Maison Giraud

If I could give 0 stars I would, rudest chef ever I guess he thinks he’s still in Paris. I knew him when he was chef of a restaurant in Santa Monica and he came off very touchy feely when I sat at the bar and it made me very uncomfortable. When I showed up here I realized it was the same chef and was a little uneasy. I ordered the fish and it didn’t taste very fresh. I asked the waiter if I could order something else in its place. The waiter was very kind and said no problem but then the chef instead approached my table very defensively in front of the whole restaurant and decided to argue with me about the freshness of the fish. I don’t get intimated easily so I stood my ground and not only did I not get an apology but at that moment I asked for the check as I did not want to spend another minute in this egomaniacs restaurant. The staff seemed really embarrassed and I had the sense this wasn’t the first time this had happened. If you don’t care about your customers then you are a bad business man. One of the WORST experiences I have ever had in a restaurant period. Its amazing that someone can act like that and still be in business! Two thumbs down…

Bad service. I had to wait so long to be seated. They looked at me as if like I don’t exist. Finally when they did seat us, they told us we had to seat outside which was cold. Then it took them a while to help and take our order. I just did not feel welcome.
I have to say that they do have delicious soufflé.

I just wrote a thorough explanation of why not to sit down to eat at Maison Giraud, but then it disappeared with an inadvertent mouse click. I’m too frustrated to rewrite it. Just take my word for it, this place has all the hallmarks of a chef owned and chef run restaurant. I am not sure this is the case but from the ongoing, consistently good food and even more consistently bad service. I’m sure I’m not far off.
I am done sitting down at this place. I have subjected myself to this incompetence too many times. They aren’t maliciously bad, they are simply poorly trained. It is just too distracting to the dining experience to put up with one more frustrating meal. Today, the only thing that kept me from getting up and taking my business someplace else was that they had a couple of on the ball bus boys that did their best to cover for, what I have come to expect, is the typically inept waitstaff. Having said that, if you choose to put up with their untrained and poorly managed waiters you will not be disappointed with their delicious, but overpriced, brunch offerings. Hey, it is the Palisades.

Went in today and had breakfast, the pictures oof french pastries i saw online were so tempting.
Service was very good.
Our waiter was french, courteous and took great cae of us.
When our food was served my lox benedict was suposed to have the sauce on the side and it was not my friend ordered a goat cheese and spinach omelette and it had gryere instead.
We sent hers back and had to wait 10 minutes at least for it to come back.
The potatoes on our plates were cold, my benedict was cold .
Potatoes are probably pre fried and then flash fried or reheated as they tasted old.
The chocolate croissant was fine but not great and pain au raisin was over cooked.
Nothing was done, we didnt complain but will not be coming back.
$ 51.00 plus tax for more then mediocre food
Also i asked if they had vanilla latte and our waiter said no but we have an almond latte, you d think it would have an almond taste, instead found out it was just alatte with almond milk. what a disapointement and how misleading was that.
This place needs training and a manager to check on things. A

I have never given a restaurant five stars before on Unilocal before and this is a first. We went about 6pm, wanting to try the chocolate soufflé and the chocolate cross ain’t, but made a silly mistake of not checking the bakery hours.
However, they did have some chocolate croissants left and we managed to get our hands on two of them! Impeccable service was provided, especially by host. We were also greeted by Monsieur Giraid himself, who joked that he was our chaperone for night.
The chocolate soufflé takes 22 mins to make, so make sure you order it when placing your order for other dishes. It was not bad. I would give it ⁴⁄₅. Portion is huge though.

First stop in LA! Thanks to the trusty Unilocal app I found this and wow am I happy I found this place! The croissants are amazing! I got a chocolate croissant and a raisin roll. The croissant is made so beautifully it flakes off! This place gives Common Bond in Houston a run for its money! I was slightly disappointed that they only make ham and cheese croissants on the weekend though. What a shame!

First timer to Maison Giraud… great farmers market on Sunday outside their front door. Wait time was reasonable for our party of five. Owner was at the entrance greeting and taking names. He was extremely friendly. Menu had a nice variety of brunch items… children’s menu also available. All the locals/​regulars seemed to know about the French pastries for sale from the back counter. We all purchased chocolate croissants to go. Brunch was very good, but the service could have been better. Waiter did not come back to see if we needed anything… and we did. He also took a while to refill our beverages which were completely empty for quite a while. All in all the food was very good and the chocolate croissant eaten at home was absolutely decadent. I would definitely go back, but not on a Sunday for brunch.
P. S. Ordered a side of bacon along with my omelette. It was the best bacon I have ever had. Four large slices perfectly cooked.

