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Side Door Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Creperies Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Food Coffee & Tea Creperies, Wine Bars, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
The Village100 Canyon Blvd
#229
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(760) 934-5200
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6 am - 12 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
63 reviews for Side Door Cafe
Review Highlights
"I am now OBSESSED with their crepes."
(in 41 reviews)
"after a long day on the slopes, this is a great place to..."
(in 3 reviews)
"Excellent crepes, paninis and a full service wine bar with..."
(in 12 reviews)
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63 reviews in English
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Review from Andrew A.
Newport Beach, CA
12/29/2011
My favorite coffee shop in Mammoth. The coffee is so good that I often ke a pound off the black velvet guatemalan to bring home.
The crepes and dinner are a decent option to mix it up from the usual post skiing pizza. Happy hour wine deal is also worth checking out. -
Review from Steve V.
1/19/2012
Came here for dinner and it was packed. The front feels more like a cafe and the back is a nice wine bar vibe. It was full in the back so we sat outside in the covered area. For all intents and purposes, this area is indoors. It is completely covered on all sides with plenty of heat lamps.
After a cold day of skiiing, we all had the warm wine. It truly hit the spot. It was on Happy Hour special too for $5. Happy Hour runs from 5pm-7:30pm. As for the food, the menu is not that diverse, and offers lite fare sucha s crepes and salads. They also have paninis.
I had the Viva Crepe which was a prosciutto crepe. It also came with aoli on the outside which was too much. A lot less aoli and this would have been much better. In addition, the crepe was a bit on the salty side.
The service was friendly and average speed wise since they were so busy. A good place to come in the village, I'd probably just come here for drinks. -
Review from Su C.
Newport Beach, CA
1/18/2012
If you like crepes as sandwiches and desserts, this is the place to eat. The paninis are okay for the special, which comes with a dessert crepe for $10.00. Otherwise, the paninis are not worth your money because you can make it at home.
The crepes, on the other hand, are worth your time to eat for the special price. The drinks are delicious, especially the sangria! Best part, they have card games for you to play while you eat. Definitely makes the night more enjoyable and comedic. -
Review from Babak L.
San Diego, CA
9/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cute cafe in the Mammoth Village with a fantastic selection of delicacies ranging from crepes to fondue. I had their Black Forest Panini for lunch which was good.
The service however left something to be desired as it was on the grumpy side. -
Review from David L.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hmmmmm we went there before hitting the slopes. We were looking for some quick breakfast : I guess this wasn't the place. Two bagels and two coffees for $26 ! Oh well.... Might not be the place to be if u are in a rush... Next time will try out some real shit: crepes + wine
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Review from Steve M.
Playa Del Rey, CA
11/25/2011
Very good panini sandwiches. I had the club - awesome. The crepes were also very good. A great place to check out at Mammoth.
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Review from Sokey L.
4/26/2011 1 photo
The bf and I had time to kill on Sunday in Mammoth, so we decided to check out the Village. We were drawn to the "wine, cheese, and crepes" sign outside, which are my 3 most favorite things in the world! Great product advertisement if you ask me!
The Side Door Cafe is very charming. I love the decor, the light fixtures, and their wine racks. Everything screams cute cute cute! Their menu is pretty extensive, from paninis, breakfast classics, fondue, and (most importantly) sweet and savory crepes! We had just had breakfast an hour earlier, so opted for a sweet crepe: the Mammoth crepe!! Nutella, strawberries, banana, and whipped cream. It was heaven in every bite!!! The bf and I devoured it in a minute. Will definitely get this again! Yay to Mammoth and the Mammoth!!!Listed in: Mammoth Findings
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Review from Lei B.
Their paninis and crepes are decent. Nothing wowed me the couple times I've been here but their menu has a lot to choose from so maybe I just haven't found the right one for me. For happy hour (5PM-7:30PM) my friend and I like the warm red wine they serve here, I've never seen it anywhere else. I personally never had a problem with service here, everyone was nice.
I'll need to try a sweet crepe the next time.Listed in: Mammoth Bound!
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Review from Harry E.
Palmdale, CA
12/31/2010
Food is ok. Menu is delightful, Wine bar is lovely and has great ambience.
Owner appears to be either absent or absent minded. Place could be great with a bit of quality control, management and staff training. -
Review from Kay D.
