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Had breakfast here this morning. Funny since I actually ate here many years ago when the muffler shop (Johnny Franklin Mufflers) recommended "a great breakfast place just down the street." Been a long time since then and was surprised to see that it looked very different from what I had remembered.
Looked for biscuits with sausage gravy that Krishnan S. mentioned, but couldn't find it anywhere on the menu, so I ordered the country fried steak special ($9.25 or $9.75, I forgot) which was on the specials board which included country fried steak, choice of potatoes, eggs, and choice of toast. I hate eggs so I told them no eggs and asked the waitress which potatoes were her favorite there. She was cool and said home fries so I went with those and I liked them a lot. I was impressed with the many options for toast, but ended up picking an english muffin instead which turned out to be pretty plain, but nicely toasted and buttered.
The country fried steak was good and the gravy was not bad at all, but to be honest, I just wasn't into it that much as it had a dark mushroom gravy. It wasn't bad, just different...distinctly different. I can see why another reviewer said that someone had complained about it as it is a little unusual. Today I learned that I prefer chicken fried steak to country fried steak. Although some people use the terms interchangeably, proper chicken fried steak has a white gravy and country fried steak has a dark gravy if I recall correctly. Gawd, I love good chicken fried steak...the best I ever had was during a business lunch in Dallas years ago. Believe it or not, much as I'm not impressed with Chili's, theirs is the closest I've found to it out here. I think that's probably the one thing that Chili's does well. If anyone knows of a place with a good chicken fried steak locally, please let me know!
Anyway, back to Le Kwah-Sohn, er Croissant...the pancakes there are huge, as big as your head. During breakfast, I thought about how a lot of breakfast places I've hit recently are making their pancakes huge now, so perhaps this is the norm nowadays. Oh and I forgot to mention that I ordered a side of sausage ($3.95) which turned out to be two breakfast sausages which is the equivalent of two dollars per sausage! I'm not cheap, but are you kidding me? Anyway, they were nicely cooked and mighty tasty, but when I saw them, I felt bad for saying that I wished there had been one more sausage in my recent 3 Zero Cafe review (they had three sausages for only $2.95).
When all was said and done, we were full and pretty satisfied. They take only cash or debit cards, so I went up to the cashier and paid with a debit card. The waitress was great, so as always, I made sure to tip well. The cashier was friendly and asked me if I wanted to add a tip or leave it on the table so I said include it and told him how much and he punched in the total amount with tip. As such, I didn't get a conventional slip to write in the tip like in most restaurants. I assume that the management is honest, but afterwards, I had a strange feeling of guilt that I should have just told him I would leave cash on the table instead. Not sure why, but it gave me a funny feeling.
Hoping that she got the tip I had him include when he punched it in since I realized that it was never written down. Most people probably wouldn't care, but for some reason it really bothered me afterwards.
All in all, a good place to hit for breakfast if you're in the San Rafael area. Hoping to hit a place called Theresa & Johnny's in San Rafael for breakfast next time...stay tuned...same bat time, same bat channel.
Mmmm...
I have been very pleased with this place lately. The french toast is delicious!
Whats best is that they have outdoor seating. This means I can take my dog with me and sit outside. The service is generally pretty good, I like it because they aren't too pushy and they always keep my coffee cup full. They are pretty busy on the weekends, but they can usually get you seated pretty quickly, and the servers are fast and friendly.
Also conveniently located. Easy to park, affordable and reasonable. Will definitely be coming back for a long time.
I've been looking for a great breakfast place in Marin for the past five years. I think I've finally found a place where I will become a regular.
My kids and I went on Sunday morning around 9am. It wasn't crowded at all when we arrived but every table was filled as we were leaving. When we sat down, a mug-ful of crayons and two coloring sheets instantly appeared in front of my children. I don't know how they knew Aurora was my daughter's favorite Disney princess but she got an Aurora coloring page and was instantly sold on the place.
I had a mushroom, avocado and jack omelette. It was very hearty - normally, I am a huge eater, but I couldn't even finish it! It was also good - the avocadoes were at the perfect level of ripeness, the mushrooms were sufficiently sauteed prior to being added to the egg and the cheese was 100% melted. Their hash browns are awesome. Even my wheat toast was delicious. My son had a belgian waffle with almonds, fruit and whipped cream - he absolutely loved it. It was served with warm syrup. My daughter had a piece of their homemade grilled french bread - she was lukewarm about it, but she's lukewarm about eating meals anyways.
