Wait, That’s a Holiday? Feb. 2: “National Crêpe Day”

It was a Saturday morning. I woke up at 10:00 a.m. and instantly heard the crackle of batter hitting the pan — my sister baking crêpes.

Walking into the kitchen I found strawberries, blueberries, bananas and Nutella sitting on the counter. My favorite crêpe toppings.

I haven’t had a crêpe-filled Saturday morning since my crêpe-baking sister left for college in 2020 — a problem in desperate need of solving. In spirit of National Crêpe Day, I decided to travel to yelp.com’s top two ranked crepe places in the Kansas City area — in search of the perfect place to celebrate.

First Stop: Seven Swans Crêperie — 1746 Washington St, Kansas City, MO   

Seven Swans Crêperie has been in KC for three years and you can instantly tell that the store is well maintained with their newly renovated windows and their vine embellishments everywhere. There is even an entertainment space for events and a gift shop.

I was welcomed by a woman behind the register, offering up Seven Swan’s most popular crêpes — the Paris Sweet Crêpe and the Cinnamon Toast Sweet Crêpe. Glancing at the menu, I noticed that the Paris crêpe contained strawberries, bananas, and Nutella — exactly like my sister made it. I ordered the Paris and sat down by the window.

The Paris was extremely thin, which meant this restaurant must be authentic since crêpes are traditionally made paper-thin. The strawberries and bananas were cut thinly and were a nice addition to the Nutella drizzled on top. This crêpe brought me right back to those Saturday mornings, chatting with my sister about our latest grievances from the school week. Everything about this crêpe screamed authenticity.

All crêpes at Seven Swans are organically made and there is also a vegan and gluten-free menu. I give the Paris crêpe from Seven Swans a five out of five for leaving me satisfied with the sweet taste of Nutella still lingering.

Second Stop: Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse — 1713 Summit St, Kansas City, MO

Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse is a breakfast spot located and reimagined in the Summit theater building. As I stepped into the eating area of Chez Elle Crêperie, I was bombarded by various pictures of Paris, French music playing over the speakers and mini Eiffel Towers at every table — a great contrast to the cozy aura of Seven Swans.

Chez Elle had a plethora of crêpe choices to choose from, but one stuck out to me — The Paris. Based on the description it was essentially the same as Seven Swan’s, just excluding strawberries. I decided to put the two restaurants to the test and see how each prepared essentially the same crepe — down to the same name.

Once I took a bite of the crêpe, it took a few long, hard chews to be able to manage the bite. The sticky texture of Nutella with the addition of the large chunks of banana added up to an overwhelming bite. However, the thinness of the crêpe was one of the better elements.

Ultimately, while Chez Elle had many choices I give it a 3 out of 5 for the heavy consistency yet thin layer of crepe.