After the tragic loss of The Crepe Stop (repose en paix) it has been difficult to find another creperie. After being starved of the French delicacies for far too long, I did some hunting and eventually stumbled upon Lily’s Creperie. The creperie is situated on De Anza Boulevard in San Mateo, only a mile or two from where The Crepe Stop once stood.
It’s quite small for a restaurant, probably not much larger than a classroom. Seating was surprisingly not a problem, with chairs both inside and outdoors, there was more than enough room for about seventeen people. Because it was so small you could smell the batter and gelato, which makes your tantalization for the crepes multiply.
The menu offers both savory and dessert crepes, with an option for an organic buckwheat-based crepe for an additional $1. The savory crepes cost between $8 and $10, and come with mixed salads or fruit. The dessert ones are cheaper, costing between $5 and $9, with an option to add a scoop of gelato for $3.25. Before ordering know that they are big, as in you would probably not be able to finish one — even a voracious pubescent teen like me couldn’t finish one. They do crepes to go, so even if you have gelato on yours, they’ll put it in a cup and cover it with foil, which keeps it cool. This surprised me as many businesses don’t have a way to preserve ice cream or gelato if you order an item to go.
This is a very creative way to keep your gelato cold while on the road.
I ate the gelato dessert crepe, which comes with two scoops of gelato, mixed fruit, and a choice of either chocolate or caramel sauce. The presentation was impeccable to say the least, it was organized, and had so much attention to detail. Everything from the cream to the powdered sugar and even the fruits seemed planned out with punctual accuracy and a sense of style.
Delicious crepes, both savory and sweet: Lily’s Creperie is not a place to pass up on.
The taste was very good, and it came out of the kitchen quite fast as well. The soft, warm crepe helped balance the frigid vanilla gelato, which in turn sweetened the perfectly sliced bananas and strawberries. The perfect dichotomy of hot and cold, of sweet and sweeter. Just as one cannot fathom nor describe artwork in a proper interpretation I cannot (to the same degree) describe the delicacy that was prepared before me. You will have to try it for yourself to just comprehend how good it was.
The glass over the counter which separates staff and hungry clients allows you to watch the employee’s careful preparation of your eloquent sweet. For those with much simpler tastes, they do have Nutella crepes. The hazelnut spread in all of its glory is seen displayed, almost shouting “EAT ME!” to its many adoring fans.I almost ordered one of the several Nutella crepes, but decided not to since the gelato crepe was a better deal.
Aside from watching the preparation of your very own dessert or meal, the tempting Nutella forces you to stare at its hazelnut temptation.
Should you go here? If you somehow aren’t convinced, I went here twice within three days, just to have another gelato crepe. Yes, I ordered the same thing twice. I know all food deserves a chance, but I just couldn’t let go how good it was. Definitely spend your money here, and bring a friend so you don’t have to force yourself to eat the entire thing yourself (it’s not worth trying). These crepes are meant to be shared — they’re big and others deserve to taste such a fine specimen that is not very common around these parts.
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