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Cafe Monte
Categories: Restaurants French Food Bakeries Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch French, Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
6700 Fairview RdSte 108
Charlotte, NC 28210
Neighborhood: South Park
(704) 552-1116
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 9 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 9 am - 11 pm
Sun 9 am - 3 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Georges Brasserie is a Vibrant French Brasserie blending tradition and modern cuisine. We offer valued guests a wide range of French Cuisine with modern… read more »
70 reviews for Cafe Monte
Review Highlights
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"Best savory crepes in Charlotte, hands down." In 11 reviews -
"Think french toast, delicious omelets, and eggs benedict." In 6 reviews -
"A nice little place, tucked away in Phillips Place." In 3 reviews
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70 reviews in English
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Review from Michael W.
Charlotte, NC
4/7/2012
Loved our dining experience. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Great menu and knowledgeable waitress (we had questions, it was our first time).
We ordered the Brie en croute as our appetizer and it was delicious. When its my first time at a resturant I usually ask what the most popular items are on the menu and choose one of those. Trust ME, you will not be disappointed whatsoever with the Trout Amandine! Scrumptious! My partner orderd the Lobster and Crab Crepes and it disappeared rather quickly.
Dessert? We decided to share. Raspberry Lemon Charlotte....very lemony, but dry...it did taste like it had sat in a case for awhile. Overall, great place, I have become a fan and will most assuredly return again. -
Review from Cathy F.
Taylorsville, NC
4/3/2012
I thought $6.00 was a lot for french beer, but the bartender sold me (only three beers on tap and one was Stella A). I was not disappointed, beer was great, with a hint of cinnamon.
We had a large party, so we had to remind the waitress for more bread and she forgot a few drink orders, but she was friendly.
I had beef over mashed potatoes and it was succulent, tender to the touch. Everyone was raving about the salmon, which looked good. The creme brulee is awesome, I tasted the chocolate mousse , which was good but the brulee was great. Tables are a bit close together, so I would not plan on a quiet conversation unless you go late afternoon. -
Review from Jon O.
3/23/2012
Went to Cafe Monte last Sunday for a brunch. It is a very nice kinda upscale bakery/restaurant. For the brunch I ordered a Charculerie Plat as a appetizer for all of us to share and with its assortment of cured meats, olives and patte it really hit the spot to start off with. For a main course I had the Parisian Omelette which came with a fruit cup for a side. The "Parisian Omelete" may sound kinda fancy but it's really just a ham and cheese omelete but since they prepared it with brie instead of american cheese I guess that made it a little more classy than usual. Either way, the omelete itself was well prepared and tasted as good as any omelete I've ever had. The fruit in the fruit cup was actually pretty fresh which is a big bonus for me since a lot of places seem to kinda fall short in that department.
Our group had a lot of people (I think 20 spread out between two tables) and the servers did a very good job of keeping up as well as the kitchen. My water was always topped off and I never felt either neglected or overly annoyed. The only thing I would say was a little bit of a minor turnoff was the prices on the plates. Could have probably shaved a dollar here or there but otherwise it was a good dining experience. -
Review from lisa n.
Charlotte, NC
5/3/2012
I've been to Cafe Monte quite a few times for brunch- so I can't review any other meals. It is a great place to meet your girlfriends to have brunch and then head next door to Polished Nail Salon for pedicures. ;) I love their french toast, and have heard my friends rave about the eggs benedict. I definitely recommend this restaurant for a nice, relaxed brunch. The weekends can get very busy, but I've never had to wait very long to be seated. Good service, nice ambiance.
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Review from Jeff S.
Updated - 3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here for brunch and left feeling a little underwhelmed with the food. The other people at my table seemed satisfied with their meals but mine came out unappealing.
I ordered the smoked ham crepes. I guess maybe I was expecting real ham and not diced deli quality ham.
The second thing is with the sauce, it was splattered all over the plate with no real quality to the presentation. A real chef would have cleaned up the splatterings so it looked presentable.
And the last thing is that the dish really had no flavor to it. It was all sort of bland.
Frankly, I've had better breakfasts at a chain restaurant.
Additionally water glasses often went unfilled. Here's a suggestion, if you notice that people are drinking a lot of water, leave a pitcher on the table so they can refill themselves instead of having to wait for a server.
Sorry Cafe Monte, I really thought you were better than this.Listed in: QC Dinner Group, SouthParked
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/23/2011
I finally was able to try Cafe Monte with my dinner group last night.
We had a group of 10 and were… Read more »
Comment from Monte S. of Cafe Monte 5/8/2012
I appreciate your taking the time to communicate with us… More » -
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Review from Gabriel N.
