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Gaulart & Maliclet French Café opened its door during the summer of 1984 in Charleston, SC by artists Gwylene Gallimard & Jean-Marie Mauclet as a tool to build community through food. They remain advisors to the longtime employees that carry on their legacy. The shared tables that bring the height of the customer to the same height of the staff, the open kitchen, the focus on simple, fresh ingredients and our commitment to making fresh soups and specials daily are just as important today as they were when we opened. Charleston continues to expand outward and change demographically but the Café remains a place where people of all walks of life can gather, communicate, and enjoy a home cooked meal and an affordable glass of French Wine!
Bustling bistro offering all-day eats, coffee, beer & French wines, plus sidewalk seating.
Hours
| Thursday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Friday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | 8 AM–8 PM |
| Monday | 8 AM–8 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM–8 PM |
| Wednesday | 8 AM–8 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 98 Broad St, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: (843) 577-9797
Website: https://www.fastandfrenchcharleston.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Gaulart & Maliclet – Authentic French Café & Restaurant in Charleston
Since 1984, Gaulart & Maliclet Restaurant has been serving Fine French cuisine. Popular as a favorite brunch spot in Charleston.
Gaulart & Maliclet Fast and French Café | My Site
Shopping Cart · “Gaulart & Maliclet is the best local eatery in Charleston. The menu features authentic French cuisine that is fresh and delicious. I’ve never …
Book Your Gaulart & Maliclet Fast and French Reservation … – Resy
Gaulart & Maliclet Fast and French Café opened its door during the summer of 1984 in Charleston, SC by artists Gwylene Gallimard & Jean-Marie Mauclet.
Reviews
Steven Ramsey
Great food, fast, friendly service, cozy atmosphere, and reasonably priced. Can’t recommend enough!
The only aspect that may be off putting for some, is the seating arrangement is a bit tight. You sit at counters which results in you sitting right next to other dinners. I kinda liked it though.
… moreThe only aspect that may be off putting for some, is the seating arrangement is a bit tight. You sit at counters which results in you sitting right next to other dinners. I kinda liked it though.
Audrey Handleton
What a cute little spot. Delicious food and great service — try the croissant & house-made lemonade. It’s quite small inside, so try and score a patio seat.
… moreTatiana Davidson
Came here for lunch and was immediately greeted. The place has a cozy, cool vibe. Everything on the menu sounded amazing, it was so hard to choose! I ordered the Open-Faced Sandwich Provençal, and it was absolutely delicious! The salad with vinaigrette was outstanding, I’ll most definitely be back!
… moreKevin Chen
TL;DR: One of the best lunches I’ve had in Charleston. Ordered the Special of the Day—a ham, cheese, apple, and pickled onion sandwich on baguette bread—served with potato soup and a choice of house wine, French press coffee, or tea. The sandwich was outstanding, with perfectly balanced flavors and textures, while the soup was underwhelming and bland. Service was quick and efficient. Overall, excellent value for the price and well worth a visit.
—
As of this writing, I can confidently say this is one of the best places I’ve eaten at in Charleston. I stopped in for lunch and ordered the Special of the Day: ham, cheese, apple, and pickled onion on fresh baguette bread. This also came with a soup—my choice was potato—and a drink selection of house wine, French press coffee, or tea.
The sandwich was absolutely exceptional. The combination of crispy baguette, tart apple, rich cheese, savory ham, and tangy pickled onion created a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Each bite had contrast and depth, making it one of the most memorable sandwiches I’ve ever had.
The potato soup, however, was less impressive. It lacked seasoning and depth of flavor, tasting more like starchy potato water than a well-developed soup. A bit more seasoning and richness would have greatly improved it.
The staff were quick, attentive, and efficient, making for a smooth dining experience. Considering the reasonable price, the meal offered excellent value—delicious food (especially the sandwich), pleasant service, and an inviting atmosphere.
