Well, I will not say that the service is bad, or terrible. But, my last visit was a bit of a disappointment. I used to really enjoy their bouillabaisse burger (one of their weekly specials) and it is no longer there. It seems like the entire menu was reworked/revamped, with a few of their "classics" being retained (insanely good mac and cheese!) but many others being dropped in favor of new dishes. Honestly, I was not happy. I ordered the vegetarian platter (from my recollection, it used to change seasonally) and it was good (not great). I will be back, because they are still good, but I much prefer Thirty Acres and Satis.

This place was amazing back in the day, but now not so much. Way too much attitude.

I remember when this space was an old bodega that was owned by an older, very sweet Latin couple before they sold it to the Marco & Pepe owners.

They should have kept some of that old bodega sweetness and do away with the rude tude.

I was there for brunch in the early spring with my girlfriend, we were told it would be a 25 minute wait. I checked in after 45 minutes and politely asked how much longer it would be. As I walked in I noticed a few open tables. No big deal, I've worked in food service, they were busy, not a problem. Then the officious, spiky-haired little prick working the door looked over at the open tables, looked back at me, and in the most snobbiest, snottiest, voice possible said, "Hmmmmm, I guess we could do you now" At this point I did get sarcastic and said "Oh, really, you can do me now? Thanks". To which I was told that if I liked I could "sit down and keep waiting" instead. Needless to say I left and haven't been back.

I guess that attitude could work when they were the only game in town. Now why bother? 30 Acres is blocks away, Hamilton Inn is 15 min and twice as good.

I was there about a month ago with my mom and the food was great. In fact it has now become part of the ritual to go there when she gets in town. I have had the best swordfish ever in that place. I don't know if they still have their red quinoa side dish since their menu change a bit but I would really recommend it. Their wine list is also good. Desserts are a little weaker here imho.

We usually order portions and we share one side-dish, that's plenty enough to leave room for dessert and it makes price quite reasonable in the end. Quality over quantity. That's what this town is getting over time.

I generally like M&P, though with the recent additions to the area, I find myself less and less interested in it.

I went today for lunch. It took 20 min to get my salad and grilled corn. There were about 4 tables outside and 6 tables inside. I never was asked how the meal was (it was OK, but nothing stellar for the price), and I had to take my credit card out to get their attention and the bill.

A woman and man next to me, separate tables, gave their meals back to be cooked more. And the guy had a dirty glass that he gave back to them.

Did I just go on an off-day or is service and quality always that poor?

My wife and I used to eat at M&P much more often, maybe 2-3 years ago. Now it's just once in awhile. Our general feeling is that the menu is overpriced on some things but the bigger problem (for us) is that the service has been very slow. The wait staff has been fine so maybe it's the kitchen??

However, the overall quality of the food is very, very good and I think it's better seasoned than, say, Ox was. I never found M&P too loud but when at Ox I found it almost impossible to have a conversation across the table without yellling; there was no sound deadening material in that place when I looked so probably just a design flaw.

I also think people don't rave enough about M&P's beer list. They have a great selection both on tap and in bottles and the bartenders have always been very friendly and helpful.

I'm happy that we have M&P in Jersey City but I do think they have room to improve in some areas. And as I said, I still go there sometimes.

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Going tonight on a blind date. Hope I get the same service !!!

I went the other day, waited 30 min for a table, waiter was very rude, took an extremely long time to order and get our meal, they served us the wrong order, when I asked for more water the waiter actually punched me in the face.

But the food was so good, cant wait to go back!

This topic makes me say...MAN HOW I MISS OX!

Tried to go here a few times, as the food is so often recommended. Each time there was no table available. While I don't mind waiting for a table occasionally, the host who greeted us was a complete a**hole, and basically blew us off rather than tell us how long the wait would be and try to make us comfortable. I got the same attitude when I called once to find out if they take reservations, (they don't) and they sounded like I was wasting their time by calling and asking. So, F-you M&P! If you want my $ then you could have tried a little harder to make us welcome.

I have to agree, M&P has always been great food-wise and the service is consistently good. Love going there.

Been to M and P about 6-7 times, every time the food and service has been a dream. Love that they sell balthazar baguettes without a noticeable mark-up. Also, Columbe coffee is amazing. Oh, hot capicola and humboldt fog cheese! Yum.

Went the other night for the second time. Food was great. Service was fine. No complaints here. Will definitely be going more regularly.