Server was horrible. No utensils, no napkins, no water, forgot my beer order, didn’t warm up the croissants as I requested, check took forever to come out. Miss, if you weren’t so caught up serving Jason Mamoa’s table from Game of Thrones, maybe you could have done your job.
I do agree that the croissants were really good though. I just wished they warmed them up.
The egg benedict was awful. The sour sauce that was on it did not match well at all. The quiche had no flavor what so ever. The worst I’ve had in awhile.
Two stars for the croissants and the food runner.

Love the food with the last Thursday special chef dinner 6 course splendid ands great value. At 75
Service friendly and earnest but needs to improve

Had an awesome dessert here with my (grade school-​aged) daughter a couple of nights ago. We strolled in on a lark (we were only visiting the Palisades for the weekend) and shared the most amazing chocolate soufflé I’ve ever eaten. On top of that, despite the fact that it was just me and the kid and we were only there for dessert, the service was friendly and attentive.
I’m looking forward to going back here the next time we’re in town, maybe even for a full meal this time.

BAKERY: 10 stars.
RESTAURANT: it’s great. Not 5 stars, but it’s decent. I wouldn’t come here just for a regular meal, it’s all about the baked goods. See below:
CROISSANTS: this is why you come here. Not ordering one would be like going to Disneyland and not going on any rides.
The bakery is so overwhelmingly good that I give 4 stars (even with the just ok restaurant) — at least get some baked goods to go!

This place is wonderful! They have lots of fresh baked pastry options in the morning, that are all delicious! They know how to make WELL COOKED bacon. The eggs are tasty. They have spectacular Belgian waffles. The French toast is great too. Fruit is always fresh. …and despite being French, the service is good too.
Perfect for weekend breakfast/​brunch!

Normally I don’t give one star, but wish I can give a negative on this place! came here with a friend a little over a month ago to have brunch with. after reading and seeing some reviews I decided to give this place a try. after being here I would NEVER come back or recommend this place at all!
the location itself is next to a couple of shops, it being next to a French little boutique, the day my friend and I came out here, we sat outside, which I believe the restaurant shares the outdoor sitting area with the boutique right next door. upon arrival everything was going well, were seat and soon after our serve came, we ordered mimosas and our meals, my friend had a croque madame and I ordered steak and eggs, how simple can that get! Minutes after our meals come out, hers looked fine, mine well my steak was over cooked (not med rare as I had asked for, and the friend egg well it was over cooked, no runny yolk). I called our server and explained that 1 my steak was overcooked and 2 my egg was also overcooked, he took my plate and went back for a 2^nd attempt with hopes this time they get it right! by this time my friend is half way through her meal.
my second plate comes out, this time the egg was done right but unfortunately the steak was cold and it looked like they threw it on a George Forman grill and gave it some grilled marks and that’s it! it was horrible! I called the server again and explained. so decided to opt out on the steak since they apparently could not get it right! I decided to try something else!
a few seconds after the owner or so I believed she was from the French little boutique right next doors decides to interfere and ask what is our problem if I don’t like their food (first of all she is not affiliated with the restaurant) she may have a good relationship them since they use her front as a sitting area also.
so she yelling at me and my friend was is our problem, if we are just a bunch of «freeloaders» looking for a free meal! at this stage I could not believe what was going on, she was rude, unfriendly and very unprofessional, soon after the pastry chef comes out, and asked her to step away from our table. the chef apologized for the incident and said that he tested the food and agreed it was not done correctly in addition it was cold! he offered us a free glass of mimosas and take the items off our bill. by this time I was already upset at the level of food and service provided!
After this experience I would never come back nor recommend this place! Unless you want mediocre food and awful service!

Wonderful baked goods – particularly the Danishes and the croissants. Went there for breakfast this morning. Eggs Benedict and Egg Florentine were Ok, but not outstanding – the Hollandaise is too dill-​filled and lemony. The blueberry danish was outstanding. Service was adequately attentive, but the entire experience, although it’s a pretty little restaurant, is too expensive for what you get. I’ve never been there for lunch or dinner, so I can’t speak to the quality and value of those meals.

The best croissant I’ve ever had in my life. It is so crunchy on the outside and so soft and flaky on the inside.
–1 star because I ordered the breakfast plate (forgot the name) that came with 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes, fruit, and toast. They brought it out without the toast, and when I asked for the toast that the menu said it would come with, the waiter brought me literally half of a piece of toast. It was pretty ridiculous. Not even a full piece of toast to go with 2 eggs?! Shocking

I saw someone holding a baguette and asked him where he got it from. He said that there was a French bakery just down the road and that they had the best baguettes on the entire west coast. Being a world traveller (42 countries so far) and a bread fanatic, I beelined it to this place.
Very disappointed! The bread was average to below average. It was just ever so over cooked and lacked flavor, well except for the burntness. I asked for butter and even the butter lacked flavor. It needed salt. Totally bummed out!

