The Great Parisian Plate Debate

Crêperie Bretonne Fleurie- 67 rue de Charonne, 75011. T.01.43.55.62.29
Breizh - 109 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003. T.01.42.72.13.77.
La Machine à Écrire – 80 rue de Charonne, 75011. T.01.43.67.38.29

Everybody knows and loves crepes. If you don’t, it means you’ve either never been served a proper one, or you’re not worthy to be reading this self-declared mecca of Parisian gastronomy.

If you categorize yourself as the latter, please stop reading now, go to your nearest Taco Bell(get on a plane if you have to), order one of their myriad deep fried bastarizations of Mexican food, avoid making eye contact with the mystery meat, ingest it, then email Christian to brag. He might weep openly.

However, if you fall into the first category, or better yet, already love crepes, the rest of this article is for you.

In Paris, crepes are available everywhere. Hell, Ben and Jerry’s has a crepe iron encroaching onto the sidewalk next to their waffle cone maker. In Bastille, Montmartre and many other Parisian neighborhoods it’s impossible to walk half a block without being harassed by a spatula wielding shop owner looking to serve you one of his premade monstrosities. If you fall for the ploy, one will be unceremoniously peeled from a towering stack, slung onto a hot grill, smeared with your choice of ingredients and thrust into your hands. Depending on toppings, the neighborhood and how drunk you look, these run anywhere from 2€-10€. They are crap and usually to be avoided.

When the sun’s still up, these stands cater mostly to tourists, with the occasional local who can’t bear to eat another insipid 5€ premade ham and butter sandwich. Late night, however, is when they deserve your attention. Many are immigrant run and like NYC bodegas, are open insane hours. After a good drinking session, a fresh nutella street crepe will make you want to find whatever dumbass coined the phrase “freedom fries” and punch him in the throat.

For a real meal though, you will need to see a specialist. This is where things start to get interesting. While most crepe stands only have one type of batter, for the main course, crêperies serve galettes with savory ingredients.

Sadly, galettes are largely unknown outside of France. For the uninitiated, they are essentially crepes made from a different batter. Originating in the northwestern regions of Brittany and Normandy, they use buckwheat flour, giving them a darker color, earthy flavors and a denser texture than white flour based crepes.

While toppings are varied, a typical combination is the galette complète, consisting of a thin layer of ham, obscene amounts of shredded emmental cheese and a sunny side up egg on top. Other popular topping include bacon, chevre, crème fraîche, mushrooms and tomatoes. Traditionally you begin your meal with an appetizer of a plain galette soaked in butter, but as you’d be a fool not to order dessert, this can quickly become too much food.

One final word is about drinks. Get the hard cider. Brut. Don’t argue-there’s a reason why every crêperie in France sets their table with those mugs. Plus cider is cheap.

Since this is Paris, there is of course stiff competition for best crêperie, but I’ve definitely eaten my fair share and feel confident about sharing two of my favorites.

Crêperie Bretonne is simple, traditional, good and cheap. The menu isn’t huge - just combinations on a dozen or so ingredients, but the quality is there. I come back frequently. The honey-chevre galette is great, as is the crepe with confiture du lait (similar to dulce de leche). You can eat well with cider for under 20€. It’s situated on rue de Charonne in a fun neighborhood with some good bars and other interesting looking restaurants. If you want a drink after dinner, check out La Machine à Écrire, a fun little bar just up the street.

Breizh is in many ways the exact opposite of Crêperie Bretonne. Located in the trendy Marais, there is also a sister branch in Tokyo and another in Cancale (Brittany). More refined and also more expensive, a meal here runs closer to 25€, but if you’re looking for a more innovative menu, it’s definitely worth it. They have a ridiculous galette with smoked duck, white asparagus, crème fraîche and egg. A dessert crepe with rhubarb preserves and ginger ice cream was also incredible.

Note: For the 14eme we visited Porte Manech.