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Aviary Cafe and Creperie
Categories: Restaurants Creperies Restaurants American (New) Restaurants Cafes Creperies, American (New), Cafes [Edit]
400 E WalnutSte 100
Springfield, MO 65806
(417) 866-6378
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 8 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 8 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
29 reviews for Aviary Cafe and Creperie
Review Highlights
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"...and my personal favorite entree was the coq au vin crepe." In 3 reviews -
"...of this world; both sweet and savory crepes were awesome." In 4 reviews -
"For dessert we got the Peach Melba crepe which was amazing." In 4 reviews
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29 reviews in English
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Review from Wendy H.
MA
3/25/2012 5 photos
They put a bird on it! Aviary, in the old Marquette Hotel (listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Buildings) in downtown Springfield, MO., is everything for your eyes and taste buds to enjoy! My fella and I split the Crepes Benedict, grits and a fruit cup. It was incredibly yummy and you could learn to like grits if you didn't already, they were that good.
So many wonderful things to view while eating and you can leave a love note in a little pouch on the wall labeled, Love Letters. I can only comment on the brunch, but I find it hard to imagine the rest of the menu isn't as delicious. -
Review from Stacy K.
Bloomington, IN
3/6/2012
ADORABLE. DELICIOUS. LADYBUSINESS.
Wonderful waitstaff, too. -
Review from Laine S.
Springfield, MO
12/13/2011
My newest culinary crush! I moved back to Springfield (which is home to me) from Columbia, Mo where I learned to love brunching with my family at a place called Sophia's. Since moving back I just haven't found anything that compares...until now.
Aviary satiates all of my senses. The breakfast crepes are delicious, dinner is fabulous and the dessert is probably what they will become known for. The ambience is probably my favorite part though, you just cannot find another place like it in town. Every last detail has been so well thought out and executed. I think one of the things I like best is that the owners have other jobs and this is their hobby, their passion, you can tell they have so much pride and have put so many personal touches into this little gem of an eating establishment.
My experiences have not all been perfect but that adds to the character. You must check it out! -
Review from Itsybitsybella A.
Windermere, FL
5/20/2012
this place is an absolute delight. the French aviary theme is all over with great attention to detail. you really have to stop and take it in. the food was delicious, service was great. I had a vegetable crepe that was light and the veggies were
refectory cooked; it was served with a sour cream that seemed to be homemade because it was so light and fluffy. the Brussels sprout appetizer was amazing! and for dessert, you can't go wrong with salted caramel. the check was
presented with a little Coldren's story book in French of course. so damn cute!
I live in Florida but I will definitely be back next time I visit Springfield and I hope t have breakfast there next time! -
Review from David G.
Bronx, NY
12/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Definitely one of my favorite places to eat when I visit Springfield.
Whenever I make spontaneous happy food noises, it's something special and I was making plenty here each time I've come here.
The french onion soup is delicious.
The one thing I totally don't get and completely disagree with is that they put iceberg lettuce on the panninis, at least the two panninis I've tried. The iceberg really brings down both sandwiches and almost brought down my review to 4 stars. The "Is It Morning?" crepe was DELICIOUS.
And the Bananas Foster crepe caused a chorus of more Happy food noises to end the meal. -
Review from Molly R.
Reeds Spring, MO
8/25/2011
Alright. I'm not wasting my time with elaborate explanations that lead up to a vague conclusion on this one. This place is good- damn good- and I suggest you go. I met with my grandparents, brother, and his date here tonight, and had an expectation that The Aviary would be quite decent, if not excellent, so I guess objectivity is out the window here. Regardless, read on.
I was excited to finally visit this restaurant since set-up for it began late last semester (that's how I define the time of year now... I guess it would have been April). Upon finally visiting, I was charmed by the antique-y but not kitschy interior, and was also pleased to find that the bird theme was not overdone. I was also excited that there were no real birds inside, which for some reason I had suspicions of.
Although it took us some time to be seated, I came armed with the knowledge that The Aviary is an unusual Springfield restaurant in that the servers take their time. Too many people mistake slower-paced service for bad service. To these people, I say bring a book or a good friend, sit down, and kindly mind your manners. You can get back to real life later, and if enjoying your time here isn't good enough, there's a Jimmy John's down the street.
