Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Jamaican Promise at La Crêperie

“Bacon, avocado, cheese... Back in Tunis, Brittany, they’d freak out at that.”

Christina and Cathy nibble crêpes as the afternoon sun pours through the window blinds at La Crêperie.
Christina and Cathy nibble crêpes as the afternoon sun pours through the window blinds at La Crêperie.
Place

Crêperie

3773 30th Street, Suite C, San Diego




The sun slants in through the venetian blinds, casting angled stripes across Christine’s arms and face. She’s wearing a striped dress, too, so it’s kinda cute. She’s chatting away with her old school buddy, Cathy, while they nibble at their savory crêpes.

It’s early evening up here in North Park. I’ve seen this modest-looking li’l place time and again from the number 2 bus. Figured it was time to check it out.

The sign over the door reads: “Delicious French Crêpes. La Crêperie French Restaurant.”

Inisde, it looks magical. Maybe it’s that slanting light from the sun. It’s a small room with the counter cutting it in two diagonally, so the three or four tables have to fit into a triangle. But mirrors and goldy yellow and ruby painted walls keep it open and cheery.

I spot the two gals before I see Sami, the crêpe master behind the counter.

“Good?” I ask them.

“Really good,” says Christina. “And good for you. Lots of spinach. Iron. I’m eight months pregnant. Need that.”

Wow. Who’d think of spinach and crêpes in the same breath? I check the large board menu hanging on the wall above the counter. Spinach…she’s having either Popeye’s Revenge (with spinach, avocado, cheese, and garlic, $8), or the Vegetarian Knock-Out (with mushrooms, tomato, spinach, and cheese, $8).

Sponsored
Sponsored

Christine tells me this is kind of a reunion for her and her long-lost friend. Cathy nods and grins. She’s downing a California Surfer crêpe (with bacon, cheese, and avocado, $8). Predictable ingredients, but it smells awesome.

I head for the counter and face Sami. He looks familiar.

“Farmers’ markets?” he says. “We’ve been making crêpes in most of them for six years. Hillcrest, Little Italy, Temecula, all over the county. For as long as we’ve been open here.”

That has to be it. Bet I saw them in Escondido.

The menu divides crêpes into savory and sweet. Savory has things with very un-French names, such as Porky’s Favorite (stuffed with ham, mushrooms, and cheese, $7), Pacific Catch (tuna, spinach, onions, cheese, $8), and Green Hen (breast of chicken with avocado, tomato, cheese, $8). I don’t look at the sweet crêpes, ’cause I know I’ll be tempted. But, heck, can’t miss with bacon, avo, and cheese: the California Surfer it is.

“Number one,” I say.

Sami makes quite a show. He grills the bacon and cheese on one hotplate, pours the crêpe onto the other, then a big scoop of guac. He folds the crêpe in half, ladles the bacon-cheese in, makes a cornet shape, and, voilà. It’s hot, tender, tasty, like a delicate burrito. Or a sandwich with bread you’ve just baked.

Mark serves up a dessert crêpe.

But what really excites me is the idea that, in Tunisia, where Sami’s from, they’ve been eating these things since before the Romans invaded, 2000 years ago. So, with all our new products and processes and miracle diets, here I am eating one of man’s ancient foods. I bet Cleopatra offered one of these to Antony. Maybe in aspic, heh-heh.

In Europe, Sami says, Brittany, in northern France, was the first place to make a big deal of crêpes. They called them galettes de Sarrasin, after the Crusaders brought back buckwheat from the Holy Lands, where they’d been battling the Saracens. They found that buckwheat grew better than wheat in the poor soils of Brittany.

“We’re eating history here,” I say to Sami.

“Well, not quite,” he says. “These crêpes are totally Americanized. The names, the things we put in them. Like yours, bacon, avocado, cheese. Back in Tunis, Brittany, they’d freak out at that. There, crêpes are smaller, simpler, thinner, unchanging, traditional. Maybe ham and cheese, but that’s about it. And on the sweet side, sugar, perhaps; or Crêpe Suzette, with caramelized sugar, butter, OJ, and a splash of Grand Marnier liqueur, plus brandy to set alight on top. That’s the showpiece. But, really, you can put anything in a crêpe. It’s just a vessel.”