2/25/2011 1 photo
As soon as I read "paninis, crepes, and wine" on their door, they had me hooked. I came here with my husband midday on a Saturday, and this place was PACKED. We were able to find a lone table in the back, and quickly made ourselves at home. You have to order at the front first, and then they bring your food to you. We got a brie/prosciutto panini, the Mediterranean crostinis (caramelized shallots, spinach, feta, and balsamic vinaigrette), the mambo crepe (bananas, lemon, and whipped cream), and a hot chocolate. They have a sweet wine bar, of which I did not take advantage.
The best part of the meal was by far the crostinis...mmmmm. Everything else was decent. I was not a big fan of the crepe; I'm pretty sure this was one of the worst crepes I've ever had (and I've had many), but I still enjoyed it enough to gobble it down without remorse.
I'd come again; it beats the other options in the surrounding eateries! -
Review from Olga D.
Good food, bad service!
If this place would re-evaluate their business practices, I'm sure they could be a lot more efficient and earn 4-5 starts from me. On the day we were there, the place was packed and the walk-in line was long. I only saw 1 barista (serving both dine-in and walk-in lines) and 2 waiters, which had them ran around as mad men. I had to get my own menues and hunt for a waiter to place our orders. They ran out of strawberries and bananas (really?? in a crepe place, where most of desert crepes are made with one or the other AND there is a grocery store nearby??).
We had Quicksilver and Frenchie crepes for lunch and shared Nutella crepe for dessert (could have used strawberries or banana's in it... hmpf) Food is the only reason this place gets 3 stars... hope they'll look into their operations and find ways to be more customer oriented, because the food was great. -
Review from Bridget P.
Santa Monica, CA
1/18/2011 1 photo
Saw the reviews for this place, loved the menu, and really wanted to love the place. It was my first trip to Mammoth, and we were looking for a place for breakfast/brunch that also served alcohol at 10AM. Hey, it was vacation!
FOOD - Huge menu of sweet and savory crepes, fondue, paninis, and breakfast items. We went with the NY Style Pastrami Melt panini, the Hangman's crepe, and the Mediterranean Crostini for a starter. I asked to sub chevre for the swiss cheese in our crepe, with no problem.
The first thing I noticed was that the mushrooms in both our items were canned. I'm not by any means a food snob, but directly from a can. The pastrami panini was good, with a great combo of flavors, but a very thin layer of pastrami compared to other sandwiches I've had. The corners were just bread. The crepe was very well done too, with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, chevre, mushrooms, peppers and pesto. We thought it was strange that the appetizer came out so long AFTER our food was served, pretty much when we were almost done. I'm pretty sure they forgot. It was good, but pretty expensive for the 6 small pieces.
DRINKS - We ordered a regular bloody mary and a glass of the sangria. The sangria was good, served in a large glass, but without any fruit and a little too much carbonation. The regular bloody mary was because they had run out of most other liquors.
SERVICE - I laughed at the other reviews describing the lax attitude and "mountain time" because it's so true. Things were forgotten, tables didn't seem to be cleared off until someone asked to sit at one, etc. The waitstaff was nice, but were kinda space cadets.
Good food, ok overall. -
Review from paul R.
Venice, CA
1/5/2011
Crepes are not fast food. People that come in and expect McDonald's speed are annoying. Having said that the food is great . Had about 4 meals there over the course of xmas week. The owner is on the premises and is very helpful. Remember that you are in a resort town so fluctuations in business are very hard for small vendors to gage. The crowd coming off the mountain at one time can overwhelm all of the restaurants in the village. Not sure I would order a bottle of wine because of temperature fluctuation and the way they store it . some is way to close to heating vents.
The staff is probably transient because of resort life. Not sure you can do anything about it . -
Review from Jen E.
San Diego, CA
1/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
The crepes here are fantastic. We've been coming her for the past couple years and every time I try something new and every time I'm delighted by my choice. I had the Wooly (carmel & butter topped with whipped cream) this week and it was great, but nothing tops the Roller Coaster (nutella & strawberries) or the Mammoth (nutella, strawberries & bananas).
The only problem with this place is the service. I get the whole concept of "mountain time" and I get that perhaps a few of the dudes working behind the counter have herbally-challenged brain cells, but taking an order and fulfilling it shouldn't be so complicated. Waiting nearly 40 minutes for a couple of crepes is ridiculous, but because "oh, sorry, dude, I forgot" is kind of unforgivable.
The wine selection is good and there have been times in the past where the wait staff was friendly AND competent, so I wouldn't rule this place out. Try coming before the lifts close at 4 and it won't be so crowded. -
Review from Shannon B.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2011
Had a wonderful lunch at Side Door. Hubby got the grilled chicken pesto panini (savory!) and I got the spinach chicken salad. They make their own dressings from scratch, absolutely divine. Service was fast and personable. I'll be back to sample wines next time.
