City Coffee & Creperie — Restaurant in Clayton

While the food is very very good and the people super nice, there are other issues with the place. It is difficult to describe the menu situation, which is horrible. The menu is too large and has too much visual "noise". The menu is posted on a giant chalkboard which is huge and so jam packed with information and written so tiny and in so many colors that the majority of it is extremely difficult to read. There isn't enough room on the giant chalkboard to fit everything so they added smaller side boards, with lots of tiny writting, and tacked up laminated signs here, there and everywhere. It is an explosion of information that is difficult to take all in and make a decision. There is always a line to the order counter, but because they don't have written menus, you can't figure out what you want until you get close enough to the chalkboard to read it. That area becomes a congested mess because the menu is so big, so visually confusing and is so hard to read that the line stops moving and people gather in a small mob. People can't decide and hold up the line or let others pass, who aren't ready either. Some have to leave the line to get close enough to read the fine print. The drink menu is on another wall behind the counter that I couldn't find and never saw the first time I was there. That board is even harder to read and slows the line down again as people can't see it from the line until they are at the counter. The place is disorganized and crammed full of stuff too. At the order counter there are additional signs tacked everywhere and so much stuff it is overwhelming. To get your drinks you have to cross the line one direction and then cross the line again to a completely separate area for utensils. The areas are so tiny that people are constantly revolving around each other "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me... Where is that, where is this, oh I didn't see that so I have to go back over there." The place is such a disorganized spacial and visual mess that it is almost comical. They need to reduce their menu, get rid of the visual noise, reorganize the space and consider providing optional paper menus (Not enviromentally friendly, I know) that are available at the start of the line. Everytime we go here there is a long line and it is mass confusion until you finally sit down. The line would be much much quicker if they fixed the menu situation. Anyway, as mentioned, the food really is quite good, the service is excellent and the people are helpful and nice, it is just the ordering process and counter area that is a...

While I do quite enjoy crepes, I have to say that they are not my absolute favorite breakfast treat. This is because I'm more about the delicious fillings than I am the crepe itself. That's not to say that if you put a banana, strawberry and nutella crepe down in front of me I wouldn't eat it. Because that's exactly what I enjoyed there today!

Now, I did ask for EXTRA nutella, just to be on the safe side (remember, for me it's all about the filling). And I'm glad I did, because you can never go wrong with more nutella! The crepe itself turned out to be quite enjoyable - it's had that light, but slightly chewy texture. The fruit inside tasted very fresh and bright.

When I looked around the beautiful patio area (the windows were open and there was a lovely breeze) everyone's orders looked beautiful! I have to say that some of the best looking plates were their salads! I'm thinking this would be a great place to visit for lunch in the future!

My absolute favorite part of this coffeehouse was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie. I noticed the cookie jars sitting on the counter when I approached and gave my order. While these cookies were pretty large, they didn't necessarily look like life-changing cookies. They looked almost average. But this seemed like a cool place, so I thought it was worth asking if they were made in-house. The lady at the register confirmed that they were and recommended the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie because they just updated the recipe. Y'ALL! This was a really, friggin' good cookie!!!! I'm pretty picky when it comes to cookies and I'm tell you, it was fantastic! Here's a list of reason why this cookie was amaze-balls:

It was big! Maybe 5 in. wide? It was soft! Not crunchy and hard! EVERY SINGLE BITE had a peanut butter chip in it!!! If I'm eating a cookie, I usually prefer that there are chips of some kind, whether chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch. But if there aren't ENOUGH chips, I get really upset. But this cookie had the perfect ratio - it had to be about 55% batter and 45% peanut butter chips. That's the way to do it!! There are pieces of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on top.

I'm coming backing to this place as soon as possible so that I can sit on their lovely patio and enjoy as many cookies...

Since returning from our 35 day tour of Europe in 2017, my wife and I have been on a quest to find a comparable crepe experience close to home. Today we found it!

When in Paris or any of the villages in France, there are literally hundreds of sidewalk cafes all designed to invite you in to sit, eat, drink, meet new friends and simply watch the world go by at your pace. No rush to turn the tables for new customers as it is all about the experience of socializing with family and friends. So the first thing I notice when approaching City Coffee from across the street is that same design and warm, inviting European sidewalk cafe design and I immediately had memories of our trip rush into my mind.

Step inside and you are transported directly to France, immediately welcomed by the staff and wonderful aromas of fresh sandwiches, soups, pastries and, of course, made to order crepes. In fact, over 100 versions of both savory and sweet crepes crowd the colorful chalkboard menu making it difficult to choose the best one (we reviewed the menu online before going so we knew exactly what we wanted). I had the Fajita, my wife had the Tropicana and my daughter chose the Clayton Club. Of course, we all had to try each other's and we were not disappointed. WOW! The portions are absolutely huge and the flavors perfectly blended to provide an absolutely unique dining experience.

I can't say enough about the staff from the moment you walk in to make sure your experience is truly exceptional. Multiple times we were visited at our outdoor table to get our opinion on how it compared to our European experience. I will say that Ann and Ray Gallardo have nailed it. I have found a new place to enjoy truly delicious French style crepes in a setting that brings back floods of wonderful memories of our whirlwind tour.

Thanks Ann for all you did today and we will see...