Charlotte, NC
2/10/2012
I wanted to love this restaurant from the moment I walked in. A Sunday brunch with friends let me experience the ambiance, delicious food, great pastries (thanks Amelie's), and rocking bloody mary's. From this description alone you'd expect a 5 star rating, but with this restaurant it's the service which destroys it. It often times feels like you're playing Russian Roulette with a 4 bullets loaded. I just don't understand it.
The first time we went it was magical. The second time we went (also with another couple) the service began to show its wear and tear. All the other times were a toss up between amazing and atrocious with no indicators to give you advance warning.
The last straw for me came after a very difficult day in which my wife and I were hoping Cafe Monet could turn it around. From the first impression we could tell the waitress would rather be having a root canal than take our order. This wasn't the first time we'd encountered that look in Cafe Monte, but with an almost empty restaurant (we went in early) you think she'd want to milk every ounce of tip she could
Attitude dripped from her monologue and our lack of alcoholic drink orders brought a sigh to her lips. All I wanted, nay... craved, was a chocolate croissant and an almond croissant warmed up. This was the text book definition of a SIMPLE order. I'll give you a second to figure out what happened next.
She screwed it up. She gave me a chocolate croissant and then an almond chocolate croissant. She didn't care less about the screw up. After tasting the incorrect almond croissant I asked for the correct one to be brought out. She snagged the plate and then disappeared. Actually, most of the time she was disappeared which is an amazing feat for an empty restaurant.
When the correct croissant finally came out it was cold. C'mon.... seriously? I asked for it heated up and received barely lukewarm. Suffice it say, my tip reflected her total lack of caring. I'm done with this place. If I want French I'll go to Georges Brasserie and if I want pastries then I'll go to Amelie's. -
Review from Peter E.
1/1/2012 4 Check-ins Here
I've never been to France. I know people who have, and I know people who grew up in France, but from the stories I've heard, Cafe Monte sounds like it could exist quite easily on many Parisian corners. It's casual and sophisticated at the same time, unobtrusive and genuine. And the food is killer.
Cafe Monte has become my favorite brunch location. Their cuisine is in the country French style: very comforting, a light hint of French sophistication, and features ingredients you would easily expect to find on the farm or at the market. My first venture included the Benedict Monte, a hybrid concoction that seems to fuse the French and American versions of this dish into a delightfully delicious meal. Soft, crunchy English muffins, oozing eggs, and a smooth Hollandaise. I've also tried the French country breakfast, which is equally amazing. The coffee is great, too - nothing over the top, just good tasting lattes and coffees.
If the lunch and dinner offerings are just as good, I could see visiting here very often. -
Review from David A.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here for dinner with a gifted groupon. Definitely make a reservation if you plan on coming on a Friday or Saturday night, as you may be waiting a while. Luckily, I preemptively took my own advice and came with reservations.
We ordered the duck confit and the chicken and mushroom crepe. While waiting, we were served a freshly baked loaf of bread, which was fantastically gooey on the inside. Good bread is hard to come by, an this one impressed me (5 stars!).
While waiting for the food, we had the chance to check out the ambiance. Two things stuck out in my mind: noise and clientele. Most notable was the noisy buzz of music and talking. Whereas many movies may romanticize French restaurants as quiet establishments with perhaps a soft piano, Cafe Monte was buzzing with life jazzy music and rather loud conversations and unruly drunken laughter from a neighboring table. This made talking with my companion difficult to the point of leaving with a raspy throat. I would have preferred a more relaxing and quiet environment.
Secondly, we both noticed the rather stuffy clientele. Many (boarding of most) men were dressed in 3 piece business suits and ladies in fancy evening gowns. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a fancy night out, but there was an air of pretension that seemed out of place. Cafe Monte is a nice restaurant, but it ain't the Ritz. It made for some fun people watching, particularly when we added our own voice over, but overall contributed to making us feel under-dressed (despite wearing a nice button-down shirt and slacks).
The food came out in generous portions, laded in butter and cream. The chicken and mushroom crepes were pretty good (4 stars), but the guilt of all that creamy sauce comes fast. I defy you to finish all of it. The duck confit was a little above (3.5 stars), but broccoli over-salted (coming from a lover of salt).
We both left with a feeling of 'meh': by no means bad, but not exactly memorable. We also agreed that a much needed run was needed the following day and that we didn't feel the need to return. I will say that I may have since had some impure thoughts regarding that bread of theirs. -
Review from Andrew H.
Charlotte, NC
12/6/2011
I'm not really a huge fan of French food, tbh. What is French food, anyway? Yeah yeah, they have great cheeses, pastries, and bread. That's what I ate when I was in Paris (well, that and an insanely overpriced 15 Euro pizza :[ ). But what is their actual food? They just steal dishes like pasta and steak from other cultures, I guess!