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not interested in the overall argument here, but that statement does not make much sense to me. I've worked in the restaurant business and fact is shit happens in the kitchen and on the floor constantly that the staff has to compensate for, sometimes succesfuly and sometimes not. At the end of the day the goal is to make any problems as invisible to the customer as possible and part of front of house's job is damage control and managing customer expectations when timing in the kitchen is off, etc.

To suggest that M&P is flawless at deliving to all reasonable customer expectations... well, it's not realistic.

I gave up on talking about M&P a long time ago (i just don't go anymore), but I am fully confident in stating I had zero "bad attitude" prior to events that basicaly ended my relationship with this restaurant. They were not earth shattering problems, but annoying enough that i knew money would be better spent elsewhere.

anyway, carry on...

My 2 cents - 20% is a standard tip these days (for for like the past 10 or so years) Anyone who leaves 10% without first speaking with a manager about the problem, in my opinion, should never be considered a good tipper.

Having waited tables for years, there are sooo many reasons service can be bad. It's not an excuse but if you get bad service, before you stiff the waiter it is nice to address the problem, either with the waiter or the manager. Sometimes wait staff doesn't relay the problem to the customer, sometimes the customer is an a-hole... there are so many reasons why service can be slow. And there are so many different interpretations of good/bad service.

I've always been happy with M&P.

Never had a bad meal here. The service was rough a few times but I feel it was not the waiters fault.
( chain of events ) I will keep going back I really like Marco and Pepe especially during the warmer months!
Bloody Mary's thumbs up !!!!

I've never been a waitperson, but I've worked retail. In my opinion, slow or inept service can sometimes be excused. Slow service is sometimes not the fault of the person who is actually serving the customers. As for making mistakes, we're all human, and we have bad days, migraines, exhaustion, etc. Everyone has bad days at work. The problem is that when you work a service job, you have to face the people it affects. And when you make a mistake, a lot of customers will assume you're just stupid and will treat you as such for the rest of the transaction.

There's absolutely NO excuse for rudeness, and that goes for everyone-- servers, customers, your toll taker, your neighbor, your boss, etc. Being pleasant to your fellow human beings is simply a social skill that everyone should have. When I worked retail, there were days when I literally was mourning someone's death, or suffering from the flu. But I never took it out on my customers, because they didn't deserve it. Even the rude ones. Part of my job was to be kind and pleasant and helpful. Some people came in and dumped all their sh*t all over me because they were having a bad day. They'd talk on their cell phones at the register or get my attention by snapping their fingers, or just yell at me for no reason. I always smiled and tried to be extra nice. Sometimes they looked at me like I was an idiot, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let that person ruin my day. And by the same token, they should have known better than to be rude to me, because just because I was being paid to serve them didn't mean I didn't deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

I agree, the job of a waiter is to provide good service. However, it is not their job to be your punching bag cause you you are not fulfilled at a. work, b. sex, or c. just cause you are having a bad day and feel like bossing someone around. Stick to Chili's with your crappy 10% AND, AND, they have Miller Lite there too!

Note: I haven't been a waiter for over 4 years now (wish I still were at many times, cause the majority of customers that frequent M&P are awesome), but I treat them with the utmost respect and being that they know the most about the food and drink, utilize their knowledge to make my personal dining experience better.

What a douche, you don't even know me yet you call me an asshole...on the net for that matter. You're probably unemployed, single and miserable.

Eff you and your "get my food, slave" attitude. Oh, and it's not a "hunch" that I (speaking for myself) would go on, it would be complete unclassy antics, not unlike those of a 5 year-old, treating me like sh*t for no apparent reason that would trigger it. And, minimal interaction meant JUST providing great timely service,no personality involved.

Oh, and based on a recent post by you...no wonder you get treated like crap..."I've never heard of people tipping by percentage for delivery. The guy's not waiting on you hand and foot like a waiter. Unless the order is abnormally large, requiring him to go back and forth to his car over and over, I don't really change my tip for $25 of food or $50."

You expect people to wait on you hand and foot????? hahahaha.

I totally agree with dixonhills. This place used to be awesome - it had a natural European feel, with appropriately relaxed (just the right amount of slow) service.

Then something switched with the culture of the staff. It changed to "we are so cool because we are european style place and you should realize how lucky you are to be here"

Seven years ago I used to go about twice a month, I now go once a year. Every time I am disappointed by the service (or lack thereof.) The food is still good though.