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Review from Dianne G.
Las Vegas, NV
We stumbled across this little café on our stroll through the village. I could not decide where I wanted to eat so I thought to just go here for some cappuccino. Then to my surprise the menu was exactly what I wanted: Panini, salad, crepes, and coffee.
I had the Di Parma Panini and a White Chocolate Cappuccino. The sandwich was made perfectly with ciabatta, di parma prosciutto, tomato, brie, and arugula spring mix dressed with olive oil. The coffee was a medium roast (which I like) and it was sweetened perfectly and not too sweet.
I wish I came back to eat here instead of eating at (reservations-in-advance-if-you-want-dry-meat restaurant) the next day. -
Review from Matthew S.
Whittier, CA
1/11/2011
This place is a solid 4 Stars and I'm tough to please. 5 stars is not something I just hand out.
So I've eaten here 3 times now and everything was great. Best white chocolate mocha I've ever had. Best panini I've ever had and the crepes were really good but I've had better. Flavor wise the crepes were right on but I found them to be a little on the dry side. They also have bagels and breakfast bagels. I was able to get them to make me items not on the menu. I always love when a place is that flexible and willing to please.
I would eat here every morning in Mammoth because from what I've tried it's the shining star.
They also have a nice wine cellar but I've never cone during drinking hours so I don't know what that's like.
If you come here your going to need some time because the pace is very European. That's to say the focus is on excellence not the speed that they can deliver a product or how fast they can turn a table. -
Review from Galang P.
Long Beach, CA
9/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've only been here once (past winter) but it was good enough for me to highly rate them. Good food and good local beers. The place is pretty small but the food is very affordable compared to the other spots around it. I will go back again and would recommend it to anyone.
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Review from Sam C.
San Diego, CA
1/9/2011
Ordered several savory and dessert crepes here, and all of them were delicious. Would definitelty come back for more crepes when I'm back at Mammoth.
The coffee here was so so, but there is a Starbucks nearby. -
Review from Kathryn G.
Tustin, CA
8/26/2010
If you're in The Village and looking to spend a relaxing evening and unwinding, this is the perfect place. They have crepes, paninis, desert crepes, coffee and a full bar. Their Viva crepe is delicious (it has brie, prosciutto, spinach, and tomato) and fairly large - it will definitely fill you up. And you have to try their dessert crepes - I especially like the simplicity of the Nutella, banana crepe.
Excellent happy hour deal: buy 1 glass of wine, get the 2nd glass for $1. That's a great deal - especially if you buy a $12 glass of wine. You only spend $13 on wine that would have cost you $24. Sweet. -
Review from Annie C.
Irvine, CA
1/4/2011
I have been snowboarding in Mammoth regularly for the past 8 years or so and have never been so impressed with a local restaurant.
We had met up with some friends for drinks at Gomez's (formerly Hennesy's) which has the prime location in the village and saw the menu posted outside of Side Door.
I'm a huge fan of crepes and convinced my friend to not eat at Gomez and have crepes instead. It was a good decision.
The first part of the restaurant looks like a deli counter, with a few people taking orders. As we walked through to the back, the place transformed into a wine bar, with dark wood tones and wine racks along the walls and ceiling. Back area has a nice ambiance but is a bit on the small side. There is also a covered patio area, which seems to accommodate more patrons than inside bar area.
Side Door has a large selection of both savory and sweet crepes, as well as panninis and fondue. We ordered a savory and sweet crepe to share. The savory order was Viva, which has prosciutto, brie, tomato, spinach, and aioli, with a buckwheat crepe. Crepe was cooked very well, firm and stretchy, but not rubbery. Great balance of fillings, nothing overpowered the crepe and the aioli was really nice. Sweet one was a simple chocolate ganache with whipped cream. Crepe sucree was very delicate and soft with a good quality ganache. I am really impressed with the quality of crepes for both orders.
The only critique from this experience was that both crepes arrived kind of cold. Seeing that the cafe is long and narrow, it's probably because the crepes are made front of the restaurant (near the deli counter section) and have to be walked to the back, with the door opening all the time. Maybe ordering from the counter and eating them immediately street style would make it a better experience? -
Review from Robert K.
Thousand Oaks, CA
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Walked from the house to spend a few hours nibbling and sipping. Both went well. Their cheese & fruit platter is real nice and they have a great selection of good wines, including the Pahlmeyer 2004 that the wif and I ordered and shared with some new friends at the bar.
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Review from Tommie D.
