maman — Restaurant in Washington

Don't substitute ingredients without informing.

I'm a regular who works around the corner from Maman's Penn Qtr location. I always order the Bella's Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwich, which is usually served on a very unique croissant that is not available in the pastry case. I order this sandwich because its one of the few breakfast sandwiches that doesn't have eggs you can order in the area, which is extremely hard to find and something special if you don't eat eggs.

Today, I ordered the Bella's ham & cheese croissant and it was served on one of the regular everything croissants from the pastry case. When I took my food to the counter and asked the gentleman why they changed the ingredients, I was informed that this is something they do regularly and that, even though he wasn't sure, he assumed that they were out of the special croissants and started using the regular ones from the pastry case. I was offered a refund and he told me that I could keep the sandwich.

This review is not about the food, its about service standards. If you're going to substitute an ingredient on a menu item, you need to communicate that a substitution has occurred or take that item off the menu because you don't have the ingredients to support it. I have ordered this menu item pretty regularly over the past 2 years, and have not experienced a substitution like this until today. Every time I order the Bella's ham & cheese sandwich from now on I will be asking myself "Am I going to get the proper croissant? I write this review out of love for this sandwich and would sincerely like to order this menu item with...

I am unsure that could describe Maman here without breaking down what I felt it was like so here I go. This is the closest place to a real french cafe food wise that I have had in the past few days in DC. Everything is strong and stands on its own. I had a Key-lime Croissant pastry and it was delicious. The strength of that alone was great, but their matcha latte I had was stellar. I know matcha latte isn’t what you think of when you think french, but this one had the same feel that you get ordering a cappuccino in Paris. It’s strong and stands alone with little sweetness, yet it tastes amazing for those who love matcha flavoring.

The decor is great as-well. While not exactly transitionally french, I have been to a cafe in Paris with a similar color scheme and vibe, while not exactly the same the comparison still works. I loved the plants and atmosphere with the wooden tables and chairs. It all blended tightly into a single feel that is hard to nail down.

Finally the staff were friendly and helpful when I didn’t know what pastry to get as it was my first time there.

If I had any criticism at all, it would be the fork and knife I was given for the pastry were plastic and...

I ate at the Pen Quarter Maman today & it was absolutely the most sensational experience from start to finish, thanks entirely to Johan, Esteban, & Camilo ! From the moment we entered the establishment, they greeted us with the sweetest welcome imaginable, second only to a welcome you might get after seeing a dear friend for the first time after a long time apart. Johan, Esteban, & Camilo were kind, accommodating, courteous, & so much more. I’d told them that the day prior was my eating companion’s birthday & that i’d brought candles, but no lighter, to my dismay. Johan, Esteban, & Camilo, as a collective, banded together to find me the nearest fire igniting device, as well as helped arrange the candle in my friend’s sandwich order, to curate what ended up being an extremely special birthday memory & over all experience. I’m so so grateful to them for assisting me, on top of providing the most first class customer service experience I’ve received this side of the Mississippi. Thank you Johan, Esteban, & Camilo !! Also, the Belgian waffles were absolutely divine & 100,000% worth writing home about. If you have the chance to eat here, do it!! This...