Marmalade Cafe - Westlake Village

I want to start by saying, that this is a really cute restaurant, with a nice ambience, and wonderful staff. The food was excellent. The corned beef hash, was well balanced, and delightfully flavorful. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned, and the hollandaise was nice and rich. The first squeezed orange juice was also delicious... But that's where things get a little weird. While The corned beef I felt was fairly priced, The orange juice was INSANE! A small 8 to 10 oz glass of orange juice, it was $8.50. (I can get a gallon of organic fresh squeezed orange juice at whole foods for $11.99). Had I known it was going to be that expensive, I would have never have ordered it, but I couldn't have known that it was going to be that expensive when I ordered it, because The server did exactly like a good server is supposed to, and asked if I wanted one before I sat down, and was even given a menu. I had considered getting the French toast, which they can do gluten-free, because they carry Udi's gluten-free bread... But they do charge a premium of $2.99 for it. The thing about the difference between the regular bread, and the GF bread, is that the GF bread is half as thick, and a smaller size. So you're paying a premium, for less than half of the same entree. I understand that cost can be a thing... But a loaf of Udi's gluten-free bread, is $8 at every major grocery store (Even whole foods). I can guarantee, that the premium bread that they use for their thick cut French toast, is quite comparably priced, and you get half as many slices in a loaf. I've been working in hospitality for 30 years, and have designed and priced many menus. This level of disparity in pricing, is a definite issue. Thankfully, like I said... The food was delicious and The staff was amazing. Incredibly friendly, ultimately professional, and not the cause of any of my distress (When I brought the subject up, despite already having paid, the manager was kind enough to remove it. I wasn't asking, or expecting it, but they insisted). This problem is all with the parent company for Marmalade Cafe. Do I recommend eating there... Absolutely. You will not be disappointed in The culinary part of your experience... Just make sure you look at the menu first before ordering anything, because when given the chance, the company will apparently gouge you deep.

Every meal we ordered here was delicious enough to want to go back, even though we only had a week to try new restaurants. We were especially pleased that they had gluten-free options for my daughter, and not just boring things like eggs. She was able to have a pancake and not feel left out. The Bloody Mary was also perfectly spicy. The meal was a bit pricey, but every restaurant in the area was and this one actually felt worth it.