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Cafe Crepe
Categories: Restaurants Creperies Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Creperies, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
874 Granville StVancouver, BC V6Z 1K3
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 806-0845
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
58 reviews for Cafe Crepe
Review Highlights
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"...but my favourite by far is the Nutella and banana crepe." In 5 reviews -
"Haha, actually I always have the whipped cream." In 4 reviews -
"And it was totally worth the frustating wait." In 3 reviews
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58 reviews in English
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Review from Edward L.
4/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cafe Crepe is one of those places you can go if you get the munchies while downtown.
Parking here is super hard to find, so may I suggest a bus or carpool.
The inside here is vintage-themed, but I'm not sure if the "dirtiness" is intentional. Everything feels grungy, including the seats. The walls have vintage French theatre posters, which is actually pretty cool.
There's also a nice takeout window (all locations) where you can also watch them make your crepes out of mix. Actually pretty cool, and I'm sure it's not that easy to make a good one either.
The waitress was quite helpful, and was able to recommend some items too.
Fries - my friend raved about these, but to be honest I felt they were mediocre. Not to say they were bad, but they just weren't anything special.
Ham + Swiss cheese crepe - nice gooey cheese. Strangely enough, the crepes are way flatter (and therefore smaller volume-wise) than you may expect. It reminded me of a thin piece of pizza. In other words, I'd be leaving hungry if I didn't have other items.
Prosciutto panini - actually my favourite item of the bunch. Also oozing with cheese, but this came thicker. Nothing like bread filled with warm creamy goo. Mmm..
Bottom line: good food, but just not as good as when I had it in France. Oh yeah, and the portions are a bit small. -
Review from Sijia W.
Vancouver, BC
What I like about Cafe Crepe is, well, the crepes. I'm sure there could be better crepes out there. From some of the other reviews that says the crepes are a bit rubbery, they're probably right. But I like it. The ingredients inside are good. I personally don't like the Crepes with alcohol infused as I only taste the liquor. But mostly, it is a tasty experience.
The staff... oh my the staff. The staff is what drops this place from a 4 to a 2. I'd go even lower but I'm feeling generous because the food is at least nice.
The space is very cramped, especially where there's tables and no booth. You might as well be best friends with the table next to you because you don't even have space to put your bag beside you. It's really awkward when the next table over is a couple trying to play kissy face.
At the door there's a sign that says "please wait to be seated" and then you get a random staff member (apparently there's no set host or hostess) who waves you in and then glances tentatively into the space before picking a (what seems like random) spot to sit you. Some times the said random staff will run around the place just trying to find a menu. We'd get 1 menu between the two of us if we're good. You'd think a place that says "wait to be seated" would be a little better prepared.
Once you sit down, this random "host/hostess" doesn't even take your drink order. Fine, just in case I haven't had a chance to read the menu. But then it takes another 10 min for the real server to come grab our drink orders... in the nastiest manners. This is literally the conversation that took place:
Me: "Can I get a Ginger Ale?"
Server: "We're out of Ginger Ale."
Me: "Oh... OK then..." *waiting for them to make a suggestion.. offer something else. apologies??*
*pause*
Me: "I'll get a Sprite".
Seriously? Not a "Oh I'm sorry we're out of Ginger Ale? Would you like something else instead?"
Whatever. I chalk it up to a poorly trained staff on a bad night. Then this happens... (Note, we were there on the night the Canucks won the President's Trophy.)
So we're all looking at the TV and cheering, clapping.. the girl that brought the dish over couldn't put the plates down over our clapping hands. Instead of waiting (frankly the entire restaurant was clapping), or saying excuse me, she just bumped us to move.
Later on, the Ginger Ale girl came back to confirm my order. I couldn't hear her over the loud TV noises so I said "what?". Instead of repeating herself she just walked away. I sat there befuddled as to what just happened since I had no idea what she just said.
Ginger Ale girl also did not even ask if she could take the plates away before promptly removing the first course plates from our table. To a point I was scared she was going to take my full plate away as well. When we were actually done, Ginger Ale girl simply said "Are you done?". Not a "How was everything? Could I offer you anything else tonight?". Seriously?! Who trains your staff Cafe Crepe? Manners!
