maman — Restaurant in Coral Gables

Was a little hesitant after seeing some of these reviews but I had a great time at Maman today! Was meeting a friend for brunch & since neither of us had ever been here, we decided to check it out. Our waiter, Nilson was great. super charming & attentive! After ordering some coffees (iced black for me & a lavender honey latte for her), we started looking thru the menu. Instead of going with breakfast items, we instead decided to go with their delicious sounding salads! I chose Maylin's Squash Salad (roasted butternut squash, mixed greens, shaved red cabbage, apple, radish, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds & mint with sweet french mustard dressing) & it was sooooo good. Literally ate every last, lil bite. My friend went with Raquel's Kale Caesar Salad (roasted chicken, shaved parmesan, country bread croutons & pickled onions served with caesar dressing) and loved it as well. I couldn't leave this adorable little café without ordering one of their beautiful & decadent pastries. Although Nilsin suggested the Pistachio & Chocolate Croissant, by the time I ordered it, they were sold out. Womp, womp but luckily they had so many other amazing looking options! I decided on the Pistachio Caramel Brioche (caramelized ribbons of brioche filled with a rich caramel sauce on one side and a pistachio ganache on the other) & asked to warm it up. It was amazing! Definitely will return to try more from their extensive menu & hopefully get to try...

Grad Student Meet-Up

The atmosphere of the café is undeniably charming, with its aesthetically pleasing décor that strikes a balance between quirky and cute, creating a cozy environment perfect for a group of grad students to gather. However, beyond its visual appeal, the food leaves much to be desired. The dishes we ordered were mediocre at best, lacking in flavo. No one finished their plate. It felt as though the meals had been passed under a heating lamp before being served, reminiscent of the less impressive dining experiences I had in Madrid, Spain. All the food was likewarm.

While I appreciated the attentive service, thanks to the friendly and patient staff, it couldn’t quite compensate for the lackluster food. We ended up leaving a generous tip, grateful for their kindness, but ultimately disappointed by what we were served. My quiche was particularly uninspiring, tasting of nothing more than bland eggs and wilted spinach, which was quite a letdown. The only standout dish was the sandwich, which featured a decent amount of melted cheese, providing a bit of comfort amidst the otherwise dull offerings.

On a positive note, the coffee was a redeeming aspect of our visit. Although it wasn’t served piping hot—merely warm—it still managed to satisfy our caffeine cravings. It seemed that everyone around us enjoyed their drinks, making that part of the experience the highlight of...

maybe my experience was not so great because it was a sunday around brunch/lunch, but the service was so slow and beyond lacking. my boyfriend and i waited ages just to order at the counter, then were literally standing in a corner for almost 20min when a table finally opened up. i went to sit down when a guy who i think was maybe a manager (?) told me i couldn't sit there because a group that had just walked in was going to sit there. he cleared off another table for us, but it kinda sucked that nobody offered to help us or do anything until it was to be told i can't take a seat?? the food wasn't bad and the portions were bigger than expected (to be fair though, i had a pretty low bar for this in my head lol), but at over $30 per person, i don't know if i would go back. there was a birthday brunch or something of probably over a dozen people, and it was obvious the cafe couldn't handle such a big group without impacting the other people eating there. it was also kind of baffling when i was trying to get water, but a busboy put a bunch of chairs right in front of the counter, then promptly moved them to immediately in front of me when i turned around holding 2 cups of water and had no free hands?? i was just kind of baffled by the staff's complete lack of awareness as...