There was a man at the next table who complained that he hated the gravy on his chicken fried steak and the waitress grabbed a fork and a plate, removed the offending chicken fried steak and momentarily presented him wtih a new one, sans gravy. Anyhow, just an example of how I thought the service was decent.
I have a few complaints (who doesn't?) but nothing that would keep me from returning. First, when I placed my forearms on the table it was sticky. Luckily, I have 2 kids so I always keep wet wipes in my purse, but even after wiping the table, it still seemed sticky - so cleanliness is sort of a factor. I didn't use the restroom there and probably will avoid it. Second, the coffee was TERRIBLE. Bitter and watery..... I'll definitely skip that next time.
Anyhow, thanks, Yelp, for helping me find a new breakfast place!
My favorite breakfast joint by far! I'm totally in love with their eggs benedict!!! Me and my BF both. Good cafe au lait to acompany my breakfast. Let me tell you about how delicious their hollandaise sauce is...it's super creamy and smooth....and basically its like liquid gold on your tongue. I always add avocado to my eggs benedict. Love love love...their huge homemade pastries...it's ginourmous! Did I mention eggs benedict was ridiculously good? Mmmmm...Love love love it.
Part dog park, part greasy spoon. I think there are something like eight tables outside and 6 of them had folks with dogs! All were well behaved, thank goodness. The food is alright, but nothing too amazing. The french toast portion is ridiculously large - 8 whole slices of bread, which is an absurd waste of food in my mind. The service was fine until we got around to the paying part - but maybe we were supposed to bring the check inside to pay? We figured it out eventually. The atmosphere outside is ruined by the traffic and the fact that there's an auto body shop right next door so although its tempting you may want to stay in if you want to have a conversation!
Get the bear claw and croissant
Service is still a hit and miss here. I brought my family to Le Croissant because the pastries are so good. The service was okay. We got our food and water always filled. I just really don't like how the atmosphere with the people working here is hostile. If you hate your job, don't pass it along to customers. I never really feel comfortable eating here. It is such a negative place. There is no laughter or fun in this place. It is suppose to have a diner feeling, but it feels so cold.
My omelet looked very different from what I imagined it would be. It wasn't the nice folded omelet. It was scrambled with the food and was a Grey color. It was good, so I didn't send it back, but even my family commented on how it looked unappetizing. The hash brown was a little too crispy.
My brother's breakfast burrito looked so good. I want that next time.
I always come back for the food. I just don't know what the deal is with this place. It puts me in a bad mood being inside here.
Update: I just really don't know what the deal is with this place. Apparently you're not allowed to… Read more »
Typical Americanized food. Don't expect European standard food.
I stayed over night in the area on my trip around Bay area. After eating here I understand why people bear with all the hectic in San Francisco. The food 30 minutes to the south is better.
If you are just a tourist like me, considering drive further south to Sausalito for a better breakfast.
Hands down the best breakfast in Marin!
This place is great. Everything from the french toast, to the lattes, to joes special, to eggs benedict is always on point.
All the waitresses are friendly and the food comes out fast. If coming on saturday or sunday try to arrive a little early. They are usually pretty busy.
Okay, new to this place and wonder what the heck took me so long to find it! Every time I mention this place to someone local, they ask, "Did you try the breakfast burrito!?!?" Excellent food, great pastries and nice wait staff. Breakfast sandwich with sausage also rocked!
I cannot wait to go back! Parking in front and in the lot too.
The location near the 580 Richmond bridge entrance on Bellum may not be great and it can get busy and feel a little overcrowded - the tables are really close together so you don't really have all that personal space.
However, I go there for its great breakfast menu. The omelettess are solid but I really loved the biscuits with sausage and gravy.. mmm - awesome gravy.
It has that diner feel about it, I'm not sure exactly what that is but it always makes me feel a little bit more mellow and content.
Good stuff...
I feel I need to give this place an upgrade.
Often times now, the bf & I begin a day of wine tasting by first filling our bellies with a breakfast here at Le Croissant before heading up to Sonoma. The patio makes a great spot to chow down in the sun when the weather is good.
Their omelets are huge and always done right. I am in love with their 3 Meat Omelet. So yummy. Their hash browns are perfectly crisped and their home fires are good as well.
And, the staff here is always friendly & attentive and keep the coffee flowing.
The coolest thing is . . . I found this place on Yelp!