When our patient (and almost overly cooperative) party found our way to our table, we knew we were going to be there for a while, so we ordered a lot of food to share. We started with two appetizers: pommes frites (french fries for you folks who never took French) with truffle oil and olive aioli, and chicken samosa, a lovely dish with chicken, potatoes, and curry. Both were utterly delicious. The aioli with the pommes frites made me question why anybody settles for ketchup; the samosa opened up my world to curry powder, which I had never tasted before this evening, and had incredibly robust flavor.
Moving on to the main course. I decided on a coq au vin crepe, which was composed of shredded chicken, caramelized onions, delicious tomatoes, mushrooms, and carrots, all in a strong red wine sauce. It was fantastic and reminiscent of chicken pot pie, only more sophisticated and in crepe form. As a side I had a dish of three-cheese mashed potatoes, which was delicious and hearty. I'll give two thumbs up any day to a restaurant that doesn't cut corners with something as simple to master as mashed potatoes.
My grandparents ordered the same dish I did. My brother ordered the salmon crepe, which was paired with a lemon-y sauce. Also delicious. My brother's date ordered the Venetian garden crepe, which looked stunning, but I did not try. At this point I'll go ahead and mention that the presentation was very pretty from start to finish; we sat next to the kitchen, and I saw one of the cooks painstakingly wiping splashes off the sides of completed dishes before the servers took them out. I can appreciate effort like that.
Now on to dessert. I waited for this from the second I was seated, for when I saw the dessert options on the menu, I was imagining what my choice would taste like; however, my Nutella crepe with chocolate mousse and whipped cream was seriously one of the best sweet dishes I've ever had, and I can't think of a higher compliment than that. There was little complexity to it; the textures and flavors were flawless in their own way. Just perfect. Beautiful presentation, once again. My brother and his date got the limonchello crepe, which had more sophisticated flavor but, once again, tasted excellent. My grandparents ordered the peach melba crepe, which I think was everyone's favorite. From now on, whenever I think about a prime example of a marriage of ingredients, I'll definitely think of that.
I like to think that I'm not being overzealous in my appreciation of this place, but I had an excellent time tonight eating good food and having good conversation. Other cultures have this down pat- I'm not sure why America can't grasp the concept that sometimes life just needs to be put on hold, reservations need to be cast aside, and tasty crepes must be eaten. -
Review from Janet D.
Strafford, MO
11/30/2011
Met a friend on a Friday for a late lunch at the Aviary.
I ordered a veggie appetizer. It was delicious and filling. Followed that with a pumpkin dessert. It was a plate of 3 ample crepes topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream or something pretty. Yum!
Had coffee with a glass of water and no ice. The server kept both full.
Hope to take my whole family, just for crepes, on a Saturday afternoon.
The decor includes some pieces of furniture that look like antiques but may be reproductions. Painted in a vintage white hue. More like Galloway Village than Eureka Springs. -
Review from Karmic B.
Springfield, MO
Updated - 2/26/2012
I revisited Aviary several times since.
I enjoyed my breakfast one morning here. The egg-white veggie omelet was light, fluffy and delicious, followed up by a cup of cappuccino.
We came in with an out-of-town guest for an afternoon pick me up after a Moxie movie. We shared a beet salad, fried brussels sprouts and fried potato chips -- a nice balance of texture and flavor. It was enough to satisfy the hungry bodies, but not too much to ruin the appetite for dinner.
Perfecto.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/25/2011
The corner of Jefferson and Walnut is an eye-catching place-- a great location. I was disappointed… Read more »
Comment from Debra B. of Aviary Cafe and Creperie 2/28/2012
Thanks for taking the time to review, Karmic, and for… More » -
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Review from Arthur M.
1/16/2012
Girlfriend and I liked the whimsy of the decor, the savory shrimp and grits crepe and the duck crepe, the sea salt caramel crepe, and the tall guy who served us.
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Review from A V.
Inglewood, CA
2/14/2012
Beet salad is amazing.
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Review from Emily J.
Los Angeles, CA
6/28/2011
This place needs to hire more waiters/waitresses! So understaffed...and the staff they currently have doesn't really know what they're doing, which ruins the experience.
We stopped in Springfield for the night and were looking for a nice place to relax with some drinks and good food, and according to Yelp, this place looked pretty decent. The "full bar" stamp needs to be removed from this restaurant, because they definitely don't have one, and their lone waiter didn't know how to make anything. The drinks we ordered (and waited for...and waited for..) were on the weak side, but tasted good. It also kind of annoyed me how our waiter bent down/leaned over us when he was talking to us...like we were children or something. It was uncomfortable.