I also especially like the anecdotes I hear on other occasions when I sit by the door: "Don't let them just walk in like that!" or "Get that guy out of here!". Yes, I realize when they kick the hobos out it's for the protection of the patrons but, try and do it more discretely and perhaps with a bit more class. I also quite enjoy when the waitresses holler over my head to another staff. It's not that big of a place people. Walk over and talk to your co-worker. This isn't a country bar.
So I don't know... I might go to the Cafe Crepe Express place down the street since I clearly can't expect to sit down and get any kind of service. Paying tip therefore seems like a huge waste. -
Review from Hoa B.
Vancouver, BC
I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet mainly because all I had was the crepe and I was in a hurry.
The service was prompt and the decor was fairly casual. I really enjoy the service and the setting. I was a little confused about the menu, but the waitress quickly clarified everything for me and was especially kind about it.
The food, however, was not as nice. My crepe was a little over-cooked and started to brown a bit. The crepe itself was fairly good. Soft and a light buttery flavor, of course I was not able to enjoy it because there was so much sugar and coconut flakes that every bite felt like I was going to go into a diabetic coma. I think they could have toned down sugar more and could have been a little more inventive with the crepe. It was simply just 3 fillings and I don't know if I can consider melted sugar and coconut flakes a "filling". I actually forgot I order one filled with rum, which I also could not taste because of the sugar.
They really should have balanced out the crepe, because this was not even a special order crepe. This was something they concocted and put on the menu.
I may come back to this place and try again with a different crepe, but this is currently a one star right now. -
Review from Ivy C.
Vancouver, BC
3/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
It's a great place for after dinner dessert and you can stick around for awhile afterwards. Had the basic nutella crepe with ice cream. We need more options for crepes in Vancouver, to be quite honest.
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Review from Patricia L.
Vancouver, BC
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here on a Saturday morning. They offer cheap breakfasts here until 10:30am, unfortunately for us we got there around 11am so we missed it.
We got some savoury crepes instead and here's where things go downhill. The ingredients inside our crepes were decent enough (brie and prosciutto - Costco styles), but the crepe itself was thick and rubbery. I was pretty surprised because the joint always smells of butter AND they call themselves "Cafe CREPE", so you'd figure they'd have the crepe part nailed down pretty well.
Sadly the crepes were a sad suckfest and we had to watch everyone enjoying what looked like pretty decent breakfast deals that they just squeaked in at the 10:30am breakfast deal deadline. They should just call this place "Cafe" and drop the "Crepe" part.
It had been years since I stepped into this chain establishment (there was one location in the chain, years and years ago, that made a mean Nutella Crepe - but then the chef at that location quit and then everything went bad - but that's another story altogether!) and this time I decided to go pretty much broke the camel's back. I see no reason to return again.Listed in: I HEART Food!
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Review from Brittany W.
North Vancouver, BC
5/29/2011 2 photos
I have to say, this was a favourite for me back in my Caprice / Plaza clubbin' years! It`s a little drabby, food is average (fries are delish), but it`s good value for what you get! By day, it's a casual spot to grab a quick crepe, brunch or omelet for about $7-$10. By night, it's known to be the cheapest spot along the Granville Entertainment strip to grab a Cosmo or Apple Martini (2oz - $5). On weekends, it's generally full of pre-drinking groups of friends (ages 19-24) and international students.
- Recommendations: Nutella Nut or Hazelnut Crepe, Fries (McD's style)
- Food purchase required after first drink
- Room gets uncomfortably warm when its full
- Lineups on weekends for late-night, mediocre service
- No effort put into branding, experience is made by people you're with -
Review from K C.
Vancouver, BC
8/19/2011
Stay away from this ripoff place! There is a sign advertising $4.25 16oz pints of beer. I ordered a Heineken which was priced at just under $7. I assumed that with the premium being paid I would at least receive a 16oz pint. I ended up with a cup that might hold 8oz or less than 1/2 of a pint for far more money.
Now I understand a couple of things......why their sunny patio is almost empty on a great Sunday afternoon and why when you order a beer at the bar they don't pour it in front of you. -
Review from Steven S.
11/28/2011
I read through a few other reviews and cannot even fathom why anyone would find this place to be a ripoff or have crappy cheap coffee. I rarely find this great European style coffee in America. I am used to Starbucks so perhaps my standard is a bit low. I've never had a better crepe, the sweet Nutella/banana and savory prosciutto blew my mind. I ate breakfast here 2 days in a row and it would really make me happy if this place was located in my hometown Phoenix.
