July 14, 2016 By Michael Florio
A long-standing Sunnyside bakery has closed.
La Marjolaine, which has operated at 50-17 Skillman Ave since 1951, recently closed.
Several “For Rent” have been plastered all over the store’s front gate.
The bakery, which has had a number of owners over the years, offered pure butter breakfast items, such as croissants, as well as breads, pastries, fruit, muffins, cheese danishes, brioches, cakes and cookies, according to its website.
It received a 3.5-star rating on Yelp.
“Very good bread, cookies, cakes and coffee,” a Yelp user wrote in February. “They even have a really good tasting pizza that they sometimes bake!”
“With the assortment of holiday theme baked goods, it is difficult to leave this place without an extra dessert,” another wrote. “I always walk over to this Sunnyside location for a good treat.”
However, some Yelp users complained about a price increase and quality decrease.
“They just raised the price of all pastries, but the quality has dropped unfortunately,” one user wrote in 2015.
“I am very disappointed because they were famous for their cheese danish and every time I have cravings, I don’t get the original recipe,” another wrote. “The bread is fatty and the cheese is thin and sugary and that’s not what it used to be.”
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46 Comments
I like the Chocolate Trufon, but like anybody says it has decrease the quality.
My go-to place for birthday cakes. Sorry to see them close.
I stopped going there since I bought a cake for a Birthday party and when it was
time to eat, it was all soaked inside. I had to throw it out. The next day, I went to
let them know and the woman just smiled. They were freezing cakes and then selling them. Money down the drain. We are in need of a very good Bakery in
Woodside/Sunnyside. Remember Walter’s :)-
The owner of the block who has the laundry, sushi, and this bakery is a racist Korean. Impossible woman to deal with in business. They are only renting to Asians. If you call about the store the broker has such an entitled attitude towards American people. If you don’t believe it try calling. 718 541 2799
I hope they sit on this dump for a couple years without collecting a penny. This is why deals don’t get done in queens. And shit holes keep replacing shit holes.
You Koreans are here because of us Americans and don’t you forget it.
As a Frenchmen living in Sunnyside I am upset about the de Frenchification of Sunnyside/Woodside. This is just another blow to the loss of French culture here. We lost a French restaurant on Queens Boulevard a couple of years ago. Now this. C’est la vie I guess.
A “real french guy” wow………will he let people touch him? why not just stand in the window and charge people for a glimpse of “a real french guy” It’s nice how people especially hipsters love to preach about tolerance and equality but their bias is so ingrained….you don’t have to be “French” to bake “French” pastry…
Is their point not that the quality declined when the “real french guy” split town?
I mean, I get your point. Some of the best whisky in the world is not made in Scotland–thank you Japan–but not just anybody can pull off good pastry or scotch or sushi or whatever. You need to have the chops.
isnt it obvious? theres a real french guy about to open a bakery ACROSS the street from Marjolaine and also Paris Baguette, winner of the 2016 Coupe du Monde Boulangerie in Paris, is about to open on 46th in Sunnyside.
id pack it in too. good luck to all the employees they were very nice over the years and it was a great neighborhood place.
This is part of the old neighborhood. It’s too bad to see this gathering place gone.
This bakery had been operating for years with no license or inspections from the health department. Hopefully it will be reopened by someone who knows what they are doing.
That’s completely impossible you idiot because the day you don’t renew a yearly health permit they shut you down. An annual renewal also sends a signal to the dpt. To go do an inspection. You don’t know what your even saying on here so shut it.
Fat chance. Whoever opened it, took them almost 3 years to learn the baking “art”. And whoever owns it only collects CASH. These digital days when you’d think they’d be head-over-heels in collecting so many customers, keeping the tradition going, they give the excuse “Soon, we’ll have computer network setup (my words!) to accept cards.” Maybe because the prices are way out of line with the neighborhood; and they keep pushing them up, up and away!!! Now for the staff: unbelievable is only way to describe them — no English or very poor. If you are on their every word interpreting what they think you said, you better look inside your bag before you get home! Also, adding up the items, including your change, is mandatory!!!
The owner was arrogant…..pretended to be French? cant figure out what he was ashamed of? ..not a businessman in any way…..can never figure out why he had a “mouth wash” cup size coffee and thought that was a regular size? No selection ……closed at the busiest time of the late afternoon …when foot traffic and shoppers were coming home or going to the store….few cakes………I won’t miss him
Not sunnyside is woodside were the bakery is located
Nothing to compare with the cake and pastry Andre Guillotine used to make he was the best. The last owner was I joke never knew the concept of running a good bakery like Andre and is wife Jacky do for many years
Hiney
sad to see them go, although i agree with the comments saying that over the past few years they just seemed to be floating by, doing the minimum. it was just “ok.”
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i hope whoever gets this space keeps the equipment and uses it to open a BAGEL SHOP!!
Good lord, yes. The bagels around here are pretty lame, even the one on Queens Boulevard and 44th(?), which is the best of a bad lot.
It was a very nice place, friendly staff and delicious bread. Best of luck to the owners and staff who just lost their jobs.