The crepes and pommes frites we ordered were delicious, which kind of made up for the bad service, but not enough for me to want to come back. Try the cheese crepe and the vegetarian crepe. They were both good! -
Review from Chelsea F.
Springfield, MO
5/16/2011
My friends and I anxiously awaited for the Aviary to open and we weren't disappointed when it finally did! The savory crepes were amazing, each of my friends got a different menu item and we loved our own order and sampling each other's order! The four cheese mashed potatoes are amazing, and my personal favorite entree was the coq au vin crepe.
The best menu feature, however, would have to be the PHENOMENAL dessert crepes! I was so full from the entree but the dessert was so decadent that I couldn't stop eating it! I got the suzette crepe, if you want a suggestion.
I look forward to indulging in the Aviary's menu items on a regular basis! Definitely a fun new restaurant to check out downtown!! -
Review from John R.
West Chester, OH
4/6/2012
Spent less than 18 hours in this city recently on business and found this restaurant through Yelp. Went there by myself and had a phenomenal meal from the salad through the main course and to the dessert.
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Review from Michael V.
Brookline, MO
8/14/2011
It was a busy Saturday evening about 6:30 when I visited. I haven't heard a single bad thing about their crepes, but I went in for a quick, light dinner. I had the French Onion Soup which was really really good. I felt the urge to cut my soup with a knife. The truffle oil, garlic aioli accompanied Pommes Frites (fancied up french fries) were served up nice and hot. They're a fine choice if you're in the mood.
The atmosphere and decor are both satisfying and eye-catching. It is easy to relax. Even though you get a classy vibe, things are very friendly and casual. I don't drink wine, but those who do will get the attention they desire to that extent. Service, even though it was busy and hectic, was never an issue. The iced tea tasted very good. That is a small thing, but still good to know.
I think the Aviary Cafe is getting things down very well. From reading other reviews it appears that as of late summer 2011, their food is awesome and their service is starting to catch up. There were large groups as well as couples on dates when I was there and lots of staff were around to keep things running. Give them a try anytime you can. I think they can make a successful go of things if they don't raise prices. -
Review from Doug R.
Springfield, MO
Updated - 10/9/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Still in love. Awesome. Menu changes seasonally and all is well. That is all.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/1/2011
Very rarely have I had a completely enjoyable meal, like I had at the Aviary, in Springfield. Upon… Read more »
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Review from Suzee Q.
New York, NY
11/27/2011
Went for an early dinner. Seated quickly. Service was generally efficient but waiter wasn't the most experienced. Decor is funky, eclectic. Food was among the best I've ever had in Springfield - I visit relatives here - and was unfussy, flavorful, and true. Only criticisms were that the crepes seemed slightly underdone and therefore got gummy if it sat in a sauce for any amount of time, and that they used iceberg lettuce!
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Review from Troy P.
Springfield, MO
This place is at the top of the charts for 5 star dining! The main courses & deserts are in a class all there own! Since they have opened they have improve their waiter skills and service to be one of the best.
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Review from Jeff P.
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow! What a great spot in the heart of Springfield! This would be a fantastic find, even in a much larger metro. The crepes and sandwiches were out of this world; both sweet and savory crepes were awesome. The coffee and tea selection was great. Service was awesome. The decor was very delicate...French cafe / tea room, which I suspect is a hit since most of the clientele seemed a bit older. Never mind that...the food is awesome!
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Review from M D.
Cedar Park, TX
11/28/2011
Took a friend of mine here for her birthday. Another friend tagged along. I had the Cajun crepe and both of my friends had some sort of chicken crepe which the waiter told them was like turkey soup. That does not sound good and it wasn't. I liked my Cajun one better but neither were something to return for. I would give those crepes 2 stars. The dessert crepe is what makes me give the 3rd star. It had a raspberry sauce and was absolutely delicious. The only reason I would go back is for dessert.
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Review from Carla W.
Springfield, MO
8/21/2011
The food is great, but it does get crowded during the lunch rush. This ain't no McDonalds, but it's worth the waiting.
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Review from Sarah S.
