Banana Crepe
- Hours:
Tue 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
56 reviews
San Jose, CA
"best gelato I've had outside of Monza everyone has said the rest, great staff, good atmosphere, interested in the customer, not the…" read more »
96 Reviews for Banana Crepe
Yeah I read the other reviews and this place wasn't what I expected either. Boyfriend and I got a dessert crepe and also a ham and cheese crepe and both were very generously sized and they were OK but, I dunno, they were both really lacking something and it was a texture thing. I'm not a crepe connoisseur so I couldn't tell you what was wrong with them but I do know that something wasn't right.
The staff member was friendly :)
The place itself is small (the 12 of you who voted good for groups are kuhrayzee) but really cute and I think of it as a to-go place, though really I don't think of it at all. Maybe if I lived in the neighborhood I'd go back but don't make a special trip just for this place.
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We walked down here after dinner at Gombei for something sweet.
It wasn't quite what I expected, not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
They have several flavors of Hawaiian shaved ice, but it was too cool for it the night I was there. Had it been really hot, I definitely would have gotten one!
Their desserts basically consist of crepes, smoothies, and coffee drinks.
I like crepes, but they aren't my favorite thing. I shared one with my sweetie, and it was good. Just not something I would go out of my way to get.
I don't do smoothies either, but my friend seemed to like hers.
I would come back on a sweltering day for a shaved ice, or if someone else wanted to.
If you like crepes and smoothies, I recommend this place.
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The place is in Japantown and right next to the Nijiya Food Market! I swear after all these times of my shopping next door, I never knew this place was just RIGHT there. Cool.
Another yelper was talking about getting some good crepes in SJ and lots of people suggested this place.
Okay great, we're on a good note with this place. Sure why not give it a shot. The place is small, probably can seat 4-5 couples, hot, stuffy but alright. It's completely stocked with monkeys flying around and hanging from the ceiling, hence "BANANA" Crepe. I'm surprise none of the monkeys tries to pick pocket customers. Um, the monkeys aren't real if you're thinking that... just trying to be funny.. nvm.
If you can find a seat inside, hopefully there is still seating outside provided by Japantown. =)
I ordered the Banana Double Choc crepe (4-5 dollars) which had sliced bananas, chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and nutella. I was a bit disappointed even though it was alright. I only took a couple bits so I could official say that I've tried them before. I wouldn't mind going back, just not tommorrow or next week or anything around the corner.
Friendly service, yet slow. Plus what if it gets busy and due to them not having a naming/que system, how am I going to get my order the first time around? Will they remember me and my order? Will my order go to someone else that had the same order.. =( the service was too slow for my taste buds.
Card offer: They have this frequent buyer card where if you spend over three dollars, they punch out a hole in the card. Collect twelve holes and you get a.. bam.. three dollar discount on your next purchase.
CASH ONLY: Not a fan of cash only places because it at times is extremely inconvenient.
BY THE WAY: They will be CLOSED July 26, 2008 through August 10, 2008 for a Venturing Crew 611 in Japan.
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This is the only place I know of to get a shaved ice and it's a bit of a drive. I love the light fluffy ice drenched in tigers blood or coconut, yumm. I can't bring myself to ever get anything else. The inside is cheesily decorated with hanging stuffed monkeys, but I think it makes this place all the more memorable. The interior is also very tiny and it gets crowded!
I believe in a thing called love (yes I am quoting The Darkness songs) and it's because of the Works crepe that I had from Banana Crepe! Holy monkey was that thing fantastic. Strawberry, banana, kiwi, nutella, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream packed into a delicious crepe that made me want to go back the next day for seconds. The servings are really large too, so if you are going for an after dinner treat with coffee it can easily be split and still satisfy your crepe-ish desires. I also had a peach Italian soda, and though it's hard to mess those up (I guess you can put too little or too much syrup) it too was good. They offer the soda with or without cream, which is nice, since I've been looked at like a freak for asking for cream at some other establishments.
I can't give them 5 stars until I've been there more than once. But with the way I've been jonesing for it since I tried it, it won't be too long until I go back.
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Holy Crepe! That banana chocolate one was OFF the HOOk OMG down right orgasmic! But the BLT sammy crepe?
Simply disgusting!! When I got 1/2 way down it was a liquid pillow of mayo and ketchup...
