Breakfast and Brunch with a Fancy French Flair

The Place: The Crepe Bar
The Dish: Housemade Cereal, Donuts, Fried Goat Cheese, Octopus Tostadas and Farm Vegetable Crepe
The Location: 7520 S Rural Rd Tempe, AZ
By: Tyler Peckham

The Crepe Bar in Tempe is nestled away in a strip mall and the sign is hidden by a palm, but you’ll be glad you put in the work once you sit down. The restaurant is casual counter service, but the servers are more than friendly with each and every guest. More than once I heard an employee wish guests a positive farewell on their way out. My guest and I began out experience with the Bellocq breakfast tea and an Americano which came quickly to the table.

We were then given samples of their house made cereal which featured oats, almonds, dried fruit and pumpkin seeds over milk. This cereal was much like an amped-up granola, and had amazing flavor. Next we sampled the donuts: fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar served with a vanilla bean cream and lime-hibiscus jam. This dish was deconstructed enough to be trendy, but not so fussy that it was difficult to eat. The cream tasted just like a vanilla bean frappuccino and the jam was balanced enough as to not overpower.

Next, were piping hot, bite-size morsels of fried goat cheese; a simple dish, but unlike anything I had ever had in a restaurant before, and something I will most definitely go back for. Then came the entrees. I ordered the farm vegetable crepe, which was stuffed with curried vegetables like collard greens, onions and carrots. The vegetables would have been at home at any Indian restaurant, and the crepe really let them take center stage.

My guest order the octopus tostadas that featured octopus and chorizo served atop a fried crepe with hummus, avocado and cotija cheese. The joining of the octopus and chorizo made the dish much more approachable to the average eater and his only complaint was that it was a bit messy–but messy can be fun, right? For someone who used to dislike crepes (me), The Crepe Bar changed my mind, and I would recommend it to anyone.

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