This place has some of the best pancakes I have ever tasted. First off, they are huge. Secondly,… Read more »
If there is something I like more then pizza and that is breakfast food! I am a huge fan of going out to breakfast/ brunch and I love this place! Its close to my home and there is parking and in some places in San Rafael you have to pay for parking, here you don't. The place is small and cute and it is in a pretty good location. I kind of like the fact that its not on fourth street because its more like a secret and I can go there an enjoy a good meal. The staff is really nice and friendly. I love the Swedish girl who works there, she is my favorite. I have had there omelets and they are good, and they have really good french toast. They also have bread pudding which I have yet to try. However, I will continue to go back here, its a good place to go if you want to have a nice and quite atmosphere.
GREAT breakfast, not so great lunch
Good food, but I really almost brought the rating down to 3 stars because the service today was average. One waitress was super nice (blondie with nose piercing), but the drink re-filler could have used an attitude adjustment. She really seemed put-out when I had to ask for an extra place setting for our table of 3 (that only had napkins & utensils for 2) & she kept trying to clear the table while we had food on our forks or bites in our mouths. I understand that this place is busy & small & they need to get people in & out, but not by being rude.
Again, the food was good & maybe the one helper was just having an off day. The rest of the staff was really nice & like I said, the food was good!
Le Croissant has all the makings of a small town diner- granite tabletops, burgundy stools and chairs, and long booths. They also have outdoor seating on a patio under big umbrellas. At a breakfast/lunch joint, you expect to have a good meal that has medium sized portions. Well, we had a great meal, but the portions were ginormous! And I am not kidding- if you see my review for Half Day Cafe, I said that their pancakes were "the size of someone's face." Well, Le Croissant takes the "Largest Pancake" award- my bluberry pancake was definitely over one foot in diameter. We all took bites of the monster pancake and thought it was really tasty and satisfying. The omelets were good but the hash browns that came with the omelet was a little mushy and had the consistancy of mashed potatoes. Overall, I thought Le Croissant is a great place have breakfast, and I'll be back for the tasty-looking pastries that they showcase at the front counter!
My coworkers call it "Le Rip off," But I love Le croissant!
Best scones I've ever had- you don't want to know how much butter is in them (gasp)!
I also love their soups- their corn chowder and lemon chicken and rice are amazing amazing amazing. Green salads abound with all kind of fresh produce, and the wait staff are super nice.
Do not pass up the chance for delicious french toast! Well, Ive only ever had breakfast here, so not too sure about lunch.
Not vegetarian friendly!!! But my carnivore friends seem to love it more than I do, so there you go.
The place is always busy, so I almost always opt for take out.
My weekend breakfast/lunch spot. Yes, MINE.. you stay away :)
I've been going to Le Croissant for years. I try to get there at least two weekends per month. It is definitely the default local spot for breakfast or lunch. They have great, huge, omelets and fresh baked goods. The croissants and scones are fantastic.
For lunch, the best sandwich on the planet, hands down, is the Turkey and Avocado sandwich on a croissant. It has a nice tangy mustardy mayo that is really unique. The sandwich alone is two meals (take half home), and you still get a giant salad, fries, or a cup of really good french onion soup.
On a warm day, you can sit out on their patio under the trees and there's always a nice breeze coming off the nearby bay. On a cold rainy day, you can sit inside at a table or at the bar, with warm inviting wood surfaces and a perfect bottomless cup of coffee and a free local rag.
Good breakfast with the charm of a greasy spoon. I recommend the homemade bread and my friend ordered a pastry, which was enormous and pretty fresh and tasty. The eggs were fine but they were just eggs, there was nothing that made them particularly stand out. The coffee and prices are decent.
Awesome place to have breakfast...huge portions. The french toast and omelettes are delicious and fills up a hunger like no other. The pastries are massive. Hot chocolate is served in little kettles (so cute). Croissant breakfast sandwiches are large. Milk shakes are good, too. I can go on and on and on... Only breakfast and lunch are served here; however entrees are available for order on their menu, but only until 4 p.m. It's a tiny eatery, with parking in the back lot. Street parking is just as easy. This place is so popular, but the wait is never long to be seated. The outdoor patio seating is cute on a nice sunny day.
We were sent here by Rene who works at Midas a block away. Really good hash browns, good fruit cup, normal diner coffee. Looking forward to coming back to have a more in-depth meal.
