meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Hudson L.
*For reference, food review and summary are at the bottom. When we first walked into Marie Louise Bistro, I was amazed. My partner and I went for valentines day, and it was picturesque. Fairy lights adorned the railing of a stairway to a second floor that takes up only half the space, leaving lofty ceilings. The decor was great as well. We were seated at a 4 person table just for the two of us, which was great - loved the extra space. The waiter gave us menus specific for the occasion, but didn't say a word to us, which was odd. We took a look over our menus, and were a little confused about the lack of descriptions. When the waiter came to take our order, I asked what sort of dish the "maryland crab" was. I was told it was actually a tomato based crab broth soup with no crab meat in it - okay, kinda confusing for you to call it just maryland crab, not even maryland crab soup. I then asked if my partner still wanted it, and at that point he said "let me give you a minute" and went to go take the next table's order. We talked it over and decided to go with the mussels, french onion soup, duck confit, and zucchini louise, and waited for him to come back. We waited, and waited, and waited.... 15 minutes until he even looked in our direction again and came back. We told him our order and he asked if we wanted bread, to which we said yes. We waited 25 minutes for bread, mussels, and soup - i was shocked that they couldnt bring the bread out any sooner. At this point we had been seated for about 45 mins before any food reached our table. We began eating, but we ran out of water - I had to flag a server down for a refill, which was the only time he had stopped at our table since taking our order. Again, this whole time our servers have spoken perhaps two sentences total to us - one of which was to "i'll give you a minute" which turned out to be 15 times longer, and to take our order. As we were waiting for our food, a little over an hour after being seated we had run out of bread for the mussels and asked for more. The second loaf of bread was for some reason larger than the first and was very stale in the center. We ended up waiting a little over 1.5 hours from first sitting to having our entrees brought to us. I will now give a review of the food: bread - the first loaf was fine, nothing to write home about. the second loaf (which we got only because we were waiting so long) was much worse. Bread is not that hard? And it definitely shouldn't be different every time I order it. It also was not complimentary, so we paid for this stale bread. 3/10 french onion soup - also just okay. The cheese was good, broth was lacking flavor though. 6/10 mussels - the mussels were good. i don't have many complaints, they were not overcooked and the seasoning was light but brought out the flavors well. 7.5/10 zucchini louise - brace yourselves. this is really just a warm salad. It's a little confusing what the menu is claiming it is, and the servers did not seem willing to entertain questions about their vague offerings. The plating was outright disappointing for a $28 dish. It was just a cooked sliced zucchini with some tomatoes, onions, and couscous in an acidic sauce. It was not bad, but it was just so difficult to discern what this dish was supposed to be. Ultimately, just a cooked zucchini. 4.5/10, but if I knew exactly what it was and was looking for a vegetarian entree, I think I would give it a 5 or 6. However, the price is simply way too high for what it is. duck confit - this was the centerpiece. The skin was crispy and the inside was juicy, but it ultimately was too salty for the flavors to shine. The juicy fatty portions were delicious but everything was a little too salty. The scalloped potato was even saltier, which made the pairing difficult. The green beans were good but not enough. Overall, it was good, but the salt overpowered it. 6.5/10, with less salt could have been an 8 or 9. In summary: The service was so bad that we walked to the CVS afterwards and the employee
Taylor C.
My partner and I went to Marie Louise on Valentine's day. Unfortunately, I was on medication that restricted me from drinking alcohol, so we were not able to enjoy any beverages. I put all my hopes in the food, which ended up absolutely disappointing. The bread was clearly stale (though I will say the butter was plenty/soft/and spreadable) and it was an add-on that we paid for. The french onion soup was decent at best, broth flavor was on the weaker side. There were no descriptions on the menu for any dish, only prices - prices that were jacked up for Valentine's day by roughly 33%. I ordered "Zucchini Louise," which was the only vegetarian option under entrees (I was vegetarian on this day for religious reasons). I didn't know what to expect, but assumed something with substance, like pasta, given that it was a $28 entree. Turns out it was just a literal sliced zucchini, cooked in a lemon sauce with tiny couscous and tomato. While it wasn't terrible, it was disappointing and definitely not worth the price. The waiter first came to us at a reasonable time to initially take the order, but because we had questions and were pondering a bit on those questions, the waiter said "I'll come back to you." Fair, but he came back to us 15 minutes later which made us regret even asking questions about the menu that lacked descriptions. We waited 1.5 hours for our main course to come. There were maybe 9 tables in the section of the restaurant we were in, and only two tables, including ours, got food. Throughout the meal, nobody came to check in on us. They never actually took our appetizer dishes away. It was clear that the staff / manager / owner lacked hospitality. Finally, the pen I was given to sign the check was out of ink. The true cherry on top. The only good part about this restaurant was the ambience, which was super romantic with dim, warm lighting. Bathroom was also nice and clean.
