This morning, when I awoke, I got this really big craving for breakfast. Not wanting to repeat our trip to the local IHOP (International House of Pancakes) again, we were debating between the Pancake House in Anaheim or La Creperie in Belmont Shores. Since its been some time since we’ve been to La Creperie, it was the easy winner.
La Creperie is a French Cafe located on 2nd Street in Belmont Shores (a small beach community near the city of Long Beach). My wife and I have been regulars for years, specially during the time we lived in Downtown Long Beach. Specializing in French cuisine, La Creperie has been a popular place for locals for many years. As a matter of fact, the owners, Patrick & Dora Parmentier used to be customers themselves until they purchased the restaurant when it went for sale some years ago. Anyway, I’ve seen and met Patrick on a few occasions (he would go from table to table meeting his customers). I thought that was nice personal touch since its not every day someone get to meet the owner of a restaurant.
To start off, we began with an order of my favorite, garlic fries. In the past, they actually served the fries in a basket. This time around, they added three types of sauces (ranch, ketchup and something I’m not familiar with) for my dipping pleasure. Truth is, you don’t need the sauces at all. The fries are mixed with salt, fresh parsley and minced garlic, making it a tasty treat all by itself. Definitely recommended, it is probably the single best garlic fries I’ve had anywhere.
For our first entree, we opted for the Alaskan breakfast crepe which consists of smoked salmon, tomatoes, eggs, onions and capers. It was my first time having it and it was not disappointing, however, it didn’t exactly blow me out of the water. My biggest gripe is that the smoky flavor of the salmon seemed to get lost in the dish. Not saying this was bad, but it definitely had room for improvement. Please keep in mind this isn’t my first visit and I’ve been blown away by some of the other dishes before. Just not today.
Next up was our dessert crepe. The Napoleon. This crepe was stuffed with fresh strawberries, vanilla custard and was semi-caramelized to give it a sweet and crispy texture. It was also topped with their fluffy and light whipped cream that I find oh-so-sinfully-delicious.
The verdict is that when it comes to La Creperie, dessert is where it’s at. The Napoleon, Martinique and Marie Antoinette are easily my favorite crepes from this fine French Cafe. As far as the ambiance goes, the restaurant has a Moulin Rouge feel to it and its decorated accordingly. If you are reading this Patrick and Dora, you two are the bomb! Love your restaurant!
La Creperie Cafe
4911 East Second Street
Long Beach, 90803
Excellent Dessert Crepes
Priced reasonably. (Spent about $30 with tax/tip for 2)
Share your crepes! Split your entree and dessert so you can have room for both!
Service is not always great, but it was today!
Busy on most days, so there may be a wait
Live music 7 days of the week
1. Weirdest thing you have had for breakfast?
* Sushi & Sashimi
2. Most desperate meal you've ever had?
* Canned corn with a slice of American cheese, microwaved.
3. When you eat too much, you...
* Sit back on my chair and stare at the ceiling blankly...in pain. 