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Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
1/19/2011
Honest to goodness servers straight outta "I've never had work experience" school. I think I'd rather pay more for a drink downtown than sit in a cold and odd-vibed environment than here. Sure, the bevvies are cheap but the atmosphere is draining on my soul.
My magherita pizza and my companion's chicken burger were unfinishable. And by that I mean they had an old and blah flavour. I didn't want to wait to finish the beer before leaving but I can't let beer go to waste. Not even stale beer.
Ew.Listed in: The LOST list
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Review from Nicole F.
2/25/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Cafe Crepe has consistently been my safe backup plan for years.
I'm a huge fan of their $5 (2 oz) cosmos! I'm pretty sure they used to free-pour, because in the past they just tasted like pure alcohol. Today they actually tasted like cosmos are supposed to, but I still had a pretty good buzz going after.
The food has most often been a hit for me. The cheese and tomato panini is deliciously cheesy and salty with a few juicy slices of tomato thrown in.
Imagine the fries at McDonald's, but much classier. They're perfectly seasoned with a perfect crispy to soft ratio for all french fry preferences.
Today I decided to spice things up and get the nutella and banana crepe with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. Giggity! SO WORTH the calories!
I also had a bite of my friend's crepe, he got the nutella, strawberry and cognac one. Um, flavour explosion anyone? It tasted like a purdy's chocolate was heated up and exploded inside of a delicious crepe.
This is officially my favourite place to go drinking after class on Thursdays. Also to pre-drink for concerts, which doesn't happen quite as often as it should... -
Review from Ramon V.
Updated - 10/7/2011
An update. Cafe Crepe now serves the cheaper Lavazza coffee beans. Prices are still too expensive for lousy coffee, and service is just as bad as ever. My panini was cold in the middle, way too bready (not enough ingredient content), as if it were made in too much of a hurry.
Listed in: Vancouver Americanos, Uno Estrellas
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/22/2010
The Illy coffee brand is one that attracts many coffee lovers. I'm not saying that Illy is the best… Read more »
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Review from Lindi C.
8/6/2008
You know what I love??
Crepes. Crepes with Nutella and strawberries...and this place has plenty of those!
You know what I don't love??
Waiting 30 minutes for my crepe. Sure way to make me grumpy after driving over 3 hours in the car and not having anything in my stomach.
I don't know why it took them so long to make my crepe. I really don't. But, it did and it wasn't cool! But, the fact that this place is close to the Commodore is great. Get your crepe to go and have something to munch on while you're waiting for a show! Just have someone hold your place in line. It may take a while. -
Review from Tony G.
1/20/2009
I have some crazy ideas, go into a crepe place and try their crepes. But instead I came in here and had their burger and fries. Why? Because a burger and fries was only $7.50 while a crepe itself was $7.95 and it would be $2.50 for a side of fries.
The fries were amazing, the burger was good (didn't blow me a way) and thought it was weird that you had to get your soda in a can. Meaning no refills. I was pretty disapointed with the service. When we first came in we were offered a table facing the door. As the waitress put the menus down she was about to walk away when we told her that we would rather have a booth on the side. As a matter of fact, she was one of the most disinterested waitresses I have had.
Eh, the whole experience was blah and I probably wont be there again.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop! -
Review from Mark H.
12/27/2009
Never again..
I've been to their other locations (never impressed), went from friend for breakfast on a Saturday morning. We ordered very basic things like eggs, sausage, and crepes, etc. Simple right? To demonstrate how slow the service was our coffees were dead cold by the time the food arrived. It took well over an hour for our food. After being frustrated of the server saying 'it's coming', I investigated by visiting the kitchen. Turns out the 2 extremely slow cooks were instead serving the window/street customers instead of the near full seated customers. The 'manager' was absolutely useless as she did not respond to our complaints. No apology, no discount, nothing. Needless to say I would never go back.Listed in: 1 Star 'Gems'
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Review from Nina N.
8/8/2008
This establishment was the first crepe shop I've ever gone to for crepes, and I miss it dearly. You know what is crazy? They have alcohol in his restaurant so you can have a hot cocoa with brandy and a crepe with nutella and creme! holllaaahhhatchaaa girrllll!!!!!
enough said, I love crepes, and I miss you cafe crepe, not enough to go to Vancouver, but enough to put you on the map for my future Canadian endeavors -
Review from Kira T.