Whatever — this vessel really floats my boat. Bacon-cheese-avo inside that light-as-a-breeze crêpe cornet is lush. It’s in no way doughy — a light meal, but a meal all the same. My only struggle is blocking out the sweet side of the menu. Hmm…the simple sugar and lemon or cinnamon crêpes are just $4. So is the chocolate crêpe, and the Crêpe Confiture (with jam). The Jamaican Promise, with banana, rum, chocolate, and cream, costs $7.

Oh, Lord. I scrabble through ye olde wallet to see if I have enough for a second crêpe. Yes! Just.

Then my pocket vibrates. Cell phone.

“Crêpe Suzette?” Carla asks.

Women. Incredible timing — earlier, she wanted to know where I was headed, and I blabbed.

“No, babe,” I say. Might as well tell all. “I’m looking at something called Summer Blush.” It’s $7, and almost like Crêpe Suzette, but with strawberries, Grand Marnier, cream. “Can you handle that?” I ask.

“On one condition,” she says. “You’ve got to promise to keep your grubby hands off of it.”

I promise.

I’ll just sit there with big eyes, waiting like a dog. She’ll crack. ■

The Place: La Crêperie, 3773 30th Street, Suite C, North Park, 619-795-0407

Type of Food: French-Tunisian

Prices: Popeye’s Revenge crêpe (with spinach, avocado, cheese, garlic), $8; Vegetarian Knock-Out (with mushrooms, tomato, spinach, cheese) $8; California Surfer (bacon, cheese, avocado) $8; Porky’s Favorite (ham, mushrooms, cheese) $7; Pacific Catch (tuna, spinach, onions, cheese) $8; Green Hen (breast of chicken, avocado, tomato, cheese) $8; sugar with lemon or cinnamon, $4; chocolate crêpe $4; Crêpe Confiture (with jam), $4; Jamaican Promise (banana, rum, chocolate, cream), $7

Hours: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Monday–Friday; 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Saturday; 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Sunday

Buses: 2, 6, 7

Nearest Bus Stops: 30th and North Park Way (2); 30th and University (6, 7)

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Next Article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
Christina and Cathy nibble crêpes as the afternoon sun pours through the window blinds at La Crêperie.
Christina and Cathy nibble crêpes as the afternoon sun pours through the window blinds at La Crêperie.
Place

Crêperie

3773 30th Street, Suite C, San Diego




The sun slants in through the venetian blinds, casting angled stripes across Christine’s arms and face. She’s wearing a striped dress, too, so it’s kinda cute. She’s chatting away with her old school buddy, Cathy, while they nibble at their savory crêpes.

It’s early evening up here in North Park. I’ve seen this modest-looking li’l place time and again from the number 2 bus. Figured it was time to check it out.

The sign over the door reads: “Delicious French Crêpes. La Crêperie French Restaurant.”

Inisde, it looks magical. Maybe it’s that slanting light from the sun. It’s a small room with the counter cutting it in two diagonally, so the three or four tables have to fit into a triangle. But mirrors and goldy yellow and ruby painted walls keep it open and cheery.

I spot the two gals before I see Sami, the crêpe master behind the counter.

“Good?” I ask them.

“Really good,” says Christina. “And good for you. Lots of spinach. Iron. I’m eight months pregnant. Need that.”

Wow. Who’d think of spinach and crêpes in the same breath? I check the large board menu hanging on the wall above the counter. Spinach…she’s having either Popeye’s Revenge (with spinach, avocado, cheese, and garlic, $8), or the Vegetarian Knock-Out (with mushrooms, tomato, spinach, and cheese, $8).

Sponsored
Sponsored

Christine tells me this is kind of a reunion for her and her long-lost friend. Cathy nods and grins. She’s downing a California Surfer crêpe (with bacon, cheese, and avocado, $8). Predictable ingredients, but it smells awesome.

I head for the counter and face Sami. He looks familiar.

“Farmers’ markets?” he says. “We’ve been making crêpes in most of them for six years. Hillcrest, Little Italy, Temecula, all over the county. For as long as we’ve been open here.”

That has to be it. Bet I saw them in Escondido.

