I had high hopes for Mari Vees Café in San Marino! What initially caught my attention were their…read morephenomenal-looking pancakes, which reminded me of the famous Clinton St. Baking Company in New York. Being a pancake lover, I was intrigued enough to make the 30-minute drive to give this place a try. Unfortunately, my first experience was a little disappointing.
The restaurant itself is small and offers outdoor dining. I started with a hot white chocolate mocha, which was delicious, perfectly balanced, and not overly sweet. The adorable Betty Boop design on top was such a cute touch! My son ordered the Thai tea, which he absolutely loved.
For breakfast, I ordered the Country Scramble, which came with breakfast potatoes, eggs, biscuits with sausage gravy, bacon, and a pancake. On paper, it sounded like the perfect breakfast! However, the execution left much to be desired. The bacon was far too undercooked for my liking. Before touching anything on my plate, I brought it to our server's attention, and I was assured that a new serving would be prepared to my preference. Well, I waited and waited, and unfortunately, that bacon never made its way back to my table. It was completely forgotten.
As for the rest of my meal, the sausage gravy was barely warm, and both the biscuits and pancake were slightly overdone. However, I will give credit where it's due: the flavors were genuinely delicious! The pancake, in particular, was the highlight. The blueberry compote was absolutely perfect, and paired with their signature syrup, it tasted like an oversized blueberry muffin. So good! My son ordered the chicken and waffles and thoroughly enjoyed his meal.
After mentioning the forgotten bacon and lack of attentive service, our server removed my coffee from the bill and offered me a Diet Coke to go. A small gesture, but appreciated nonetheless.
Overall, Mari Vees Café has some really wonderful flavors and plenty of potential, but the kitchen's execution and service could use some improvement. When you're driving 30 minutes specifically to try a restaurant, you naturally hope for a better experience.
Would I make that drive again? Probably not. However, everyone's experience is different, and the pancakes alone might be worth trying if you're in the area!
Great flavors don't always translate into a great dining experience, and unfortunately, that was the case for me. liking. Before touching anything on my plate, I brought it to our server's attention, and I was assured that a new serving would be prepared to my preference. Well, I waited and waited, and unfortunately, that bacon never made its way back to my table. It was completely forgotten.
As for the rest of my meal, the sausage gravy was barely warm, and both the biscuits and pancake were slightly overdone. However, I will give credit where it's due: the flavors were genuinely delicious! The pancake, in particular, was the highlight. The blueberry compote was absolutely perfect, and paired with their signature syrup, it tasted like an oversized blueberry muffin. So good! My son ordered the chicken and waffles and thoroughly enjoyed his meal. After mentioning the forgotten bacon and lack of attentive service, our server removed my coffee from the bill and offered me a Diet Coke to go. A small gesture, but appreciated nonetheless.
Overall, Mari Vees Café has some really wonderful flavors and plenty of potential, but the kitchen's execution and service could use some improvement. When you're driving 30 minutes specifically to try a restaurant, you naturally hope for a better experience.
Would I make that drive again? Probably not. However, everyone's experience is different, and the pancakes alone might be worth trying if you're in the area!