Anyway, I went here with a bozo dining pal who loves French food, and I ended up enjoying it pretty well. The atmosphere is pretty lame. Lets just say the place has more old folks in it than a 5 P.M. dinner special at the Country Kitchen!
However, I'm not one who puts a ton of stock in atmosphere. I'm a foodie, son. And the food delivered solidly. I started with a spinach & arugula salad, which was quite tasty. As an aside, you know in Europe they call arugula "rocket"? Isn't that funny? I would always see "rocket sauce" on the menu and be like, wtf is rocket sauce!? I was hoping it would be crack. But it's not. I've been eating a lot of rocket lately, and I've decided I really like arugula. It has a very distinct taste. Oh, and in case you were wondering why they call arugula "rocket" in Europe, it's because of all the nutrients in it...see, it's like a rocket boost! On second thought...that makes no f*&*ing sense! They don't call spinach "Popeye steroids". Crazy Europeans. *smh*. Anyway...the salad was tasty. My bozo friend got the French Onion Soup, and she really liked it.
The bread was just mediocre. It could have served from some chili-flaked olive oil, which they actually serve in Paris. The service was pretty meh as well.
We both ordered the Steak Frites (not pronounced how it's spelled...don't n00b it up!) and it was pretty good. The frites were flat out crackulicious! Very thinly sliced, fried and seasoned perfectly. The steak was a nice big cut, hangar steak if I had to venture a guess, but it had a lot of fat on it. Like, more fat than Kim Kardashian's a**. Wait, scratch that, I just used that in another review. Hmm...more fat than...a 40 year old Star Trek fan. Yes, that will do nicely. I hate overly fatty steaks. Too much work to cut and eat around.
Overall, I'd say this was a solid, enjoyable place with pretty good food, average service, and average atmosphere. If you really love French Food, then I'd definitely say, Oui oui, check it out! -
Review from Paul C.
Charlotte, NC
1/9/2012
Very nice French-style Bistro. Went for dinner. I had the Steak Frites, and they were more than happy to substitute the green beans (now known somewhat pretentiously in the French vernacular as "haricot vert" - duh, green beans in French!), which are not my favorite, with very yummy wild mushrooms! Steak was a NY Strip, again not my favorite (I'm a ribeye guy) but it was good and cooked medium per my order. However, they gave you a choice of Bernaise or Au Poivre sauce, and I chose the Bernaise. MOST EXCELLENT! Very buttery (Hollandaise base) so good choice! My wife had the Beef Shortrib, and that was yummy too. The taste reminded me of a really good potroast (but up a few notches). The wine special was a Chilean Cab for only $22! In a nice restaurant like this, $22 for a good cab IS a find by anyone's standard (wine snobs excluded).
For desert we had their house-made Mousse, which was really good! Very chocolat-ey (is that a word? I'm using it anyway).
Our service was excellent, with a very attentive but not overbearing waitress. Food was served hot and was delicious AND very affordable! French Bistros in the bigger cities (NY, Chicago, LA) are MUCH more expensive. Our dinners were just over $20!!! Coming from Las Vegas, THE MOST EXPENSIVE food town in the US (YES, it IS!), our meal would have been more than DOUBLE in LV.
So overall, a VERY good meal and affordable! Definitely a must return! -
Review from Keith L.
Charlotte, NC
4/28/2012
They do some things well but a few problems drag down the overall rating for me. On our most recent visit there was no one to greet us and we had to wait for a little while for someone to seat us in a nearly empty restaurant at 11:20 AM. Once seated everything was fine, the waiter was good and the service fast and not "overbearing" My biggest problem with Cafe Monte is the inconsistency of the food. We have been 3 or 4 times, it has ranged from fantastic to meh...our most recent visit was ok. my quiche was good but nothing special, mushroom soup was good, frites could have been better. My wife's pulled pork french dip was not bad but a little soggy and too much bread which was a little greasy. we were offered a couple of uninspired dessert choices but as we left, noticed some lovely pastries in the case. We would have ordered some of those had they been offered. All in all, it's OK but I long for a great French Restaurant in Charlotte.
Comment from Monte S. of Cafe Monte 5/8/2012
Thank you for your comments and your candor, we strive for… More » -
Review from Nicole W.
10/31/2011 2 Check-ins Here
A girlfriend and I grabbed lunch at Cafe Monte a while back and I'm happy to say it was solid. The best French cuisine in Charlotte? No. But a nice lunch choice if you're in SouthPark? Oui!