5/26/2009
I was on two chairs re: number of stars, and went with 4 (instead of the "A-Okay" rating of 3 stars) because you can get a drink here that won't cost as much as your mortgage!
Also - hot fresh crepes that actually stopped us jonesing for Paris (for about 10 minutes), and that is saying something.
This is not a swank place. It's almost diner-ish... a cafe, as the name implies. The restaurant can be loudish, and the service seems a little crazed sometimes (this last time we had a particularly stupid, "I don't wanna be here, I wanna be partying" sort of waitress), but the combo of affordable booze, perfectly fried fries, and big, tasty, hot crepes is just too good to pass up. -
Review from Amy T.
11/19/2010 1 photo
Warm crepe with cheese oozing out or one smothered with nutella with a side of ice cream. Whether you're craving a sweet or savory crepe, you can have it all at Cafe Crepe.
I think it's brilliant how they have a fan in the front window to lure in customers with the amazing smell of freshly made crepes.
I also like to stop here to have a few drinks if I want to chill before heading into a club. The prices are for alcohol are reasonable and it's right on the Granville strip. -
Review from Dayna B.
Vancouver, BC
9/3/2009
It almost got 5 stars. It was soooo close. The only reason it didn't is the service. Give yourself a good 15 minutes between getting the bill and having them notice you, but that's the worst of it and here is why you HAVE to go here!
I've been going to Cafe Crepe for about a million years. Either a million or the last 8 years that I've lived in Vancouver, I can't remember. I used to be in love with their ham, egg, lettuce, tomato baguette, but since they axed that and traded the egg with swiss (still great but not the same...) I've branched out. They have a ton of paninis to pick from and all of them scrumptious. They don't over do any ingredients in the paininis and they are a meal for the price. Perfect if you're late or just dying for food. Same with the baguettes.
Of course, you want me to talk about the crepes, it being called Cafe Crepe and all. Well I wont do it! Just kidding. The crepes are awesome. I stay away from the savoury ones those, they tend to put too much in them and I can't finish them. An overload of spinach or cheese or whatever it is, doesn't let me. I however, drool over the bananas and sugar or any other of the sweet crepes so good. Oh and their burgers. They are gooooood and inexpensive. Try the chicken burger. Totally worth it.
Now for the REALLY good stuff! The booze and the breakfast. Enjoy exclusively or together. I don't care.
Double martinis for $4.95? Why! Those are Funky Winker Bean prices without the threat of a shanking (see previous review...)! You can also get pitchers of Granville Island for under $12. Well, I'll take that! Don't be fooled though, this isn't a hidden gem. Everyone knows so be prepared to be doing shots at the bar if you head in Friday or Saturday night. It gets busy!!
Now on to my own personal obsession: Breakfast. We decided to go here recently.......wow. They serve breakfast till 3pm (I love Vancouver). and the Cafe Crepe special is my new boyfriend. I love it that much.
For $8.95 you get 3 eggs, 4 pieces of bacon (you can also choose sausage), and a sweet crepe from the list. I choose cinnamon and sugar. It is A LOT of food. I actually had to leave some of my egg behind in order to not leave any crepe or bacon behind! By the way, I never leave eggs behind... I'm not a fair-weather friend to breakfast foods. The eggs are quality, I'll tell you that.
I will tell you that the benny isn't the best. Once they start serving it with prosciutto, I'll reconsider, it just needs more salt. But they also have a breakfast sandwich I desperately want to try with basil in it...I think I can still make it to grab one for today...Listed in: Breakfast Worth Eating for…
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Review from Evilyn T.
Wow. Just wow. I came here for a friend's birthday party, since she booked the back room so we could all sit together and have drinks and dinner. I have been to this location a few times, but it has never been this bad.... ever. I feel like a dick for giving it one star, but seriously, if the food isn't good, and the service is sub-par, why the heck would you recommend this place?
The room was busy with loud (probably drunk) friends, I was late (and unfortunately sober, damn you Monday mornings!) And there was one server for about thirty of us, which was a little weak, but he did his best (in an overwhelmed kind-of-way). I gotta say, when you have a party this big, its usually a good idea to give everyone a number and split up the bill, that way when people move around and sit in different seats, you will know who ordered what, who's items are on who's bill, and you know which dish goes to which person. I know our crew can be pretty unforgettable with our bright pink hair, and giant bouffants, but really?? For example: a girl ordered a pizza, they brought it out, she ate it, then they brought out another one... uh she only ordered ONE pizza.