… more—
As of this writing, I can confidently say this is one of the best places I’ve eaten at in Charleston. I stopped in for lunch and ordered the Special of the Day: ham, cheese, apple, and pickled onion on fresh baguette bread. This also came with a soup—my choice was potato—and a drink selection of house wine, French press coffee, or tea.
The sandwich was absolutely exceptional. The combination of crispy baguette, tart apple, rich cheese, savory ham, and tangy pickled onion created a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Each bite had contrast and depth, making it one of the most memorable sandwiches I’ve ever had.
The potato soup, however, was less impressive. It lacked seasoning and depth of flavor, tasting more like starchy potato water than a well-developed soup. A bit more seasoning and richness would have greatly improved it.
The staff were quick, attentive, and efficient, making for a smooth dining experience. Considering the reasonable price, the meal offered excellent value—delicious food (especially the sandwich), pleasant service, and an inviting atmosphere.
Rowan McLaughlin
I adore this place more than I can put into words. I’ve been coming here for 4 years and never have been disappointed. I’ve introduced this place to countless friends, family, and my partner. Everyone has been mind blown. Absolutely adorable decor inside. The vibe is always relaxing and chill. Really makes you feel like you’re at a little cafe in France. My go to order is the Croq Baguette with turkey. It’s delicious, filling, and only $8! The prices here can’t be beat. The taste of the food is incredible. After 4 years, I’m still shocked at how amazing it is. Service is great, I’m usually seated immediately. Seriously I recommend this place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Amazing amazing amazing!!! A true gem in Charleston.
… moreClaire
The food was very disappointing. The soup was served cold (not sure of the “French” style) and the chicken with rice was unfortunately even below a simple home-cooked standard. The servers seemed extremely busy and did not offer the level of service one would expect for a comfortable dining experience. Overall, it was not an enjoyable meal.
… moreLiz Cook
My friend and I were desperate for something to eat/drink on one of the hottest days of the summer and decided to stop in here. It was very fresh, flavorful, and fun! I normally avoid dairy however that is hard to do in a French bistro and nevertheless, it was delicious. I had the banana gazpacho, toasted baguette topped with brie and fig jam, and a slice of honeydew on the side. My friend had the same platter substituted with french onion soup. We completed it with a Perrier, iced coffee, and fruity mocktail. Service was fast and friendly despite how busy they were. Thanks Gaulart & Maliclet!
… moreJack Whittemore
I don’t really know where to begin, mostly because I really don’t have it in me to be rude or mean, especially as a fellow industry worker. Unfortunately tonight perhaps the restaurant was just on an off day. For starters, the wine list was good and fairly priced, I enjoyed my sav blanc and so did the others, however, that was just about the only thing that really swung in a good direction.
After spending the summer in France and working in a Michelin restaurant in Lyon, I was really excited to finally enjoy some “authentic” French food again. And so it began.
I ordered boullibasse and received under reduced wine and fish stock with no remnants whatsoever of saffron, and I am almost certain there was absolutely no salt in the broth. The aioli was actually pretty good. However, despite this first mishap, I was also unfortunately served my boullibasse raw and lukewarm and even bit into a raw shrimp, which is actually kind of serious considering raw shrimp can cause paralysis through PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning). I was polite and simply asked if it could be cooked, and it was, however they attempted to rush it on too high of a heat and my 2 Scallops and 1 piece of shrimp were obliterated. (To be kind, and because I genuinely felt bad I did eat my food). To make up for the raw shellfish, they offered to compensate with a glass of their house wine (which was probably some supermarket bottle worth $5) and while that was a very generous pour, I was supposed to get a glass of wine with my boullibasse in the first place.
And to be clear, I was served one total glass of wine outside of the bottle we ordered. Also, this whole ordeal just to put food in my stomach took around an hour before the main entree was even remotely cooked.
The chicken liver toast was fine, needed salt, why did you only give me one half of a cornichon on each piece? Did those become expensive? Kind of strange, needed salt, whatever.
Cactus soup was fine, no chorizo?
Also the boullibasse happened to splatter on my shirt when the server gave it to me, and if there ACTUALLY WAS any saffron in the boullibasse I’m certain that the shirt is now ruined because saffron stains everything.