Does anyone know why they closed or are we all just guessing here?
What, you want information in your article? Someone to “report” what happened to you?
I moved into the neighborhood from Astoria recently and was excited to try this place out. Unfortunately, it was pretty mediocre, but the place was always busy.
It’s surprising to see them close since they seemed to be doing a good business, even though the quality wasn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to pop in on occasion for treats and it’s really nice to have long-term neighborhood institutions like this, so I’m sad to see it go.
I bought those beautiful tarts to dozens of people’s homes and people loved them. I’m deeply upset to see a small business leave Skillman Ave like this. . Writing this article based on Yelp reviews is ludicrous and an insult to those of us who loved and patronized this establishment and to the people who worked there.
You never brought me one and we’ve been friends for years! Shame on you.
Cookies were buttery, croissants flaky, bread fresh, coffee…so-so, chocolate croissants delicious, so very bereft! I would have bought out the store if I knew they were closing. One last iced coffee and brioche. RIP Marjolaine! Je suis majorly triste…
I used to love walking home past their kitchen on a spring evening when they were baking – it smelled fantastic! I’ll miss that
The quality had seriously declined over time. Nothing could compare to the baguettes and croissants, not to mention the pastry and tarts that were created by Andre Guillotin years ago. His Gateau St. Honore was named the best in the city but New York Magazine. He introduced the residents to the glories of French baking.
yes, this is the version of La Marjolaine that I remember returning home from PS 11. The St. Honore had been my birthday cake for years, the large size. The owners were family friends. It’s very sad to see it close because of the finality of it all but everyone is right in saying that the quality has steadily declined but the girls at the counter have always been sweet and polite. hopefully, something else inspiring will take it’s place.
Shame to see it go although they had more staff turnover than was imaginable their staff were always very polite. Interesting timing given there’s a new French owner bakery opening right across the road soon. Makes you wonder (if only speculation) if the timing was more than incidental?
A physical presence can bring back memories and just be a comfort of history in a neighborhood. This bakery reminds me of times with parents on a Sunday morning after Mass or a quick pound of cookies to bring to a party as a gift. With change overs on Skillman Ave over the past decades,, the lose of Rosarios, Associated Supermarket, etc. is sad to lifelong residents.
The place was great at one time when the French people ran it. The owner for atleast the past 15 years was not French nor was he hygienic or sober. The quality and cleanliness never existed.
Like anything you get what you pay for. The work that goes into baking, plus food cost, and labor cost exceeds the profit margins.
These days people don’t want a job that you start work at midnight and finish at 8am and than have to chase your boss down to get paid on time.
Than to top it off have 70 something year olds complaining why is my coffee $.85???? Or why is my buttered roll $1.50?
Reality folks the price of doing business in NYC is through the roof.
Something great will go in this space and they won’t be selling $.85 coffee.
Oh no! This leaves a big hole in my Saturday morning routine! I’m really surprised because it always seemed like they had plenty of business. Sad to see a neighborhood institution like this shut down. Not sure where I’ll get fresh bread or pastries anymore…
Oh, I’m so sad. Boo boo. My life will never be the same. Oh well. Later, &$$#@!
Too bad but it was never as good as the original from the ’70s (when the owner was French)…
Au revoir mon ami…I will miss your buns and your succulent mounds of brioche, your intoxicating peach pastries and your hot coffee with cream.
Closed on Bastille Day
Heartbreaking
Sickening!! Is nothing sacred?!! My father used to buy the club rolls here. They were awesome! Ugh. Just sick about this!
Great coffee cake. tasty white pizza. The only true European bakery in Woodside? Say it ain’t so
Maybe in Woodside. But, in Sunnyside, there is still Arsi’s Pateseria on 40thst and 47th ave (best croissants, baklava, and bourekas). And Nita’s European bakery
I stopped at Arsi’s yesterday and picked up spinach pie. $3 for a slice big enough for two lunches for me. With a salad, perfect.
FYI, this bakery was located in Woodside, NY 11377. This isn’t Sunnyside. A shame to see it close as it was there throughout my entire life. I must have bought several hundred baguettes here. The prices kept climbing and quality declining. I hope something great takes it’s place.
R.I.P. La Marjolaine 1951-2016
FYI I LIVE 1 BLOCK AWAY AND MY ZIP 11104 SUNNYSIDE
The bakery was located in Woodside not Sunnyside.
Anonymous, you apparently live on 49th Street. The storefronts and buildings between 49th Street and 50th Street along Skillman Avenue are located in Woodside 11377. La Marjolaine was one more block east.
FYI I live on 51st street and I live in WOODSIDE
What a shame! They had the best croissants for many years and not to mention club rolls on the weekends. I’m very sad by this, but then again, the quality of everything has not been the same since Bernard left the kitchen. For those who may not remember or those who were not even born yet, here’s a link to an article from the NY Times, published on December 9, 1973, that features LaMarjolaine… “A Bit of France in Sunnyside” http://nyti.ms/29HGEfe . Au Revoir, La Marjolaine. Merci.