I ordered a cesar salad and a cosmo. The cosmo was good....
When the cesar salad was put in front of me, it was the first time in my life I actually considered sending something back to the kitchen. I have never been a verbal complainer in a restaurant because I have the fear that some minimum wage jackass is going to jerkoff in my food. I'm sure it wouldn't happen, but we've all seen what happens on those hidden camera TV shows where someone's stirring your coffee with their cock cuz you're a shitty customer (not that I'm a shitty customer.)
The salad was comprised of yellowish iceberg lettuce, of which there were huge chunks of the freakin stem of the head of lettuce, a bit of shredded parmesan, some crappy dressing and a few croutons. I had two bites of it before trading with the BF for his salad, even though his was just as weak. He ordered the garden salad, which was just spring mix straight outta the bag with a chopped tomoato. They brought out two little containers with oil and balsamic so you could toss your own salad too. (I know you're expecting to make a crass remark here about salad tossing, but at this point, my sense of humour has diminished.) Like, how freakin hard was it for the staff to throw some spring mix onto a plate and slice a tomato? And if I complained about how shitty the cesar salad was, would I be able to order something else and not pay for the welfare salad? I have never done this so I don't know how it works. Next time, I'll just make salad at home.
In any case, I didn't wait around to see how the bill of thirty drunk people was split up, because you never want to be the last man standing when thirty people are on one giant bill, because someone ALWAYS forgets that they had that pitcher of beer, or that martini, and the last man standing always gets shafted. This is why its such a good idea to split up the bill when people are ordering!! I paid for my goods, and got the hell out of there. Mental note to self: when eating at Cafe Crepe (if I do again) only order martinis and paninis.Listed in: Drinkin' that Hate-orade
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/6/2010
We had tickets to a show across the street at Venue, so we came here for some pre-drinks and dinner.… Read more »
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Review from Andrew S.
Langley, BC
6/22/2010
Not too bad.
Theres lots of reviews for this location already, so I won`t say too much other than that my Nutella/Banana/Strawberries added crepe was delicious, and the coffee good too. I liked the semi seedy looking back area as well, a good place to hang out at if you`re a people watcher. Though I suppose the front patio does that job as well. It only lost one star as it didn`t seem too clean, not top notch clean, but it is what it is. -
Review from Dolores T.
8/7/2009
2006-Went for the bar. Legal in Canada at 19! Novice so bartender asked what I liked and made something for me. It didn't even have a name but it was delish and strong.
2007-Nice people. I placed an order and when I realized I forgot to get canadian money I left and they didn't hassle me, they had my food waiting for me when I came back.
I am visiting V-City later this year and plan on making a stop here for good eats, good drinks, and good service. -
Review from Dani H.
Vancouver, BC
4/6/2009
As one reviewer noted, "the loud cheap booze place" about sums up Cafe Crepe...
Come for a crepe (or to share a plate of $2.50 shoestring fries)
Stay for the pitcher of dirty draft beer ($10!)
Not the sort of place I'd bring a friend I'm trying to show a good time, or my mom even if she wanted a damn crepe, but it's a good place to sip a post-movie drink or to slosh up with some old friends who don't demand impressin.' -
Review from Arnold W.
5/5/2010
Sunday Morn: Nice to find a breakfast spot closeby (downtown), and the menu looked great, then the wait and wait and wait. The waiter (a new twist on that) apologized twice. P had ordered the special with 3 eggs and a crepe (Yes, eggs and eggs). Her eggs over easy had brown lace all around. Our neighbors had sunny side up with lace all around. My tomato and spinach omelet was better looking.
I noticed they use a crepe grill. Is the long wait due to backup there? Could we both have had omelets much faster, without the egg lace and crepe wait? -
Review from Doug G.
9/9/2010 10 Check-ins Here
Bad service, reasonable food.
This location of Cafe Crepe was, at one time, one of our favorite places for reasonably low price, quick and tasty food. Staff were quick, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately they seem to have had growing pains.
The location is a large, spacious and comfortable. Over the past couple of years they went through a transformation. First they started playing loud, obnoxious music, and seemed to be catering to the coffee / student crowd. For many months we never went because it was full of people camped out to study and and loud music so you could not enjoy a comfortable conversation.
