Le Marche — Restaurant in Shelburne

Think “Parisian café,” but strip away the charm, the flavor, the service… actually, just imagine a glorified French McDonald’s that charges triple with the general vibe of “we have no idea what we’re doing here.” Meanwhile, it's squeezed into a space that feels like it was designed by someone who Googled “Paris café” for five minutes.

The Croque Madame might be the worst I’ve ever had. Dry bread, bland cheese, and an egg that felt totally forgotten. For the price, it was a huge disappointment. The French Jambon tasted like sad fridge leftovers, and the portion was laughably small... about four bites for $12. Definitely not worth it.

The whole place is a confusing mess with zero flow. There’s no clear spot to order, and no one bothers to tell you what to do. You wander around awkwardly, trying to figure out where to go, while the employees stand around looking lost too or annoyed like they have no clue either.

You’re paying top dollar for a fake French vibe and getting nothing but attitude and a serious case of buyer’s remorse. Le Marché is the kind of place that tries to be “fancy,” but ends up just being frustrating. If you want to waste money on bad food and worse service, have at it. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. This place will be gone...

We arrived 2pm on Saturday and several tables were taken inside and out, but it was a gorgeous sunny day, so.... Some folks reading, some chatting. We waited for one person in line before us, and service was then speedy for our food to come out to our table. Seat and clean up after yourself. I had a chicken salad croissant from their 'grab & go' case and a fruit smoothie, one friend ordered a vegan wrap and smoothie, and the other ordered a fresh sandwich from their menu. When it arrived, the size, presentation and taste was impressive. She brought home half of it. We were not disappointed. Prices are a bit pricey, yes, but in my mind worth it as a treat from my usual mundane lunch choices. The dessert case was luscious to consider. It would be a great place to get a friend a gorgeous and memorable birthday dessert last minute...to rave about. For beverages, they offer flavored carbonated waters, craft sodas, juices, all clearly with healthy intentions. There were some chips for sale. Also, there were some wines and gift items are for sale, but clearly the point is the food. Helpfully adjacent to the Shelburne Museum. I will go again, and save room...

The hot foods have great flavor and fresh ingredients. Front-end staff are friendly. Baked goods are mid compared to any of the "great" bakeries in the county. Expensive, and for some items I would say extremely expensive. Very long wait times, no matter what you order. The business will leave you waiting 30+ minutes on a breakfast sandwhich with only 1 other customer in the establishment. The general experience is that your food will take longer than you expect, no matter your patience. We have lived through that a half dozen or more times, hoping next time will be different.

We are lucky to have a place in Shelburne as ambitious as Le Marche. It has a great, light, airy, pleasant atmosphere. The location is excellent. They just need to figure out the food prep timing, even if that's just better communication with customers. ("it'll be about...