Local crepe lovers were deprived of a brick-and-mortar establishment specializing in the thin and crispy pancakes for approximately a year and a half after Chevy Chase eatery Six Friends Cafe closed its doors for good in early 2012. La Petite Creperie, an authentic “French casual” cafe that has operated as a food truck for a handful of years, opened a standstill restaurant this summer – interestingly, in the same old house across from Woodland Park that Six Friends had occupied.
La Petite Creperie retains the same order-at-the-counter setup as that eatery, but with more of a “choose your own adventure” focus. With both sweet and savory options available, patrons are encouraged to choose one to three fillings for their made-to-order crepe (additional garnitures available for $.50 - $1 each). Savory fillings include fresh spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, eggs, bacon, ham, turkey and more; the sweet garniture options are particularly tantalizing, including Nutella, chocolate ganache, caramel, vanilla custard, and a variety of fruits, including bananas, strawberries and lemon. Two sandwich options are also available – the Croque Madame (grilled cheese and tomato with Bechamel sauce) and the Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese, also with Bechamel sauce); both are served with a simple fresh mixed greens salad tossed in a tangy vinaigrette dressing. The “specials” board typically advertises a specialty crepe and a soup of the day; a variety of soft drinks, craft beers and coffees are also available to order.
Two friends and I went for lunch one recent Tuesday afternoon. The restaurant was brimming with patrons, with a line stretching halfway through the restaurant and food runners busily scurrying around us as we tried to duck out of their way while waiting our turn to order. The restaurant was so full we were concerned we might have to wait for a table; fortunately the wait wasn’t long.
Because both my guests were ordering savory crepes, I opted to try a sandwich option, the Croque Monsieur. Both of my guests chose the Lafayette crepe (one meat and three vegetable fillings), each creating their own mix of fresh spinach, potatoes, bacon, mushrooms and other savory toppings; we added a sweet crepe (filled with vanilla custard and strawberries), a pistachio macaroon (made by Martin’s Pastries), a cup of the soup du jour (wild mushroom and rice) and several coffees onto the order as well. The crepes are fresh and as delicious as the combination of fillings that you choose – both the savory crepes ordered by my guests and our shared dessert crepe were delightful. The sandwich was buttery, crisp and delicious, though I do have to insist on recommending the crepes over the sandwich options – local crepe offerings are few and far between, and Le Petite Creperie knocks them out of the park.
Cozy and casual and with a menu that stands alone, La Petite Creperie is a great meeting spot for breakfast, lunch or a light dinner – the ambiance is equal parts sandwich shop and coffee shop. Lunch for three, which included dessert, soup and three coffees, came to $43.83, though a frugal diner could easily make it out on less than $10 a person.
La Petite Creperie
191 Kentucky Ave.
(859) 684-2737
11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Tues. - Fri.
9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sat.
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sun.