What Crêpe?

This and the B’ham location are closed. See the article:
The owner says it is a «strategic decision.»

RIP What Crêpe?
You will be missed.

Rachel was super boss status! Atmosphere was very friendly and relaxing and cozy. The hot chocolate hit the spot. And the creeps were amazing but would have been out of this world if they were a little warmer. But the food was amazing and the people where amazing. Def. will be coming back.

This place is sooo yummy! Everything on their menu is spectacular! I only gave it 4 stars because it’s pretty pricey.

Good food and presentation, though on the slightly pricier side for a crêpe. Good option for lunch, not too crowded, and they had a Groupon!
Big fan of the honey bear sweet crêpe

BEST CREPES — the artichoke dip was the bomb dot com, the chicken crêpe was unbelievably good, and the Nutella crêpe def hit the sweet spot!!! I spilt everything with my friend because it is way too
Filling to eat your own just as an FYI!

We were excited to try What Crêpe after purchasing a Groupon for this restaurant. We both love crepes but had not had savory crepes before. The place is very quaint and cute, and decorated with French décor. We opted to sit at the bar, which in retrospect really didn’t matter since the restaurant does not serve alcohol yet (they explained that they are in the process of getting a liquor license, but it was still unfortunate because I had expected to be able to have drinks since I’d heard the What Crêpe in Royal Oak serves alcohol). Oh well, no biggie.
We ordered an appetizer flight that came out to us in a timely fashion and was super delicious. We also ordered our dinners before the appetizer had arrived. We waited about half an hour from the time we were done with our appetizer for our dinners to come out. We ordered the the Mexican and the Washington Ave crepes. The Mexican was very good, while the Washington Ave was just not for me. If all those ingredients had been in a tortilla, I would have been sold, but I guess something about this particular savory crêpe did not work for me the way I hoped it would.
We ordered our dessert right when our dinner came and still waited over half an hour after we had received our boxed up leftover dinners until we received our desserts.
Honestly, I would probably go back here just for the dessert crepes if the service had been better. Our waitress (Rachel I think) was extremely nice and helpful and I don’t think it was anything on her part, but the whole meal was just too slow for such a small restaurant that wasn’t even full at the time. We most likely will not be going back for this reason — we can make dessert crepes at home.

i came here with some friends who are vegan and apparently this is one of the fewer places with a good vegan offering around here.
the place is small and cute and while they had a great selection of crepes, we all decided to build our own. our waiter was super nice and friendly and answered all of my burning questions. (the smoked salmon is not the loxy kind [so it’s flaky, not squishy?”] flaky. the orange jalapeño is gel-​ish, while the spicy hollandaise is creamy. etc.) the crêpe itself was good, thin and fluffy and eggy. the fillings (mine were just veggies) were fresh, and the spicy hollandaise had a great kick and was perfectly greasy, but made you feel classy since it’s not techinically mayo. haha
we all shared a dessert crêpe, which we built with fruit and chocolate and it was okay. the chocolate syrup (which is vegan) just tasted like hershey’s and the custard on the side is a huge thing of custard that i used some of on the crêpe and took the rest home. delicious and may have been the best part of the meal.
the place seemed a little too pricey, though i guess in this area, that’s to be expected. i’ve just had better crepes for less. the other complaint is that the service was extremely slow and it wasn’t busy at all. maybe it just takes a long time to make a crêpe sometimes. at one point we got the wrong food (which is totally fine, it happens) but had trouble getting our waiter’s attention. would have been fine for a long sit down and talk meal, but i happened to be on a little bit of a time crunch that day. overall everything was okay but it just wasn’t compelling enough to come back. though i do see groupons for this place sometimes, so maybe with a groupon i’d feel differently.

What crêpe is amazing! The atmosphere is perfect for Sunday morning breakfast or Saturday night dessert.