With French cafe cute insides, Cafe Monte hosts really great, attentive service and a nice array of items. I haven't been yet for an a.m. or p.m. meal, so I'll just focus on my lunch. I went with the B.L.T. with a side salad - damn good bacon, soft yet crunchy bread and a light touch of mayo, exactly the way I asked for it. The side salad was fresh albeit a bit heavily dressed. But I have to note that my friend's french fries were outstanding. I couldn't keep my paws off of those hot little frites. Good thing she shared!
I definitely want to head back to Cafe Monte and try some more deliciousness. -
Review from Kirsti N.
Charlotte, NC
3/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is 1 of 2 of my favorite breakfast spots in Charlotte. I like it because while they have the usuals of eggs and waffles (both with a twist you won't find in diners), the French inspired menu gives Cafe Monte a uniqueness I haven't found elsewhere in town. Crepes, quiche, great espresso, even steak & frites are all good bets.
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Review from Dion L.
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
You know those restaurants you go to, eat at, aren't particularly thrilled or disappointed, and the restaurant kind of just disappears from memory?
This is how I felt about Cafe Monte the first time I dined about one year ago. Service was on the slowish side, and the croque madame was like something I could make at home. It was good, but not memorable enough to go back for another one.
I recently went back for take-out, after a French onion soup craving. To my surprise, the menu had expanded and now included some items like a lobster Louie salad, which I was so looking forward to, paying an $16 for. A good crab Louie on the West Coast is well worth $16.
Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it here. The soup was pretty standard to be honest. Granted it was takeout, so the soup wasn't steaming, but even if it were served fresh from the kitchen, the cheese would at least have a nice golden brown coloring to it. The cheese on this thing was white as white/pale yellow as can be. I would pay $4 for a cup of this stuff...not $7.
Moving on to the salad. I was more than bummed. The Louie usually has avocado, hard boiled eggs and sometimes asparagus and some other variations, depending on where you get it.
Here at CM, there was just leaves...and chopped lobster meat. The lobster was plentiful, don't get me wrong, but it was as tough and bland as rubber pencil erasers. I felt ripped off. I could envision the chef taking salad leaves out of a bag, and sprinkling pre-boiled lobster on top.
Hmm, so far not so good. At the time I was HON-gree, so I ate both. On to dessert.
The dessert case here is beautiful. There was french macaroons and coconut macaroons, various croissants and fruit tarts, and a bottom row of cakes. I chose a slice of carrot cake, and a blueberry muffin to take home to my husband who likes a good blueberry muffin.
I'll tell you. The cake could very well have been from COSTCO. No, wait, the COSTCO carrot cake is better. I'm not kidding. This one was dry and the only saving grace was the frosting, which moistened things up. The blueberry muffin too was dry as if it weren't fresh. (It was $5 badly spent, and I was mad at myself.)
TIP: I should have asked if they made their pastries in-house, or bought them from someone else. Also ask when they were made.
The saving grace? My kind server who prepped my to-go order, gave me two free French macaroons. Were they light and tender on the inside? Yes. The shells, nice and crisp? Indeed. The flavor? Very off. I think a good macaroon should have a distinct flavor, and if you don't know what flavor it is, could recognize it. I couldn't tell if it was apricot or honey...heck, it could have been ground beef flavored, and I wouldn't have known.
The reason I give CM 3 stars versus 2, is the good service I got the second time around from the server and man at the host stand. The order was about 7 minutes late. (I called and was told it would be 20 minutes, it ended up taking 27 minutes. Hey, my car has a timer in it so I took note!) The ambiance is quite nice, very Parisian. I've heard nice things about their brunch and perhaps it's true. For dinner, these two items which are pretty difficult to get wrong, fell short.
The star count could go up if perhaps CM thought of itself like a bistro, and lowered their prices. Focusing on a few really great items and making things more consistent.
Go if you have a BOGO coupon from one of those coupon books or group-buying sites. I would spend my $ on LuLu if you really wanted some French. -
Review from Bryn H.
11/9/2011 1 photo
Quelle cuteness!
I lived directly around the corner from Cafe Monte for over a year and only found out about it within months of moving away. Sad.
We went for brunch and I enjoyed a really tasty open-faced vegetable sammy. The frites with it were aaaaaamazing. Sister orderd the Croque Monsieur which looked appropriately sinful. The crepes were deemed om-nom-able and the coffee was quite tasty. Service was a bit off, but the cutesie french atmosphere makes up for that.
Wish I had gone more! -
Review from Charm G.
Belmont, NC
2/5/2012
Cafe Monte is an excellent brunch spot for those with discriminating taste buds and small appetites. I arrived with excitement and left hungry. I know they are going for a "French" feel...but it just isn't my place of choice. I will say our waiter was GORGEOUS and the piano man kept me entertained...a no go in the future.
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Review from Adam R.
10/30/2011 5 Check-ins Here
I love breakfast. I especially love eggs, with warm, runny yolks, oozing over some variety of carbohydrate ... mm mm.