Phoenix, AZ
3/30/2011
May have good crepes but couldn't wait over 30 min for our order. Ridiculous. Need a warning on their menu for the wait
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Review from Serena C.
1/10/2010
Are you in search of a great hot meal for lunch or a pleasant dessert to end your night? Perhaps a tasteful glass of wine or champagne? Search no further..
Side door cafe provides delicious paninis or savory crepes that are extremely filling. And if you're in the mood for some dessert, there are some amazing sweet crepes to fill your sweet tooth as well.
And who needs Starbucks when you can get a bomb-ass latte or espresso here? However, do be weary of the apple cider--it's instant (blech). If you're a tea person, you're in luck; they serve mighty leaf tea (my personal favorite).
Finally, there's the fully stocked bar in the back room that is filled to the brim with all sorts of wines and champagnes.
You really can't go wrong with this place. It has everything you could possibly want, including that smooth jazz playing on the speakers. Love it. -
Review from Robert Q.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
My friends came here 2 days in a row, I'm not sure why. I don't have a sweet tooth so i went for one of the savory crepes. It was ridiculously salty. A real let down. On our occasion, the service was terrible.
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Review from Rick S.
Carlsbad, CA
2/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is one of our favorite restaurants in Mammoth. Since there aren't too many good restaurants in Mammoth that isn't saying much. That's why I'm only giving this 3.5 stars. Your best bet here are the sandwiches and crepes. Cheese fondue is OK, but you only need a half order. The chocolate fondue was not very good. The chocolate was thin and runny and the fruit was cut into ready pieces. Beware: Even though we thought we were ordering the cheese fondue for 2, they charged us for 4 people - even though only two people had any.
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Review from Don M.
Ventura, CA
3/21/2006
Excellent crepes, paninis and a full service wine bar with a wonderful 'cave'.
The galettes (buckwheat crepes) filled with ham, cheese, spinach and a variety of other tasties are a great lunch off the mountain.
Follow one up with a sweet crepe with Nutella filling and a cafe au lait made with Loony Bean coffee.
Update: Service sucked at my last visit - and they weren't even busy. -
Review from Carmen V.
Los Alamitos, CA
4/25/2011 1 photo
Loved their Caprese! Mmm! I am now OBSESSED with their crepes!
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Review from Mark y.
Huntington Beach, CA
3/4/2011
The food was OK but the service was poor. Had dinner with my family and friends and ordered a panini and a desert crepe. They brought the desert crepe out about 20 minutes before the sandwich, and when I asked why they said that's just the way they do it there. But others in my party who ordered desert crepes got theirs after dinner -- ie, for desert. I suspect they just had a crepe of the kind I ordered already prepared and just wanted to get rid of it. Also, despite asking for no mayo on my sandwich, it came drenched in the stuff. Feh. There were a couple other missteps, too. Our server was fairly pleasant but inept as hell.
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Review from Jenn G.
1/13/2008
Huge wine selection, though the by-the-glass options are expensive and not that intriguing - perhaps to encourage people to buy a bottle? Good paninis, albeit on the small side for the price (especially if you've been skiing all day). There are some items on the menu that seem wildly overpriced (like a bowl of soup for $6.50 - a small bowl), and while good, aren't that good. The dessert crepes on the menu looked interesting, but nothing flew off the page. Color me jaded - I've been to more than my fair share of creperies on the other side of the Atlantic, so I need more than bananas and nutella to be convinced.
I'd go back to this place to see how it fares during a busier time of night, and whether the enthusiastic (if sloppy) service is still there. We dined at the ridiculously early hour of 6 pm on a Friday night, and easily got one of the 5 indoor tables. Not sure if that's the case any later however. -
Review from Yiwen S.
after a long day on the slopes, this is a great place to come to unwind for dinner. we came during their happy hour special, which features a $10 special for either a panini or savory crepe AND a dessert crepe.
these crepes are HUGE, easily $10 or more on their own. this is not a place that skimps on the crepe ingredients, so you get plenty of veggies and meat regardless of how much you're paying. their menu features some pretty interesting combinations for crepes, such as the dave's run (mushrooms + ham + marinara sauce) but the tastes complement each other surprisingly well.
my nutella + banana + powdered sugar dessert crepe was really delicious too. a little heavy on the nutella and less banana than i would've liked, but i've never NOT liked a dessert crepe before.
there are also $5 sangria specials during hh. while it sounds like a good deal, i didn't particularly like the sangria because it was made with red wine and it didn't contain any fruit and brandy. oh spain, how i miss you.
they have an EXTENSIVE collection of wine displayed on their "wine wall library" as i like to call it. i didn't get to try any, but some wine in the middle of the day between runs would've been nice. and since the side door is conveniently located in the village, only a short gondola ride away from canyon lodge, that would've easily been possible.Listed in: voulez-vous manger avec moi?