We ate a late Sunday brunch here last week. It was certainly popular and busy, but we got a great table in the shade outside.
LOVED … The diverse selection of both savory and sweet crepes, and the ability to customize any order. I enjoyed the Chicken Truffle crêpe, with added grilled onions (thanks to a recommendation from our awesome server). Great selection of hot and cold beverages, as well as wines. Their raspberry ice tea was perfect for an outdoor meal.
NOT CRAZY FOR … Limited seating. If you have a large party, I’d recommend a reservation, especially for Sunday brunch.
There were SO many great options on the menu — it’s hard to decide what to order! Luckily, the service is phenomenal, and the waiters are ready to help! I plan to return so that I can give the sweet crepes a try!

After my review, I was contacted by the management staff, particularly about the speed of which our service was in the past. Mainly, it was very slow whether they were busy or not, during rush or slow times, and dining in or carry out. They offered a gift certificate for the poor experience and to try them again.
I thought it was excellent customer service that they not only read the reviews, but reach out to their patrons who have poor experiences. This alone was enough to try them again… and the gift certificate helped too.
We tried the St. Germaine again, a very tasty sweet crêpe. I timed it from placing the order to when we received it and only took 7 – 8 minutes. We thought the time was very reasonable and this was with a half packed restaurant.
Excellent job in improving our experience.

This was my first trip to the Birmingham location. We went for Sunday brunch. We were seated quickly and the food was great! I had the Bön Appetit but would recommend the spicy hollandaise sauce instead of the dijon dill. But because the sauce was on the side, I was able to still enjoy my crêpe.
Will be back soon!

I really enjoy What Crêpe! It’s small and intimate and you can’t get what they’re serving any where else. I like that the menu is divided up between sweet and savory offerings. I also love their spinach artichoke dip appetizer. It’s absolutely divine!
I’ve had crepes on the savory side (chicken, bacon, etc.) and I’ve had their sweet offerings (blueberries, strawberries and their AMAZING WHIPPED CREAM) and I’m always totally full and completely satisfied.
Lately, they’ve been running Groupon specials where you can enjoy your fave crêpe on a budget. I really love that too!

My first visit to What Crêpe? was a solid four star experience. This was despite the fact that we had a crappy table in front of the door and were subjected to winter winds every few minutes.
But the food was great and I looked forward to coming back. So we invited a few friends and showed up for a brunchy kind of thing. This time the food was pretty good too but the service was a little odd. Some people at the table felt ignored and others thought it was slow. But all and all, still a solid place to enjoy brunch. The coffee was delicious.
But each time I’ve gone, I’ve just had a little less positivity about it. This is in part because there are so many great restaurant options within a few blocks.
So our last trip, we sat in the back near the bar and we had some issues with the kitchen losing our order. But the really annoying thing for me, was I felt like I was sitting by the side of the road of some kind of waitress, hostess superhighway. They were constantly whizzing by the table. And one of them was wearing loud shoes and it was just difficult to enjoy the experience. I know that may sound petty but that was my experience. Maybe if I had been eating my food instead of waiting for it I wouldn’t have noticed it so much but there you have it.
I’m probably going to take my time go back again.

My gf and I absolutely love this quaint little euro restaurant in downtown Birmingham. We’ve been here twice now.
I love it for atmosphere, location, service, and especially food quality and taste. Normally food quality and taste isn’t my biggest concern, but you can’t help but appreciate it here.
My gf and I think of What Crêpe? as «our restaurant.» My only suggestion is that patrons not sit too close to the door in the Winter.
We’ll definitely come back here again and again. If the rating was available, I would give it a 4.5!