UPDATE:
We have been back here 2 or 3 more times now, and have to upgrade it from 4 to 5 stars. The food has been fantastic each time and the service really friendly and prompt. Really like that it has a family-owned feel to it. Scones are as big as my face and really delicious. FYI, they only take debit cards and cash.
3.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous today.
I came here for lunch yesterday and sat at the counter. I noticed the "People on Yelp Love Us" sticker and got excited for the food to come. Boy are they super busy, even when I got there a little after 1pm. Those waitresses sure know how to hustle.
I ordered a turkey club croissant sandwich with fries. I saw the order come up (about 15 min later) and then another waitress takes the plate outside. There's some confusion outside, then that waitress brings the food back in. She asks my waitress, "This isn't sourdough for my customer. Is this your order?" She looks at it, then at me, and says yes, it's for me at the counter. Ok. So I take a bite and start chewing when it occurs to me that club sandwiches have bacon. I ask the lady if I'm supposed to have bacon in my sandwich and she says yes. Her eyes say, "Oh crap." So they take my lunch away so the kitchen can put bacon in my sandwich. I totally thought that the kitchen was going to cook me up some bacon so that it would be fresh and hot in my sandwich. Nope. The bacon that topped my sandwich was cold, hard and crunchy. I picked it out because it made my sandwich not good.
What was good were the french fries. So hot and delicious! And the croissant was soft and buttery. The service was good too, although I think maybe they need to hire another person to help with the lunch crowd? I also checked out their pastry section and learned that they make them there fresh daily. I am not exaggerating when I say that the pastries are freakin huge. Like Kai T. says - they are the size of your head!
I would love to come back to try breakfast food.
Ok, my best friend must have a target on her head. Last time she went here they made her get up after she had been served coffee b/c i was 5 minutes late. So she boycotted for years. Now i finally got her to go back and the service SUCKED again! We sat down and waited FOREVER to get some service. So glad it was dead in there and we still couldnt get service. Had a ton of people walk by with coffee pots and water but nobody to take our order. I sadly love the food so much I cant take away more then 1 star but pretty annoyed. When a table that sits behind you 10 minutes after you get there, orders and gets their food before you have even ordered something is wrong. Dont get me wrong, we flagged down a few people to try to order. And without apology he came and took our order and was bad at serving. Then we go to pay and the woman at the counter says to me with attitude "we do NOT accept cc" MY BAD! I dont like to accept crappy service ...so we both are not happy! I will definitely go back but ugh how annoying and my friend is back to boycotting.
YUM! I have not tried lunch but the breakfast is yummy. I love the hot chocolate ( you get a tea pot… Read more »
This 60's type of coffee shop with everything house-made and prepared fresh daily and their own house-made bread and baked goods is one of the better breakfast spots in the Bay Area.
The huge, fluffy creamed spinach omelet was delicious. It was served with simple home fries and a wonderful grilled slab of their house-baked bread. Two people could split this breakfast and not walk away hungry.
The croissants are huge and tasty but bready and soft. It is not a classic French croissant with crisp flaky outer layers. I still enjoyed it.
Coffee is good enough.
My initial review was lost in the cyber abyss that is a glitchy browser.
Breakfast: Breakfast burrito, loaded with fried eggs, hash browns, and good quality bacon. Scrambles and omelettes are great too.
Lunch: Cheeseburger with fries, or the teriyaki chicken salad.
Everything is made fresh, as well as their assortment of baked goods.
Generally friendly staff.
WOW. A friend told me about this place and then we met for breakfast on a weekend recently. I got Joe's Special and it was REALLY good, plus a LOT of it -- so left with leftovers. All the food I looked at on the other tables around us looked scrumptious.
It's cozy and the waitstaff was pleasant and just right attentive. Would have liked to linger a bit longer, but it didn't seem like that kind of place. Very busy...
I will definitely go back though!
Yes! another good breakfast spot. The service was quick and the price is decent with the portion they have. Joe's special is my fave so far.. haven't gone back though to try another breakfast or lunch, but I will for sure!
I am giving them 5 stars for one reason only. The Almond croissants! I've never eaten a full meal there but I am addicted to the Pastry.
Just finished eating take out here, and it was good. I ordered the Eggs Mexicana and French Toast (couldn't finish everything). Their pancakes are pretty solid (actually nice and fluffy - give them a slight edge over their French Toast). Great friendly staff and food was amazing. I waited 15 minutes for take out as they did not have a menu online or anything, but I picked one up there so problem solved. They have patio seating outside for about 20-25 people. They take cash & debit cards, no credit cards FYI.