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Review from susy b.
Redondo Beach, CA
Updated - 2/24/2011
Still one of my favorite places in Mammoth!
Listed in: Mammoth Lakes... my…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/21/2009
Sweet & savory crepes, panini's, hot beverages (hot chocolate, mocha, latte, tea, etc), & an… Read more »
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Review from Geoff C.
2/9/2009
Two words...charcuterie plate. Now don't tell anyone else about this place or I'll have to kill you.
This is how apres ski should be done. -
Review from Annalynn C.
San Francisco, CA
3/22/2008
After a day of traveling, we arrived in Mammoth a bit late and needed to find something to eat at 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night. Most of the restaurants in the Village were already closed and Hennesy's, next door, wasn't serving food anymore.
I decided to check out the cute cafe next door because the word "crepe" caught my eye. The place was fairly empty, so service was quick. I ordered the chocolate and banana crepe, my staple sweet crepe (easier to compare), and a cappuccino. Both were delicious and met, what my friends called my High M(aintenance?) standard. Their crepe was a hundred times better than Antoine's from Canyon Lodge (see my review).
Their late night menu included sweet crepes, coffee, and paninis. While I had the crepe, my friends had the paninis and weren't at all impressed; however, they were happy they were able to find something to eat.
I loved their espresso so much, I had to grab a cup just before we left for the weekend.
Pros: Delicious crepes and espresso; they take plastic; they serve wine (I'll have to try it next time!); and the ambiance is cute.
Cons: The sandwiches were really plain, it wasn't served with a side salad (nor was it offered) or anything to complement the meal. Though the cafe looks cute, the place has no real vibe. -
Review from Michael D.
Culver City, CA
4/4/2009
When in Mammoth, I tend to alternate breakfast between here and bagels. They can add egg to any crepe, putting a little extra protein in there. The batter they use for their savory crepes is good stuff, sturdy yet light. Their coffee is also some of the better stuff around. You should pull out of here under $10.
The only real ding against them is that they use canned mushrooms. I've still got a place in my heart for the rubbery stuff of teenage pizzas, but my companion ended up picking many of hers out. -
Review from YoAdrienne L.
Los Angeles, CA
2/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Eh, the food is ok. Stick with the cheese platter and the wine and you are set. The staff is really nice, but then again everyone in Mammoth is nice.
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Review from peachpie p.
Laguna Hills, CA
3/3/2009
Pretty chill place..
I stayed over at the condo right across from it and never knew it existed till i was dying for some good tea/coffee and went on a seearch..
( no starbucks near by..wahhh ahha)
The place was pretty packed..
Ordered a berry tea (eh , decent) . I wasnt too impressed with the place but its probably because i didnt really give a fair chance. I just bought my tea and walked straight out to play w/ snow..
next time im in mammoth, i'll come check out the crepes.. -
Review from Crystal A.
San Pedro, CA
3/18/2011
Food was decent in a cute atmosphere. Loved the bar in the back... Good place for a quiet drink after the slopes.
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Review from Brian L.
Pasadena, CA
1/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ended up at the Side Door Cafe after seeing that most of the other restaurants had a wait on a Saturday night. This place has nice atmosphere and seating areas. We made it in time for Happy Hour and decided to get the $10 sandwich and side deal. I got the Unbound crepe - it was a greenish/wheat crepe with ham cheese and raw spinach inside - not the best savory crepe I've had. The BERNARD STYLE PASTRAMI PANINI was the best tasting sandwich that we got. I think I would just come back for desert since you really can't go wrong with a crepe and chocolate :) The Juniper desert crepe was yummy. We also had a white mocha coffee that was pretty good.
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Review from Melissa S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/16/2008
Stopped by here last Saturday after hearing recommendations from friends to try the Nutella crepes.
We arrived a little after 10pm for dessert. The place was still relatively packed and busy, so we just ordered from the Take Out line. The guy taking orders was friendly and polite, and didn't show any sign of being flustered by the crowd. We waited no more than 10 minutes to receive our orders.
I tried the Nutella & Banana crepe, and was not disappointed! It was hot and delicious with a generous topping of powdered sugar. The other crepes that my friends ordered also looked quite tasty.
I can't wait to go back and try Side Door's other menu offerings.
4 instead of 5 stars because of the slightly steep pricing on simple crepes... but overpricing is really nothing new in a resort town like Mammoth.