Thanks for the insight into the scumbag entitlement nature of waiters. YOUR #OOPS#ING JOB is to provide people with good service, despite whether you have a hunch they'll be pissy. Posts like yours always remind me to stop tipping so much for shitty service. From now on it's 10% for anything but phenomenal service, and all those waiters can blame entitled assholes like yourself.

That said, I don't think people are generally complaining about the servers' attitudes, just how painfully slow and inattentive they are. Believe me, when it comes to wait staff I'm polite to a fault. I've eaten at M+P's maybe four times and always had the same horrendous service.

EDIT: Oh, and I just caught your "interact with that table as little as possible (they?re being a-holes), but do the best job you can." Yeah, I'm sure that last part really came into play a lot. Such bullshit.

(On soap-box)
Having been a waiter and bartender at Marco & Pepe for about 3-4 years (3-4 years ago) I have to say that if anyone has a problem with the staff I can GUARANTEE it's his or her fault. If you go into the place with a bad attitude you are going to have a bad experience. If you feel some sort of entitlement because you consider yourself a ?food snob? then what you throw out is going to come back at you in the form of ?interact with that table as little as possible (they?re being a-holes), but do the best job you can.? However, if you are nice and respectful to the staff, it will come back to you 10-fold.

Ralph and Ethan are very careful about whom they hire, and they take great pride (and provide meticulous training) in the type of vibe they want created.

True, brunch can be slow?even in my day it was the weak-spot, but it?s a small place and they do the best they can. (And yes, the bloody mary?s are the best I?ve ever had?or made ?for that matter?and I still know the recipe. HA!)

It?s a neighborhood place with good wine (used to be amazing?Ralph, if you see this, get the Reambillo tempranillo (sp?) back, please?GREAT beer and good food.

Just see it for what it is and don?t go in it with an attitude and you?ll soon love it as much as I do.
(Steps off soap-box)

Yes ! Best Freakin' Bloody Mary's - love the amount of garlic and horseradish in there.

Food is mostly excellent (except once I ordered Quail - not so good) esp for Brunch. Burgers are really tasty, and the fries are crispy. Fish and Chips are consistently good.

I've always had great service, been taking my daughter there for about 5-6 years ever since she was 3 or 4 and the staff treats us like royalty. She loves the Belgian Hot Chocolate.

It's the kind of establishment that raises the quality of life in JC.

I'm a food snob too.

The music can be loud, the service can be spotty, bar staff is usually snotty, but the food is fantastic.

I don't think it's that far above every other restaurant in town, but I send people there all the time, and I tell them, it's because of the food.

Btw, I go to cheap restaurants for the same reason. I can put up with a lot if the kitchen does their job right.

We have had consistently excellent food and have never had a problem with the service (except for once, when they had a grumpy server who was also working at the Cottonwood Cafe across the street--an unpleasant young woman who must have been a relative of one of the owners but was only there once. )

Great food, and I'm a food snob.

I second the Bloody Mary's!

I've found the service a bit slow at times but never rude. I'm often there with children and have never had a problem with attitude. Maybe I just have a much thicker hide. I agree that the music has been too loud in the past, but not recently.

I also have had issues with service and never returned. The last time, a year ago, we waited 45 minutes for an appetizer. When I complained, our waiter told us that the "computer had crashed" and my order hadn't been registered, though everybody else was getting their food. Then it took him another 25 minutes to get our appetizer, which was a cold plate.

While overall the food is very good, I don't think it's worth what they charge. Maybe they set their prices that high to create a certain environment, and the bad service is part of that vibe.

In the end, they suffer from the same bad attitude as Taqueria, with the aggravating factor that M&P is 20 times more expensive.

When I think of Marco & Pepe, I think of brunch, awesome bread and even better Bloody Marys!

Definitely a fan of M&P as well, it's one of my favorite places. Don't get a chance to go there as often as I would like. Have always enjoyed the food - whatever it was I ordered, and I've been going since it opened. I like the atmosphere, too. It's true the music is too loud, and it's true the service is VERY spotty, and it's true the prices are way high. Which is why I don't go as often as I would like - but when I go, the place is always packed so I guess they're not worried about it. :)

Good food and good decor, but consistent BAD service and bad music playing too loudly. After visiting there for many many times, last time was the last straw when the waiter bumped my chair and made all my belongings fall to the ground with the loud thump, and just stared at me without apologizing and walked away. Average time of wait for check 15 to 20 minutes. Water refill, forget it.

But having said that I am glad they are there as a place to eat for other JC residents.