The Top 4 of the best crepes in the Marais

Wheat crepe with Breizh Café chestnut cream (l.), wholemeal pancake and small salad from Gigi (r.)

A pagan celebration that has become Christian, Candlemas is above all the pancake festival. Eating it is said to bring wealth and prosperity for the year to come. This is good because the Marais has several quality creperies which have nothing to envy of the traditional restaurants of Montparnasse, the Parisian district where the Bretons settled, at the foot of the station which led to their home.

Making a crepe is simple! But making a “good” pancake is already more complicated. Fine but not too dry, soft but not too oily, delicious but not too sweet: it's all a question of dosage. 

Another key parameter: the garnish. However, this sometimes turns out to be disappointing, low-end, out of season or served in anecdotal quantities, to better serve as an economic adjustment variable. The party is then spoiled...

Fortunately, Le Marais Mood carried out its investigation in search of the best crepes, with buckwheat (we then speak of galette) or with wheat.

Since 2010, Bertrand Larcher's creperie has been full. His niche? Bringing together Breton tradition and Japanese precision. At the helm: Jean-Luc, his wife Yumi, a native of the Land of the Rising Sun, and their entire team of professionals.

Here, the supplies are carefully considered: the buckwheat comes from Brittany, the butter comes from Maison Bordier, the ham is artisanal, the cider is peasant and the vegetables are seasonal. The Breizh café group, which – success story obliges – has more than 15 addresses in France, goes even further in its approach: the brand encourages Breton farmers to practice agriculture that respects living things. And, for its part, Breizh café has planted several hectares of buckwheat and thousands of apple trees.

On the plate, the promise is kept: the pancakes are thin, crispy on the edges and soft in the center, lightly buttered, garnished as desired. On the sweet side, the pancakes are not left out. From the timeless Suzette (customized with yuzu), to the original Kinako -Okinawa brown sugar- matcha ice cream, through to the generous chocolate almond and homemade whipped cream, the house's standards are met.

No complaints. Excellence has a price: from 11€50 to 17€50 for a pancake and from 5€80 to 10€50 for a crepe.

▼ Breizh Café
109 Rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75003 Paris
Open every day, from 10 a.m. to 23 p.m.
Tel: +01 42 72 13 77 XNUMX

Fresh cake, photo: @pandamiammiam

The biligs (crepe pans) are smoking and this Saturday morning, the crowd is lying down in front of Alain Miam-Miam. Tourists, Marais residents, Parisians on the prowl, everyone jostles in front of this institution of the Marché-des-Enfants-rouges. And for good reason ! 

“Here, you eat the best pancakes of your life,” boasts the restaurateur with mischief. It must be said that Alain (his real first name) Miam-Miam (his false surname) knows his subject.

Since 2005, it has served socca (Niçoise chickpea pancake), buckwheat pancakes, blinis, and of course the essential wheat pancakes. When asked about the key to his success, the answer comes: “The love and the quality of the products, look, everything is in front of you, fresh, cooked in the morning! » To which is added a good dose of generosity: Alain does not skimp on quantities, and of course, especially not on the butter.

The crepe maker also has its own little tricks as proven, for example, by the lemon crepe: it's fresh lemon AND zest! Everything is done on time, to adapt to all requests. During the preparation, we chat, we joke and when we reach the end of the long line, we collect our huge lunch, in a paper bag flanked by a heart drawn by the boss. Yum !

Around €10 per buckwheat pancake

3€50 per socca

Wheat pancakes from 3€

▼ Chez Alain Miam Miam, Red Children market
39, rue de Bretagne 75003 Paris
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 20:30 p.m.
Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 21:30 p.m.
Sunday from 8:30 p.m. to 17 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
Tel: +09 86 17 28 00

▼ At Alain Miam Miam, rue Charlot
26, rue Charlot 75003 Paris
Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
Tel: +09 86 17 28 00

When we mention the name of this creperie, we imagine Marie-Anne Chazel at our table serving us her famous butter and sugar. Because “Gigi” is of course the name of the character in “Bronzés sont du ski”, a DVD of which also sits at the back of the room.

Here, a stone's throw from the Carreau du Temple, the atmosphere is relaxed and the welcome is warm. The opposite of Gigi in Les Bronzés, therefore…. The menu is short, seasonal, and the emphasis is on the quality of artisanal products (organic eggs, Bordier butter, Prince de Paris ham, etc.). No fuss at Gigi: here, we don't complicate life with convoluted names; each crepe is defined by its filling.

Everything is “homemade”. But respect for tradition does not prohibit originality: alongside the wholemeal, there is a mushroom and shiitake pancake where the fresh tomato is replaced by carrot pickle. There is also a vegan pancake. Special mention for the vegan, whose combination of onion confit, raw and cooked vegetables, fresh vegan “cheese” and kasha (grilled buckwheat) holds its own.

The sweet ones? There is, of course, the famous “Gigi” crepe (butter pancake with rose whipped cream) but also the classic lime, salted butter caramel or even pear-chocolate. And the butter-sugar, therefore.

Complete 10€

Cakes between 11 and 13€50

Menu at 13€90 for lunch (salted pancake + green salad + glass of cider or apple juice)

▼ At Gigi's
4 rue de la cordonrie 75003 Paris
Tuesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 17 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
Without reservation

Princess Crepe wheat crepe, photo: @Mek0ww

Pushing the door of Princess crepe is like taking an express trip to Harajuku (Tokyo's fashion district, popular with eccentrics). Everything is there: the girly decoration, the manga posters and figurines as well as the clientele of cosplayers, lolita or kogaru. In this miniature address on rue des Ecouffes we serve Japanese pancakes.

That is to say a Japanese version of our Breton crepes, a little softer and served in a cone generously garnished with pastry cream, fruit, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate, pieces of cake and other sweets. 

Another particularity: the look of the crepe. This one has to be as kawaii (cute) as it is good. The experience is fun, the matcha custard is delicious; the homemade, airy whipped cream and fruits (strawberries, raspberries) delight our childhood desires.

Crepes from 4€ to 9€

▼ Princess Crepe
3 rue des Ecouffes 75004 Paris
Wednesday to Sunday from 13 p.m. to 19 a.m.
Closed on monday and tuesday

Text: Tiana Salles

31.01.23