Marmalade Cafe — Restaurant in Malibu

⚠️ ALLERGEN SAFETY WARNING ⚠️ Didn’t think I’d leave this review but for other people’s health safety, I think it is important that I do. BEWARE OF ALLERGENS NOT LISTED ON THE MENU AND STAFF WHO ARE UNTRAINED AND INCONSIDERATE even when you mention a specific allergy.

I went here with my twin for a birthday breakfast and we verbally specified allergies to BOTH tree nuts AND regular nuts to our server. The server said she didn’t think there was any nuts and walked away, later bringing the food to the table. She didn’t say there was chopped almonds in the granola, and likely never cared enough to check. After eating a few bites, we notice there are chopped almonds in the granola and she dramatically squinted her eyes and said she can’t see them well enough. Even a 1” almond slice she claimed she can’t see. She muttered a nonchalant oops sorry, took the plate, and walked away. She didn’t offer to bring anything else, avoided our table, and instead returned 10-15 min later with the bill for the other items.

When we asked the manager why this happened, the manager was insincere and robotic, like a celebrity HR spokesperson. She leapt right away to ridiculous loopholes like the server not knowing the difference between tree nuts and regular nuts, which is absolutely irrelevant because we specifically, verbally mentioned to avoid BOTH. I worked as a server for years and would NEVER be so careless. But it’s not just carelessness, it’s the complete lack of understanding of your menu and what you’re providing people to eat that should require immediate retraining or firing. If my sister was more allergic, like many others with nut allergies are, things would’ve been much worse for both us and for your restaurant.

We ended up getting the two orders of pancakes comped which is fine, but it is absolutely not worth the allergic reaction, panic, and fear that you caused us (on our birthday) through such carelessness and unaccountability. I would never go here again and would advise anyone visiting Malibu to not either. The food was not good enough to warrant a...

I write for a music and coffee blog called Crooners In Coffeeshops, in which I interview local musicians at local coffeeshops. My writeup reflects the positive experience that I encountered at Marmalade Cafe on our interview date.

Marmalade Café is very much the happenin’ place to be for delicious California-themed cuisine in one of Southern California’s most beloved beach cities – Malibu. Located at the adorable outdoor shopping center, Malibu Country Mart, it’s one of two shops that offers coffee options of the local nature, and boy, does it really hold its own against the likes of Starbucks and The Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf (which are both also located in the mall). I got myself a wonderfully creamy Hazelnut Latte, and to be honest, if it wasn’t peak beach tourism season, I totally would have gotten a table and ordered myself something scrumptious to devour, even if it meant needing to choose between all of the items on their eclectic Brunch menu. While spending a fair amount of time at Marmalade Café wasn’t in the cards that particular day, it left a memorable impression on me with its welcoming log cabin design elements showcased on its exterior, and their wonderfully classic home-y interior display. But don’t worry though, Malibu Country Mart has an abundance of outdoor seating at the ready so you have plenty of opportunity to enjoy your delicious caffeinated beverage while soaking up the rays and...

DON'T GO. Hostess at the door is very rude. I believe it's because I'm black woman, but that's my impression. She's a large-ish, middle aged white woman with a long ponytail. She spoke abruptly to me when I entered and I didn't even hear what she said because her time was so harsh. She repeated herself and asked something about whether or not I was coming in to eat. Of course, I was. She walked away and someone else assisted me, as my friend entered. The server is amazing. I didn't get her name and she the only positive aspect of ny visit. I didn't get her name, but she wears glasses and may be of Mexican heritage, i'm not sure. However, THE FOOD WAS TERRIBLE. UT WAS BLAND, TASTELESS, AND VOID OF SEASONING. I ordered the roasted vegetable salad. I've haven't been this irritated over bad food in a long time. I'm a vegan, and I know better than anyone that vegan food does not have to be vegan. Food that is bland and void of flavor does not make it healthy. It simply makes it bland and void of flavor. That's it. I tipped nicely, but did not eat hardky any of the food. I was in a rush and my friend suggested I send the food back, but I don't typically do that, and i also didn't have the time for that. Never going again. A waste of my money and time, and that person at the front door makes me...