FlashBack Fridays Review: Gaullart & Maliclet Café Restaurant 11.14.14

Review Date: February 2, 1995

One of the longest running restaurants in Charleston is Gaullart & Maliclet Café Restaurant (G&M). Also known as Fast and French, the restaurant opened in the summer of 1984 in its current location at 98 Broad Street in the historic district of downtown Charleston, SC. Opened by Gwylene Gallimard and Jean-Marie Mauclet, the restaurant features a multi-generational team dedicated to providing “fresh, affordable, healthy, global cuisine with French flair in a social environment that encourages community, transparency and the Arts,” according to their website.

Gaullart & Maliclet this year celebrated 30 years in business—a milestone matched by few others. In the last 30 years, the restaurant has endured a myriad of challenges including Hurricane Hugo, the construction of the county courthouse, and nearly losing their building altogether, as discussed in this Charleston City Paper article from 2009.

The review we have is from Jane Kronsberg’s 1995 visit to G&M. Kronsberg spoke fondly of the quaint eatery noting its international cuisine and French focus. She wrote about it as a neighborhood mainstay offering a familiar and cozy place to grab a morning pick-me-up or afternoon nosh. The close quarters and old-fashion feel evoked a sense of community among its patrons, which ranged from locals working on Broad Street, tourists, and residents from the neighborhood.

She boasted about the dinner menu, the reasonable prices, top-notch service, and the Thursday night fondue—a special feature that remains a diner favorite today.

G&M has managed to maintain its foothold and cult-like following even as a recent influx of French cuisine has fallen upon the city. French restaurants in and around Charleston include: 39 Rue De Jean, Annie’s Bistro, Bistro Toulouse, Bougnat Restaurant, Brasserie Gigi, Chez Nous, Fat Hen, and Hege’s—and many of these opened just this year. With the pace of change in the restaurant industry in Charleston, it seems as though there will always be a “new kid on the block.” But sometimes what is needed most is to reconnect to industry elders like Gaullart & Maliclet.