:{~
The shaved ice, well it was certainly NO Matsumoto's and I got a little pissy having to ask for more syrup because when you take one bite it went to straight white ice...I kept thinking "OH yeah I hit the ice cream already!" and then I was like "what THE hell? That's just ice"
boooo
When I finally really did hit the ice cream, well it was flavorless!
I would go here again, for the Banana choco one only!
Side Note:
Hey Mikey quit following me and Ali! There is no event here, I will let you know when the next one is!
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After posting for the best crepe place in San Jose, Banana Crepe popped up as a popular favorite amongst Yelpers! So, it's exactly where I headed for my crepe fix the other day..
I got there and noticed they only take cash! Good thing I went to the bank right before.. I ordered the Rotisserie Chicken Crepe with spinach spread. It was okay but nothing special. The chicken was good and moist. But the crepe itself was pretty bland and was a big watery spinach spready mess at the bottom. And it was hard to eat! And messy! Will not be coming back here for a savory crepe..
For dessert, we tried the Chocolate Banana Crepe with bananas, Nutella, chocolate ice cream and whipped cream! It was the best thing!! This crepe is the kind of sweet crepe you have wet dreams about! It was so good!!
As for the shave ice, they offer ice cream, condensed milk and red beans. They do not pour enough syrup and they need to shave their ice a lot finer! I was hitting unflavored ice after the first bite!!
Banana Crepe is more for the sweet crepe lover. Savory crepes and shave ice are not my favorite thing here.. They also need to hire some more people here! There was a huge line and only 2 people working!
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Haha, well I work here so I'm not sure I'm supposed to write a review. Maybe I should have done this before I got a job.
Anyway, I've had a blast reading the comments. I think each personal experience comes down to who's working there at the time!! It seems like we all make the food/drinks a little different.
OMG there's no air conditioning, just a warning for the summer
There might be a long wait b/c there's sometimes not many people working at a time and there's huge rushes now and then
my fav foodstuffs:
Shave Ice w/Azuki beans + condensed milk
Bacon egg and cheese crepe
Strawberry/Banana nutella crepe
Tuna crepe with NO spread or mayo
Cookie Monster smoothie
Taro drink with lychee jelly
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I have never really craved crepes before, and I have eaten here a couple times with one of my best friends. We usually get the Hawaiin Shaved Ice (passion fruit and tiger blood flavors....mmmm) with ice cream in the middle. That is the freakin' bomb-diggity.
My last time here, however, we ordered a peaches n cream crepe rather than our usual shaved ice. It was over. After that I returned time and time again for crepes. My favorite by far is the strawberry craze crepe. The added ice cream and their whipped cream really makes this crepe godly--I simply can't get enough of it. In fact, I owe it to Banana Crepe for helping me gain an extra lb of heavenly bliss from crepes and shaved ice alone. Yeah, just 1 lb. I am watching my figure you know.
The place is small, but the decorations are cute with monkeys and a rainforest type theme. Service is dependent upon who's working and the number of people waiting. The workers usually bring the finished order to you, so that's pretty cool. Prices are reasonable. Never tried the smoothies or any of their specialty drinks. I've got other places lined up for those.
It's all about the shaved ice and crepes. In fact, get both on your first time. You might want to bring more people, but if you can gorge yourself on this beautiful heap of lip-smacking, cold goodness, you will not be disappointed.
Be sure to stop by and say hi to me if you're in the shop and see an asian girl and her filipino friend fighting over the ice cream in the middle of a tiger blood/passion fruit Hawaiin shaved ice. :) Cheers.
Some times I feel like Crepe!!!
This place has made me a huge fan of crepes. Every thing is so fresh and delicious. The crepe lightly powdered with powdered sugar, the vanilla ice cream slowly melting on a layer of banana and the whip cream mixture is to die for. By the way, the Nutella adds a great touch to this master piece.
The only down fall to this place is that it is not air conditioned. Regardless of the lack of air conditioning, this is a must try. When ever I have visitors to SJ, I will definitely take them to this place.
I only got one word for this place.....Yummy!!
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It's like a sweat box in there in the summer b.c they don't have AC or don't want to turn it on. I sit in there to eat my shave ice anyways. Service is hit and miss. They seem to be more efficient when they have the college aged kids there.
Wish they have a number system because when the order is ready, no one knows if it's their order or not. Because the servers have to track you down to give you your food, they can't get started on the next order.
Shave Ice and condensed milk FTW!
