Gaulart & Maliclet

I have been going to Fast and French for twenty years! Started when I worked on King Street and never stopped. Love the soups, especially the gazpacho and cold cucumber. Great french press coffee and special of the day, which is always delicious and a great value. Usually see a few people I know, mixed in with visitors. This is a great spot to grab lunch if you are alone. The service is excellent.

Stopped here on the chow down Charleston tour. Very narrow but cute place. The architecture and story behind this place is awesome. We had the house Riesling that was delicious paired with carrot hummus with goat and vegetable soup. I loved the carrot hummus and wine! I would never think to eat that but glad we did. It seems to serve a piece of fruit, soup and sandwich as its main attraction. I would come back.

This is a really cozy place with nice staff, but for some reason when I ordered a sourdough toast, they gave me normal white bread that you can get in any supermarket. Coffee was delicious though.

This is definitely a hidden gem. This is a Charleston staple because of its history and connection to the city. The restaurant is in its original building and is cozily set up to be community style seating. The food is good and the folks there are super friendly and welcoming. Also, they gave us complimentary wine and that’s a always a plus in my book.

Adorable small restaurant popular with the locals. Cozy and unpretentious. Plenty of reasonably priced items. Knowable staff. The special of the night comes with a glass of wine and soup or salad. Everything is fresh and tasty. The servings are just right, French, and not the leftover kind of place. Try the mustards — delish! Comfortable regular kind of place.

Superb food
Really good hot dogs
Ok service
The chocolate fondue was the best!
Great location in the French Quarter in Charleston
It’s best to walk there (FYI)
I would definitely recommend this restaurant!

A refreshing variety consisting of «O’Salmon» that comes with the seafood vegetable soup and a glass of house wine. Also are two servings of today’s house special «Thai vegetable curry» with side of cheese, slice of honeydew and cup of French pressed coffee. If you like variety, this is a good selection but they are of much smaller portions.

Just coming from Paris for the holiday, I cannot say that this is a French bistro, alike my fellow reviewers. But it is alike, or at least trying to be French in its concept. I quickly came here for a croissant and coffee. The french pressed coffee is of good quality, and the crossaint is basically a crossaint, but nothing to write sa maison about.
Very cozy, there is not much space in here, but the chill vibe, and the food quality make it worth visting. There is more than just the breakfast to enjoy, and the décor is interesting to say the least — eclectic in nature.

We had the special of the day. It was some kind of tasteful chicken soup with ginger, rice and some delicious spices. It also came with glass of wine and piece of cantaloupe. All this for ~$ 10 plus excellent service! Highly recommended

Stopped by for a late lunch today, had the lunch special cheese and pâté plate for 12.50 that included a glass of house wine. The wine was good, the cheese seemed to be sub par for a French establishment… most stuff isn’t made in house but the pâté is 3 little pigs and is very good. The bread was good but could have been toasted or heated up to not be chewy.
Had the gazpacho after and while it was good I think it could have used a little Salt and left off the carrots.
Had carrot cake and a coffee… the coffee was excellent very fresh and strong from a french press.
Overall not too bad a few improvements could make this place awesome!

The lunch special is so worth it! It’s under ten dollars has enough food at least for a woman and comes with wine. I was impressed by the house white.
Only complaint is it was very warm inside.

Very cool and surprisingly spacious little casual French style bistro.
We had soup and sandwiches and they were first rate: a croq Monsieur with turkey and what they called a «Croq Croissant «with ham and turkey. Both smothered in cheesy sauce with Dijon mustard. Maybe a bit too much mustard.
The soups are where they really shined. A Vichyssoise that was cold, creamy, perfect. I had a spicy curry seafood that was the best soup I have had in a restaurant in about forever. That alone would bring me back.
It’s jus a cool, friendly, laid back place that takes its food seriously. Loved it. Not pricey either.

The house wine was excellent with a great price point! So good we got a bottle of red and white wine. Dinner was fantastic and the food was well prepared. Dishes where simple and very tasty! They made adjustments for food allergies. I highly recommend the escargots in regular or vegetarian form. We all got different chicken dishes and shared all of them where excellent. Great place to have dinner and wine!
Cheers!

So we met the owners a year or so back at a neighbor’s party and decided to give it a try while we were downtown for an appointment. They have a very unique and tasty menu with a lot of options. My favorite part is the lunch special comes with a glass of house wine! This place is NOT kid friendly as it is very tight inside and all of the seating arrangements are high tops. Not a big deal and not the reason for three stars. My wife had the french onion soup (awesome) and I had the cold cucumber soup (huge mistake on my part) and we both had the bread with tomatoes and cheese (awesome). I think this place is a nice cozy getaway from the business of the surrounding area and you can definitely read the paper or catch up on your email while enjoying a glass of wine but I won’t be back.

