Marché Moderne

I’ve been here a few times but never reviewed it, so here’s my attempt. We were a party of four and dined here on Saturday for a friend’s birthday dinner. Everything was ready for us and we were seated right away. Philippe was our server and provided outstanding service throughout the evening. Since it was a special occasion, we decided to bring a special bottle of wine from Napa. Corkage fee is $45.

We ordered the following:

Salade Amelia – their composed version of a chopped salad. Light, fresh, and herb-forward.

Row 7 Upstate NY Badger Flame Beet Salad – say that three times! Lol. Kidding aside, this salad featured sweet, flame-striped beets that are far more delicate than traditional varieties. Paired with fresh herbs, bright citrus vinaigrette, and a touch of creamy cheese and pistachio crunch, the dish was light, vibrant, and beautifully balanced. Really good! Beets are starting to grow on me.

Sashimi Hamachi – silky slices of fresh hamachi served simply so the quality of the fish really shines. The delicate richness of the yellowtail paired beautifully with the bright citrus and light seasoning, creating a perfect balance of clean, fresh flavors. Every bite was vibrant and the flavors were bursting in my mouth, leaving a refreshing finish that made the dish hard to stop eating. This was my favorite.

Coq Au Vin – ordered twice. The birthday celebrant didn’t finish hers and ended up taking it home, and she said it was even better the next day after all the flavors had time to marry. My boyfriend ordered this as well and finished his plate.

Pave de Boeuf Braise – a friend ordered this and described it as a braised cut of beef cooked low and slow until incredibly tender. The meat was rich, succulent, and practically melted with each bite.

Retour du Marche a Poisson (market fish) – king salmon served with cauliflower, lemon confit, and marcona almonds on top. This was cooked perfectly, just the way I like it.

The birthday dessert wasn’t comped so we ordered the Hotel Crillon Paris Riz au Lait, or what they call an “elevated rice pudding.” As my boyfriend described it, it wasn’t quite as memorable compared to everything else we had.

Marche continues to dominate modern French fine dining in OC. The food and service here are consistently outstanding. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of French cuisine.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Jeffrey is our regular server when we dine here. The food is always consistently amazing, and it is a perfect place to treat family, business associates, or your special love….this is one of our favorite restaurants. Always consistent in service and food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a Valentine’s Day reservation at Marche Moderne, and it was a complete disaster. Even with a reservation, we waited 45 minutes and were never seated, so we left.

The place was overcrowded and overwhelming, and we were forced to wait outside the entire time. I was in heels, which made it even worse. Terrible reservation management and a huge waste of time on what was supposed to be a special night.

Definitely not coming back.

It is a great place for special occasions! We ordered the chef special appetizer and also the foie gras, which is always a treat. The dinner special, is worth trying, I love the crispy duck, which is on the menu. Creme brulee, for dessert, is great!

We enjoyed a most delightful, graciously served birthday dinner, with seating for two at a lovely special round table in the corner of the bar area. Dane, our waiter, was exceptional in all regards - his delightful engaging personality, his spot-on wine and food recommendations, and his ready availability, though never overly so, ensuring our evening met our expectations. From the start the reception staff graciously welcomed us, and we were immediately impressed with MM's tasteful, upscale décor. We thoroughly enjoyed a delightful evening and our expectations were indeed exceeded. Looking forward to again enjoying this lovely, elegant restaurant, it exceptional food, and delightful staff. Highly recommended.

Great restaurant, totally best in Orange County. Great food, really French, in no way americanized

Elevated and civilized dining experience. Service was exceptional, and ambience was relaxed. We enjoyed watching food being made in their open kitchen and seeing all of the attention to detail. They deserve a Michelin star.

The Amelia salad was creative and contained interesting ingredients which made every bite delicious and slightly different from the last. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection and was accompanied with a salad and French fries that invited more bites.

We usually love Marche Moderne. Last night was a disappointment - we came for Raclette week and the raclette was poor. We got unsold a truffle jam which was undetectable in the meal. My husband ordered the special, lamb shank, and it was dry. The waiter may have been busy with too many tables. He came to take order from one person, disappeared for long period of time, came back for another, went away again. Very inconsistent and inattentive to our needs. We hope that the restaurant re-institutes the usual standard of food and service for our next visit.

Everything was delicious, but do not skip the bread and butter! They make their own butter - sublime!

Marché Moderne was outstanding.
We turned the evening into a French tapas-style experience and loved every minute of it. Highlights included the duck liver mousse, hamachi sashimi with mango sorbet (unexpected and incredibly refreshing), raw scallop crudo with dates and walnuts, and a Wagyu carpaccio with crab that was genuinely to die for. The bread alone deserves applause—warm, crusty, and paired with excellent sea salt butter. We had the plumpest mussels ever! We ended with a refreshing birthday dessert for both of us of meringue and lemongrass ice cream.

Despite being a French restaurant, where tge wine list was mind blowing, the cocktails were top-tier. I had a fantastic mezcal margarita, and my husband’s old fashioned was equally impressive.

We sat on the patio overlooking the entire restaurant, which made for great people-watching and a fun, lively atmosphere without feeling crowded. Service was polished but relaxed, and the pacing was nearly perfect for sharing plates and lingering.

An easy five-star night—elevated, playful, and absolutely worth a return visit. 🇫🇷✨

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was average and nothing too special. I had the duck, and my partner had the beef. Service at the bar was good, and the staff were attentive.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 4

The restaurant was very crowded. We had an 8PM reservation but arrived an hour early hoping to eat sooner. We were told we would need to wait until 8PM, and when we asked about sitting at the bar, we were told we could go take a look ourselves—even though several tables appeared to be empty.

The food was disappointing. The salad was not fresh and didn’t taste good at all. The short rib was average, and I couldn’t finish it. The duck was just okay. Several items we expected based on photos online from a few months ago were no longer available, which made it seem like the menu changes frequently.

For dessert, the chocolate soufflé cake was not good at all…it was bitter, and the chocolate wasn’t melting on the inside as expected. I also ordered a tea and was given the wrong one.

Overall, the experience felt overpriced for the quality, and I wouldn’t recommend this place

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Took my wife here for her birthday. Aside from them writing Happy Anniversary on the table card, excellent service. My wife had the braised short ribs and raved about it. On the other hand, my filet was extremely chewy. Couldn’t believe they called it a filet, more like a top sirloin. Waiter was very helpful and brought me another. Marginally better but really disappointed that this very upscale restaurant would serve such poor quality steaks. For about same price you can have an amazing filet at Ruth’s Chris. We spent over $300 here so definitely not worth it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Delicious food and amazing service and atmosphere! The bread and salted butter is a MUST, the braised short ribs are to (almost) die for and the rice pudding is unique and soooo good! My husband's filet wasn't to his liking. He said it was chewy so we don't recommend that dish. I'm still giving a 5 star because everything else was divine! Merci beaucoup Marche Moderne!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5