I come here often only for the shave ice. Yes, shave without the "d'. Get the works with coconut and lychee flavors! The works incorporates red bean and the best tasting vanilla ice cream as an extra treat inside. The bowl is enormous, but trust me, its almost too easy to eat the entire thing in two minutes!
Can't give the place five stars though. The crepes which is part of their name, are terrible. Not like a traditional melted savory crepe or a gooey soft dessert crepe. These are poorly made. There isn't much selection on ingredients and I've had much, much better. Go there for the drinks and shave ice instead.
Also be warned, your order may take verrry looong to make, even when there is no one in line.
This is the perfect place to go during the summer. They have everything from smoothies to coffees, boba, crepes, and sandwiches! The absolute best thing about this place is their Hawaiian shaved ice. They serve you a giant mountain of it (definitely enough for two people) with ice cream and condensed milk. What could be better!
The shop is very cute and colorful. They have a tropical theme going on (I'm guessing Hawaiian?). It's a great place to hang out.
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I knew owner Marty Suzuki in his Apple days. Back then, he was a smart, laid-back IT dude. Now, he's a smart, laid-back restaurant dude whose little shop is a regular stop after church around the corner at Wesley UMC. The shave ice is perfect: a light, fluffy mound of frozen flavor.
"SHAVE ice" vs. "SHAVED ice". If you're unfortunate enough to find someone that makes that distinction and use the wrong one, they'll pounce on you for it. I got pounced on once but it didn't help me remember.
So when I came here I double-checked the menu.
It's SHAVE ice. Hawaiian-style.
We came here for a lunch break and it was quite hot inside, a large fan somewhere was going full blast and there was no AC. Stuffed monkeys and gorillas hung from the ceiling and there was a large tropical plant by the door. The place hosted a coffee/espresso bar but at 90+ degrees outside, we went for the cool stuff. Despite the stiffling surroundings the staff was very friendly and laid back.
Menu includes smoothies, savory crepes, dessert crepes, and shave ice. Order your savory crepe the same time as your dessert because it takes awhile for anything to get to you. But well worth the wait.
I ordered the "Rotisserie Chicken Crepe" that came cone-style and stuffed with shredded chicken, lettuce, cucumber, and with my choice of a thin smear of artichoke spread. Absolutely light, filling, and refreshing in this weather. The shaved ice was also a treat and it was indeed shaved quite fine, not powder snow fine but still really great, the smoothie rich from a whole banana pureed in it.
Still need to cool down after an awesome meal like that? Take a quick step into the "Nijiya Market" next door where the whole store feels like your fridge's freezer.
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Oh my will this place statisfy your sweet tooth! After having a nice lunch next door at Kazoo, I decided to bring my friends here since they've never been. After they saw the giant mound of shaved ice, the three of us decided to share 1 order. We decided on tiger blood (consists of all the "red" flavors like watermelon and strawberry) and passion fruit, with a scoop of ice cream, topped with condensed milk. I've never been to Hawaii to try the shaved ice there but this place definitely serves it up! The ice is shaved super fine and the syrup combined with the other ingredients make it so heavenly! It's so perfect for a warm afternoon.
This little dessert shop serves crepes, coffee, etc. They have about 6 tables, seats 2-4 ppl at each. It gets pretty darn crowded but service is quick. The owner is also very friendly and delivers the food to your table.
I really like this place! =)
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Nothing beats a glistening tower of soft and fluffy ice shavings, topped with fantastically-fruity, sweet, and colorful syrup, on a warm-sunshiny day... : )
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I shared a Banana Strawberry crepe w/ ice cream & nutella with a friend. It came out to be about $5.. pretty good.
When we got our crepe & cut into it.. I noticed there wasn't any ice cream in it. boo.
So I went up to the counter & let the lil guy know.
He told me to bring the crepe back but I said.. you can just put it in a separate container....
So.. picture me waiting at the counter.
He gets the ice cream... walks past me.. with the ice cream IN his hands.. and drops if off in our plate at our table..
Let me repeat myself..... he was holding the ice cream RAW.. no plate.. no cup.. no nothing.. walks across the room & puts it on our plate & walks away. hm.. am i the only one that find that... weird ?
So my friend & I just looked at each other like wtf & laughed.
We ended up eating it anyways.. i figured he had gloves on.
ANd the ice cream was pretty damn good. :)
I give it a 4 and a half.
minus half for the awkward service.
