Crepes Parisiennes: A Restaurant Review

I have been waiting to go to this place forever! Crepes and blintzes are my favorite breakfast items ever!!! We were on our way to an applefest (which had a $5 admission!! So we skipped) but instead ended up in Oakland perusing the shops. Tucked away down some cellar steps was this place: Crepes Parisiennes. Though the downward descent into what seems like a cellar might throw some people off, I found it very quaint and authentic.

There are some other interesting things to note about this place as well. When, you walk in, before you sit down, you wait in line to reach the counter to place your order. After you give your order and they give you a number, you may then take a seat. It's not too bad because while you wait there is to perfect view of the crepes as they are made. There are not many tables, however, so going at a busy time of day would be unfortunate.

There are both savory and sweet crepes. The list of savory crepes contains dishes with spinach, mushrooms, sausage, ham, cheese, eggs, tomatoes, etc. Anything you want basically. The sweet crepes list is extremely impressive. Black forest or white forest crepes, fruit preserve crepes, Russian blintz crepes, nutella, nutella and banana, nutella, banana, and chocolate crepes, pineapple and coconut crepes, white chocolate or plain chocolate crepes, and more I can't remember. There is also frenh toast varieties and waffles. There are authentic french drinks like cafe au lait and french hot chocolate, whose name escapes me.

You are served pretty quickly and the staff is nice. The prices themselves aren't too fabulous. Anywhere from $6- 8 crepes. For one crepe. And after you see how big they are, you know it's too expensive. Besides the size, you need to consider taste. I ordered the white forest crepe and my mom got a blueberry Russian blintz. All sweet crepes are served with whipped cream and walnuts unless they are told otherwise.

My crepe itself was nice and soft, a bit chewy though. The white choclate was nice, although the raspberries on top were very overwhelming. They also had tons of seeds which wasn't very pleasant. All together, if you got an even combination of the crepe, white chocolate, raspberries, whipped cream, and nuts, it was nice. But before I got to enjoy my crepe, it was gone. I neede more. So the verdict: good, but certainly not great.


My mom's crepe was actually a blintz, my favorite. Blueberries were a stretch for her since she usually gets strawberries but we both thought something different would be good. I only got one bite but here's what I thought. Her crepe was a tad crispier and we both prefer ours soft. Also, the blueberries were extremly tart and that was not a good thing. the filling to me was not was I was hoping for, as I have had many blintzes before. It was chunkyish and not smooth and creamy. Verdict: I've had quite a few better.

This trip was necessary, but not something I'd do again. For those high prices and that small of food, and the 'meh'-ness of the taste, we probably won't go back. All the while we kept thinking, "I like our homemade ones so much better."

While we were out we stopped in the Williams Sonoma store, and I fell in love. Ahh, it was such heaven! There were samples out as well and we tried some pecan pie, butternut squash soup, and hot apple cider. They were all amazing! We did end up buying the butternut squash soup we tasted and decided it would make a great Thanksgiving dinner item.

So that's the review. And I will say this, my mom and I have decided to give Pamela's the benefit of the doubt. We will be returning, though this time at a different location. Then we make our final decisions about the restaurant. I can't say when it will be, but hopefully we'll get around to it soon.