The food was good but the service was poor and inattentive. I wrote a note to the restaurant directly, but did not receive a response. In addition the restaurant ran out of a particular dish without telling us. We ordered something else, but the bill was not adjusted. read more

This was our third trip and it ended up being our worst experience. They were very busy, but we found a table for two inside and proceeded to wait, wait, and wait. After 10 minutes I got up and found a couple of menus myself. Actually, a server had noticed us and said he would be around. Well, after waiting 10 more minutes we got up and left. The service has never been great here but the food is pretty good. We had a better experience at their new branch at the UTC Mall. read more

This is one of those special and charming places that only the locals know about. It's a real french bakery & cafe. The food is excellent quality, along with huge portions. The fresh bread basket is superb and the bread, croissants and pastries are baked fresh every morning. This is why there is a line to get in most of the time, so you may be waiting 15 minutes or more for a table, which is well worth the wait. Everything you see coming out of the kitchen looks extraordinary and you'll have a tough time deciding which dish to order. I took one star off for the service, which can be spotty or downright absent, but who cares when the food is this good. read more

This place is horrible. Cheap, flavorless food, poorly executed and service to match.

Amazing food, delicious dessert, and -mostly- friendly servers. My husband and I always order the same sandwiches: it just keeps us coming back. And we always leave space for a sweet treat: way too good to pass out. I simply love being able to walk around downtown Sarasota and sit down in the outside terrace in one of those beautiful Florida day. Not to miss if you are going to Sarasota. read more

Stopped by for a quick bite and left satisfied and fortified by a great meal. The tasty quiche was accompanied by a lovely salad. The pastries inside looked delicious. The service was excellent and I would definitely return. read more

I visit Sarasota once a year, and I loved this place. My husband ordered the crepe with vegetables, and I ordered the Croque Monsieur, which was plenty to share. I found the service refreshing. As one poster said, there wasn't a silly server in your face every five seconds. I find loud, obnoxious, bothersome servers who bark up with "How's everything?!" when it is clear that they couldn't care less, to be a nuisance and a detriment to my enjoying my meal. The server was attentive and friendly but not intrusive, which, to me, is the measure of good service. Food was delicious, and we will definitely be back. read more

I have eaten here a bunch of times. Never ever have I had a bad meal. The salads are great, the pastries are very good. There does seem to be a disconnect between the wait staff and the patrons, some may call it "rude", some may call it a "french" thing. I call it wrong and disrespectful and not being greatful and thankful for having a sucessful business, no need for it and after having read the other reviews and realizing it's not my imagination, I going to try the place in the gulf gate plaza. read more

C'est La Vie hands down has the best french pastries in town, I could live off their buttery, flaky croissants and napoleons. It's perfect for outdoor, brunch dining with authentic french classics like their buckwheat crepes and baguettes. I love that its family owned and operated, and that they take so much pride in their place. read more

Salad nicoise is amazing. Great baguette

Worth the visit! My son lives here and had never eaten here. It was Memorial Day and a couple of his favorite places were closed and we noticed how busy they were during lunch. A great extensive menu of home cooked French food, complete with French waiters/waitresses! Our plan is to show our new discovery to the rest of the family soon. read more

C'est la Vie is a near hit. Unfortunately after several occasions I find that the service is extremely frustrating. On many occasions the attitude of the workers are poor and despite the wonderful traditional french pastries and food they serve I can no longer frequent this restaurant. On occasion I do buy some of the bread to go but the overall atmosphere of dining there keeps me away. read more

I have recently discovered this bakery and must say it has been a pleasant surprise. The chocolate croissants are delicious. Any of the pastries with the vanilla cream in them are amazing. The brownie with powdered sugar is so rich in the middle you can't eat the whole thing. I have not had the food as it is always crowded, but it looks good as well. The dessert prices are a little high. A several items can add up to $40-$50 easy. The reviews about owners and some of the staff being rude and busy is true. They do not smile or thank you for your business. Maxwell who is a younger staff member assisted me this last visit and he was very professional and kind. One of the older female staff members was reprimanding him about the order in which he was giving her the items to ring up. To her I say.... Lady, he has more customer service appeal and professionalism as well as future manager skills in his pinky than you have in your entire body. Overall, If you are in the area, its worth a stop. read more

Food is yummy, but restaurant is filthy, with a capital F -- bathrooms are even worse. I was afraid to put my purse down for fear bugs would crawl in. There are a few hazards around the place as well. For example, they keep a hot plate with a glass coffee pot filled with coffee on a shelf over customers' heads. Servers stretch, remove the pot and carry it over heads till they are clear to lower it. Wait staff seemed friendly enough and service was relatively fast. My basket of sliced baguette was stale. read more

This place is a must every trip to Florida. The food is just perfect. The coffee is always hot & fresh. The pastries and breakfasts are out of this world. We usually even take extra pastries for the beach. I would strongly recommend this place (as you can probably tell :)). read more