Eggs.
Ok, I digress. Do you know what else I like? I like Cafe Monte. Why? Because they fed me some excellent eggs. We had been wanting to try Cafe Monte for quite a while, and once we discovered that they were in our Citipass (the best $25 you can spend, btw), we decided to give them a go for a late Saturday morning breakfast.
The restaurant's space itself is beautiful. It has a turn-of-the-century Paris vibe that really sets the mood for the food. Our waiter was helpful and polite in an unobtrusive way that seemed peculiarly French. Mind you, I've never been to France, so that's a statement of instinct.
Let me not forget the food, for it was delicious. I ordered the Benedict Monte, with two beautifully poached, wispy eggs, ham, tomato, asparagus, potatoes, and Hollandaise sauce, served with a croissant. It was fabulous.
Though our Citipass voucher is now spent, we will return to Cafe Monte at full price with no hesitation at all. -
Review from Tiffany N.
Denver, CO
6/28/2011 2 photos
French stuff intimidates me--Chanel, Bastille Day, their food, wine, accents and the list goes on.
But once again I was introduced to a new place thanks to my bff, Groupon. I went here the other day for breakfast and it was decent. I split the eggs benedict (quite tasty) with another Yelper while sipping on coffee....when we could get refills that is . Even though there were only three other times in the place (so want to say joint but thought I would class it up a bit), our waiter seemed to be MIA most of the time. You know what would make this place better? A little person who goes by the name of Monte walking around to each table in a striped shirt, beret and thick mustache while reading french poetry. Cmon, how can that not make you smile?? -
Review from Monyk W.
Mt Holly, NC
11/23/2011
Last Saturday, my husband and I stopped here for brunch and we really enjoyed it. The ambiance in this place transports you to a cute Parisian cafe and gives you a full French experience. On top of that, their service was great. I really enjoyed my cafe au lait but wasn't too thrilled with my florentine omellette. The omelette wasn't all that flavorful and it definitely needed more gruyere. On the other hand, my husband's fruit de mer omelette was amazing! The flavors of the crab, smoked salmon and lobster complemented each other quite nicely. We will definitely be coming back to see how their dinner menu holds up!
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Review from Olga B.
Charlotte, NC
1/18/2012
Food is ok. I had risotto and that's hard to pull off. The flavors were off and it was bland. I feel like the food is well cooked but not flavorful everytime Ive been there. The deserts are perfect so just for coffee and tea it's fine. I felt like I was under dressed and I was wearing a skirt and cardigan...it was lots of stuffy old ladies who lunch and I defintely felt a little up turned nose my way by the wait staff. The menu is puzzling because of all the Italian food on a French menu. Wtf? I did enjoy it for my couponed price and might be back for carrot cake but maybe to go.
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Review from Ally T.
2/4/2011 ROTD 12/20/2011
One of my favorites in Charlotte! This is my go-to place when I want a guaranteed delicious meal. I love sharing the cheese and fruit plate or yummy hummus as an appetizer, or having any of their delicious salads to myself. My favorite main course is the basil pesto penne with chicken--never disappoints! Other favorites are the seafood crepes and pizzas. This is also a great place for brunch. Think french toast, delicious omelets, and eggs benedict. I've also enjoyed (way too) many desserts. You could easily come for the coffee and bakery treat alone.
They often have live jazz music which makes the atmosphere even more fun. This is a perfect date night spot and also great to get a group of friends together. I'd recommend Cafe Monte to everyone! -
Review from Elle Marie P.
Fort Mill, SC
I really like the food here but I've learned to just get it to go! I've read a lot of the other bad reviews and I think they are giving the servers here a hard time. In my impression they are frequently understaffed and the servers are running around like crazy. They hostesses are usually bad and the first time I picked up an order I was left confused and in the way in the lobby for about 10 minutes waiting on my to-go order and not knowing where to go or to whom I should talk. They were pretty oblivious and seemed very flustered by the crowd.
I have had to wait 10-20 minutes on two separate occasions for my server to return to the table to pick up the paid check.
The place is pretty busy for breakfast and if you make the mistake of needing to use the women's restroom... you're info a wait like it's a damn nightclub.
However annoyed or frustrated I may become, I do keep coming back for that chicken club sandwich! The patio is a nice place for lunch and I can bring Oscar the bulldog with me, he loves their delicious pomme frites! -
Review from David R.
Eddie's Place had a long wait, from the look of the crowd waiting outside...so I searched for another place to try and came here. The wait was about 20 minutes.
I had something simple, the French Country Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, sausage, multi-grain toast and a skillet potato. It was good!
When I arrived, I saw they serve alcohol. That was a plus! I like mimosas with breakfast/brunch.
