Crepes on Columbus
Categories: French, Breakfast & Brunch, Creperies [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Manhattan Valley990 Columbus Ave
(between 108th St & 109th St)
New York, NY 10025 (212) 222-0259
- Nearest Transit:
Cathedral Pkwy (B, C)
Cathedral Pkwy (1)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch
23 Reviews for Crepes on Columbus
I've been here a couple times.
The food is good as is the service. I've only had the savory crepes so I can't comment on the sweet ones. Based on how delicious the savory ones are, I would imagine the sweet ones must be utterly delectable.
The only thing about thing place is that it gets crowded - space is tight. Plus it's popular so there is often a wait. In fact, expect to wait 20 min to a half hour. Also, it gets a little warm in there.
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This place has quickly become one of my favorites in New York.
Being just a hop, skip, and a jump from the friends place I usually stay at it became almost a daily routine. I've tried at least one of each type of thing on the menu (savory crepe, sweet crepe, salads, sandwiches, etc.). And have yet to be disappointed.
My friend Josh prefers the red mango smoothie. And I must agree. Great for any reason but it will definitely knock out one crazy hangover as well.
The atmosphere here is just a blast. The staff is so friendly and nice it makes you want to order a coffee after your meal and just sit and relax for awhile.
I plan on hitting this place up again as soon as I'm back in the city. So regardless if you're just in town for a few nights or a local. I'd be sure to check it out.
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I started coming to this place when it first opened and I lived around the corner. I don't live in New York anymore, but when I visit, I always try to make it my last meal before leaving.
Dessert crepes are nice, but breakfast crepes are definitely the way to go! The potatoes are amazing (I'm drooling a little thinking about them) and it also comes with a beautiful salad.
I usually get some combination of goat cheese, spinach, onions, mushrooms, or something like that... and its always yummy.
What I liked most about the place at first though was that unlike other coffee shops across the street that will not be named, you don't need to know the secret handshake for people to be nice to you. The owner and staff are always super friendly.
Oh also, the flan is really good!
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Their baguettes are so good. So exquisitely crispy. Eggs were perfectly cooked. It's a nice, cozy, simple atmosphere. The staff is very friendly.
I think the crepes are not consistently excellent. The one I had today wasn't as crisp as it should've been, and the nutella wasn't melted enough. But hey, smother anything in nutella, strawberries, and bananas and it'll taste good. :)
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I love their mismatched drinking glasses and the cozy atmosphere. If you're lucky enough to get a table near where you can see them make the crepes, it's mesmerizing. Watching them ladle the batter on the spinning wheel, seeing them slowly make the crepe,smelling the scent wafting in the air makes you hungrier.
The service is kinda slow, and I'm not a fan of their coffee. But if you're looking for yummy crepes without a big price tag attached, and if you're in the mood to dawdle over food and conversation (they don't push you out), this is the place.
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING BAGUETTE:
It was a glum and chilly day when Lauren S. and Morgan E. decided to venture out in search of brunch. Our travels found us here at one of the spoils of being a Columbia student.
We fell in love with the name because anybody who is worthy of the Bay Area knows about the Mecca that is Crepes on Cole. So we figured we'd try a little taste of home.
The anticipation nearly killed me and sent Morgan into a fit of rage (well ... maybe that's an exaggeration) as we waited over 20 minutes for a toasted baguette to whet our appetite. Bread people! And some jam on the side! When someone orders jam and bread it is not to consume with the main course! It is to hold them over until the good stuff arrives!
And yet ... the tasty crepe stuffed me. I don't recommend the fried egg in the breakfast crepe. It's just a little too much. And I felt a little pukey after I cleaned my plate because it was so filling. I was starving though and scarfed my food like I hadn't eaten in three days ... so maybe it's just me being a pig.
Prices are reasonable. I understand that crepes take a little while. A good crepe maker is patient and methodical but this is not fast food. Still, Baguette doesn't equal Crepe. And next time I know not to bother ordering an appetizer. Kudos also on the fresh squeezed orange juice. I enjoyed it. But I would have preferred it pulp free.
And what happened to the baguette you ask? It came out AFTER our food. I would've told them to just cancel the order, but Morgan is greedy like that.
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There are two kinds of Sunday brunch places in this town: there are the kind that click like clockwork and move like ballet, and there are the kind that act like it's totally surprising that a lot of people are showing all of a sudden and want to eat a meal that's not quite breakfast and not quite lunch (but comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end).
Guess which kind of place this is.
And it really shouldn't have been this way, there are about fifteen tables in the place, and three waitstaff and the owner milling about and a kitchen full of people should have been able to keep things moving. But they really didn't know how to handle a wait (the owner was also hosting and was clearly in over his head), never checked on us, didn't fill our water, and got our bill wrong. The music was annoying and thumpy and terrible.