The washrooms are now constantly dirty and often we avoid using them. They seem to have moved back towards their roots lately, turned down the music, and are turning over tables more quickly, but their service is so slow and inattentive that after a couple of tries, we've pretty much written it off.
Shame, we like the food. Crepes with everything from ham, egg, nutella, strawberries and ice cream. It's usually tasty, hot and good.
I hold out hope that this location will improve, I don't know if it's new ownership or new management that has brought it to this point. -
Review from Mercedes G.
Vancouver, BC
11/29/2008
Clearly, I am not the only one in Vancouver that loves a good crepe. After taking a couple of my friends from Calgary here, they were in awe of this novel crepe shop chain, so I neglected to warn them of the inherent issues that you have when eating at the actual Cafe Crepe restaurant: mainly, the waiting! If there is anything consistent about Cafe Crepe it is the painstakingly slow service but regardless of this, we all still go back. Anyplace where you can drink pitcher of GOOD 10 dollar beer and eat crepes until midnight is a-okay in my books.
It is obvious enough that Cafe Crepe needs some help in the service department, but they don't seem to bothered about it, considering that it hasn't changed, really, ever. Take out crepes taste better because you can eat them right away! -
Review from Jacqueline W.
8/23/2010
Cafe Crepe seemed to be a staple in Vancouver so I decided my trip would not be complete without stopping in and having one crepe.
I came for breakfast on Saturday morning before a trip to the museum. There was no wait and the service was really fast.
I ordered the special 2 eggs, bacon and a crepe (apple sauce). Nothing special here. Just a standard breakfast. Also had a mint organic tea which was rather yummy. -
Review from mimi p.
5/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Horrible experience! Heard good things and was looking forward to this place too, seems like there are many locations.. Came here this past Sunday around 10am for breakfast and it wasn't busy at all.. Ordered our meals and waited over 35 minutes and still no food!!! We asked the server many times when our food was coming out and she couldn't even answer... after 35 minutes, we decided to leave... Such a disappointment..
Listed in: Vancouver, BC
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Review from Nadine N.
Vancouver, BC
8/7/2008
I absolutely adore ordering a crepe from Cafe Crepe at the to go window and eating that hot, buttery goodness as I walk down Granville Street. My favourite is the simple sugar and butter crepe. I abhor going into the actual restaurant and ordering from the table. It's always too crowded with the tables jammed together in a small, dark space. The other patrons usually seem to be pissy and the servers seem to have too many customers to handle.
Treat yourself to Cafe Crepe as a snack or a take out meal. If you want a pleasant dine in experience, look elsewhere. -
Review from Lynn H.
Vancouver, BC
9/14/2010
"Oh crepe! Now we're going to be late!"
I am all about cheap pitchers of beer and whipped cream and strawberries stuffed inside buttery goodness but not when I have to wait 45 minutes for the pleasure of ordering.
We were waiting for a movie to start at the theatre on Burrard so we stopped in to Cafe Crepe for a snack and some quality people watching on the outside "patio" (i.e. cordoned off piece of sidewalk). We stepped into the inside hallway and asked one of the crepe-ers if they could sit outside and he told us to grab a table and wait for a server to take out order. Literally 45 minutes later the waitress comes up and asks if we have been served. No ... no we have not. She then had the balls to tell me that next time, we should go inside and tell them we were there.
1) I did
2) Are you so busy that you cannot look up and see 3 people sitting at a table in your restaurant.
Seriously Cafe Crepe... hire some competent wait staff! On the other hand... the crepe I got was liberally surrounded with whipped cream and how can anyone stay mad when there is whipped cream involved. Now, however there is no whipped cream in front of me... just saying... damn I want some whipped cream.
Anyhoo, my suggestion: go to Cafe Crepe if you are going to order from the window or if you want a few cheap pitchers before a concert but the food is not good enough to justify a sit-down-meal and the service is dreadful. -
Review from Tracy P.
Vancouver, BC
9/6/2008
I love coming here, if I'm out with a friend and just want a nice, chill place to talk.
Also, it doesn't hurt that their burger & fries are the most delicious and cheapest around (under 10 bucks!). Odd for a crepe place, but well appreciated!
I've found the service to be a little dodgy sometimes, especially during peak hours. -
Review from Willy W.
6/25/2010
Ordered two crepes for dessert: strawberry + dark chocolate + cognac and a hazelnut + marnier. Both were very good and came out relatively quickly. You can see your crepes and other dishes being made... it's kind of tiny, but outside seating was nice & easy to find.