I work very close to Le Croissant and I find there food to be very greasy. You get a lot of food but I think they are very expensive. 3.00$ for a bagel and cream cheese. Please give me a break... I find them to be sometimes very rude also!
When no breakfast joints in the city sound good, I sometimes head to San Rafeal canal area for a favorite spot. Le Croissant has a full diner style menu, as well as very friendly service. I go for one reason, the breakfast burrito. Large enough for two, this delight is filled with eggs(over easy), potatoes, cheese, and bacon; smothered with both red and green salsa. Its heaven on a plate, and i highly recommend it. All the other menu options look good, and i plan on trying the burger next time. The sandwiches all look huge and satisfying. Comfort food defined.
Croissant breakfast sandwiches are a must and all of their pastry selections. Familiar and friendly staff has been the same for years.
I crave soup and salad from Le Croissant. The salad has all kinds of fresh veggies - carrots, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower - that have been blanched to a crisp-tender. The salad is served with the most delicious house-made vinegarette. And the soups of the day... I've had the minestrone, lentil, tomato... all fantastic. Hearty homeade soups - yum. They have a pretty eclectic menu and really great specials. Comforting, homestyle food in a cozy diner enviornment. Love it.
A great little French-inspired greasy spoon! The prices aren't cheap, but not too bad either. I have only deducted a star for the difficulty I had parking. It was your average week day at 9:30 am and the joint was packed!
I started out my LeCroissant adventure with a double latte which arrived as a cup accompanied by a cute stoneware-pitcher of my drink. I even saw someone else get a large hot chocolate served in a similar pitcher, but sans lid... and a giant mound of whipped cream serving in its place on the pitcher.. man, was I jealous!
The food is your average breakfast and lunch fare, with a notably tasty-looking pastry case! The menu offers their 'famous' creamed spinach with poached eggs and English muffins; which I had a sample of: delicious if you like creamed spinach. And a guy at the counter next to me had a gargantuan breakfast burrito that also looked worth trying. I had a simple two egg breakfast and found it quite satisfying, especially since I was given a large selection of hot sauces:-) The hash browns weren't my favorite, because I prefer a thicker, soft on the center, crispy on the outside sort... but for people who like their hash browns thin and greasy (you know those weirdos who don't like potatoes, but love fries, etc...I live with one who'd adore these!) this will be right up your street.
The bathroom was one you had to mosey through the pantry to visit, but I didn't mind much because I was able to check out the ingredients and eye the kitchen, which I truly enjoy. The best part about this place was the staff who were very friendly with all the locals, and treated me like one of their regulars.
Oh! and I should also mention how tasty the lunch food looked! The sandwiches were very tall and stuffed with fresh fixings, and the 'onion soup gratin' looked gorgeous with all the cheese dripping over the edges.
If I find myself back in this part of San Rafael, I will definitely be dining here again!
Was driving through San Rafael, and had an appetite, so I quickly hit Yelp from my cellphone to find a breakfast joint in the area. Le Croissant it was. The service was pretty fast, but the food turned out to be your run of the mill breakfast. Would be a nice spot for a greasy breakfast after a night of drinking, but nothing to rave about. I did note that their hashbrowns were particularly good though, and extra points for putting up with my crying baby. :)
The giantest tastiest sauciest plug of a breakfast burrito in the Canal.
Le Croissant is one of a kind in Marin. A family diner with great if heavy breakfasts, friendly staff and amazing pastries. If you hate California cuisine for breakfast like me, this is the pace for you. LC also has a bevy of daily regulars that you will come to recognize and even become part of and welcomed into if you like. Its a little like Cheers in Marin.
Great food....Just not for the calorie watcher.....Portions are huge and prices decent....
There's not a better place for breakfast or lunch than Le Croisssant. I now frequent their restaurant 3 times a week because it's so dang good. The portions are gigantic- but they also have half orders of things like mouthwatering french toast, pancakes. Omelettes are out of this world. Lunchtime serves up delicious sandwiches... and a new favorite: spaghetti bolognese that is full of meat and chunks of deliciousness. Too big to not leave without leftovers. Prices are fair... the put all their $ in high quality ingredients. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Friendly staff always look happy to be there.
One of the better Marin breakfast places. Always busy. Serves a good standard breakfast..huge omelettes and delicious crossants.
San Rafael, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
San Rafael, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
San Rafael, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
San Anselmo, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
San Rafael, CA
Category: Burgers
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