The only fail here that I experienced is that the server brought to me the wrong check and I had to wait a few extra minutes. -
Review from Jules S.
4/10/2011
Cafe Monte is a favorite among several friends, and I have had some exceptional experiences here, and some experiences i wish I could get in a time machine and avoid, hence the mediocre stars which regresses to the mean. The ambiance tries to evoke a Parisian bistro atmosphere which is mostly succeeds at. It benefits from a great location in SouthPark. Typical entree prices are about $12-14.
Here's my advice to have a 5 star experience: 1) Get the crepes. I don't care if you want a sandwich, or a plain old eggs breakfast. Forget it. Get the crepes. Best savory crepes in Charlotte, hands down. I have had the chicken coq-au-vin special crepes and they were OMG. I also had the shrimp and artichoke crepes with lemon creme and they were similarly amazing. As in "I don't care if I gain 10 pounds from this one meal, I'm finishing every last bite". 2) Go on a weekday or a late weekend lunch. Forget going on a nice sunny brunch. We went once and literally were there for 2+ hours and our food (regular eggs) took 1.75 hours to prepare after we finally got our order in. It just is jammed, and the kitchen apparently doesn't know how to deal with it.
Their quiche is pretty good, and their dessert is OK, but crepes are the standout. I wish Crepe Cellar had savory crepes as good as Cafe Monte. Maybe I might come back when they have jazz? -
Review from Pete C.
New York, NY
6/5/2011
I love a place where you can get great food but at the same time be able to relax and enjoy the company your with while you wait for it to come out.
On our first trip there for dinner my wife and I were first taken by the openness and decor of the restaurant and as we looked around you could slowly begin to hear the music playing in the background. "We need to come back here again," was our first reaction before we even tried the food.
I had the steak and frites and they were incredible. An even better reason for coming back again.
We tried brunch on Sunday morning recently and instead of waiting the 10 - 15 minutes we decided to sit at the marble topped bar and enjoy the morning. Again a phenomenal time and we had a chance of discovering a different part of the restaurant and the time someone had taken to try to make it feel warm, inviting, and almost cozy. They succeeded. -
Review from greg c.
Charlotte, NC
1/30/2011
Delicious fresh prepared food with a French flair. Walking through the door one forgets they are in a suburban strip mall surrounded by chain steak houses and the mall. Cafe Monte is as close as you can get to an authentic French cafe in the queen city.
Our table ate:
1. Smoked ham crepes. Perfection with a generous dollop of cream.
2. Kids crepes with nutella and strawberries. Um, can't go wrong with chocolate and strawberries.
3. French country breakfast. Includes hash brown, sausage, toast, eggs. Traditional fare, but with flair.
4. Eggs benedict - this also included the hash browns and eggs were poached to perfection.
Food was delivered within 5 minutes of ordering on a busy Sunday, service was always there with water and coffee refills.
This is a gem of a brunch spot. Can't wait to try their lunch menu. -
Review from Genevieve J.
Charlotte, NC
7/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Am I in France? Am I in Charlotte? I'm so easily confused after entering the doors of Cafe Monte and I love it.
Talk about a restaurant that doesn't make you feel like you're sitting in SouthPark! Let me preface this review by saying that I work close to Cafe Monte and by close I mean a mere 3 floors in the up direction.
I've been to Cafe Monte many a time. On some occasions its for a quick cup 'o joe (skip this if you can because their regular coffee isn't the greatest), on others its for a to-go box of french fries (no judging) and last night it was to part-take in my first dinner experience.
For the sake of this review and your time I'm going to focus on din-din. For a Thursday night it was pretty packed so my thoughts are to make a reservation if you can. You're always greeted with a smile that makes you feel like you've come home after a long vacation. I love it.
The atmosphere plays a big part of love for this French inspired bistro. Oh oui, it does. My dinner experience was a part of Charlotte's restaurant week so again, I could sample a few different things which I love.
Decisions, decisions! There were too many good ones to choose from. Do I go Coq au Vin (they're specialty), the short ribs (a big fave of mine) or the scallops (mmmm scallops)!?!? In the end I went with the scallops as my mainer and started with the tomato bisque. The bowl of soup was a little on the large side but I apparently had no problems polishing that sucker off.
The scallops can on a bed of roasted zucchini and summer squash risotto. Can you say YUM?!? I didn't manage to get through it all but I noticed my fellow dining companions managed just fine with someone looking pained as to whether or not they could lick the plate.
We had a d-lish vino (from the headache I'm feeling today, it was a bit too d-lish).
My thoughts: GO. GO NOW. It's a great hidden gem off the beaten track. -
Review from Ron M.
