A taste of Fifth Street Public Market dining has arrived on campus. Marche Museum Café, the little sister of Marche restaurant in Fifth Street’s galleria, is a charming and gourmet spot, perfect for lunch or coffee
between classes.
This French-inspired cafe, located in the courtyard of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and facing the Knight Library, offers a plethora of dishes that seem to belong in a high-quality restaurant, not on a college campus. Walk up to the counter to find a display of coffee shop-style treats such as biscotti, pastries, and boxed sandwiches and salads. A full espresso bar awaits to fulfill any student’s caffeine fix (and provide yet another option for grabbing a class-time latte). The room is accented by several photographs of vegetables and sketches of breads. The cafe is adjacent to the museum’s store, which displays such trinkets as pottery and Japanese umbrellas and lanterns — a treat for the eyes while eating. The seating is the only aspect lacking in visual pleasure. Harsh jade green and black-colored wooden tables and chairs evoke the atmosphere of a cafeteria, not a cozy dining spot.
The menu offers moderately priced eats with a European flair. Choose from salads, pate (a French meat paste), soups (most notably the French Onion), tartines (open-faced sandwiches), hot and cold sandwiches, and quiches. The Croque Monsieur, a French cafe classic, comes with a thick stack of Black Forest ham, Gruyere cheese and Dijon mustard, which is grilled and served warm on bread. Sandwiches are accompanied by a fresh, vinaigrette-dressed salad, miniature pickles and olives. The portobello mushroom panini is prepared similarly to the Croque Monsieur on the same type of bread and includes red peppers and Fontina cheese. All dishes catch the eye with elegant presentations. Sandwiches
average about $6.50 and other items run about a dollar or two less, so you can easily enjoy lunch for under $10. Marche Museum Cafe also brings an authentic French coffee experience to visitors with their Cafe au Lait (coffee with steamed milk) served in a bowl.
A nice touch at Marche Museum Cafe is their offering of beer and wine all day. For $5, you can have a glass of French Rose, Chardonnay, white wine, mixed red wine or a glass of California Merlot. Oregon beers from the Deschutes Brewery and a French beer are available for $3 to $3.50. The cafe’s drink options make for delightful midday socializing opportunities without leaving campus. During my visit, the cafe attracted a group of students and staff from the Department of Dance, who chitchatted and laughed while sipping wine.
For a break from EMU food court choices and Starbucks lattes, visit Marche Museum Cafe at the most anticipated building on campus. It can satisfy your high-quality food cravings on a rainy winter’s day.

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