There was a wall of nutella there which I could really appreciate =). They were only accepting cash at the time for some reason too. Seemed like a nice on-the-go sort of Express Cafe. -
Review from Emma K.
Vancouver, BC
3/9/2011
LOVE IT
The best hang out downtown on weekend nights. Last time I went was on Saturday, that ridiculously snowy day and they had a bouncer to keep the line ups in check. I know- a bouncer at a crepe cafe, beats me...
I love their drinks. They're always cheap. $5 for a two shot apple cocktail is brilliant and very affordable. Their wine and beer is cheap too for those so inclined. (13$ a pitcher)
Personally, after living in France in 2008 I love crepes. I only ever eat the Nutella ones with banana and if I feel deserving, some whipped cream. Haha, actually I always have the whipped cream. Make no mistake, though, crepes aren't really 'real' dinner. So bring a fruit or eat some protein beforehand. They have fruit bowls here, actually, so that makes our job easier! I love their fries, too. I like skinny fries and they have the absolute best in the city.
I always like the service, too. They're friendly and well dressed.
The atmosphere and interior is gorgeous. It's very cozy, fabulous and European. Wear a fur coat, diamonds and a feather boa and you'll feel right out of a tragic mid century opera. I did.
Check it out next time you're downtown. It's a nice pre-drinking, noshing place and personally, the crowds are exciting! -
Review from Diane Y.
11/29/2009 1 photo
You Canadians don't know how good you have it. It is so hard to find a well made dessert crepe in Texas. Flip Happy Crepes in Austin, Texas as much as people rave about it does not compare to this place. The strawberry and nutella crepe here was phenomenal. There was so much filling in it, it was totally worth the 7.75 CAD. Best thing is, there's no crazy 45 minute wait for a crepe. I give it 5 stars.
My boyfriend and I liked this place so much that we decided to come back here for breakfast. The savory crepe was not as delicious as the dessert crepe. I had the spinach, eggs, and ham crepe. I think it would have been better if I had remembered to order cheese on it. 3 stars for the savory crepe.
I was just here this weekend for vacation and had no problems with the service what so ever, so I'm not quite sure why the reviewers below had problems. -
Review from Vincci L.
12/1/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Crepes are one of my favourite desserts (among many other desserts). I still remember when the Cafe Crepe on Robson first opened, and how everytime I walk by the aroma just lures me into getting one. And then more and more Cafe Crepes opened up, and I was absolutely delighted. I would sometimes drive to the Granville & 12th just to get my crepe fix.
I like this location because it seems like it's the biggest, with the most seating. I've always liked the decor of these places. Dark red walls, with black and white tiles, and large black boothes. Music is usually loud here, so be prepared to shout out your conversation. When you enter, you sometimes get greeted, and sometimes I just seat myself. One thing about this place, the service is never too great. Be warned, you could be sitting at your table for a very long time before any acknowledgement comes. So if you know what you're drinking and eating, order them at the same time, or else you don't know when you will get service again.
What I love about this place is for their abundance of cheap drinks. $10 pitchers of beer, $6 for 2oz martinis...and they even have hard liquor for a fraction of the price at the clubs. Come here to predrink, or afterdrink, whatever you like.
Their burger and fries here is cheap, for under $10. One time I had it, and the beef was completely raw. It's a good thing that I usually cut my burgers in half before eating them. This one actually spilled out bright red blood. It was scary, and almost turned me off beef. That only happened for a minute, all the while I was trying to flag someone down to inform them of this hideous scene. Two servers walked right by and ignored me, and finally someone acknowledged me. I let him know, he apologized, and offered to make me another one; he's going to make it himself personally. (I think he was the manager?) I agreed. The new one was much much better. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayo & mustard-the works. Actually not a bad burger, given the price. The fries were skinny fries, just like the ones at Joeys. They were suprisingly good.
Now for what this place is famous for. If you're doing sit down, then you must try the strawberry and nutella crepe, with whipped cream on top. It's a little pricey, but they make it quite right here. It's pure indulgence. The soft, warm crepe envelops slices of strawberry, and the nutella is slightly melted, which then mixes together with the sweet strawberry juices. Don't savour this for too long though, as the whipped cream also melts all together. Put all this in one bite, and it's absolutely awesome.