I am unsure how to review this place, but here it goes.
½ hour wait on a Sunday just after noon is not at all bad for a trendy smaller restaurant, so my wife and I say and waited. What was frustrating was the fact that people kept coming in after we were waiting and were getting seated. apparently youc an leave your number and they will call you. Now, that is a great idea… they just need to tell everyone so we can all play the same game and understand the rules!
While waiting, I had to use the restrooms… I guess I am not trendy because I had no idea which one to use… for those of us who do not understand the «gender symbols», we are clueless… I guess I picked the right one because there was a womanc oming out of the other Watercloset when I was exiting mine… note to owners… don’t make things complicated or confusing for guests…
We ordered, and shared the Ribeye, red onion, spinach, and sour cream crêpe and had a banana, nutella crêpe with ice cream after. I had a café latte and my wife had a hot chocolate.
The food? The savory crêpe lacked salt and pepper! It was completely bland and ordinary! It really felt like I could have gotten this at a wrap joint and not at a more expensive crêpe place in BIrmingham. I had to ask for salt and pepper because it was not on the table… and once I added some, it was much better. Why not marinate the beef? How about cooking the spinach? Or what about putting something with the sour cream to add flavor???
The sweet crêpe was AMAZING!!! Brought back memories of France, it really did! I remember buying crepes at a stand when I was in high school in Paris!
As for a few other notes… umm…why in the world do I have to order a Caffe Latte in a French restaurant??? Can’t I get a good olé fashion Café au Lait? I am so tired of everyone thinking that a Café au Lait is just regular coffee with some milk… what about my espresso with piping hot milk poured into my breakfast bowl through a strainer to get the grounds out??? Not only that but if I had wanted foam, I would have ordered a cappuccino!!! I want good espresso with hot milk!!! ARRG… Tonerre de Brest, c’est pas difficile les gars!!!
A spoon and sugar would have helped as well!
I rant… but they do need to change the menu because «Chaipas» is not a place in Mexico, and it certainly is not a brand of coffee. The correct spelling is «Chiapas».
When I spend over $ 40 for brunch for 2, I have certain expectations, and they were not fully met.
Would I go again? Yes, I would… and provide more instruction when I order!
BTW…some gruyère or something in the crêpe would have been fantastic!
Unfortunately, I compare all of my crêpe experiences to my favorite place at Fontainebleau… down from the parking across from the Château…

This place made me fell so in love with crêpe! The price may be slightly above average, but for what you get in your crêpe, it’s totally worth it. There was a crowd when we went on a Sunday, took us about 30 minutes to be seated down. Service was not tip top (I had a slight feeling for being rushed through the whole process once seated — from looking through the menu, ordering, eating and all the way to paying at the end of it.) But we got what we wanted perfectly still, so apart from that, everything was great.
My husband had the Italian which came loaded with what they promised (ham, pepperoni, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olive and cheese). Another friend had the Mushroom Madness and mushroom lovers would absolutely love this. I had the Spicy Chicken Truffle, and it was a love at first bite. The truffle zip had a distinct yet not too overwhelming flavor and together, it was made perfect complementing the crêpe. Simply awesome!
And they are right to say that their crêpe portion sizes are larger than any others. It totally filled us up satisfyingly.
And we will be back for more definitely!

