2025 Chicago Ave. Ste A-14
This is located in the middle of a small industrial complex close to the Spruce Ave. intersection.


Average Overall Rating:

(5 out of 5)

Average Coffee Refill Rating:

(4 out of 5)

(2 out of 5)

Review by: steven5959 on 12/29/2011

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Great food, prices and service!

Award Nomination: Most Comfortable

Review #22901Review by: dbohulano on 4/14/2011

Overall Rating:

Coffee Refill Rating:

Expense Rating:

Gary McCarroll, owner/chef, is primarily a caterer. That is why he does not open his cafe on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Too bad, but I will not hold that against him as long as his little bistro cafe stays open.

Thursday we went on a whim to see what his cafe is all about. A tiny spot practically invisible in the middle of an industrial complex, he has 3 indoor tables, two outside with cafe umbrellas. A cute bistro atmosphere and you order at the counter. Consistent with a catering business, there is a huge kitchen set up in the back. We found just Gary and his son manning the shop today. Not sure if that is the extent of his staff, but he indicated that catering was the crux of his business. Based on what I tasted today, I would hire him as my caterer any day!

http://www.marmaladeto...

Cafe menu items include a stuffed croissant french toast, a meat filled and a vegetarian frittata, a breakfast burrito, coffee drinks, panninis, soup du jour, pasta dishes, pizza, and so on. The make-your-own Belgian waffle caught hubby's eye. He has been looking for a decade but had yet to find a great one. Gary has a waffle iron set up in the small dining area and made it in front of us. His batter is a made from scratch beer batter with a secret ingredient that makes it so light, so crispy, so delicious. It was served with side toppings of chunky strawberry sauce, whipped cream, cinnamon, butter and syrup. Conclusion: This was the elusive waffle hubby has been looking for. Two thumbs up!

Next came our orders for the frittatas...Hubby, the meat lovers one, me the vegetable one. Both were beautifully done, filled with goodies, seasoned nicely, topped with cheese, and presented with grilled herbed red potatoes and a fresh fruit skewer. Another real winner. My only complaint, it was served in a "burger basket" and the juices were soaked up by the paper lining. Weird, but again, he is a caterer first, not a restauranteur.

At that point, I was ready to take on the pastry challenge. I passed (this time) on what looked like a great cinnamon roll, and finally decided on a beautiful citrus-flavored designer cupcake and a chocolate mini-croissant. Those came home with us, a treat for later on, but I have already secretly tasted the cup cake and am sublimely happy. Very moist, not overly sweet, with a beautiful citrus buttercream plus cream cheese frosting, and a huge dark chocolate leaf to top it off.

If I can't have already said enough, the prices were amazingly affordable. The frittatas were only $6 each. The other menu items were equally low priced.

So here is the challenge... take a day off Monday thru Thursday and indulge yourself with a breakfast or lunch meal there. Although he has a small select menu, they are really excellent food items. Gary is a very friendly guy with about 40 years of experience in the food business with high end restaurants, and knows how to please. Riverside is lucky to have him. I wish we could clone him.

Award Nomination: Best Breakfast Ever

Review #22339


Connect With Mr Breakfast:




Reviews submitted here are meant to pertain to breakfast only. While Mr Breakfast cannot vouch for the validity of each restaurant review, he feels pretty good vouching for the excellent character of the residents of Riverside, California - who are primarily responsible for the review(s) you see above for The Marmalade Toque Cafe.