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I have been looking for shaved ice FOR A LONG TIME. I found it yesterday while walking around Japan town with my friend. Her crepe looked tasty and my shaved ice was fantastic. The size is large, so you feel like your 3 dollars is justified. The line looks like it gets VERY LONG on hot days, so beware, but it is worth the wait!
Yummmmy! i couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that condensed milk was something you could add to the droolicious shaved ice. and ice cream! OMG this place is too cute and too tasty especially on a hot day. I got the bubblegum / strawberry flavored shaved ice. I'm so lucky to live near such a cute J-town crepe and shaved ice place. It's pretty small inside but they have a couple of tables outside if you want to enjoy Jackson St. This place is sweet tooth heaven
mmmm just like Hawaii!! Big filling servings and lotsa great flavor options. I love the decor and local artwork on the wall. Such a cute addition that fits in perfectly in J-Town. Could not finish a whole bowl I would recommend splitting with a friend.
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hooray for hawaiian shave ice!! a little mom and pop stop. can get really crowded and service can get overwhelmingly slow.
Only complaint like Steve N. said are the hours! I wonder if they would make more profit staying open later? But who would go to a dead Japantown late night? Wait..I would!
Great crepes. This is the only place I know of besides Tapioca Express or Qcup and those places just take the fun out of it because of all the teeny boppers and bad service.
A good time in Japantown is having fresh sushi, eating a yummy crepe from here, AND buying some Japanese mochis to eat at home. Yes, I am a piggy.
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The hawaiian style shaved ice is here is YUMMY. The ice is nice and fluffy. It's best to get it with vanilla ice cream and condensed milk. That doesn't make it healthier but who cares. It's GOOD!
The owner here is very friendly and the rest of the staff is great too, especially the old lady who works there..she's so cute! So far I've liked everything I've ordered here. I've tried their dessert crepes which are very yummy. But the best item on their menu is the shaved ice!! I've tried many flavors but my favorite has gotta be the tiger's blood (a mix of 3 flavors) and the blueberry! My bf and I always order it with ice cream and azuki beans...delicious! The shaved ice is very smooth and so refreshing on a hot summer day. I love how they put the ice cream in the middle of the huge pile of shaved ice and top the entire thing with beans...oh so freakin good! :)
BTW, this place has free wifi but too bad the chairs aren't too comfortable for you to be able to sit long hours working on your laptop! :P
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4 stars for their shaved ice with ice cream!
I've never had shaved ice from Hawaii so I can't say how authentic the shaved ice is here, but it's pretty darn good for me. It's great on those hot summer days when the temperature hits the 90s and you need something refreshing to cool you down.
There are a variety of syrup flavors you can choose from. I've had it with passion fruit, strawberry, green apple, and mango. You can order one and put 2-3 flavors on it. It all taste good when the flavors blend in together. FYI, it does get a bit too sweet when you reach the bottom. Best of all, you get a huge mound so order one and share it with two other people.
Overall, it's a cute crepe shop, there's a few seats, and the staff is friendly.
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I have walked by here many times, but ate here with friends for the first time Sunday morning. This is a great place for breakfast crepes. I had the banana/creme/nutella crepe, and also tried my wife's chicken salad crepe. It was really good for like $4 a crepe. They also sell thai tea's with boba here. We will definetly go back...and the people behind the counter were nice too!
So the first time I came here I was really put off .. . there is only about 5 tables, they *only* take cash and it was crowded. So it took another month for me to really come here and try the place out.
I since have fallen in love with the place. I've had the ham and cheese breakfast crepe. Nothing fancy literally - ham, cheese and crepe but it was fresh, cheap and a lot of food. I've had the fruit crepe with strawberries, bananas, whip cream and sometimes chocolate if I wanted - yum! So fresh, plenty of fruit, plenty of whip cream - so tasty and fresh for the morning, afternoon or at night!
They also have bobba tea - yum! The black milk tea bobba is a little sweet sometimes but it's good and quite tasty. My honey gets coffee - the male owner makes it perfect but the girl made it wrong but still tasty.
The place itself it super small and has SOOOOOO much stuff around - lots of ceramic and stuffed monkeys and other randomness. There is very little seating - but you can get it to go. They only accept cash - so make sure you have some - prices are pretty cheap though.