We also had to repeatedly ask for multiple things that we ordered, and Stephen finally received his appetizer soup after the main entree was finished and we were nearly ready for the bill.
Strange how many times we had to ask for certain things that were missing, but after I was served raw shellfish they touched the table just about 1 time every 2-3 minutes. Honestly, serving a cheap wine as compensation is kind of a remarkable slap in the face.
And after all of this I still somehow walked away paying full price for everything, including the bowl of raw shellfish that, sure, was eaten, but from a food service standpoint I’m not sure what kind of person doesn’t at least take that off of the bill.
I was really rooting for this place because French food is so close to my heart, but left hungry and upset and concerned about Charleston’s food scene considering this place has been here for 4 decades (somehow)
This was genuinely the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had, and it breaks my heart that after spending all week cooking for other people, I cannot sit down and be served a proper meal.
Oh well, good luck guys
… moreAfter spending the summer in France and working in a Michelin restaurant in Lyon, I was really excited to finally enjoy some “authentic” French food again. And so it began.
I ordered boullibasse and received under reduced wine and fish stock with no remnants whatsoever of saffron, and I am almost certain there was absolutely no salt in the broth. The aioli was actually pretty good. However, despite this first mishap, I was also unfortunately served my boullibasse raw and lukewarm and even bit into a raw shrimp, which is actually kind of serious considering raw shrimp can cause paralysis through PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning). I was polite and simply asked if it could be cooked, and it was, however they attempted to rush it on too high of a heat and my 2 Scallops and 1 piece of shrimp were obliterated. (To be kind, and because I genuinely felt bad I did eat my food). To make up for the raw shellfish, they offered to compensate with a glass of their house wine (which was probably some supermarket bottle worth $5) and while that was a very generous pour, I was supposed to get a glass of wine with my boullibasse in the first place.
And to be clear, I was served one total glass of wine outside of the bottle we ordered. Also, this whole ordeal just to put food in my stomach took around an hour before the main entree was even remotely cooked.
The chicken liver toast was fine, needed salt, why did you only give me one half of a cornichon on each piece? Did those become expensive? Kind of strange, needed salt, whatever.
Cactus soup was fine, no chorizo?
Also the boullibasse happened to splatter on my shirt when the server gave it to me, and if there ACTUALLY WAS any saffron in the boullibasse I’m certain that the shirt is now ruined because saffron stains everything.
We also had to repeatedly ask for multiple things that we ordered, and Stephen finally received his appetizer soup after the main entree was finished and we were nearly ready for the bill.
Strange how many times we had to ask for certain things that were missing, but after I was served raw shellfish they touched the table just about 1 time every 2-3 minutes. Honestly, serving a cheap wine as compensation is kind of a remarkable slap in the face.
And after all of this I still somehow walked away paying full price for everything, including the bowl of raw shellfish that, sure, was eaten, but from a food service standpoint I’m not sure what kind of person doesn’t at least take that off of the bill.
I was really rooting for this place because French food is so close to my heart, but left hungry and upset and concerned about Charleston’s food scene considering this place has been here for 4 decades (somehow)
This was genuinely the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had, and it breaks my heart that after spending all week cooking for other people, I cannot sit down and be served a proper meal.
Oh well, good luck guys
Sydney
We came in with a big group last night and had the most amazing experience! The servers were all so lovely and super helpful (even on a busy weekend night). The food was absolutely delicious, & drink selection was perfect. I can’t wait to come back! ☺️
… morediego
This place is one of our favorites. Every time we go to our condo in Mt Pleasant we have to visit them. Original and “frenchy” atmosphere.
Food great my favorite is usually the menu of the day (which includes wine)! But anything I have ordered, no regrets. Be sure and order dessert and if they have it, the chocolate cookie cheesecake is delish.
… moreFood great my favorite is usually the menu of the day (which includes wine)! But anything I have ordered, no regrets. Be sure and order dessert and if they have it, the chocolate cookie cheesecake is delish.