Also, this doesn't count against the star rating, but I was really surprised by the sheer quantity of self-absorbed douchebags patronizing the place. Is this an uptown douchebag enclave I've stumbled upon? The level of douchebaggery definitely felt like we were down in Chelsea or the Village. I moved up here for a reason, people.
The food was tasty and reasonably-priced.
UPDATE! I gave this place a second chance, because my lady loves crepes, and I figured the service couldn't be that bad on a Monday morning. She ordered a crepe with banana, strawberry, and nutella. I ordered pancakes, eggs, and sausage. We ordered a baguette and jam to share.
Her crepe arrived first, fairly quickly. Then came the baguette. Then came the promise that the pancakes were coming soon. Then my lady finished her meal (and she's not exactly a fast eater). Then the waiter came and asked if I was still waiting for my pancakes. I told him that I wasn't, I'd like it canceled and I'd like the check.
This place is epic fail. Someone call Gordon Ramsay.
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Met a friend for dinner here last night, after finding out that Zanny's closes down at 6 pm! So much for sweet potato pie....
Anyway, I've been wanting to try this place for a while, so we decided to give it a shot. OMG, the crepes! My friend was in the mood just for dessert and a drink, so she had a beer and an apple/caramel crepe with creme fraiche. It was SO good!
I ordered a Croque Madame, which was good, although the bread was a bit tough (which is why 4 stars instead of 5). I then had a lemon & sugar crepe for dessert, which was elegant and simple and wonderful.
Service is friendly and charming. I'd definitely go back here to try the savory crepes, and the breakfast menu looks killah!
(3.5 stars)
Crepes on Columbus is such a comforting place for me. I went there for dinner a couple of months ago with friends and the owner personally took care of us, even going so far to charge nothing to uncork the wine we brought. The crepes are not core shakers, but good. My old standby (ratatouille with goat cheese) is very decent.
My friends love the smoothies and I have to say, for all the non-authenticity, I really like CoC.
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I LOVE Crepes on Columbus. It's original. It's in a neighborhood that you might not have a lot reason to go to other than crepes on Columbus, and I like the atmosphere - very cozy as if it were a coffee shop.
I have been there three times all for dinner and always left more than satisfied.
Each individual portion can seem on the small side, but if you order a dinner crepe and a dessert crepe, or even a bowl of soup and a dinner crepe (although why you would skip the yummy goodness of Belgian chocolate and bananas is beyond me) i can't imagine you would leave unsatisfied.
The fun part of dinner crepe making is picking your combinations. I have had Bacon, Goat Cheese (I'm a sucker for Goat Cheese), & Grilled Onion, but also Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese & Jalapeno (this was a little too spicy and this is coming from somebody who likes spicy).
A favorite: The French Onion Soup - I don't get it very many places but I will get it here: very well prepared and goes along with almost any other meal.
-1 Star for the infamous slow service you will undoubtedly receive.
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My mom came into town this weekend and the only thing she kept asking for (once we were already seated at a restaurant) is, "Do you think they have crepes here?" After explaining to her that, "No, they probably didn't," I really wanted to satisfy her craving. So, last night on the way to Peter Lugers we drove by Crepes on Columbus. I was so eager to try them out that we went totally went out of our way to stop by after dinner. We sat down and ordered dessert and man, was I surprised. I know we had just eaten at a steak house, but I wasn't that full, and these babies were enormous! Between my mother, husband and I we had the Nutella/strawberry, Nutella/strawberry/banana, and the butter/lemon crepes. The owner also took care of us, which I liked. Overall I can't wait to go in and also try dinner.
The only reason why I put three stars and not higher is the SLOW service. They are always nice, but they are soooooo slow so you can't be in a rush. Besides the service, the dessert crepes are the BEST outside of Paris. What makes their crepes better than others I have had in NY is the dough they use and the good ingrediants they put inside. Lots of places have tough dough or crappy fillings like chocolate syrup or canned fruit instead of the real stuff they use at Crepes on Columbus. Not only are the dessert crepes well made, they are large so you can easily share with someone if you did not leave enough space to polish it off on your own. I also suggest thier Mediterranean salad.
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Yum! The bacon, avocado, and sour cream crepe- could it get any better- I think nOt! Great food...this place will not disappoint!
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My quiche lorraine was so-so (it felt more like layers of cheese and egg, vs. a light melding of the two), but the menu looked like it had a nice selection of cafe brunch fare -- egg platters, large salads, sandwiches, savory crepes, dessert crepes, etc. The bf's prosciutto sandwich was nice though, not too salty with the prosciutto, and nicely complemented by some pesto. And then, of course, there are the crepes... They have quite the selection of dessert crepes (and savory crepes, but I'm not a huge fan of savory crepes), and I shared a standard strawberry and nutella crepe. You know, I'm realizing, it's pretty hard to go wrong with strawberry and nutella, so long as the strawberries are sweet (they were), they aren't stingy with the nutella (they weren't), and the crepe batter isn't egregiously offensive in some way (it wasn't). This ain't Sophie's Crepes (SF), but it's a reasonable alternative.