Service: It can be a bit slow, but if you aren't in a rush on a nice weekend afternoon it's perfect and the quality worth the wait. The older man who owns the place is friendly, attentive and really laid back. The younger woman is nice, pleasant, friendly and a pleasure to order from. The older grandma type woman though kills me!!!!! She is soooo sweet, soooo cute and soooooo nice with her silly little visor. They are all lovely.
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Staff is very friendly and helpful.
I wasn't too keen on my savory breakfast crepe... too cheesy not enough meat/eggs...
I recommend ordering: the shaved ice with condensed milk and red bean/azuki!!! and try some of their mixed flavors :)
Yummy shave ice - I usually get the azuki beans and condensed milk. It's pretty large too so two people can share. At $3/order, it's a cheap way to cool off from the heat.
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The food was okay. I wish the place was bigger though. It's hard to talk to friends with little children and their mother inches away from you. Same problem I have with all crepe places. Too much whipped creme and not enough ice cream. I think I'll try telling them that next time and see what happens.
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when i'm craving for a crepe i go here. located in cute japantown the owners and workers here always serve w/ a smile. it's such a cute place w/ great selection. i LOVE their crepes but they also have their infamous hawaiian shaved ice (which is a favorite on hot hot days). i've had some of their drinks here before and have always been satisfied.
This place gets an easy five stars for their wonderful shaved ice.
Seriously made my weekend. You need to go here. Period.
Dessert crepes here are delicious!!
Just don't go if you're in a hurry because they take a while to make it.
Whenever I'm near the Japantown area, I like to treat myself w/ Banana Crepe. It satisfies my sweet tooth, and is a fun, community oriented joint. Note: The metermaids in Japantown are vigilant and ruthless! Make sure you've put enough in the meter if you are there during the day on a weekday. I was about to get a ticket when the proprietor of Banana Crepe noticed and ran out w/ an extra quarter for me!
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I just have to say I completely love this place,
I've only been here twice, mainly for dessert only and the first time I visited this place I first noticed the humble and adorable Hawaiian theme (love the monkey theme!). It was a small place, so I didn't expect much from the food but wow, I have to say that was the best shaved ice I ever had. What amazed me was that we were able to split that cup between 3 people since I went with my brother and his gf also. I really love the owner also, he had a nice disposition. It just makes me sad it's not in my area. =(
they have a nice little crepe place just south of SJSU. Good for small dates. only problem is theres no bathroom. the restroom is next door's grocery store. However they make good home made like crepes on a plate - rather than in a paper cone. The crepes and snow cones are great, great people, a little slow, but very nice enviornment.
Great crepes! I just can't get enough nutella either! They really load on the ice cream and other goodies on the sweet dessert crepes. The coffee isn't bad either.
I have a hard time recommending the savory crepes though. I would just love for them to have more cheese or sauce available on them. The ham and cheese is about the only one I like to order, all the rest of the turkey, ham and chicken ones tend to be too dry. I prefer the savory crepes that I find either in SF's Japantown or at the Sunnyvale farmers market.
Word of warning about the smoothies. They are EXTREMELY sweet. I had the raspberry truffle smoothie, and it was like trying to drink a whole box of truffles at once. I really OD'd on sugar that night!
I'm so freakin' excited that i found a new crepe place! :) Conveniently located in San Jose Japantown, Banana Crepe has a wide variety of both sweet and savory crepes. They also have an assortment of beverages, hot/cold, coffee, fruit, etc. They also have shave ice! :)
I ordered the Hawaiian crepe for lunch today and it was delicious. I think this is a family business. It looked like a family was running the counter....so cute! This place definitely looks family friendly.
It's a small spot, so not ideal to hang out there for too long, especially when it gets busy. But, they do have free wi-fi for the first hour with a purchase of $3 or more, which I think is worth it b/c how can you not want to try something on their menu?!
I will surely be back for more. I wanna bring my sis next time since we became huge crepe fans when she visited me in DC. :)
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This is EXACTLY what San Jose Japantown needed, a smoothie shop with desserts and drinks.
I knew exactly where to go on a HOT Fall day while checking out the Japantown Festival this past weekend. I got a Guava Smoothie $3.00, great deal, along with yummy and really speedy service. I have been here several times a few years ago, when I used to work locally, so I already knew their smoothies were good. I promise to go back on another hot day, during another hot festival.
I haven't had their crepes recently, but they were really good a couple years ago if that counts for anything.
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