Marcel’s Bistro

Hello. This place was extremely rude. Food was alright. Just alright. My tuna was quite salty and dry. But my friend liked her steak. I tried the steak too and honestly it wasn’t anything special. Nonetheless they were extremely rude. Water wAs treated like caviar. We didn’t just get water either we got wine too but they didn’t even to give us any water. We were thirsty. When the bill came, we asked for separate but the manager was so rude and asked us what we meant by splitting the bill and how? We didn’t understand how he was shocked we wanted to split our bills since we didn’t have cash.
Literally so upset that I’m leaving this review. A high end place like Marcel’s should be better at customer service.
Go if you want. But just so you know it’s the same floor manager every night. The rude one. Go if you would like to be treated like you ain’t worth anything. Go if you’d like to be thirsty throughout your meal. Go if youre brave and like a challenge. And go if you honestly can’t find a better place to go.
Three fingers in the bum bum down. Ya mon.
Hope this helps you on where to go out on your Friday night.

If you’re considering visiting Marcel’s for winterlicious, stop now. Dumpy food, not what you’d expect.

Great food. That’s what is important.
Good atmosphere. Good enough service.
Was surprised to see completely empty restaurant on Friday at 9 pm. Not sure why.

Good cuisine overall.
Service is a little slow but the food makes up for it!
If you want to talk French this is a good place to practice!
Good ambiance, kind of looks like your in a restaurant in Europe.
Food is freshly prepared and the Caesar salad was crispy and good amount of caesar dressing.
We talked to the servers in French but got replies in English but after a few times they warmed up.
Can expect to much in Toronto!

So disappointed with Marcel’s. Now to be fair, I didn’t Unilocal this restaurant before I went there (only because I was unable to use my phone at the time – don’t worry!) and I definitely paid the price. Most notable was the service – or lack thereof. Our server was so incredibly slow to complete any task, whether it was bringing us our food, drinks, or check, he was amazingly slow each and every time. I asked our server for the check and waited and waited until I finally cracked and asked the manager to bring us the check and then FINALLY we got it (and within a reasonable time)! And to really top it all off, the food was incredibly average. It was certainly edible, but my no means was it impressive. I mean, if the service is gonna suck, at least give me some good food, amiright?! Don’t be fooled by Marcel’s attractive design, everything about this place is disappointing…

I went to Marcel’s with my mom for Summerliscious. We are generally fans of French cuisine, however the food was just mediocre. It’s not bad, but it’s not anything spectacular. I enjoyed the rum cake, however I had to take it to go, because I was full with the main course before I even got to it.
The location is great, and it is quite cozy, although it was suspiciously empty on a Friday afternoon. The staff is nice.
I guess, there is nothing bad with the restaurant, but it is not memorable.

The pictures of this restaurant do not do it justice. Just stopped by for summerlicious 2015 and it has been one of the best meals ever.
Appetizer: smoked salmon crêpe (no pictures because it was too delicious)
Main: Medium rare steak with bearnaise sauce. Absolutely delicious! The steak was perfectly done and the vegetables were juicy, delicate and delectable.
House Profiterole: easily the best in TO. Magnifique!
An amazing meal for $ 23 and an amazing, completely under rated summerlicious venue. The ambience is intimate and the view of King street is nice. I will definitely come back!

Walked along King Street and after checking out the other options, we opted to try Marcel’s.
It wasn’t too crowded when we went in and the place looks very nice. I didn’t like the bathroom was downstairs (really steep stairs too…) but that’s beside the point.
Overall, the food was good. I didn’t jump out of my seat but thought it was good, tasty food.
What I didn’t like was how long our food took. There were 2 tables besides us that ordered after us but got their food a lot sooner than we got ours. When asked what happened, we were told the chef made a mistake. Usually I like to get an apology from the chef or the manager but nothing. I’ve been to places where they would comp the dessert but didn’t get that either. We did order dessert and that was good too.
The food:
The pâté was good. Not much else to say.
The beef cheeks was very good.
The cheesecake was good. A bit on the bigger side but I didn’t mind.
The service, wasn’t very attentive.
Besides getting our food late, the server never looked at me.
When we first walked in, the first person there looked like she wasn’t happy to get a customer.

The service was exemplary and fast, the food was to die for my favorite was the créme caramel, there was nice soothing music playing, and the décor was quant and peaceful, all around a nice place to eat and I would dine again…

This restaurant acts extremely unprofessional! Their hours on the website say open until 10! We came at 9:10 and were told that kitchen is closed by a very blunt waiter! So don’t hope to get a late dinner here!
I did have dinner there a couple of years ago and it wasn’t anything special, but wanted to try their winterlicious menu. Ended up taking über to yorkville. Stay away from this place!

