I have tasted plenty of crepes during my visits to Paris, they were mostly purchased from a street vendor or a storefront, and included nutella, some fruit, and maybe some butter and sugar. They were delicious while still hot, and some didn't even give me stomach issues. Well, then I started to hear all this talk about a great crepe place in the Marias. "Oh, you must go there!", "the most delicious crepes in Paris!", they would say, or write. It also became known that a certain French President, the one with the pretty wife was a big fan of that certain buckwheat crepe. So, thinking that if its good enough for an ex president, it's good enough for me, I just had to give it a try.
On a sunny Thursday my mom and I made our way up rue Vieille du Temple, a lovely street filled with boutiques, cafes, and restaurants, towards that best crepe place. I have been warned that the lines are very long, that the people working there are not particularly the cuddling types, but it's all worth it, for I will taste greatness. We got to Breizh Cafe at about noon and, to our surprise were seated immediately, and by a pleasant man with a smile on his face.
Breizh (or Breih) means Brittany - Bretagne in the Celtic language of Brittany, the owner is a native of Brittany. Breizh Cafe is not very large but can accommodate about 20 people inside and another four or so outside.
Their crepes, or Breton galettes are made with buckwheat flour, and are filled with either savory or sweet fillings or just a dab of butter and a sprinkling of sugar. The slogan at Breizh Cafe is: "Le crepe autrement" - crepe done differently, and I think by different they mean amazing.
My mom ordered the Complete with sunny side egg, raw milk Gruyere, and smoked ham from Basque country.
I got the Bretonne with sauteed mushrooms, Gruyere, scrambled eggs, bacon, creme fraiche (from Bordier creamery), and espalette pepper.
After just one bite I realized that the crepes I had so far in Paris were basically the equivalent of a hot dog purchased from a street cart at Times Square in NYC. This crepe was fantastic, light, crispy, flavorful, and pure heavenly magic. It put all the other crepes to shame and is the only one I will lust after.
We did not get their traditional cider which was enjoyed by almost everyone around us.
The crepes are filling so we were really surprised that all the French people around us would devour a savory crepe and a sweet crepe for dessert. Good to see people enjoy their food!
L'Epicerie next door is a small specialty store with wonderful products from Brittany including the spectacular Bordier butter. I will do a separate post on Bordier but it was good to see that the butter and yogurt can be found here, one of very few places in Paris. They also have a small communal table where one can enjoy a crepe when the Breizh Cafe is packed.
Breizh Cafe
109 rue Vieille du Temple
closed Mondays
Tuesday - Saturday - 11:30 - 11
Sunday - 11:30 - 10
Joanna
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