Say «oui» to What Crêpe?, two Parisian charmers in Metro Detroit.
At the downtown Birmingham creperie, guests enter through a black wrought iron gateway. It’s reminiscent of the Exposition Universelle de France, the world’s fair held in Paris in 1889.
Owner Paul Jenkins Jr. put a photo of the fair’s symbol, the iconic Eiffel Tower, among the posters, prints and other decorative effects at his French-​inspired café.
Jenkins gutted the space and created a movie-​like setting. Dining room walls are either wine red or weathered brick peeking through stucco; the floor is black distressed wood planks, and street-​lamp-​style lights illuminate bare tables adorned with a single red rose. Even the luxurious restrooms keep to the café theme.
What Crêpe? opened this past Valentine’s Day, just around the corner from the Uptown Palladium 12 movie complex. It’s the second creperie for Jenkins and his managing partner, Kermit Harris. The original restaurant, also quite special but in a more intimate space, opened three springs ago in downtown Royal Oak and will be expanding soon into the adjacent storefront. Rob Gunter is the executive chef in Birmingham and Erik Stephenson is his counterpart in Royal Oak.
Why a restaurant centered on crepes? Jenkins simply loves the thin pancake specialties with their endless variety of fillings. He frequently enjoyed crepes at a favorite spot in Toronto before deciding that his Detroit hometown needed them too.
Jenkins’ next chapter as successful restaurateur follows a career in promotions and marketing. As owner of L.A.-based Group 411, he previously hosted lavish parties for music industry celebrities, such as Missy Elliott and Russell Simmons.
The crêpe’s culinary history is about 9,000 years, according to the What Crêpe? Website. The «galette,» as a crêpe was called then, originated in Brittany, on the west coast of France. According to a framed poster at What Crêpe? in Birmingham: «In medieval times, peasants presented crepes to their feudal lords as a demonstration of loyalty.»
It’s easy to be loyal to these delicious flour-​battered crepes. Ingredients determine if the crêpe is «savory» — suitable for an entrée — or «sweet» — possibly a dessert choice. On the savory side, the What Crêpe? menu includes marinated chicken, turkey and eggs, which may or may not be combined with organically grown vegetables and herbs. Fully vegetarian and vegan choices are available. Sweets lovers can try crepes made with seasonal fruit, ice cream, nuts and assorted sauces, including raspberry, caramel and Nutella. You can also build your own crêpe.
Talk about loyalty: I encountered two regular diners who told me they always order a particular crêpe on the Savory list and nothing else. I got their votes for No. 10 — pan-​seared chicken, tomatoes and spinach, and No. 14 — pan-​seared tofu, red onion, avocado, tomatoes, spinach and Feta.
Chef Rob said the Obvious Choice, in the Favorites section, is one of two best sellers, and I found out why. The chicken, spinach, pecans, caramelized apples and Feta is phenomenal with its mixture of savory and sweet tastes. Spicy Chicken Truffle is the other most popular.
I really loved Crêpe de Crevette. Instead of being a filling, these ingredients were arranged prettily atop the crêpe: six marinated shrimp, fire-​roasted peppers, asparagus and grape tomatoes in a house-​made curry clam sauce. Earlier, I noticed a strong bite to my black bean soup topped with shredded Cheddar. All soups come with a crunchy slab of the crêpe batter.
Another time I chose a special, the Fruit Flan. Set before me was a colorful plate of fresh and luscious strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi and orange slices with pineapple glaze and powdered sugar on top, delicate creamy filling with graham crackers inside. Oh, my!
This being summer, the pleasant young staff was serving food on the patio at both locations, but only Royal Oak currently has a liquor license.

So What Crêpe? I think they need to change the name to What Happened to the Size of my Crêpe?
When they first opened the portions were much larger, to the point where I had trouble finishing a crêpe on my own.
Now? I don’t know if it’s a product of too many Groupons being sold or what, but if you are going to grossly short me on the crêpe, you should also be charging lower prices.
My friend and I went tonight to use a Groupon and we split the name that escapes me but it had asparagus, spinach, tomatoes and swiss and the chocolate éclair. We were both shocked at the size (or lack thereof) of our crepes. Had we known, we would have ordered our own instead of splitting two.
Don’t get me wrong, the food is still solid and tasty, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2, but at these prices, I shouldn’t be going somewhere else for dessert AFTER I eat dessert there.

I’m not a crêpe kinda of guy, I’m more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Unless that crêpe has meat and potatoes, then I’m game.
Visited What Crêpe? on a random Tuesday evening. It was an interesting restaurant. Certainly not a place a dude like myself would go with my lady friend. The restaurant wasn’t bad though. Although it wasn’t my style, the décor seemed pretty cool.
The food was great too. I ordered a crêpe with chicken, spinach tomatoes and some sort of cheese. The cheese is not important though because all cheese is good. The crêpe was served with an awesome jalapeño sauce. I wanted to drink it. In fact I think I did drink some.
The one knock I have on this place is they were very slow. Slow to seat. Slow to bring menus. Slow to give me a water (that’s why I drank the jalapeño sauce) and slow to bring the food.
If you aren’t impatient like me and want an interesting meal stop by and try a savory crêpe (they have sweet ones too). They also have some good appetizers or as the hipsters call them ‘tizers. I ordered the crisps with queso — it was awesome except they gave too much queso, so I basically started drinking it. I have a dipping sauce drinking problem. #Firstworldproblems