The menu divides crêpes into savory and sweet. Savory has things with very un-French names, such as Porky’s Favorite (stuffed with ham, mushrooms, and cheese, $7), Pacific Catch (tuna, spinach, onions, cheese, $8), and Green Hen (breast of chicken with avocado, tomato, cheese, $8). I don’t look at the sweet crêpes, ’cause I know I’ll be tempted. But, heck, can’t miss with bacon, avo, and cheese: the California Surfer it is.

“Number one,” I say.

Sami makes quite a show. He grills the bacon and cheese on one hotplate, pours the crêpe onto the other, then a big scoop of guac. He folds the crêpe in half, ladles the bacon-cheese in, makes a cornet shape, and, voilà. It’s hot, tender, tasty, like a delicate burrito. Or a sandwich with bread you’ve just baked.

Mark serves up a dessert crêpe.

But what really excites me is the idea that, in Tunisia, where Sami’s from, they’ve been eating these things since before the Romans invaded, 2000 years ago. So, with all our new products and processes and miracle diets, here I am eating one of man’s ancient foods. I bet Cleopatra offered one of these to Antony. Maybe in aspic, heh-heh.

In Europe, Sami says, Brittany, in northern France, was the first place to make a big deal of crêpes. They called them galettes de Sarrasin, after the Crusaders brought back buckwheat from the Holy Lands, where they’d been battling the Saracens. They found that buckwheat grew better than wheat in the poor soils of Brittany.

“We’re eating history here,” I say to Sami.

“Well, not quite,” he says. “These crêpes are totally Americanized. The names, the things we put in them. Like yours, bacon, avocado, cheese. Back in Tunis, Brittany, they’d freak out at that. There, crêpes are smaller, simpler, thinner, unchanging, traditional. Maybe ham and cheese, but that’s about it. And on the sweet side, sugar, perhaps; or Crêpe Suzette, with caramelized sugar, butter, OJ, and a splash of Grand Marnier liqueur, plus brandy to set alight on top. That’s the showpiece. But, really, you can put anything in a crêpe. It’s just a vessel.”

Whatever — this vessel really floats my boat. Bacon-cheese-avo inside that light-as-a-breeze crêpe cornet is lush. It’s in no way doughy — a light meal, but a meal all the same. My only struggle is blocking out the sweet side of the menu. Hmm…the simple sugar and lemon or cinnamon crêpes are just $4. So is the chocolate crêpe, and the Crêpe Confiture (with jam). The Jamaican Promise, with banana, rum, chocolate, and cream, costs $7.

Oh, Lord. I scrabble through ye olde wallet to see if I have enough for a second crêpe. Yes! Just.

Then my pocket vibrates. Cell phone.

“Crêpe Suzette?” Carla asks.

Women. Incredible timing — earlier, she wanted to know where I was headed, and I blabbed.

“No, babe,” I say. Might as well tell all. “I’m looking at something called Summer Blush.” It’s $7, and almost like Crêpe Suzette, but with strawberries, Grand Marnier, cream. “Can you handle that?” I ask.

“On one condition,” she says. “You’ve got to promise to keep your grubby hands off of it.”

I promise.

I’ll just sit there with big eyes, waiting like a dog. She’ll crack. ■

The Place: La Crêperie, 3773 30th Street, Suite C, North Park, 619-795-0407

Type of Food: French-Tunisian

Prices: Popeye’s Revenge crêpe (with spinach, avocado, cheese, garlic), $8; Vegetarian Knock-Out (with mushrooms, tomato, spinach, cheese) $8; California Surfer (bacon, cheese, avocado) $8; Porky’s Favorite (ham, mushrooms, cheese) $7; Pacific Catch (tuna, spinach, onions, cheese) $8; Green Hen (breast of chicken, avocado, tomato, cheese) $8; sugar with lemon or cinnamon, $4; chocolate crêpe $4; Crêpe Confiture (with jam), $4; Jamaican Promise (banana, rum, chocolate, cream), $7

Hours: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Monday–Friday; 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Saturday; 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Sunday

Buses: 2, 6, 7

Nearest Bus Stops: 30th and North Park Way (2); 30th and University (6, 7)

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Next Article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.