Charlotte, NC
9/8/2010
I've been here for lunch and found the food ok, the service less so. Mainly, I've come because of the outpost of Amalie's bakery.
Still, I was excited to hear about the breakfast hours and made the rush-hour trek to try it out. Unfortunately, doors locked, lights off, nobody home.
I don't know who posted the breakfast information but, if they are going to start serving in the mornings, they haven't yet. One start for getting me out into the rush hour. -
Review from Chloe V.
Rock Hill, SC
3/2/2012
This place is pretty much neck and neck with Georges. Great food and service, nice atmosphere. The beef wellington and duck pizza are great.
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Review from Cristina R.
Charlotte, NC
5/22/2011
Ive been there for dinner and breakfast. Breakfast is great ( croque madam is the way to go) and dinner is yummy as well, great wine and sometimes they have live piano playng.
The chocolate ECLAIR is the best I've tried in my entire life. amazing, amazing, amazing! -
Review from Benny G.
Charlotte, NC
11/9/2011
Good food and service. The live jazz was good and not too loud. Overall atmosphere was comfortable.
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Review from PaulSEGAL ..
San Diego, CA
3/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
ate outside on their small sidewalk.
Inside looked very nice, but the weather was too nice
I was pleased with the food and the desserts were sinfully delicious. -
Review from Matt L.
Charlotte, NC
11/19/2011
Our brunch on a Sunday morning was really better than any brunch elsewhere...there will be no more Lulu for us! We were seated and even served by(he got our drink order started immediately!)a super-friendly and helpful manager Leon. Ambience was perfect to eat my most incredible multi-grain french toast and my friend's eggs benedict, where they actually poached the egg to order. I would not walk but run to this place for the most memorable breakfast food I have had in a LONG time!!
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Review from Michael E.
Asheville, NC
A nice little place, tucked away in Phillips Place. I just happen to see it from the road and decided to pop in for a drink and a bite to eat. It was a Tuesday night and the place had only a few tables occupied and as I wasn't in the mood for table service, I opted for the bar.
The wait and bar staff were all buzzing around..........except they were not buzzing around the customers. There were multiple instances that the bar staff and wait staff gossiped about everything which was unprofessional - but considering the average wait staff aged looked to be barely out of the 20's I'll give them a break this time.
It took a while to get drinks....we had to ask for water......but we did get our order of a meat and cheese plate and an order of Crab & Lobster crepes.
The chesses and meat plates in this town continue to be small portioned and a bit disappointing......Vivace is the only game in town where you get a nice amount of everything.....Cafe Monte...take note. The one plus is that they serve a VERY inexpensive breakfast during the week.
The main dish, which was shared between me and my GF was good...very rich. All and all it was a good experience until the I was handed the bill which was fair pricing wise and had it returned to me with a larger around of over $10? I asked the waiter and he had swiped my card for another larger bill. He corrected the problem, but handed me the corrected charge slip that required a signature..but only one copy...the copy for the store....meaning if the correction didn't go through right I would have been screwed...so I had to ask him for my own copy.
So in closing, taking away the factor of either inexperience or just plain non-paying attention wait and bar staff, Café Monte is a cute little café in South Park worth checking out.......if you have the same issues I did.......then one time might be enough *grin*. -
Review from David L.
Charlotte, NC
6/26/2011
I like Cafe Monte a lot, I am not sure why there are so many mixed reviews. The waiters may seem indifferent at times (possibly this is part of their French ambiance) but I have never had bad service here. They have started being open for breakfast again. They serve European (read excellent) coffee. Their side salads at lunch are really good as are their sandwiches.
They have a frequent eater card but I am not sure what it does.
If you or your friends are in the mood for a French experience then this is the place to go in Charlotte. They just started offering all you want moules on Mondays, they are very good. -
Review from Meagan S.
Raleigh, NC
1/4/2012
My whole family went here for Christmas Eve dinner. Hoping to experience a nice evening, we were disappointed. The duck and salmon were was too oily. And the steak was tough. The flavor was nice, but definitely left something to be desired. But we were very disgusted when they pretty much kicked us out. At 9:35 pm!! They started clearing our whole table before some of us were even through with dinner. As we started to get ready to leave, they even turned the music off! They just couldn't wait for us to get out! The last time I am taking my business there.
Comment from Monte S. of Cafe Monte 2/8/2012
We hope that you give us an opportunity to redeem our image… More » -
Review from Bruce K.
A lovely Paris-style bistro, I would never have found Cafe Monte without Yelp help. A fantastic looking selection of pastries in the counters and excellent coffee. Quiet French music plays in the background. Tables are pretty well spaced which makes for a nice environment.