ChristianB
This is a little diamond in the rough on a beautiful part of Charles Street in Mount Vernon. They have some great French standards and some good all-arounders like the bison burger and the linguine with clams. When the weather is nice, they have live jazz outside on Friday and Saturday outside. Fantastic, alfresco dining looking up at the Washington Monument. It's as French as it gets in Baltimore. The jazz band moves inside during winter. The staff are wonderful.
What a delightful surprise. Marie Louise has been here for 15 years and I never knew it. A French bistro has been needed and the Mt Vernon neighborhood is a fine location. The food is remarkably well done and presented. Fine variety and careful service. Not a quiet spot but the atmosphere is warm and friendly.
steven neal
Kid-friendliness: More adult atmosphere.....no children's menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Salad
Tom Purcell
Was visiting family in Baltimore and went here for dinner. My meal, Salmon, was one of the best prepared I've had in the past 10 years.
The area around the establishment was not the best environment, however my wife and I did not have any trouble or issues. Parking was easy as there is a lot at the end of the block. There was a lot of space, wine was good and reasonably priced and all of the cocktails were delicious. The espresso martini was a particular favorite. The meat and duck was cooked perfectly, portions were just right as to not overeat. The potatoes were extremely good. The only thing that threw us off a little was they asked us if we wanted fresh bread, but then charged us 2.00 dollars for it. It was worth it but unorthodox I guess in my experience. The dessert pastries were really just normal desserts, like tiramisu and cheesecake. Not what you would normally expect from a French style bistro. But again, everything was good and the staff was very friendly and nice.
Pammyb
My first time dining at Marie Loiuse Bistro and I loved it. I dined along and really appreciated the cozy feeling. The service was excellent; waiter was knowledgeable and did not rush me. Food was well presented, tasty and perfectly cooked. I look forward to returning and will certainly recommend the restaurant to others.
Food wasn't that great, over priced. Street atmosphere wasn't nice, but it's not entirely their fault. I'd recommend seating inside, much
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Tasty duck
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very pleased with food and service. Nice little wine list at reasonable prices. The special (sea bass) was delicious but a little pricey ($38 entree for bistro fare). Overall good experience and would recommend!
Third time eating here. The service is always good and attentive, but the food is simply average. Typically, the food is “fine,” but nothing anyone would comment positively about. This was our last attempt here which is sad as it is a convenient place to eat when we're visiting our daughter who lives nearby.
We are frequent patrons of Marie Louise but we have to say that this past Thursday was probably the best dinner we have had at this restaurant. The crab soup was excellent as was the sea bass with risotto. My partner had clams with linguine and it was also excellent. Well done guys!
Vol de grand chemin.Went for Valentine's Day dinner. The set menu for $75 a person was an utter rip off. Every course aside from dessert was the smallest proportions possible and just OK. Feel rather cheated. For the same price, we could have gotten an infinitely better and more filling meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
*For reference, food review and summary are at the bottom. When we first walked into Marie Louise Bistro, I was amazed. My partner and I went for valentines day, and it was picturesque. Fairy lights adorned the railing of a stairway to a second floor that takes up only half the space, leaving lofty ceilings. The decor was great as well. We were seated at a 4 person table just for the two of us, which was great - loved the extra space. The waiter gave us menus specific for the occasion, but didn't say a word to us, which was odd. We took a look over our menus, and were a little confused about the lack of descriptions. When the waiter came to take our order, I asked what sort of dish the "maryland crab" was. I was told it was actually a tomato based crab broth soup with no crab meat in it - okay, kinda confusing for you to call it just maryland crab, not even maryland crab soup. I then asked if my partner still wanted it, and at that point he said "let me give you a minute" and went to go take the next table's order. We talked it over and decided to go with the mussels, french onion soup, duck confit, and zucchini louise, and waited for him to come back. We waited, and waited, and waited.... 15 minutes until he even looked in our direction again and came back. We told him our order and he asked if we wanted bread, to which we said yes. We waited 25 minutes for bread, mussels, and soup - i was shocked that they couldnt bring the bread out any sooner. At this point we had been seated for about 45 mins before any food reached our table. We began eating, but we ran out of water - I had to flag a server down for a refill, which was the only time he had stopped at our table since taking our order. Again, this whole time our servers have spoken perhaps two sentences total to us - one of which was to "i'll give you a minute" which turned out to be 15 times longer, and to take our order. As we were waiting for our food, a little over an hour after being seated we had run out of bread for the mussels and asked for more. The second loaf of bread was for some reason larger than the first and was very stale in the center. We ended up waiting a little over 1.5 hours from first sitting to having our entrees brought to us. I will now give a review of the food: bread - the first loaf was fine, nothing to write home about. the second loaf (which we got only because we were waiting so long) was much worse. Bread is not that hard? And it definitely shouldn't be different every time I order it. It also was not complimentary, so we paid for this stale bread. 