My other favourite one is just plain honey crepe. I find that anything spreadable/ liquidly goes well with the crepe. The heat of the crepe soaks up the honey, and each bite can get messy, although very delicious. Chestnut cream is another unique one, if you like chestnuts, that is.As always, plain sugar and butter is always good. When shopping in downtown, I always grab one to go; it's always a nice snack to munch on. I've always preferred the sweet crepes over savoury ones, although their ham and brie crepe is also pretty good. and they have a lot of other selections of savoury ones as well.
They also serve Illy coffees, lattes, espresso, all resonably priced, and a great compliment to the dessert.
If you are patient and don't mind the bad service, this is a great place to hang out with friends for a quick bite, dessert, or drinks. They open till very late. -
Review from Reena M.
10/5/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Cheap beer (even during the Olympics) and yummy crepes. What more can you ask for? Especially on the cheap beer end? I mean... it really is all about the cheap beer. The crepes are just a front. It's Granville Island beer too! Go for the beer, stay for the crepes (and more beer).
-
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
12/20/2008
Like Jill G. I also had the roasted veggie sandwich here. Again, probably not always the greatest thing to go against what a place prides itself on.
It'd be like eating nachos at Veras burgers, or a burger at a sushi restaurant. I don't think these are genuine alternatives...but it just adds to the context to me ordering a sandwich at a crêpe place.
I got the sandwich as take out and carefully unpeeled a corner of the paper to take my first bite. Upon doing so I discovered that my roasted veggies (here I am conjuring up a happy place of warm roasted red pepper, zucchini still with lots of heat, and mushroom barely cooked) are refrigerator cold. Chilly, cool, icy, yes, plain old cold. I suspect they had also been sitting on that white bread baguette for a little too long.
Probably because everyone else goes here to drink cheap beer and eat warm, tasty, gooey filled crêpes. And no one order the baguettes. They just idle away time in the unloved section of the refrigerator.
Lesson learned. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
11/29/2008
It's a bit confusing to recommend cafe crepe to people. When people want to really party and drink I always suggest it as the first place to go. Those days that you start drinking at 11am also make this a perfect brunch spot. But, if , say you want to go eat a nice crepe and chat...well I'd avoid here at all costs.
A better name would be 'loud cheap booze place'. Cafe crepe is one of the only places in town still serving 10 dollar pitchers and with sub-$5 highballs at all times. If you add to that nice greasy food and crepes, well you have a drunk fool's heaven. When I've had or am having a few I personally love the giant hotdog they offer. At first it takes some getting used to but it's one of those things you grow to crave days and months later and now I always find myself ordering it.
That said, to get the bounty of Cafe Crepe you often have to deal with lines to get tables and slow wait staff. You can easily get groups of about 8-10 into booths though so it's worth a bit of a wait if you can stand it. Also, one of the less charming things is the blaring music, but they do tend to play some extra hilarious old and awful tracks that makes the whole experience kind of funny.
So yes, it's an odd place. Don't let the name fool you. If you just want a crepe and a cafe atmosphere I'd head up Granville to the express version of cafe crepe that has a more intimate setting and doesn't serve booze. -
Review from Tara T.
BC
11/30/2008
Oh how I love Café Crepe. There are so many tasty concoctions to choose from but my favourite by far is the Nutella and banana crepe. I have a severe sweet tooth, and have never tried their savoury varieties, but up for grabs are creations oozing with cheese and loaded with veges for those who prefer things salty.
I've only ever come here for a quick crepe take-away, but I've heard you can stick around and enjoy their super cheap booze. I'm not sure I'd enjoy a sit down meal here though as it looks as thought it's filled with young and rowdy types out for a night on the drink. -
Review from X P.
1/20/2010
Cafe Crepe on Queen St. W in Toronto remains my favorite. The crepes here were actually a tad soggy. Hmmm.
Good service and cheap nonetheless.
It takes Visa but not American Express. -
Review from JY F.
Richmond, BC
2/9/2011 8 Check-ins Here
Cheap drinks and cheap food! Need I say more??? I spent $25 bucks and got nice and tipsy and had a yummy savory crepe. For me, this is a good start to a night out with friends. The service is a bit slow but the location and affordability of the place speaks volumes. I highly recommend the smoked beef, swiss cheese and dijon mustard crepe. It literally is a party in your mouth! If you do end up getting dessert and are in the mood to try something different, try the chestnut creme crepe. It's one of my favorites!