The inside feels more like a casual cafe (more restaurant-y than a coffeehouse, but more laidback than a full-fledged restaurant) than a brunch hotspot, but there was quite a wait by the time we left the place somewhere around 1:30 pm on Saturday afternoon.
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I remembered that I hadn't Yelped about Crepes on Columbus and dropped everything to come over here and talk about how fantastic it is. Because it's seriously that fantastic. It's a cute place, very warm and cheery. I've never been there when it's too crowded, but I've also never tried lunch or brunch there. The service was excellent the first time I went- super attentive and friendly. The guy seemed like he was the owner, or at least just very invested in the place. Since then, it hasn't been that outstanding, but still not poor.
And then the food. Oh my God. The savory crepes are so good. I get the ratatouille (hey, I spelled that right on the first try!) and goat cheese crepe, and it's so flavorful and delicious. The ratatouille is really well spiced, the goat cheese is fresh, and the crepe itself is really light and delicious. I love it.
The reason that my eyes kind of roll back in my head and my mouth waters when I think about this place, however, is the dessert crepes. I mean, I'm sure the menu ones are good, but for me, it's all about make-your-own. Dark chocolate, peanut butter, and banana. Jkldkfjdfjskdlrj. It's that good. Seriously.
I can't say enough good things about how awesome this place is. I love it. I'd marry it. I love it, love it, love it.
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Savory or sweet, they have both!
I love their chicken and mango filled crepe and their smoothies.
Tasty!
Go - taste - enjoy!
This is a perfect place for weekend brunch or dinner or a meal. Just a far superior French restaurant than French Roast in all aspects, and without any attitude (that's alway a plus). ALSO, they have French onion soup unlike French Roast, where somehow they always don't have their French soup for one reason or another. The owner is friendly, staff are friendly. They refill your coffee until you say 'uncle'- sort of like a pre-Starbucks New York diner style.
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A really, really, really great crepe hideout. This place features crepes for dinner and crepes for dessert! They also have other stuff like salad and a sandwich selection, but go for the crepes. The place was decently cheap and the food came out fast too. I've only been lucky enough to go once, but writing this now, I really want to get back soon. I recommend the banana and gnutella crepe for dessert. Delicious.
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The crepes are delicious and one can eat very inexpensively here. Don't plan on having a quick meal at any time when you would expect others might want crepes as well (see: brunch on a weekend); the place fills up quickly during those times, and the service isn't always quite up to the challenge. Also, last time I was there (for a light dinner) they had lost their liquor license, which of course is no fun.
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- food is super tasty, and the potatoes on the side are one of the better one's I've had, too bad the portion size for the potatoes aren't too large
- had breakfast crepe with egg, cheddar, and tomato. medium portion size, really tasty: 4
- had dessert crepe with caramel, apples, and strawberry: 4. the only thing is that the apples tasted like applesauce, which isn't bad, but that i thought it was going to be chunky. portion is on the med-small size (wouldn't just get this for a meal)
- service is SUPER slow. I've been here twice and they've both been slow, regardless of whether there are a lot of people or not
- friendly service
- definitely come here again.
We had brunch here last weekend and it was okay. The place is very "diner" like (which is not a bad thing)...I think the sweet crepes are a lot better than the savory ones but that's b/c I'm not a fan of savory crepes (which is why I do not understand why I ordered a savory one - with goat cheese and caramelized onions; really, it sounds better than it tastes). The service was a bit sketchy - the people were nice enough but they forgot to bring my son's french toast and he's only 2 years old so trying to keep him happy without food while his parents were munching on their crepes (which he didn't want) was not particularly easy. The servers redeemed themselves by only charging us half price for his french toast (which, I should mention was the most eggy french toast on the planet and super sweet but apparently very appealing to a two year old's palet b/c the boy lapped it up!) If you're craving crepes, then this place is worth the trip b/c they do a fairly decent job with the crepes (the sweet ones can be a bit too sweet), but otherwise, it's not a "wow" place.
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For a long time this neighborhood didn't have a really good breakfast/brunch place, and that bothered me. Now there is Crepes on Columbus. Besides crepes, they also make salads, sandwiches and ice cream extravaganzas.
It's pretty much packed out on the weekends, but it's also open at night, for when you've got a hankering for breakfast for dinner.
not a big fan of savory crepes, but the ones here are pretty good! i got the boring ham & cheese one, which tasted too much like having breakfast for dinner, but the goat cheese ratatouille crepe was delicious.
dessert crepes are the best! i like their selection here, and they even let you make your own from a list of ingredients. the portions are pretty generous and the prices are decent. service is a little slow, not much for atmosphere, and a little out of my way, but i might come back if im around the area.
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