Marcel’s has all the ingredients to be a good restaurant. I enjoyed the food, and I agreed with its prices. However, I feel like the restaurant was really let down by the front of the house.
I made a 8:30 reservation, and made my way to their doors by 8:25. Although I did not expect to be seated right away, I did, however, expect to be seated within a reasonable time. In reality, I was not seated until 9:05. This was not an unique occurrence. Marcel’s doors were crowded by at least 12 people at one point, all of whom, had 8;30 reservations. The maitre’D was clearly overwhelmed. While it’s hardly his fault, the management need to rethink their current operations. I understand overbooking to prevent last minute cancellations. However, overbooking to the point where over 10 people had to stand outside the restaurant is not acceptable.
When we were seated, the waiters moving at a reasonable pace. Our requests were answered to. Our waiter had asked politely if we had any questions about the menu. I asked him for a recommendation and he was keen to provide one. Marcel’s kitchen had prepared a very unique appetizer that was served in a martini glass. The appetizer itself was really good, but I wished our waiter could have provide us with an explanation on the dish.
Marcel has a lot of things going for it. It’s attention to detail, from its food to its décor, is very commendable. I hope they can work out some of their kinks with their operations. It’s the only thing stopping Marcel from becoming a great restaurant.

Friend suggested we go here for Winterlicious dinner. Food and experience wasn’t fantastic for $ 35.
— Ordered the beef steak and the meat they used was really poor quality
— The meals came in extremely slowly, we waited 45 min on average between meals.
— Took us 45 min to pay the bill? I got billed me incorrectly twice.
— the place itself looked really outdated with furniture and lighting was pretty poor where we were sitting
I only give this 1 star since there are so many better places around that area I’d rather go.

I came here to celebrate my birthday with a bunch of friends. The restaurant was very inviting and good for big groups. The only flaw was the food wasn’t too great and the portions were very small. A lot of my friends and myself were disappointed with the beet salad appetizer; we wouldn’t order it again if we were to revisit the restaurant. It didn’t have that wow factor like it does at many other restaurants. My friend who ordered the Puff pastry filled with seafood in spinach and parsley velouté sauce said it was really good. My other friend who ordered the Smoked salmon with red pepper coulis and avocado mousse said it was just okay.
Next, let’s talk about the entrees.
* Grilled Mahi Mahi, sweet pepper coulis, served with rice and seasonal vegetables.
— My friend who ordered this said it was really good. A+
* Grilled beef steak, scallop potatoes with grilled seasonal vegetables in green pepper cognac sauce
— My friends who ordered this dish said it was good but the portion was just a little too small
* Pan seared veal loin with wild mushrooms and spinach risotto
— I ordered this dish and the meat was very tender. This dish was also gluten and lactose free. This was one of the smallest entrees we received at Marcel’s. It just came with the veal and a risotto. I would have liked to receive some sort of vegetable on the side.
* Lamb stew with dried apricots, carrots, turnip and onion served with couscous
— My friend enjoyed this. This was also definitely the biggest portioned dish that we received
* Pearl barley risotto with winter vegetable
— My friend said this was good but the portion was incredibly small
The Desserts:
* Rum cake topped with fresh fruit
— My friends who ordered this said it was really bad. They didn’t like the texture of the dessert and wished they had ordered something else.
* Sorbet with Fresh Fruit:
— The sorbet was really good. However I really wanted a chocolate cake and this was the only lactose and gluten free dessert on the menu. If the owners are looking at this review, please add a chocolate tort to your menu.
* Lemon pie with crispy meringue and raspberry coulis
— My friend said it was good
* Marcel’s famous apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce
— This looked delicious. I didn’t ask my friend what she thought but she ate it all so I’m pretty sure it was good.
Service: 4 Stars: Our waiter was great!
Food: 2 stars: You need to start strong and finish strong. Marcel’s could definitely improve some of the dishes and add vegetables or other sides to make the mains more complete.
I have to give the restaurant two stars because according to Unilocal two stars means you have experienced better. I honestly would not go back.

We went there for the winterlicious lunch and it’s a great experience! We were supposed to be there around 1pm but due to the terrible traffic we arrived at about 2. We called in prior to inform our lateness and the person was so nice and told us we can come whatever time we can.
For appetizer, I ordered the chicken liver pâté and my friends got the escargot and the salmon mousse crêpe. The pâté is really flavorful but the side salad tastes even better. The salmon mousse crêpe is also really nice and refreshing, but the escargot is a bit too heavy for me. The main course is the best of all. All of us ordered the beef hanger steak, which is incredible! It’s cooked in perfect medium rare and the seasoning is just fine. The red wine butter on the top is the best part! It highlights the texture of the steak in such a great way! For dessert, the rum cake is just so so, the crime caramel is also standard, but the warm crêpe is way better. Btw, the portion is kind of big for girls which I’m a bit happy cuz I can eat a lot lol.
The service is really nice too. The waiter always walk around to see if we need anything, and I think he’s really cute. The food is served in the perfect timing as well. The bistro is on the second floor which we had some hard time trying to locate the door lol but a gentlemen downstairs showed us the way in such a cold day. The environment inside is quite cozy, and I kind of like the paintings on the wall that gives a bit sense of France.
The overall experience is great and I really recommend others to pay a visit!