I strongly believe restaurants that serve delicious food should not be given just 1 or 2 stars based on the lack of service, especially if they are hole-​in-​the-​wall joints. However, for a semi-​nice restaurant in an upscale neighborhood charging (310) prices, one would expect its servers to be somewhat courteous.
Maison Giraud is one of those. Their croissants are so good that I keep forgetting their service sucks and come back only to be (unpleasantly) surprised.
Today I walked into Maison and found myself standing around waiting and looking puzzled for a few minutes. The restaurant was relatively empty but the two servers standing behind the pastry case did not even bother to acknowledge my presence. One made eye contact with me but did not say a word. No «hi» «how are you» or «how many». I started to feel annoyed so I just sat myself down. I had to ask for the menu because no one bothered to offer it to me and it was a challenge just getting one of the server’s attention to take my order. However, what’s strange was that the customers that came in after me were properly escorted to their seats and my server (young French guy with a beard) was fairly attentive to them. I try not to go there but I’m starting to think «racism», because this is the type of service I get over here every single time.
At least they always make a good fish and I love the mocha here. Maybe Maison is trying to reflect the French attitude of laissez-​faire and racial superiority through their service. I’m thinking «take out» from now on.

Quaint little French spot in Pacific Palisades. Came for brunch after the farmer’s market on a Sunday. There is indoor and outdoor seating (although if you come on a Sunday you will be stumbled on if you sit outside).
To start, our waiter brought us a Pain au Chocolat and croissant on the house! They were perfectly light (although not in calories), buttery, and flakey.
I had a bellini made with white peach nectar and my date had a mimosa. Both were yummy, and not overdone by the juice.
For our main dishes we shared the quiche and french toast — extremely different and delightful in their own ways.
Maison Giraud has a friendly staff and a comfortable atmosphere; I would love to come back and try their dinner and dessert menus!

My boyfriend took me here on an early Sunday morning for breakfast. We found street parking nearby after a few drive around the block. We didn’t realize that they have farmer market on Sundays!
We arrived around 8:30am and was immediately seated right outside to do some people watching during the farmers market.
Here’s what we got:
CROISSANT AU BEIRRE — $ 3.75
Buttery Croissant, voted best in Los Angeles.
This was the very reason we came here! Although pricey I feel it’s worth to try! It’s perhaps the most beautiful croisaant I seen! I was able to taste each layer of flakey and bitterness! Unfortunately it didn’t come out warm like I hoped. Oh well it was still good. It came with this raspberry compote I thought I was lovely.
HAM & CHEESE OMELET — $ 13.50
French Ham, Aged Gruyère Cheese, Baby Spinach
I chose this because I really couldn’t decide and this didn’t sound bad. It was fine… I mean, there’s really nothing special to this. It’s was a tart omelette, came with a couple of pieces of fruit (one orange wedge, one watermelons slice, one strawberry slice and one grape… the green kind), and some little pieces of cut potatoes. Oh I believe there was a brioche that was ok. Entrée was fine. *shrugs*
ROASTED CHICKEN APPLE SAUSAGE — $ 14
Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes, Brioch
I can’t rave about this one either. Same as the omelet: some cut potatoes and exactly 4 small pieces of fruit – oh but this one has a nicer slice of strawberry! The scrambled eggs was fine and the sausage was ok. As for the brioche? You guessed it! It was fine…
Before we sat down to eat my boyfriend actually suggested we just pick up the croisaant here to go and have breakfast elsewhere. I said no. It was too early to think straight and make correct decisions.
Service was fine and I mean that in a great way, heh. I felt this place was too pricy for food I could have made at home (minus the croissant!). Id come back for the baked goods but not for a meal. Loved the expensive croissant. I had a fine time. :)

Best croissants in LA; there I’ve said it…
It was on a recent Friday when I carpooled and dropped off my wife at work that I remembered that you had to get to Alain Giraud’s Maison Giraud early to have a chance to get their Croissants and Pain du Chocolat before they sell out, sometimes before lunch. Located in a nice sequestered neighborhood of LA in the Pacific Palisades, this local French Bistro has the most awesome looking viennoiserie under the counter. I was drawn to the shimmering crust of the Pain du Chocolat but my heart sunk a bit when I didn’t see any Croissants au Beurre or butter croissants, my raison d’etre, at least at MG. Then, reprieve; they had some on the cooling racks in the back…
The flaky dough is progressively more buttery as you delve deeper with each bite. Outer shards give way to inner elasticity. I felt particularly fortunate to have a croissant right off the cart so to speak as the freshness was undeniable. The Pain au Chocolat was good too, but I prefer the simple elegance of a well made butter croissant, even over the semi-​sweetness of the embedded chocolate…
A little bit of a trek for me, a little pricey even, but well worth the effort. The croissants will be my excuse for driving all the way up to PP, I understand that there is a farmers market here on Sundays, perhaps I’ll plan a return visit with my wife then…