I stopped by looking for something different for brunch and I was pleased. My "Parisien" omelet was served with bacon and ham and brie (though not much brie), a small bowl of fruit and a potato hash-brown casserole. All was delicious and the coffee was refilled often - by five cups, I was well caffeinated.
The ladies at the next table had a small problem with their meal and it was handled very well not only by the kitchen staff but by the waitress who just happened to be stopping by at the time with more coffee. (Something about an egg white omelet that looked like it had the cheese that she didn't want.)
Would I return? Yes. It was good food and it was served well.Listed in: Breakfast in Charlotte
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Review from Julia S.
Charlotte, NC
12/2/2009
Solid, affordable brassiere fair served in a comfy, airy space trying its hardest to look vintage Paris. I'm about as comfortable at Phillips Place as Billy Graham is at a "bama rally, but the staff did a perfect job of chilling me out and filling my tummy.
Noteworthy: The ratio of women-to-men the entire time we were eating hovered at about 20-to-1. Which I found extremely amusing. Another fun moment: when the staff and tables surrounding a 10-member elderly ladies meet-up all hushed and waited for them to finish saying grace. Tehehe.
We chose what we assumed would be lighter entrees - his was the open faced veg sammich, mine the quiche florentine (10 and 9, respectively). I've never had a slice of quiche like the slice I had today - they somehow managed to make fondue into a pie. It was amazing, but not in any way a healthy choice, although the side salad helped to balance it out a little. His was equally surprising - although it appeared light on the butter fats, it had a hidden decadence that we both found interesting and irresistible. The frites were insanely thin and perfectly fried. Awesome. I'm going to have to try the pizza and benedicts, but maybe on a saturday when I can take a long nap afterwards. Ya.
I think I'd be tempted to give Monte's a fifth star but for one thing; the coffee. Anyone that's been to France knows how seriously the baristorial arts are taken there - and if you're going to go French Bistro as intensely as Monte is trying to, your coffee had better be up to snuff. My au lait was not satisfactory - tasted cheap, stale, and like it had been made with skim milk. Not a problem with construction but ingredients. And $3. -
Review from Patrick D.
Charlotte, NC
4/27/2011 ROTD 10/1/2011
Good food, decent prices and great service. We went to Cafe Monte with a couple friends on a Tuesday night. They were having there special food and wine pairing that I guess they have once a month. Unfortunately, you do have to reserve a seat for the evening so we were not allowed to participate. I am not sure if it is worth the $55 they charge for it or not.
We started off with their cheese and aged meat appetizer ($16) which was delicious. Our food came a little to quickly as we were not even finished with the appetizer when the food arrived. My wife had their special. It was four seared scallops over a real meaty lobster risotto ($26). Her meal was absolutely phenomenal. My friends had the basil pasta with chicken and the crab and lobster crepe ($22). There honestly was not anything overly special with the pasta but it was good. I believe it is the cheapest thing on the menu for $16. The crepe was not visually appealing at all but made up with it with the taste. It had a good portion of crab that made it really good. I had the duck confit with fingerling potatoes and brocollini ($24). The dish was sub par. Duck should be crispy on the outside skin and moist inside. however it was the opposite. The skin was not crisp and the inside was dry. I tried to compensate the dryness with the sauce but it just didnt work well. The server was fantastic and asked what I wanted instead. I had the steak with frittes. It came with a NY cut steak and frittes. She did not charge me for the steak so I do not know the price. Although it was good it was nothing special and I would probably not order it again there. We did not have dessert but you can actually see all there desserts as they have a little pastry counter. Their tiramisu looks really good.
Ultimately, not all the food was stellar but I would go back and have that scallops with lobster risotto anytime. -
Review from Karuna S.
San Jose, CA
1/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was really hoping to like Cafe Monte, but I didn't because - the first impression was ruined by our interaction with the hostess, who just seemed so disinterested in her job. Not that she wasn't attending to us, but there was no pleasant greeting, or even a smile on her face. The food tasted good, but it was the absolute opposite of healthy. I had the shrimp and artichoke crepe w/ spinach and bechamel. I was expecting there to be a little bit of the cream sauce around the crepe, but the entire crepe, all the shrimps, spinach and artichokes was dunked in the bechamel sauce! I enjoyed the first bite, but after that I was just filled with guilt, and couldn't finish the entire dish. Same with the vegetarian crepe that my friend ordered. The club sandwich tasted great too, but only for the first two bites until your mouth and throat were coated with all the butter / oil from it. Now on to the good things: I had heard that they are usually pretty slow with their service, so we sat at the bar, and fortunately avoided the slow service :) The waitress was attentive and sweet. The owner was walking around, and was very sweet too. I really really wish they'll improve their food and make it a wee bit healthier, and when i read a review that says that, I'll be sure to go back there!