I came here for summerliscous because of the wide variety offered on the menu. When I first came in, my boyfriend and I were seated at a very dim corner, squashed between the bar and a huge table. Our server was extremely nice though, and told us to go closer to the windows as there was a huge group coming in. Plus the lighting was a lot nicer where the window was. The setting is small, but so cozy and classic.
From the appetizers, I ordered Puff Pastry with Escargot, while my boyfriend ordered soup of the day (squash soup). I loved the escargot, and the onion garlic taste to the appetizer. It was a little salt at the bottom, but I didn’t really eat to the bottom. So it’s fine. The soup was very rich as well.
For main course, I ordered Top Sirloin Steak (rare) and my boyfriend ordered Salmon. The steak was amazing. I think they ran out of salmon though, so they gave him Cod. The cod was alright, but we both agreed that I had the better dish.
For dessert, I got the Apple Tart, while he got the Rum Cake. Apple tart was a very unique taste — it’s warm and very rich in taste. The Rum Cake was not sweet enough for me — but my partner really loved it.
Our server was very attentive. He kept coming over to refill our glasses and to make sure everything was okay. I also love how the menu tells you details of the composition and source of the food (vegetarian/​local/​etc). Overall, we really enjoyed the experience at Marcel’s and would definitely come back again!

Booked a table here during tiff and found the experience so-​so. My gf and I both got the set meal with one appetizer, one main and one desert each.
Apps: french onion soup
Main: beef confit (his) veal (hers)
Dessert: apple cake (his), cream puff (hers)
For $ 40 each person this meal is cheap for the theater district but could not see it as great value. Wasn’t wowed by the food. My gf can easily cook these and she’s not a professional chef. Service is ok
Will NOT be back

My trip to Toronto with some friends was memorable and Marcel’s Bistro was our chosen destination. Because we only had a few short days, we had to choose wisely for how to spend our time (and money) and this place seemed like it could deliver a romantic, high-​quality meal that could make an impression. The ambiance was romantic, however, the impression that I got was just «good enough… assez bon.»
The food was decent but pricey. The restaurant is located on the second floor above an Italian restaurant (I believe), and my friends and I mistakenly pranced inside the wrong restaurant, before scurrying out and up a flight of carpeted stairs.
The food:
I ordered from the prix-​fixe menu. An appetizer + main course + dessert was $ 37. (Wine was $ 7/​glass for the Cote du Rhone, which was recommended to go with the lamb.) For the appetizer I chose the Puff Pastry stuffed with herbed goat cheese, on top of some salad greens with a lovely balsamic dressing. That was actually my favorite part of the meal. The crust SO buttery (delicieux!), the cheese and pastry went together really well and on its own, I’d give it 4 stars. The main course was lamb in a reduction sauce that wasn’t too memorable, but it was cooked medium-​rare, as I had asked are very, very tender, served with a side of potatoes and steamed vegetables. For the dessert I chose a slice of the apple/​prune tart, which I ended up having to take to-​go. When I had it later on, it was pretty average but I think a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream would’ve done the trick.
The service:
The server was helpful to recommend wine and the courses came out in a timely manner. While I didn’t leave disappointed, I had expected to be charmed and dazzled but that didn’t happen. Marcel’s was also the only place listed in the «French dinner» section in the magazine in our hotel room that didn’t require an hour-​long wait on a Saturday night.
I was a bit thrown off because when our party arrived 15 minutes late, the hostess curtly said, «You’re late» as soon as we hung up our jackets on the coat hangers. We couldn’t tell if she was joking… She then proceeded to ask us if we were pressed for time (to see a show or a performance) so she could be conscientious and keep track of the time for us. We said no… Maybe it was just me, but what a strange «courtesy» to remind your patrons that the clock is ticking when we were only there to enjoy a relaxing, extended dinner.
Overall: Order the puff pastry with the goat cheese as an appetizer or even a meal. That alone (with some wine and good company) was very satisfying.

I visited Toronto during Tiff and i was so surprised we were able to get a seat at this amazing little restaurant. The host was great, he insisted that we wait for a seat on the terrace, and i’m glad we did!!! It was so cozy and made the experience that much better.
We were there for brunch. We had the lamb chops, leek and potato soup, and quiche lorraine. The flavors were amazing, and they served just the right portions to fill you up.
If you want authentic French cuisine give Marcel’s a try.

Looks awesome, but my experience wasn’t delightful as I was expecting from the appearance (and the price).
I had the Winterlicious menu, and everything tasted basically like butter. All the courses took ages to arrive, my server wasn’t friendly, nothing was really incredible to make it worth the bill.
I wouldn’t come back.

I’ve been to this restaurant many many times and I’ve been more than pleased with each visit! The food’s cooked just right and they really get the authentic French flavours in their food.
I’ve been taking dates, my ex-​wife and clients to this place for years and I’ll contiue to do so. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a great dining experience!
Steve T.