If you are looking for a GREAT CREPE, this is the place! This side of France or Montreal they are hard to find. We visited during lunch on a rainy day, just sat back, ate our delicious Crepes, read the paper and drank lots of coffee with dessert - it so reminded us of France with the delicious food, and slow pace. We didn't experience any of the negative problems other reviewers mentioned. The owners and wait staff could not have been more accomodating and pleasant. The food was terrific, the prices reasonable, atmosphere enjoyable. For a while, we thought we were in France, not downtown Sarasota. Go and enjoy life like the French! Hope the owners would seriously consider opening a sister restaurant in the Orlando area - say Altamonte Springs or Longwood. We need you! read more

I am very disappointed by what I thought would be an authentic French bistro experience. First of all, the restaurant pulls it off with the decor. It looks cozy and appealing from the outside and in, no complaints there. I think they should play more French music - I can't help but be knocked out of the intended atmosphere when a song comes on that I've heard on the radio 1000x before. I can't comment on the bakery or dessert items (I went there for brunch with my mom and sister) but the meals served left a lot to be desired. First off, we were served a basket of bread and butter, with no plates. Didn't bother to ask for any because the bread itself was very dry. People seem to be raving about this bread but I can't understand why. It's not fluffy, flaky, airy, "delectable"...Maybe I came on an off day? Didn't taste freshly baked, more like a 2 day-old baguette from Publix. Service is passable, with the waiter staff barely saying anything to you before you talk to them. From what I see on here, this is supposed to be a "French" thing. That's just insulting to the French. I call it rude. We ordered 2 omeletes and a baguette sandwich, all with a side of potatoes. One with mushrooms and bacon, and another with salmon and mushrooms. Salmon tasted good, but the first omelette arrived with mushrooms and ham instead of bacon. The side of potatoes that comes with the meals was very dry and lacked any flavor but, well, potato. And ketchup, which is the only thing you can enjoy them with. Ketchup is so very French. I'm not an expert on French cuisine but there's millions of ways to dress up potatoes, surely some that would taste more authentic and not like they were pulled out of a bag of frozen potatoes just 10 minutes ago and dumped on your plate. The presentation of the food for these particular dishes also did a disservice to them. Served on humongous platters that dwarf the food, the meal looks and feels bare. I would add another side to each meal, at least. I know they offer a few more side options at an extra charge, bu why would I go here to pay $13 for a sandwich and two sides when I can go to a major chain and get probably 2x the food for the same price? That's the kind of thinking you should take into consideration when planning your menu and plating your dish, in my personal opinion. The baguette sandwich I ordered (The "Brest" sandwich) was, again, on dry, tough bread with cube-like pieces of chicken that kept falling out, along with all the other pieces of my sandwich. It was a decent size but, coupled with the dry potatoes, had barely any flavor. I didn't finish it. We also had some tea and soda, pretty standard. No complaint there. The place started to fill up the longer we sat there, but when the bill came, I couldn't help but feel a little ripped off. Gratuity is included, which I didn't know prior to coming in. I wouldn't necessarily mind if the service and food hadn't been so poor. I definitely would not have tipped as much as I was charged. All in all, 2/5 stars, and I probably won't be coming back :/ At least not to the cafe. maybe the bakery counter is better, but I'm not going back to find out. read more

Love it here!! Authentic french food and bakery. The food here is amazing!!I I come here all the time for breakfast and lunch. They have a vast menu ranging from crepes to omelettes, quiches, baguette sandwiches and salads all which are delicious! Their savory crepes are really good, the nutella one especially! The omelettes are cooked well and their potatoes are my favorite!! if you go there you have to order a side of them! Not only that their bakery is very good as well, fresh bread and croissants are heavenly. Very cheap and good service your food comes out quick! So if your on a time crunch or on your lunch break this place is ideal. Its casual inside but decorated to have that french touch to it. They also have outside seating which isn't huge but when the weather is nice its perfect to sit out their while eating, it just makes you feel like your in France! I would definitely recommend this place. read more

This is a great little breakfast/lunch spot. Be aware that in-season it is PACKED! The owners both work the floor, waiting several tables themselves. I like the way they run the place, it is very much a no BS kind of joint. Everyone is on the go, but with the high volume of people, it is much running back and fourth. The food is authentic French, though. My boyfriend, a Frenchman, talked with the owners, and they serve a very traditional menu. You'll find many pastries, crepes, omelettes, and salads. It all came out delicious, and I would certainly go back. read more

We were looking forward to lunch here ever since our arrival in Sarasota. How things can change in one year! Last year we were so pleased with this little French place and this year we left feeling more than disappointed. Our waitress was out of it. She kept yawning while taking our order and then almost tripped over the table next to us. She confessed to having gone to sleep late the night before. Forgiven! One of us ordered two crepes, each with different favors and I ordered a sandwich plus side salad. Then the long wait began. Although there were many empty tables we waited and waited and waited some more. Finally the crepe order arrived but not the sandwich. The crepes looked good but guess what---they were luke warm which is worse than being cold! When my sandwich was finally brought to the table and we informed our waitress about the crepes, she piled one atop the other, despite the fact that they were different flavors and stated that she would pop them in the micro oven. If you have ever eaten micro waved crepes then you know how they taste---kind of gummy and chewy. Add to that, the blending of two different flavors, you can be sure this was not a tasty treat. To say lunch became a less than memorable experience is to put it mildly. However, we did purchase some pastries to take home. If memory serves us right, their pastries were quite good last year. Hopefully we will not be in for another disappointment. read more