Cute little place where all the diners sit on the barstools and share the counters strategically arranged to maximize the number of seatings. Great service!
My seafood vegetable soup was very tasty, found more veggie than seafood. The tuna salad was so fresh and the dressing was lite– just how I love it.
Prices are all very reasonable too.
The chocolate mouse cake was such an joy-​so smooth, not too sweet

So I will admit, first and foremost, I know nothing about French food. So I can’t say how authentic this stuff is except that the menu had some unfamiliar words and ts of cheese and mustard.
Which is all wonderful in my book– well except for words I can’t pronounce. The cheese and mustard I am all for.
I ordered a pizza on a croissant and I bet you’re scowling because I totally ordered something totally Americanized and unadventurous. BUT WAIT.
You don’t realize something.
Pizza on a croissant is MUCH improved. I mean, seriously, move over traditional pizza. Move over traditional everything. I want all my food now on a croissant.
Yes, it really was that much better.
Plus, instead of pizza sauce, they used a creamy dijon for the base. Which I bet sounds gross, but I couldn’t really taste it and I’m pretty sure it only added to the AWESOME.
Wait, wait, there’s more. They offer mustard, and if you say yes they bring three types of dijon mustard.
I love mustard. And I like having options. So, mustard options? FABULOUS.
Okay on a serious note– I was afraid it would be a small portion– especially my friend who got something that only cost 4.50. I thought she’d leave hungry. But both of us got something large and filling.
The service was fine, prompt and not overbearing. Prices were amazing for what you got. Food was good. I left very happy.
It’s a small place though, so not good for large parties.
If cheese and/​or mustard is your thing though, this is your place.
A solid choice!

Friend of mine took me here while we were in town visiting and I gotta say I was impressed. There’s a lot to love here, the ambiance for one, I’m always a fan of a semi-​communal sitting environment (oh, if you’re looking for an intimate French meal with the significant other, this *might* not be your place). I also like that their combos come with a drink.
We were only here for snacks, but boy they were fantastic. First, we opted for the bread and mustard course. An assortment of 3 or 4 bread types, with an assortment of 3 mustards (Not sure what the plural of mustard is, don’t judge me!). There was a simple yellow, then there was this mustard that was more hearty, more seedy? I’m not sure what it’s called, but it was my favorite, then a super spicy tarragon infused mustard that was fantastic. I went with the 12 o’clock snack (which can be purchased at any time) of Blue Cheese. Only miss with this was there weren’t enough cranberries. So I had way more cheese than sweetness to pair it with. A little thing of honey would’ve gone a long way!
Anyway, cool place, nice assortment, would definitely go back.

Love this place and have been a regular visitor since it opened in the 80s. Can’t believe I have not left a review yet but here goes. I had one of the lunch combos that comes with the glass of wine or coffee. Great deal. I got iced coffee and was thrilled to have it re-​filled at least 3 times. It was a little early for my wine fix. The lunch I ordered was the O’Rye which comes with Salmon, toast, and soup. The cucumber soup was perfect. And I really like the salmon. I put the salmon on the piece of bread with cream cheese on it and I used the other piece for some of the great tarragon mustard. Kind of felt like an extra course. I love their moutarde! We had a group of 5 that surprisingly got sat only a few minutes after we arrived and everyone with us was happy with their meals.
My extra tips on this place —
1. The special never seems to be worth it to me and have only ordered it once in around 30 years and did not like it at all. Have found the same when I have brought guests. Pretty consistently just not that good. So, I never allow my guests to get it and suggest you don’t either. If you do, don’t blame me.
2. The vegetarian escargot (mushrooms cooked like snails) is the best deal on the menu. Instead of 6 snails you get like 50 mushroom pieces cooked in garlic and butter and bread to dip. Just give it a try.
3. This place may not have french waiters but they seem to act a little French. Not always the quickest service. But always consistent food. Be patient and enjoy the visit talking to folks sitting across the table/​bar from you.
4. New ownership (not real new) has not changed anything. The new owners are friends and were employees of the original pair that owned it. The recipes are the same and quality of ingredients as well. And the old owners sill consult and stop by regularly.
This is a Charleston must visit. And you can get out or there for less than most downtown places. Give G & M a try.

G&M, a Charleston institution. Grew up coming here and always return when I’m in town. I love the counter style seating and the rustic/​casual feel of the space.
Don’t skip on the olive tapenade, its to die for. I love pairing their cheese du jour platter with a bottle of red wine. The soups are always delicious and their chicken breast (my friends go-​to) is amazing for such a simple dish.
Definitely recommend

This was our first stop of the day. We arrived when they first opened so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The tables are all communal, which can be interesting when the place is filled up. It has such a homey feel! We felt like we were in a French friend’s house (because of the large French flag hanging from the ceiling). I got a ham and cheese croissant, he got the breakfast special (ham, cheese, baguette, fruit salad). Simple, but perfect. And cheap! The french press coffee was very smooth and tasted great. My boyfriend spent some time living in France and I could see that this place brought him back.
Even though it’s Fast and French, I guess it’s not so fast. The servers don’t rush you out. Even after we paid the bill, we were offered more coffee refills (for free!).