3/10 french onion soup - also just okay. The cheese was good, broth was lacking flavor though. 6/10 mussels - the mussels were good. i don't have many complaints, they were not overcooked and the seasoning was light but brought out the flavors well. 7.5/10 zucchini louise - brace yourselves. this is really just a warm salad. It's a little confusing what the menu is claiming it is, and the servers did not seem willing to entertain questions about their vague offerings. The plating was outright disappointing for a $28 dish. It was just a cooked sliced zucchini with some tomatoes, onions, and couscous in an acidic sauce. It was not bad, but it was just so difficult to discern what this dish was supposed to be. Ultimately, just a cooked zucchini. 4.5/10, but if I knew exactly what it was and was looking for a vegetarian entree, I think I would give it a 5 or 6. However, the price is simply way too high for what it is. duck confit - this was the centerpiece. The skin was crispy and the inside was juicy, but it ultimately was too salty for the flavors to shine. The juicy fatty portions were delicious but everything was a little too salty. The scalloped potato was even saltier, which made the pairing difficult. The green beans were good but not enough. Overall, it was good, but the salt overpowered it. 6.5/10, with less salt could have been an 8 or 9. In summary: The service was so bad that we walked to the CVS afterwards and the employee
My partner and I went to Marie Louise on Valentine's day. Unfortunately, I was on medication that restricted me from drinking alcohol, so we were not able to enjoy any beverages. I put all my hopes in the food, which ended up absolutely disappointing. The bread was clearly stale (though I will say the butter was plenty/soft/and spreadable) and it was an add-on that we paid for. The french onion soup was decent at best, broth flavor was on the weaker side. There were no descriptions on the menu for any dish, only prices - prices that were jacked up for Valentine's day by roughly 33%. I ordered "Zucchini Louise," which was the only vegetarian option under entrees (I was vegetarian on this day for religious reasons). I didn't know what to expect, but assumed something with substance, like pasta, given that it was a $28 entree. Turns out it was just a literal sliced zucchini, cooked in a lemon sauce with tiny couscous and tomato. While it wasn't terrible, it was disappointing and definitely not worth the price. The waiter first came to us at a reasonable time to initially take the order, but because we had questions and were pondering a bit on those questions, the waiter said "I'll come back to you." Fair, but he came back to us 15 minutes later which made us regret even asking questions about the menu that lacked descriptions. We waited 1.5 hours for our main course to come. There were maybe 9 tables in the section of the restaurant we were in, and only two tables, including ours, got food. Throughout the meal, nobody came to check in on us. They never actually took our appetizer dishes away. It was clear that the staff / manager / owner lacked hospitality. Finally, the pen I was given to sign the check was out of ink. The true cherry on top. The only good part about this restaurant was the ambience, which was super romantic with dim, warm lighting. Bathroom was also nice and clean.
This is a little diamond in the rough on a beautiful part of Charles Street in Mount Vernon. They have some great French standards and some good all-arounders like the bison burger and the linguine with clams. When the weather is nice, they have live jazz outside on Friday and Saturday outside. Fantastic, alfresco dining looking up at the Washington Monument. It's as French as it gets in Baltimore. The jazz band moves inside during winter. The staff are wonderful.
Food and service are good but
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
What a delightful surprise. Marie Louise has been here for 15 years and I never knew it. A French bistro has been needed and the Mt Vernon neighborhood is a fine location. The food is remarkably well done and presented. Fine variety and careful service. Not a quiet spot but the atmosphere is warm and friendly.
Kid-friendliness: More adult atmosphere.....no children's menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Salad
Was visiting family in Baltimore and went here for dinner. My meal, Salmon, was one of the best prepared I've had in the past 10 years.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Duck Confit, Duck Salad, Charcuterie Plate
The area around the establishment was not the best environment, however my wife and I did not have any trouble or issues. Parking was easy as there is a lot at the end of the block. There was a lot of space, wine was good and reasonably priced and all of the cocktails were delicious. The espresso martini was a particular favorite. The meat and duck was cooked perfectly, portions were just right as to not overeat. The potatoes were extremely good. The only thing that threw us off a little was they asked us if we wanted fresh bread, but then charged us 2.00 dollars for it. It was worth it but unorthodox I guess in my experience. The dessert pastries were really just normal desserts, like tiramisu and cheesecake. Not what you would normally expect from a French style bistro. But again, everything was good and the staff was very friendly and nice.
My first time dining at Marie Loiuse Bistro and I loved it. I dined along and really appreciated the cozy feeling. The service was excellent; waiter was knowledgeable and did not rush me. Food was well presented, tasty and perfectly cooked. I look forward to returning and will certainly recommend the restaurant to others.