Marietta, GA
11/23/2011
We were in town visiting family and a big group of us came here for lunch--what a gem this place is! From the moment you walk in you are wrapped up in its cozy atmosphere, and you can really tell how much thought is put into every detail. The adorable decor, the playfully titled menu items, the helpful and eager staff, and of course the food itself are all such a treat. We all highly enjoyed the pommes frites (the garlic aioli is addictive), and each tried different savory crepes and tried bites of each other's--the Coq au Vin and "Is It Morning?" items were definitely standouts. For dessert, we all shared the Funky Monkey, which was divine. I wish I could bring this place home with me, but we'll have to settle for making this a destination spot every time we're in Springfield!
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Review from Lexy S.
Springfield, MO
12/1/2011
Great atmosphere and a really great place for a quiet night. Food was pretty decent (Desert was amazing), but the service is fantastic. Worth a visit.
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Review from Kristin L.
Bloomington, IL
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Fantastic food and the nicest owner. Give it a try. Salads and chocolate martinis are my go to choices.
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Review from Sam N.
Los Angeles, CA
6/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food=4, service=2...I guess.
We saw this had a "full bar" based in yelp reviews and what it looked like inside. Well...they have drinks on the drink menu but we were never presented with a drink menu. Instead we ordered standard drinks, which the waiter didn't seem to know of. He came back and told us he didn't have grapefruit juice, and then finally offered us a drink menu to choose from.
After at least 10 minutes of him trying to figure out how to make the drinks (there was only one other table occupied...) we got them and ordered our crepes. They were definitely good.
Then a grossly dressed guy who I guess worked there walked in and asked us if it was okay if he turned the lights on so he could count receipts and do other work at a table right next to us. The restaurant was not close to closing...I don't understand. Just made the rest of the meal unenjoyable. Honestly, this place could be awesome if they got their shit together and hired some competent employees! -
Review from Abi K.
Storrs, CT
7/11/2011
Great atmosphere. Loved the decor. Went for lunch on a Monday and was disappointed by the service. We were waiting with many other parties to just be welcomed and give our name. Eventually we gave our name but multiple people were back and forth from the front station and it didn't seem at all organized. I would definitely recommend they hire a host or hostess that can bus tables, greet customers, and give accurate times to those waiting. Our server was good but not overly friendly. The food was delicious. We had the grilled cheese (I think the best thing we ordered), the Venetian veggie crepes and the morning crepe. Both crepes were good. For dessert we got the Peach Melba crepe which was amazing! The best dessert I've had in a long time. I'd be likely to return for dessert but if service doesn't improve I'm not sure how often I'll be back.
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Review from H L.
Springfield, MO
6/27/2011
Great Coffee! I have been there twice and had crepes both times. The 5 cheese crepe, salmon crepe, and the venetian have all been fabulous! The decor is really beautiful, even in the bathroom! This is a great place to go the girls out to lunch! They do not take reservations for lunch, just dinner. I called and they said tables fill up fast, so to come in before 11:30 because the wait can be as long as 30 min. We got a table to no problem.
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Review from Joe T.
Ozark, MO
9/2/2011
Been there a couple of times and the food is fantastic! Especially for the Springfield area. However, BEWARE...our ticket was $43 which I thought was a bargain, left a $7 tip, service was good....got my credit card statement and found where our good waiter had given himself a $10 tip. I called them and got the response of "yeah, that happens sometimes, call back and talk to so and so to get it fixed." Been busy and haven't called back, but IF we ever go back I'll pay cash. Although i doubt we'll ever go back. Food was good though.
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Review from Diane K.
Springfield, MO
5/20/2011
Awesome new restaurant in Springfield! Been here twice already and it's better than our favorite San Francisco restaurant that specializes in crepes! Loved both the savory crepes -- between three of us, we've tried 5 and all have been wonderful. Also the dessert crepes are fantastic. Shared the peach melba and lemon the second time. Great presentation and great attention to detail on all dishes. Great service and friendly servers. Chef even came out to visit in the restaurant with the patrons. A great addition to the downtown restaurant scene in Springfield!
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Review from a b.
Springfield, MO
6/4/2011
Really great. The food is fantastic, wait staff is pleasant, professional and attentive (and comfortable making specific recommendations which is always a good sign of a knowledgeable staff). The meals are filling but not overwhelming and skillfully prepared. Not to understate how great the food is, but the atmosphere is beautiful. Someone obviously put a lot of thought and care into it. It really shows. Everything about this place is enjoyable.
