06/01/09

Best Overall Locally Owned Restaurant in Nashville

by cray31

Bravo, Margot Cafe, & Chef Margot for an incredible night out on my birthday with three friends on a busy Saturday night. Truly a perfect evening & a perfect dinner in a spectacular dining atmosphere. The hostesses were friendly & seated us immediately even though we were a few minutes early. Our server, Patty, was helpful, professional, & had the right balance of getting us what we needed at the right time but not hovering over us. She was wonderful. We started with a cheese, bread, & fresh peaches appetizer that was a culinary delight & perfect on a hot summer night. We sampled Sangria made on the premises, Spanish wine, & specialty microbrew beer, & topped off the evening with the housemade limoncello. We were not disappointed, all excellent choices. We got steak with greens & beets, spinach linguini, chickpea lemon artichoke chicken, pesto pizza, & gazpacho soup, taking turns sampling from one another's plates. Every bite of every morsel was simply heavenly. I went to Zola's last year on my bday & it does not even compare with Margot. Note we were sat upstairs & even tho it was a hot night, it was cool & comfortable upstairs. And some have written the seating is too close, but that was not the case at all. We had plenty of room & privacy. Kudos, bravo, & we will be back!

• Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Food, Dining Experience
• Cons: None other than the need for reservations

02/15/09

An East Nashville Tragedy

by DavidENashville

Sadly, Margot's seems to have jumped the proverbial shark when it comes to being creatively and innovating-ly disappointing. What was hailed to us as "the" best restaurant upon our arrival in Nashville has declined in quality in each of our three visits, and is now forever relegated to the Never Again List. And this is sad because our first visit was not half-bad.

There's not space enough to detail our previous two visits, so I'll detail our third visit, in May 2008. This was the worst of our three visits. The menu sounded as great as it always does, but the dishes we ended up with looked and tasted so generically bland that my wife and I both ate in resigned silence. And getting those plates of food was not a straight forward story--my wife's entree was incorrect and was intended for a table next to us. So, we were left there, me with my food and my wife with nothing. We made do by sharing my entree while we waited the 10 minutes for her food to come out--it was an absolutely ridiculous situation, especially considering the prices Margot is charging. Oh yes, and part of my entree was never plated up, a fact which I didn't confirm until I checked the menu at the exit.

Probably the icing on the cake-of-absurdity, was that Margot's normally-delicious bread was no where to be found. And when I asked about the bread, the server decided not to apologize and explaing that they were out of bread or that the bread had not been delivered that day; instead the server provided us with a basket of the sorriest, stalest bread you can imagine. The focaccia was dry with a decidedly oxidated taste to the olive oil and the sourdough...wow...the sourdough was so dry and stale that I could not even begin to bite into it. Serving food products so inferior and degraded speaks VOLUMES

I'm not into hyperbole, but considering the price, this third visit to Margo may have been our worst dining experience to date

01/22/09

Best restaurant in Nashville

by sourcingone

Go. Nothing else need be said.

Brunch is great, but Margot's creativity comes out in her evening meals.

Oh, make a booking - small and popular.

01/04/09

Two strikes and they're out

by JBurton22

The first time I went to Margot's, the entire restaurant was filled with smoke from their kitchen because their vent hood wasn't working. It was so bad you could barely breathe in there.

Last night we decided to give it a second chance. Unfortunately, it was awful again. I chose the $18.00 "winter vegetables" entree, and was served rice and beans. The rice was still crunchy. My husband ordered the short ribs, and it turns out that the same rice and beans that I paid $18.00 for were served with the short ribs. Service was horrible, and everyone else in the restaurant got bread except for us. When they finally came around with the bread after we were done with our entrees, the waitress asked us if we'd like "more bread". They only had one kind of chardonnay on the menu, and it was $11.50 per glass. I left there hungry and could not quit saying "rice and beans - they served me rice and beans."

11/01/08

Inspired but simple food, great service

by eloquenceiseasy

After enjoying the drinks, food, and service at Margot for a while (resident East Sider), I'll provide a much delayed review of one of my favorite spots. I travel about 200 days a year, and have been fortuanate to dine at some really great restaurants all over the country. Margot is still one of my favorites and I always enjoy coming home and walking down to the bar for a drink and some food. Homemade pastas, local and organic ingredients, hand cut potato chips, new items on the menu every night, and an $8 pizza with homemade dough that could be a meal. What else could you ask for? Maybe a great wine list? Check. Servers that know their food and drinks thoroughly? Check. Great ambience? Check.

I have read some of the negative reviews on this page and must say I'm sorry for those folks, it's possible you had a server with an off night, or had bad luck with a dish, but the tone of some of the reviews read like comment cards for Sizzler. As for the kevlar remark, that's just ignorant and offensive. I grew up in Brentwood and you couldn't PAY me to move from my Eastside Craftsman/Victorian neighborhood to River Run or Rest or Branch. I hear those houses aren't selling so well these days...

09/22/08

Hands down favorite

by emy525

I absolutely love this restaurant. I love the food, the ambiance, everything about it!!! I visit at least once a month, it is amazing.

• Pros: Everything

09/18/08

actually atrocious

by luludarling

After many attempts trying to get into Margot through a reservation (where the phone attendant ALWAYS held a ridiculously bitchy attitude), I got in this past week with a group of friends. All I have to say is, what is the fuss all about? The food is completely sub-par - very sloppy, greasy, and just plain uninspired. Bacon is supposed to be a light flavoring, not a fatty grease swim thrown on some very amateurish meat and potatoes. Margot prides itself on a new menu every day, but I would be more impressed if it perfected a solid menu every season. Big disappointment. I'm thankful that I tried it because now I never have to go back again.

07/23/08

Perfect Night Out...

by clarkemj1

My husband & I had a wonderful time at Margot Cafe last Friday night. The waiter bent over backwards to make our dinner enjoyable (including bringing me a "taste" of the amazing artichoke soup since I'm 9mos pregnant & didn't think I could eat a whole bowl). We shared the cheese plate (yum!) and both enjoyed our entrees (trout & homemade pasta). We moved to N'ville from San Francisco and this meal ranked right up there w/ some of our favorite meals in SF - fresh food, fresh menu, excellent service. We'll be going back to Margot for sure...

07/17/08

Perfect Brunch

by GinGin629

Loved it took some friends there for a birthday and everyone (picky ones included) loved the food. The coffee was to die for, blood-orange mimosa fabulous, very crowded but we had reservations so got seated immediatley. Highly recommended. Very friendly staff and delicious food. Can't wait ot go back.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: Nothing

06/10/08

margot cafe and bar

by musicrowmogul

nice romantic setting on patio but we received lackluster service and inflated prices on drinks and entrees. didn't live up to the hype of reviews. but was still probably the nicest place to eat in east nashville.